Remote domain name service

• US 7,730,187 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Raciborski, Nathan F., McCarthy, Nils H., Harvell, Brad B., Gordon, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US11/539,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/205, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery

Abstract

Method and systems to resolve IP addresses in response to domain name resolution requests on a packet-switched network. A request to resolve the domain name is received at a CDN in a second location. The domain name is associated with a content object and is relayed with a terminal device, which receives Internet access from an access network. The access network comprises a first DNS system that functions in an authoritative DNS mode. The content object is realized in a first location of the terminal device, different from the second location. An IP address for the domain name is returned from the second DNS system, wherein the second DNS system alternatively operates in both the authoritative and a recursing DNS mode. The content object is delivered from the second location with the CDN toward the terminal device.

Claims

1. A content delivery network (CDN) for providing content objects, the CDN comprising:

a CDN connection with a terminal device;

a second domain name service (DNS) system of the CDN, wherein;

a first request to resolve a first domain name is received by the second DNS system at a second location,

the first domain name is associated with a first content object,

a second request to resolve a second domain name is received by the second DNS system at the second location,

the second domain name is associated with a second content object,

the first and second requests are relayed with the terminal device,

the terminal device receives Internet access from an access network,

the access network comprises a first DNS system that functions in a recursing DNS mode,

the first content object is realized in a first location of the terminal device,

the second location is different from the first location,

the second DNS system operates in a recursing DNS mode to retrieve a first IP address corresponding to the first domain name, and

the first IP address for the first domain name is returned from the second DNS system to the terminal device to fulfill the first request;

an IP address store for holding authoritative Internet protocol (IP) addresses, wherein;

the second DNS system operates in an authoritative DNS mode to retrieve a second IP address from the IP address store, and

the second IP address for the second domain name is returned from the second DNS system to the terminal device to fulfill the second request,

a content store of the CDN in the second location, wherein at least one of the first or second content object is stored with the content store.

2. The CDN for providing content objects as recited in claim 1, wherein the IP address store is at the second location.

3. The CDN for providing content objects as recited in claim 1, further comprising a IP address cache that holds prior responses for domain names found in the recursing DNS mode.

4. A method for providing an IP address in exchange for a domain name on a packet-switched network, the method comprising:

receiving a request to resolve the domain name at a CDN, wherein;

the domain name is associated with a content object,

the request is relayed with a terminal device,

the terminal device receives Internet access from an access network,

the access network comprises a first DNS system that functions in an authoritative DNS mode,

the content object is realized in a first location of the terminal device,

the receiving the request comprises receiving the request at a second location by a second DNS system, which is part of the CDN, and

the second location is different from the first location;

returning an IP address for the domain name from the second DNS system, wherein the second DNS system alternatively operates in both the authoritative DNS mode and a recursing DNS mode; and

delivering the content object from the second location with the CDN toward the terminal device.

5. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, the method further comprising determining an Internet location for the terminal device.

6. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, the method further comprising determining the IP address from a plurality of IP addresses, wherein each of the plurality of IP addresses could serve the content object.

7. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, wherein the second DNS system is specified by a content delivery network (CDN).

8. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, wherein a DNS system operates in the recursing DNS mode to resolve an authoritative DNS server to return a requested IP address.

9. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, wherein a DNS system directly provides IP addresses for domain names in the authoritative mode without consultation of outside servers.

10. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, wherein the second DNS system is specified by a content originator.

11. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, the method further comprising steps of:

determining if the second DNS system is unavailable; and

sending a second request to resolve a second domain name to the first DNS system, at least partially, based upon the determining step.

12. The method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 4, the method further comprising steps of:

sending a second request to resolve a second domain name to the first DNS system;

determining that the second DNS system is available; and

sending a third request to resolve a third domain name to the second DNS system, at least partially, based upon the determining step.

13. A machine-readable storage medium having machine-executable instructions for performing the machine-implementable method for providing the IP address in exchange for the domain name on the packet-switched network of claim 4.

14. A system for providing IP addresses in exchange for domain names on a packet-switched network, the system comprising:

a CDN connection with a terminal device;

a second domain name service (DNS) sub-system of a CDN, wherein;

a first request to resolve a first domain name is received by the second DNS sub-system at a second location,

the first domain name is associated with a first content object,

a second request to resolve a second domain name is received by the second DNS sub-system at the second location,

the second domain name is associated with a second content object,

the first and second requests are relayed with the terminal device,

the terminal device receives Internet access from an access network,

the access network comprises a first DNS sub-system that functions in a recursing DNS mode,

the first content object is realized in a first location of the terminal device,

the second location is different from the first location,

the second DNS sub-system operates in a recursing DNS mode to retrieve a first IP address corresponding to the first domain name, and

the first IP address for the first domain name is returned from the second DNS sub-system to the terminal device to fulfill the first request;

a content store of the CDN at the second location, wherein at least one of the first or second content object is stored with the content store; and

an IP address store of the CDN for holding authoritative IP addresses, wherein;

the second DNS sub-system operates in an authoritative DNS mode to retrieve a second IP address from the IP address store, and

the second IP address for the second domain name is returned from the second DNS sub-system to the terminal device to fulfill the second request.

15. The system for providing IP addresses in exchange for domain names on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 14, wherein the system is part of a content delivery network (CDN) that delivers the first and second content objects.

16. The system for providing IP addresses in exchange for domain names on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 14, wherein the IP address store is at the second location.

17. The system for providing IP addresses in exchange for domain names on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 14, further comprising a IP address cache that holds prior responses for domain names found in the recursing DNS mode.

18. The system for providing IP addresses in exchange for domain names on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 14, wherein the terminal device contacts the first DNS sub-system should the second DNS sub-system fail to respond.

19. The system for providing IP addresses in exchange for domain names on the packet-switched network as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a plurality of terminal devices; and

a plurality of access networks, wherein;

the plurality of terminal devices variously receive Internet access from the plurality of access networks, and

each of the plurality of terminal devices uses the second DNS sub-system for domain resolution.