Internet location coordinate enhanced domain name system

• US 7,991,879 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Josefsberg, Arne, Dunagan, John D, Wolman, Alastair, Scheibel, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino; Joseph E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park; Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US12/041,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

An exemplary architecture is for an Internet Location Coordinate enhanced Domain Name System (DNS). An exemplary method includes requesting information for a plurality of servers associated with a network domain name of a Domain Name System (DNS) where the information includes information based in part on packets transmitted by each of the plurality of servers to a plurality of network beacons; receiving the requested information from a name server associated with the Domain Name System (DNS); and, based in part on the received information, selecting an optimal server for the network domain name. Other methods, devices and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A network architecture comprising:

a network;

name servers associated with a Domain Name System (DNS);

beacons in communication with the network and positioned at a plurality of locations throughout the network;

clients in communication with the network wherein each of the clients comprises instructions to determine an Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) based in part on sending packets to, and receiving corresponding response packets from, a plurality of the beacons; and

web servers in communication with the network wherein each of the web servers comprises instructions to determine an Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) based in part on sending packets to, and receiving corresponding response packets from, a plurality of the beacons and instructions to send an Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) to one of the name servers of the Domain Name System (DNS), wherein;

in response to a request from a client for a domain name, a plurality of the web servers associated with the domain name communicate, directly or indirectly, their respective ILC to the client; and

the client calculates differences between the ILC of the client and each ILC of the plurality of the web servers.

2. The network architecture of claim 1 wherein the client selects one of the plurality of servers based in part on the differences.

3. The network architecture of claim 1 wherein the network comprises the Internet.

4. The network architecture of claim 1 wherein the Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) comprises a plurality of tuples.

5. The network architecture of claim 4 wherein a tuple comprises a beacon identifier and a round trip time (RTT).

6. A method, implemented in part by at least one computing device, the method comprising:

determining, by a client, an associated client Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) based in part on sending data to a plurality of network beacons;

determining, by web servers, an associated web server Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) based in part on sending data to a plurality of network beacons;

requesting, by the client, information for a plurality of web servers associated with a network domain name wherein the information comprises each web server ILC associated with each of the plurality of web servers;

receiving, by the client, the information, directly or indirectly, from a name server associated with a Domain Name System (DNS);

calculating, by the client, differences between the associated client ILC and each web server ILC associated with each of the plurality of web servers; and

based in part on the information, selecting an optimal web server for the network domain name.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of servers transmits packets to at least two network beacons to ascertain a transmission time between the server and each of the network beacons.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the network beacons reflects a packet received from a server to allow the server to determine a round trip time (RTT) for the network beacon.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the information comprises a network latency indicator for each of the plurality of servers.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the client performs the selecting.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the client performs the selecting based at least in part on the calculating.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the receiving comprises receiving a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet from a DNS server, the server ILC information associated with each of the plurality of servers being encapsulated in the UDP packet.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein the requesting comprises a request issued by a Domain Name System (DNS) resolver.

14. The method of claim 6 wherein the selecting comprises selecting an optimal server for the network domain name based in part on transmission times from the client to a plurality of network beacons.

15. A method, implemented in part by at least one computing device, the method comprising:

transmitting packets to a plurality of network beacons;

based in part on the transmitting, determining a transmission time for each of the plurality of network beacons;

calculating, by a web server, a web server Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) based in part on transmission times between the web server and each of the plurality of network beacons;

calculating, by a client, a client Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) based in part on transmission times between the client and each of the plurality of network beacons;

communicating, by the web server, the web server ILC to a domain name server;

communicating, directly or indirectly by the domain name server, the web server ILC to the client;

calculating, by the client, differences between the client ILC and the web server ILC; and

ascertaining, by the client, based at least in part on the differences, whether to select the web server for servicing one or more requests by the client.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising periodically repeating the transmitting, determining and calculating.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the Internet Location Coordinate (ILC) comprises a tuple for each of the network beacons.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the tuple comprises a beacon identifier and a round trip time (RTT) for a packet sent to the network beacon.