Parallel, side-effect based DNS pre-caching

• US 8,677,018 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Roskind, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Dung B
• Application Number:
  US12/197,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 Caching of addresses or names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include methods and systems for domain name system (DNS) pre-caching. A method for DNS pre-caching is provided. The method includes receiving uniform resource locator (URL) hostnames for DNS pre-fetch resolution prior to a user hostname request for any of the URL hostnames. The method also includes making a DNS lookup call for at least one of the URL hostnames that are not cached by a DNS cache prior to the user hostname request. The method further includes discarding at least one IP address provided by a DNS resolver for the URL hostnames, wherein a resolution result for at least one of the URL hostnames is cached in the DNS cache in preparation for the user hostname request. A system for DNS pre-caching is provided. The system includes a renderer, an asynchronous DNS pre-fetcher and a hostname table.

Claims

1. A method for domain name system (DNS) pre-caching comprising:

detecting an entering activity in a URL address bar;

gathering one or more uniform resource locator (URL) hostnames for DNS pre-fetch resolution from one or more predicted hostnames during the detection of the entering activity, wherein the gathering occurs substantially in parallel to the entering activity and occurs prior to a user entering a complete hostname for a user hostname request for any of the one or more URL hostnames and wherein the gathered one or more URL hostnames are duplicate free;

making a DNS lookup call for at least one of the one or more URL hostnames that are not cached by a DNS cache, wherein the making occurs substantially in parallel to the gathering and entering activity and prior to the user hostname request; and

caching at least one IP address provided by a DNS resolver for the one or more URL hostnames in the DNS cache in preparation for the user hostname request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the detecting, gathering and making steps are performed by one or more parallel threads.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising gathering the one or more URL hostnames from one or more URL links in a web page prior to a user selecting a URL link in the web page.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising gathering the one or more URL hostnames based upon one or more URL links on a web page that a user has moused over but has not selected.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising temporarily storing the one or more URL hostnames until a thread passes the one or more hostnames to an API for DNS pre-fetch resolution.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising passing the one or more URL hostnames as an array.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating pre-fetch information for the one or more URL hostnames in a data structure prior to discarding an IP address.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a cache eviction time for the one or more URL hostnames.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the making step further comprises making DNS lookup calls for only the one or more URL hostnames that have not had a DNS lookup call within the determined cache eviction time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the making step further comprises limiting DNS lookup calls for the one or more URL hostnames based upon a number of URL links on a web page.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising replacing a relationship value in a link tag associated with at least one of the one or more URL hostnames.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the DNS cache is an operating system DNS cache.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and making occur in response to the beginning of the entering activity in the URL address bar and prior to the user entering the complete hostname.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and making occur in response to hostnames proposed to a user based on the entering activity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein gathering includes gathering between one and ten predicted hostnames.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein gathering includes gathering based on at least one of most recently used hostnames or most frequently requested hostnames by one or more users.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein gathering includes gathering the one or more URL hostnames from the one or more predicted hostnames based upon a result of autocompletion logic.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein gathering includes gathering the one or more URL hostnames from the one or more predicted hostnames based upon at least one of previously entered URLs, query submissions, or immediate termination of typing.

19. A system for domain name system (DNS) pre-caching comprising a browser implemented on a computing device and configured to:

detect an entering activity in a URL address bar;

gather one or more uniform resource locator (URL) hostnames for DNS pre-fetch resolution from one or more predicted hostnames during the detection of the entering activity, wherein the URL hostnames are gathered substantially in parallel to the entering activity and occurs prior to a user entering a complete hostname for a user hostname request for any of the one or more URL hostnames and wherein the gathered URL hostnames are duplicate free;

make a DNS lookup call for at least one of the one or more URL hostnames that are not cached by a DNS cache during the entering activity and prior to the user hostname request, wherein the DNS lookup call is made substantially in parallel to the gathering of the URL hostnames and the entering activity; and

caching at least one IP address provided by a DNS resolver for the one or more URL hostnames in the DNS cache in preparation for the user hostname request.

