DNS wildcard beaconing to determine client location and resolver load for global traffic load balancing

• US 8,756,340 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Christian, Michael F., Apgar, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM, ANGELA M
• Application Number:
  US11/962,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,371 Days
• Field of Search: 709/242, 709/203, 709217-219, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers

Abstract

Techniques are described to determine clients residing behind LDNS resolvers. Web beacons instruct clients to retrieve zero-content images at unique hostnames. A request to the hostname is made by a client to an LDNS resolver. The LDNS sends the request to an authoritative server/beacon resolver for the hostname. The beacon resolver records the hostname with the LDNS resolver'"'"'s IP address and responds with an IP address of a beacon collection server that is forwarded to the client by the LDNS. The client sends a request containing the unique hostname to the beacon collection server. The beacon collection server records the IP address of the client and the hostname. An aggregation server collects data from the beacon resolver and the beacon collection server. Using the hostnames as keys, IP addresses of clients are mapped to IP addresses of LDNS resolvers. Mapped data is exported to load balancing servers to determine routing.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of first request data;

wherein each first request data of the plurality of first request data includes (a) a first identification value and (b) data that identifies a particular LDNS server of one or more LDNS servers;

receiving a plurality of second request data;

wherein each second request data of the plurality of second request data includes (c) a second identification value and (d) data that identifies a particular client of a plurality of clients;

wherein, for each first request data of the plurality of first request data, the first identification value included in the first request data was provided in a request from a client of the plurality of clients to the particular LDNS server identified in the first request data;

wherein, for each second request data of the plurality of second request data, the second identification value included in the second request data was provided in a request from the client identified in the second request data to a particular web beacon collection server of one or more web beacon collection servers;

wherein each first identification value included in each first request data of the plurality of first request data is different from every other first identification value included in every other first request data of the plurality of first request data;

wherein each second identification value included in each second request data of the plurality of second request data is different from every other second identification value included in every other second request data of the plurality of second request data; and

for each second request data of the plurality of the second request data, creating and storing mapping data associating the particular client of the plurality of clients identified in the second request data with the particular LDNS server identified in a first request data of the plurality of first request data by identifying the first request data of the plurality of first request data that includes a first identification value that matches the second identification value included in the second request data;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting each mapping data to one or more load balancing servers for use by said one or more load balancing servers in making DNS load balancing decisions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (b) data that identifies a particular LDNS server comprises an IP address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein (d) data that identifies a particular client comprises an IP address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first request data is based upon DNS requests from the one or more LDNS servers to an authoritative DNS server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each DNS request of the DNS requests results from corresponding web beacon code served to a client of the plurality of clients.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of second request data is based upon HTTP requests from the plurality of clients to the one or more web beacon collection servers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each HTTP request of the HTTP requests results from corresponding web beacon code served to a client of the plurality of clients.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein making DNS loading balancing decisions is based upon proximity of clients residing behind LDNS servers.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein making DNS loading balancing decisions is based upon a number of clients residing behind a particular LDNS server.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the HTTP requests are based upon clients retrieving zero-content images at a unique hostname.

12. A tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a plurality of first request data;

wherein each first request data of the plurality of first request data includes (a) a first identification value and (b) data that identifies a particular LDNS server of one or more LDNS servers;

receiving a plurality of second request data;

wherein each second request data of the plurality of second request data includes (c) a second identification value and (d) data that identifies a particular client of a plurality of clients;

wherein, for each first request data of the plurality of first request data, the first identification value included in the first request data was provided in a request from a client of the plurality of clients to the particular LDNS server identified in the first request data;

wherein, for each second request data of the plurality of second request data, the second identification value included in the second request data was provided in a request from the client identified in the second request data to a particular web beacon collection server of one or more web beacon collection servers;

wherein each first identification value included in each first request data of the plurality of first request data is different from every other first identification value included in every other first request data of the plurality of first request data;

wherein each second identification value included in each second request data of the plurality of second request data is different from every other second identification value included in every other second request data of the plurality of second request data; and

for each second request data of the plurality of the second request data, creating and storing mapping data associating the particular client of the plurality of clients identified in the second request data with the particular LDNS server identified in a first request data of the plurality of first request data by identifying the first request data of the plurality of first request data that includes a first identification value that matches the second identification value included in the second request data.

13. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

outputting each mapping data to one or more load balancing servers for use by said one or more load balancing servers in making DNS load balancing decisions.

14. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein (b) data that identifies a particular LDNS server comprises an IP address.

15. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein (d) data that identifies a particular client comprises an IP address.

16. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first request data is based upon DNS requests from the one or more LDNS servers to an authoritative DNS server.

17. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein each DNS request of the DNS requests results from corresponding web beacon code served to a client of the plurality of clients.

18. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of second request data is based upon HTTP requests from the plurality of clients to the one or more web beacon collection servers.

19. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 18, wherein each HTTP request of the HTTP requests results from corresponding web beacon code served to a client of the plurality of clients.

20. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 13, wherein making DNS load balancing decisions is based upon proximity of clients residing behind LDNS servers.

21. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 13, wherein making DNS load balancing decisions is based upon a number of clients residing behind a particular LDNS server.

22. The tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 18, wherein the HTTP requests are based upon clients retrieving zero-content images at a unique hostname.

23. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

logic encoded in one or more computer-readable media wherein execution by the one or more processors causes;

receiving a plurality of first request data;

wherein each first request data of the plurality of first request data includes (a) a first identification value and (b) data that identifies a particular LDNS server of one or more LDNS servers;

receiving a plurality of second request data;

wherein each second request data of the plurality of second request data includes (c) a second identification value and (d) data that identifies a particular client of a plurality of clients;

wherein, for each first request data of the plurality of first request data, the first identification value included in the first request data was provided in a request from a client of the plurality of clients to the particular LDNS server identified in the first request data;

wherein, for each second request data of the plurality of second request data, the second identification value included in the second request data was provided in a request from the client identified in the second request data to a particular web beacon collection server of one or more web beacon collection servers;

wherein each first identification value included in each first request data of the plurality of first request data is different from every other first identification value included in every other first request data of the plurality of first request data;

wherein each second identification value included in each second request data of the plurality of second request data is different from every other second identification value included in every other second request data of the plurality of second request data; and

for each second request data of the plurality of the second request data, creating and storing mapping data associating the particular client of the plurality of clients identified in the second request data with the particular LDNS server identified in a first request data of the plurality of first request data by identifying the first request data of the plurality of first request data that includes a first identification value that matches the second identification value included in the second request data.