Domain name routing

• US 6,119,171 A
• Filed: 01/29/1998
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: IP Dynamics Inc.
• Inventors: Alkhatib, Hasan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/015,840
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/220-224, 709/235, 709/238, 709/200-203, 709/205, 709/244-250, 711/200, 711/202, 711/205-207, 370/389-390, 370/392-393, 370/396-397, 370/400-401, 370/405-409
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides for a Domain Name Router (DNR) that uses domain names to route data sent to a destination on a network (e.g., a stub network). Each corporate entity or stub network can be assigned one or a small number of global addresses. Each of the hosts on the stub network can be assigned a global address. When a source entity sends data to a destination entity with a local address, the data is sent to the DNR using a global address. The source entity embeds the destination'"'"'s domain name and its own domain name inside the data. The DNR extracts the destination'"'"'s domain name from the data, translates that domain name to a local address and sends the data to the destination.

Claims

1. A method for communicating data, comprising the steps of:

receiving a data unit, said data unit includes a destination address and a first set of information representing a first domain name, said destination address corresponds to each entity in a set of two or more entities, said domain name corresponds to a first entity in said set of entities;

translating said first domain name to a first address, said first address corresponds to said first entity and does not correspond to any other entity in said set of entities; and

sending said data unit to said first entity using said first address.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first set of information includes said first domain name.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first set of information includes said first domain name and a second domain name, said second domain name is associated with a source of said data unit.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first set of information includes a compressed form of said first domain name.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first set of information includes an encoded form of said first domain name.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first set of information includes an encrypted form of said first domain name.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said data unit includes a TCP segment.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said data unit includes an IP packet.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

said IP packet includes a header; and

said first set of information is stored in said header.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein:

said header includes an options field; and

said first set of information is stored in said options field.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

said IP packet includes a header; and

said header includes a flag indicating use of domain name routing.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

said IP packet includes a header portion and data portion; and

said first set of information is stored in said data portion.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of translating includes finding a record in a table associated with said first domain name, said record in said table includes said first address; and

said steps of receiving, translating and sending are performed by a router.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of sending includes sending said data unit to a router.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of sending includes routing said data unit to said first entity.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said destination address is a global address; and

said first address is a local address.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

replacing said global address in said data unit with said local address, said step of replacing being performed after said step of translating.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein:

said data unit includes a checksum; and

said method for routing data further comprises the step of adjusting said checksum in said data unit, said step of adjusting said checksum being performed after said step of replacing said global address.

19. A method according to claim 1, further including the step of:

acting as an authority domain name server for a destination, said destination being associated with said first address.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of receiving is performed by a second entity said second entity, corresponds to said destination address.

21. A processor readable storage medium having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage medium, said processor readable code for programming a processor to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a data unit, said data unit includes a destination address and a first set of information representing a first domain name, said destination address corresponds to each entity in a set of two or more entities, said domain name corresponds to a first entity in said set of entities;

translating said first domain name to a first address, said first address corresponds to said first entity and does not correspond to any other entity in said set of entities; and

routing said data unit toward said first entity using said first address.

22. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein:

said data unit is a TCP segment;

said TCP segment includes a header; and

said first set of information is stored in said header.

23. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein:

said data unit is an IP packet;

said IP packet includes a data portion and a header portion; and

said first set of information is stored in said data portion.

24. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein:

said data unit is an IP packet;

said IP packet includes a header;

said header includes an options field; and

said first set of information is stored in said options field.

25. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein:

said first set of information includes information representing a second domain name, said second domain name associated with a source of said data unit.

26. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein:

said step of translating includes finding a record in a table associated with said first domain name, said record in said table includes said first address.

27. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein:

said destination address is a global address; and

said first address is a local address.

28. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 27, said method further comprises the step of:

replacing said global address in said data unit with said local address, said step of replacing being performed after said step of translating.

29. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 28, wherein:

said data unit includes a checksum; and

said method further comprises the step of adjusting said checksum in said data unit, said step of adjusting said checksum being performed after said step of replacing said global address.

30. A method for communicating data, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first set of data;

receiving a domain name associated with a destination; and

creating a data unit for use with a protocol below an application layer, said step of creating a data unit includes the steps of creating a header, appending said header to said first set of data and adding a first set of information representing said domain name to said data unit, said header includes a destination address, said domain name being different than said destination address, said destination address corresponds to an intermediate entity associated with a set of two or more destination entities, said domain name corresponds to a first entity in said set of destination entities.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein:

said data unit is an IP packet.

32. A method according to claim 30, wherein:

said header is an IP header;

said IP header includes an option field; and

said first set of information is stored in said options field.

33. A method according to claim 30, further comprising the step of:

sending said data unit to another entity.

34. A method according to claim 30, wherein:

said step of adding a first set of information adds said first set of information as a trailer to said first set of data.

35. A method according to claim 30, wherein:

said step of adding a first set of information is performed prior to said step of appending said header to said first set of data.

36. A method according to claim 30, further including the steps of:

sending said data unit to said intermediate entity using said destination address for delivery to said first entity, said destination address is a global address;

receiving said data unit at said intermediate entity;

translating said domain name to a local address, said local address corresponds to said first entity and does not correspond to any other entity in said set of entities; and

sending said data unit to said first entity using said local address.

37. A processor readable storage medium having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage medium, said processor readable code for programming a processor to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first set of data;

receiving a domain name associated with a destination; and

creating a data unit for use with a protocol below an application layer, said step of creating a data unit includes the steps of creating a header, appending said header to said first set of data and adding a first set of information representing said domain name to said data unit, said header includes a destination address, said domain name being different than said destination address, said destination address corresponds to an intermediate entity associated with a set of two or more destination entities, said domain name corresponds to a first entity in said set of destination entities.

38. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 37, wherein:

said data unit is an IP packet.

39. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 37, wherein:

said header is an IP header;

said IP header includes an options field; and

said first set of information is stored in said options field.

40. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 37, wherein:

said data unit is an IP packet; and

said step of adding a first set of information adds said first set of information as a trailer to said first set of data.

41. A processor readable storage medium according to claim 37, further including the step of:

sending said data unit to a router using said destination address for delivery to a destination host, said destination address is a global address, said domain name corresponds to said destination host, said destination host addressed by a local address.

42. An apparatus for communicating data, comprising:

a processor;

a first network interface in communication with said processor;

a second network interface in communication with said processor; and

a processor readable storage element in communication with said processor, said processor readable storage element storing processor readable code for programming said processor, said processor readable code comprising;

first code for receiving a data unit at said first network interface, said data unit includes a global address and a first set of information representing a first domain name, said global address corresponds to said apparatus, said domain name corresponds to a first entity in a set of entities not including said apparatus,

second code for translating said first domain name to a local address, said local address corresponds to said first entity and does not correspond to any other entity in said set of entities, and

third code for sending said data unit to said first entity using said second network interface and said local address.

43. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said second network interface is an Ethernet interface.

44. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said processor readable storage element stores a table, said table includes a set of records, each record of said set of records includes a domain name and a local address.

45. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said processor readable storage element stores a table, said table includes a set of records, each record of said set of records includes a domain name and a global address.

46. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said data unit is an IP packet;

said IP packet includes a header portion and a data portion; and

said first set of information is stored in said data portion.

47. An apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said second code replaces said global address in said data unit with said local address.

48. An apparatus according to claim 47, wherein:

said data unit includes a checksum; and

said second code adjusts said checksum in said data unit.