Host migration system

• US 7,818,454 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hostway Corporation (Hosting.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hostway Corporation (Hosting.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Jooyong, Abate, Jason Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US11/229,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

A host migration system having an first server, a second server and a relay server is provided. The first server is currently hosting an internet service having a predetermined domain name. The first server has a first IP address. The second server has a second IP address and the relay server has a third IP address. The first data packet of a request from users is redirected to the first server from the third server and a second data packet of the request is redirected to the second server from the third server. The data packet redirection may occur as an IP address mapped to the domain name is changed from the first IP address to the second IP address via the third IP address. The host migration system may provide substantially minimized downtime and data loss and corruption may be prevented.

Claims

1. A host migration system for migrating an internet service to be hosted by a different server or an identical server at a different location, comprising:

an authoritative name server comprising an address record that maps a first IP address to a selected domain name, in response to a domain name request for the selected domain name, the authoritative name server outputting the first IP address as a domain name response to the selected domain name based on the address record;

a host migration platform, comprising;

an origin server assigned with the first IP address and configured to host the internet service having the selected domain name at a selected location; and

a migration server assigned with a second IP address and configured to host the internet service instead of the origin server such that the origin server at the selected location no longer provides the Internet service for the selected domain after completion of host migration to the migration server;

wherein the authoritative name server is associated with the origin server and the migration server such that the authoritative name server provides the domain name response regarding the origin server and the migration server;

wherein the address record stored in the authoritative name server is modified to map the second IP address to the selected domain name, and in response to the domain name request for the selected domain name, the authoritative name server outputs the second IP address as the domain name response to the selected domain name based on the modified address record;

wherein the first IP address is shared by multiple hosts running on the origin server and the origin server is further assigned with a temporary IP address in addition to the first IP address, and

wherein the address record stored in the authoritative name server is modified to map the temporary IP address to the selected domain name instead of the first IP address prior to the modification of the address record to map the second IP address to the selected domain name, and in response to the domain name request for the selected domain name, the authoritative name server outputs the temporary IP address as the domain name response to the selected domain name based on the modified address record; and

wherein during propagation of the mapping of the second IP address to the selected domain name, a data packet of a request for the selected domain name is redirected to the migration server, and the migration server which receives the redirected data packet of the request for the selected domain name, processes the data packet of the request for the selected domain name.

2. The host migration system of claim 1, wherein during the propagation of the mapping of the temporary IP address to the selected domain name, the origin server receives and processes the request directed to the first IP address and the request directed to the temporary IP address;

wherein the origin server is dissociated from the temporary IP address upon determination that there is no request directed to the temporary IP address; and

wherein during the propagation of the mapping of the second IP address to the selected domain name, the origin server receives and redirects to the migration server the request directed to the temporary IP address, the migration server processing the redirected request and returning a response to the origin server.

3. The host migration system of claim 2, wherein subsequent to the mapping of the second IP address to the selected domain name, the origin server is configured so that the data packet of the request is formatted to have the temporary IP address as a source address and the second IP address as a destination address, thereby redirecting the data packet of the request directed to the temporary IP address to the migration server.

4. A host migration an internet service to be hosted by a different server or an identical server at a different location cormprising:

an authoritative name server comprising an address record that maps a first IP address to a selected domain name, in response to a domain name request for the selected domain name, the authoritative name server outputting the first IP address as a domain name response to the selected domain name based on the address record;

a host migration platform comprising;

an origin server assigned with the first IP address and configured to host the internet service having the selected domain name at a selected location; and

a migration server assigned with a second IP address and configured to host the internet service instead of the origin server such that the origin server at the selected location no loner provides the internet service for the selected domain after completion of host migration to the migration server;

wherein the authoritative name server is associated with the origin server and the migration server such that the authoritative name server provides the domain name response the origin server and the migration server;

wherein the address record stored in the authoritative name server is modified to map the second IP address to the selected domain name, and in response to the domain name request for the selected domain name, the authoritative name server outputs the second IP address as the domain name response to the selected domain name based on the modified address record;

wherein the migration server is further assigned with a temporary IP address in addition to the second IP address; and

wherein the address record stored in the authoritative name server is further modified to map the temporary IP address to the selected domain name instead of the first IP address prior to the mapping of the second IP address to the selected domain name, and in response to the domain name request for the selected domain name, the authoritative name server outputs the temporary IP address as the domain name response to the selected domain name based on the modified address record;

wherein the origin server receives the request directed to the first IP address and the migration server receives the request directed to the temporary IP address during the propagation of the mapping of the temporary IP address to the selected domain name; and

wherein during propagation of the mapping of the temporary IP address to the selected domain name, a data packet of a request for the selected domain name is redirected to the origin server, and the origin server which receives the redirected data packet of the request for the selected domain name, processes the data packet of the request for the selected domain name.