20. A system for domain name system (DNS) pre-caching comprising:

a gatherer implemented on a computing device and configured to gather one or more uniform resource locator (URL) hostnames from one or more predicted hostnames during a detection of an entering activity in a URL address bar prior to a user completely entering a hostname for a user hostname request, wherein the URL hostnames are gathered substantially in parallel to the entering activity and wherein the gathered URL hostnames are duplicate free; and

a DNS pre-fetcher implemented on the computing device and configured to make a DNS lookup call for at least one of the one or more URL hostnames during the entering activity, wherein an IP address for the at least one URL hostname is cached in the DNS cache in preparation for the user hostname request, and further wherein the DNS lookup call is made substantially in parallel to the gathering of the URL hostnames and the entering activity.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a renderer configured to pass the at least one URL hostname to the DNS pre-fetcher, wherein at least one of the DNS pre-fetcher and the renderer are configured to perform tasks using one or more parallel threads.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the gatherer is further configured to gather the one or more URL hostnames from one or more URL links in a web page prior to a user selecting a URL link in the web page.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the gatherer is further configured to gather the one or more URL hostnames based upon one or more URL links on a web page that a user has moused over but has not selected.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the renderer further comprises a hostname queue configured to temporarily store the one or more URL hostnames until a thread passes the one or more URL hostnames to the DNS pre-fetcher.

25. The system of claim 20, further comprising a hostname table configured to store DNS pre-fetch information for the one or more URL hostnames.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the DNS pre-fetcher is further configured to make DNS lookup calls for only the one or more URL hostnames that have not had a DNS lookup call within a determined cache eviction time.

27. The system of claim 20, further comprising a renderer configured to insert the one or more URL hostnames into a work queue and perform a DNS lookup call for a next hostname in the work queue of the one or more URL hostnames when a work thread becomes available.

28. The system of claim 20, further comprising a renderer configured to pass the URL hostname to the DNS pre-fetcher, wherein the renderer is further configured to limit the one or more URL hostnames that are passed based upon a number of URL Links on a web page.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the DNS cache is an operating system DNS cache.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the gatherer is configured to gather the one or more URL hostnames and the DNS pre-fetcher is configured to make the DNS lookup call for the at least one URL hostname in response to the beginning of the entering activity in the URL address bar and prior to the user entering the complete hostname.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein the gatherer is further configured to gather based on at least one of most recently used hostnames and most frequently requested hostnames by one or more users.

32. The system of claim 20, wherein the gatherer is configured to gather the one or more URL hostnames from the one or more predicted hostnames based upon a result of autocompletion logic.

33. A method for domain name system (DNS) pre-caching comprising:

gathering one or more uniform resource locator (URL) hostnames for DNS pre-fetch resolution from one or more predicted hostnames based upon one or more omni-box suggestions that appear based on user activity in an omni-box prior to a user selecting an omni-box suggestion, wherein the gathering occurs substantially in parallel to the user activity and the one or more URL hostnames are duplicate free; and

making a DNS lookup call for at least one of the one or more URL hostnames that are not cached by a DNS cache during user activity in the omni-box and prior to selection of an omni-box suggestion, wherein the making occurs substantially in parallel to the gathering and user activity and further wherein at least one IP address provided by a DNS resolver for the one or more URL hostnames is cached in the DNS cache in preparation for the selection of an omni-box suggestion.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein gathering includes forming a search URL from a search provider'"'"'s hostname when a search query is being entered in the omni-box.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the gathering and making occur in response to the beginning of the entering activity in the URL address bar and prior to the user entering the complete hostname.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein gathering includes gathering based on at least one of most recently used hostnames and most frequently requested hostnames by one or more users.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein gathering includes gathering the one or more URL hostnames from the one or more predicted hostnames based upon a result of autocompletion logic.

38. A system for domain name system (DNS) pre-caching comprising:

a gatherer implemented on a computing device and configured to gather one or more uniform resource locator (URL) hostnames from one or more predicted hostnames based on one or more omni-box suggestions that appear based on user activity in an omni-box prior to a user selecting an omni-box suggestion, wherein the URL hostnames are gathered substantially in parallel to the user activity and the one or more URL hostnames are duplicate free; and

a DNS pre-fetcher implemented on the computing device and configured to make a DNS lookup call for at least one of the one or more URL hostnames during user activity in the omni-box, wherein the DNS lookup call is made substantially in parallel to the gathering of the URL hostnames and user activity and further wherein an IP address for the at least one URL hostname is cached in the DNS cache in preparation for the selection of an omni-box suggestion.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the gather is further configured to form a search URL from a search provider'"'"'s hostname when a search query is being entered in the omni-box.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the gatherer is configured to gather the one or more URL hostnames and the DNS pre-fetcher is configured to make the DNS lookup call for the at least one URL hostname in response to the beginning of the entering activity in the URL address bar and prior to the user entering the complete hostname.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the gatherer is further configured to gather the one or more URL hostnames from the one or more predicted hostnames based upon a result of autocompletion logic.