System and method for saving and reusing recently acquired name to address mappings
First Claim
1. A method, for use in a client, for accessing a desired computer, comprising the steps of:
- searching a client memory area, containing a plurality of computer names and corresponding Internet addresses, for a computer name of the desired computer;
if the computer name is found, accessing the desired computer using the corresponding Internet address;
if the computer name is not found, performing the following;
passing the computer name from the client to a name server for conversion;
receiving a returned Internet address from the name server; and
storing the returned Internet address, as the corresponding Internet address, along with the computer name of the desired computer and an expiration time, in the client memory area.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a system, method, and computer readable medium for saving and reusing recently acquired Internet addresses. When a client computer receives an Internet address for a particular computer name, the computer name and its corresponding Internet address are saved in a client memory area. Before sending a request to a name server, the client memory is checked to determine if the desired computer name and corresponding Internet address are stored in the client memory. If so, the stored Internet address is used to access the desired machine. If the desired computer name and corresponding Internet address are not stored in the client memory, the requested computer name is sent to the name server for conversion. The name server passes the Internet address back to the client, where it is used to access the machine, and is also stored in the client memory for future use. The client memory area may be configured such that each user has his or her own private memory area where only that user'"'"'s name/address pairs are stored. In this case, name/address pairs are stored in individual user memory areas, rather than a client memory area. The present invention allows up-to-date Internet addresses to be obtained quickly and efficiently. Further, if a client determines that a name server is unavailable, the client may continue to use stored Internet addresses, and thus access desired computers, even though the name server is off line.
31 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method, for use in a client, for accessing a desired computer, comprising the steps of:
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searching a client memory area, containing a plurality of computer names and corresponding Internet addresses, for a computer name of the desired computer; if the computer name is found, accessing the desired computer using the corresponding Internet address; if the computer name is not found, performing the following; passing the computer name from the client to a name server for conversion; receiving a returned Internet address from the name server; and storing the returned Internet address, as the corresponding Internet address, along with the computer name of the desired computer and an expiration time, in the client memory area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
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6. An information handling system, comprising:
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a plurality of computers, including at least one client computer, connected by a network, each computer having a computer name and a corresponding Internet address; a client memory area, in each client computer, containing a plurality of computer names and corresponding Internet addresses; a name server, for converting computer names to Internet addresses; means for requesting, by a requesting client computer, connection to a desired computer; means for searching the client memory area in the requesting client computer, for the Internet address corresponding to the computer name of the desired computer; means for accessing the desired computer using the corresponding Internet address found in the client memory area; means for passing the computer name of the desired computer from the client to a name server for conversion to a corresponding Internet address; means for receiving a returned Internet address from the name server; and means for storing the returned Internet address, as the corresponding Internet address, along with the computer name of the desired computer and an expiration time, in the client memory area. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A computer readable medium for connecting a client to a desired computer, comprising:
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means for searching a client memory area, containing a plurality of computer names and corresponding Internet addresses, for the computer name of the desired computer; means for accessing the desired computer using the Internet address corresponding to the computer name of the desired computer found in the client memory area; means for passing the computer name of the desired computer from the client to a name server for conversion to a corresponding Internet address; means for receiving a returned Internet address from the name server; and means for storing the returned Internet address, as the corresponding Internet address, along with the computer name of the desired computer and an expiration time, in the client memory area. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification