UDP transport for web services

• US 7,882,268 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Broido, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afolabi; Mark O
• Application Number:
  US11/701,608
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/201, 709/219, 709/217, 709/218, 709/249, 709/238, 709/232, 709/224, 709/226, 709/203, 709/245, 707/501, 707/505, 707/506, 707/530, 707/513, 715/215, 715/735, 715/736, 715/740, 370/230, 370/231, 370/232, 370/352, 370/389, 370/229, 370/254, 370/360, 705/5, 705/6, 705/1, 705/28, 705/26, 705/27, 705/56, 705/35, 705/37, 705/44, 705/10, 705/14, 705/30, 705/7
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for routing of search requests and replies using UDP transport are provided. In some implementations, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a query at a client, converting the query into the form of a domain name in a DNS format, transmitting the query as a DNS request for a DNS record to a first server, where the DNS request is transmitted in the payload of a UDP packet, appending information identifying the client and the first server to the UDP packet, transmitting the UDP packet from the first server to one or more second servers to respond to the query, generating one or more DNS replies in response to the query, and transmitting the one or more DNS replies to the client in the payload of one or more UDP packets, the transmitted replies bypassing the first server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, the search query including at least one term;

appending a domain suffix to the at least one term to convert the search query into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format, where the domain suffix is associated with a first server;

transmitting the converted query as a DNS request for a DNS record to the first server associated with the domain suffix, where the DNS request is transmitted in a payload of a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet;

appending information identifying the client and the first server to the UDP packet;

transmitting the UDP packet from the first server to one or more second servers;

generating one or more DNS replies in response to the converted query; and

transmitting the one or more DNS replies from the one or more second servers to the client in the payload of one or more UDP packets, the transmitted replies bypassing the first server.

2. The method of claim 1, where the DNS reply comprises one or more search results, the one or more search results being content related to the search query.

3. The method of claim 1, where transmitting the converted query as a DNS request includes transmitting the converted query to designated DNS servers, the designated DNS servers configured to accept terms appended with domain suffixes.

4. The method of claim 1, where the appended information identifying the client and the first server includes respective Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and port numbers of each of the client and the first server.

5. The method of claim 1, where generating one or more DNS replies further includes adding to one or more replies service location information identifying a particular server, the service location information directing subsequent queries from the client to the particular server identified by the service location information.

6. The method of claim 1, where transmitting the UDP packet to one or more second servers further comprises receiving latency data from a group of servers and using the latency data to identify the one or more second servers from the group of servers.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising forwarding the UDP packet from one of the one or more second servers to another second server.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, the search query including at least one term;

appending a domain suffix to the at least one term to convert the search query into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format, where the domain suffix is associated with a destination server;

transmitting the converted query as a DNS request for a DNS record to the destination server associated with the domain suffix in the converted query, where the DNS request is transmitted in the payload of a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet including an Internet Protocol (IP) address and port number of the client; and

receiving query results in a DNS reply, where the query results are provided in a payload of one or more UDP packets and where the DNS reply is received from a server different from the destination server.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

at a client, encoding a search query, entered in a search engine input field by a user, into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format including appending a domain suffix to the search query, where the domain suffix is associated with a destination server;

resolving the domain suffix to determine an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the destination server;

transmitting a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet to the IP address for the destination server, the UDP packet containing the encoded query as a DNS request for a DNS record for a domain name that corresponds to the domain suffix, the UDP packet containing an IP address and a port number for the client; and

receiving query results in a DNS reply to the DNS request at the client from a query server processing the search query.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving at a first server a converted query, where the converted query is formatted as a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) request, where the converted query includes a domain suffix appended to a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, and where the converted query received in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet as a DNS request;

adding information identifying the client and the first server to the UDP packet; and

forwarding the UDP packet to a second server, where the second server generates a DNS reply in response to the converted query and transmits the DNS reply to the client in a payload of one or more UDP packets, the transmitted reply bypassing the first server.

11. A computer program product, encoded on a tangible machine-readable storage device, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, the search query including at least one term;

appending a domain suffix to the at least one term to convert the search query into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format, where the domain suffix is associated with a first server;

transmitting the converted query as a DNS request for a DNS record to the first server associated with the domain suffix, where the DNS request is transmitted in the payload of a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet;

appending information identifying the client and the first server to the UDP packet;

transmitting the UDP packet from the first server to one or more second servers;

generating one or more DNS replies in response to the converted query; and

transmitting the one or more DNS replies from the one or more second servers to the client in a payload of one or more UDP packets, the transmitted replies bypassing the first server.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, where the DNS reply comprises one or more search results, the one or more search results being content related to the search query.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, where transmitting the converted query as a DNS request includes transmitting the converted query to designated DNS servers, the designated DNS servers configured to accept terms appended with domain suffixes.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, where the appended information identifying the client and the first server includes respective Internet Protocol addresses and port numbers of each of the client and the first server.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, where generating one or more DNS replies further includes adding to one or more replies service location information identifying a particular server, the service location information directing subsequent queries from the client to the particular server identified by the service location information.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, where transmitting the UDP packet to one or more second servers further comprises receiving latency data from a group of servers and using the latency data to identify the one or more second servers from the group of servers.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising forwarding the UDP packet from one of the one or more second servers to another second server.

18. A computer program product, encoded on a tangible machine-readable storage device, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, the search query including at least one term;

appending a domain suffix to the at least one term to convert the search query into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format, where the domain suffix is associated with a destination server;

transmitting the converted query as a DNS request for a DNS record to the destination server associated with the domain suffix in the converted query, where the DNS request is transmitted in a payload of a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet including an Internet Protocol (IP) address and port number of the client; and

receiving query results in a DNS reply, where the query results are provided in the payload of one or more UDP packets and where the DNS reply is received from a server different from the destination server.

19. A computer program product, encoded on a tangible machine-readable storage device, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

at a client, encoding a search query, entered in a search engine input field by a user, into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format including appending a domain suffix to the search query, where the domain suffix is associated with a destination server;

resolving the domain suffix to determine an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the destination server;

transmitting a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet to the IP address for the destination server, the UDP packet containing the encoded query as a DNS request for a DNS record for a domain name that corresponds to the domain suffix, the UDP packet containing an IP address and a port number for the client; and

receiving query results in a DNS reply to the DNS request at the client from a query server processing the search query.

20. A computer program product, encoded on a tangible machine readable storage device, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving at a first server a converted query, where the converted query is formatted as a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) request, where the converted query includes a domain suffix appended to a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, and where the converted query is received in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet as a DNS request;

adding information identifying the client and the first server to the UDP packet; and

forwarding the UDP packet to a second server, where the second server generates a DNS reply in response to the converted query and transmits the DNS reply to the client in a payload of one or more UDP packets, the transmitted reply bypassing the first server.

21. A system comprising:

a client operable to format a search query, entered in a search engine input field by a user, as a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format including appending a domain suffix to the search query, the client being further operable to transmit the formatted query as a DNS request for a DNS record in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet;

a first server operable to receive the DNS request from the client, the first server being operable to forward the DNS request, where the domain suffix is associated with the first server; and

one or more second servers operable to receive the DNS request from the first server, each second server being operable to respond to the formatted query with a DNS reply transmitted to the client as one or more UDP packets without passing through the first server.

22. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, the search query including at least one term;

appending a domain suffix to the at least one term to convert the search query into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format, where the domain suffix is associated with a destination server;

transmitting the converted query as a DNS request for a DNS record to the destination server associated with the domain suffix in the converted query, where the DNS request is transmitted in a payload of a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet including an Internet Protocol (IP) address and port number of the client; and

receiving query results in a DNS reply, where the query results are provided in the payload of one or more UDP packets and where the DNS reply is received from a server different from the destination server.

23. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

at a client, encoding a search query, entered in a search engine input field by a user, into a form of a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) format including appending a domain suffix to the search query, where the domain suffix is associated with a destination server;

resolving the domain suffix to determine an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the destination server;

transmitting a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet to the IP address for the destination server, the UDP packet containing the encoded query as a DNS request for a DNS record for a domain name that corresponds to the domain suffix, the UDP packet containing an IP address and a port number for the client; and

receiving query results in a DNS reply to the DNS request at the client from a query server processing the search query.

24. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving at a first server a converted query, where the converted query is formatted as a domain name in a domain name system (DNS) request, where the converted query includes a domain suffix appended to a search query entered in a search engine input field by a user on a client, and where the converted query is received in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet as a DNS request;

adding information identifying the client and the first server to the UDP packet; and

forwarding the UDP packet to a second server, where the second server generates a DNS reply in response to the converted query and transmits the DNS reply to the client in a payload of one or more UDP packets, the transmitted reply bypassing the first server.