5. The host migration system of claim 4, wherein during the propagation of the mapping of the temporary IP address to the selected domain name, the migration server is configured so that the data packet of the request is formatted to have the temporary IP address as a source address and the first IP address as a destination address, thereby redirecting the data packet of the request directed to the temporary IP address to the origin server, and the origin server processes the data packet and returns a response to the migration server;

wherein after propagation of the mapping of the second IP address to the selected domain name, the migration server is dissociated from the temporary IP address upon determination that there is virtually no request directed to the temporary IP address.

6. A method for migrating an internet service having a selected domain name to be hosted by a different server or an identical server at a different location, comprising:

establishing in an authoritative name server an address record that maps a first IP address to the selected domain name;

receiving and responding to a request for in the selected domain name at an origin server assigned with a first IP address and operating at a selected location;

copying a content of the origin server to a migration server assigned with a second IP address;

wherein the authoritative name server is associated with the origin server and the migration server such that the authoritative name server provides a domain name response regarding the origin server and the migration server;

assigning a temporary IP address to the origin server when the first IP address is shared by multiple hosts running on the origin server including a host for the selected domain name;

wherein the address record is modified to map the temporary IP address to the selected domain name to migrate the host for the selected domain name to be hosted by the different server; and

receiving and processing at the origin server the data packet directed to the selected domain name during propagation of the mapping of the temporary IP address to the selected domain name;

modifying the address record stored in the authoritative name server to map the second IP address to the selected domain name, and in response to the domain name request for the selected domain name, providing the IP address as the domain name response to the selected domain name based on the modified address record;

redirecting a data packet to the migration server during propagation of the mapping of the second IP address;

processing the migration server which receives the redirected data packet during propagation of the second IP address; and

operating the migration server to host the internet service instead of the origin server such that the origin server at the selected location no longer provides the internet service for the selected domain after completion of host migration to the migration server.

7. The migration method of claim 6, further comprising:

subsequent to the mapping of the second IP address to the selected domain name, configuring the origin server such that the data packet is formatted to have the temporary IP address as a source address and the second IP address as a destination address;

redirecting the data packet to the migration server; and

removing the assignment of the temporary IP address to the origin server upon determination that there is virtually no request directed to the temporary IP address,

8. A method for migrating an internet service having a selected domain name to be hosted by a different server or an identical server at a different location, comprising:

establishing in an authoritative name server an address record that maps a first IP address to the selected domain name;

receiving and responding to a request for the selected domain name at an origin server assigned with a first IP address and operating at a selected location;

copying a content of the origin server to a migration server assigned with a second IP address;

wherein the authoritative name server is associated with the origin server and the migration server such that the authoritative name server provides a domain name response regarding the origin server and the migration server;

assigning a temporary IP address to the migration server when the second IP address is shared by multiple hosts running on the migration server including a host for the selected domain name; and

wherein the address record is modified to map the temporary IP address to the selected domain name to migrate the host for the selected domain name to be hosted by the different server;

receiving the request at the origin server and the migration server after the address record is modified to map the temporary IP address to the selected domain name;

processing at the origin server the data packet directed to the selected domain name; and

modifying the address record stored in the authoritative name server to map the second IP address to the selected domain name and in response to the domain name request for the selected domain name, providing the second IP address as the domain name response to selected domain name based on the modified address record; and

operating the migration server to host the internet service instead of the origin server such that the origin server at the selected location no longer provides the internet service for the selected domain after completion of host migration to the migration server.

9. The migration method of claim 8, further comprising:

configuring the migration server such that the data packet is formatted to have the temporary IP address as a source address and the first IP address as a destination address; and

redirecting the data packet directed to the temporary IP address to the origin server for processing.

10. The migration method of claim 9, further comprising receiving the request at the migration server after the address record is modified to map the second IP address to the selected domain name.

11. The migration method of claim 10, further comprising removing the assignment of the temporary IP address to the migration server upon determination that there is virtually no request directed to the temporary IP address.

12. The migration method of claim 11, further comprising setting the address record assigned to the selected domain name at a new authoritative name server, the new authoritative name server replacing the authoritative name server.