Process for selecting an authoritative name server

• US 8,799,518 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Inventors: Kinra, Rohit
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US13/439,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20130268649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/249, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• 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 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Methods and systems for intelligently choosing an authoritative name server from among a group of name servers for resolving Domain Name System requests. Systems and methods are provided that enable choosing of a first server associated with and/or operated by a first service provider based on a first measurement associated with that first server. The systems and methods further comprise requesting first data from that first server, determining that the first server is unresponsive, and choosing a second server. The second server is chosen based on a second measurement, and chosen contingent on it being associated with and/or operated by to a different service provider than that associated with the first server. The systems and methods then comprise requesting second data from the second server.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining data from a plurality of servers associated with service providers, comprising:

choosing, by one or more processors, a first server associated with a first service provider, based on a first measurement associated with the first server;

requesting first data from the first server;

determining that the first server is unresponsive;

choosing, by the one or more processors and based on the determination that the first server is unresponsive, a second server based on a second measurement associated with the second server, the second server being associated with a second service provider different from the first service provider; and

requesting the first data from the second server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first server and second server are associated with the same service provider based on at least one of:

an indication of an association between the first server and the second server;

an indication that the first server and second server are operated by the same service provider;

or

a determination that the first server and second server share at least one of a domain, top-level domain (TLD), domain and TLD, or business association.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the first server is unresponsive based at least on a determination that:

the first server failed to respond to a request within a predetermined amount of time;

the first server is unreachable; and

/or

the first server may be experiencing a problem affecting performance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second measurements include affinity measurements based on at least one of geographic location, historical data, statistics, round-trip time, bandwidth, or time between request and response.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second server is unresponsive;

determining that all of the service providers have at least one associated server that is unresponsive; and

choosing a third server, based on a third measurement associated with the third server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first, second, and third measurements include at least affinity measurements based on at least one of geographic location, historical data, statistics, round-trip time, bandwidth, or time between request and response.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the third server is one of:

a server having a highest third measurement among the plurality of servers;

or

a server, that has not been determined to be unresponsive, having the highest third measurement among the plurality of servers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second data comprise DNS resolutions, and

the first and second servers are authoritative name servers.

9. An electronic device for obtaining data from a plurality of servers associated with service providers, the electronic device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to;

choose a first server associated with a first service provider, based on a first measurement stored in the memory and associated with the first server;

request first data from the first server;

determine that the first server is unresponsive;

choose a second server based on a second measurement stored in the memory and associated with the second server, the second server being associated with a second service provider different from the first service provider; and

request the first data from the second server.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the first server and second server are associated with the same service provider based on at least one of:

an indication of an association between the first server and the second server;

an indication that the first server and second server are operated by the same service provider;

or

a determination that the first server and second server are determined by the processor share at least one of a domain, top-level domain (TLD), domain and TLD, or business association.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the first server is unresponsive based at least on a determination that at least one of:

the first server failed to respond to a request within a predetermined amount of time;

the first server is unreachable; and

/or

the first server may be experiencing a problem affecting performance.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first and second measurements include affinity measurements based on at least one of geographic location, historical data, statistics, round-trip time, bandwidth, or time between request and response.

13. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the second server is unresponsive;

determine that all of the service providers have at least one associated server that is unresponsive; and

choose a third server based on a third measurement stored in the memory and associated with the third server.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the first, second, and third measurements include at least affinity measurements based on at least one of geographic location, historical data, statistics, round-trip time, bandwidth, or time between request and response.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to choose as the third server:

a server having a highest third measurement among the plurality of servers;

or

a server, that has not been determined to be unresponsive, having the highest third measurement among the plurality of servers.

16. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

the first and second data comprise DNS resolutions, and

the processor is further configured to request the first data from a first authoritative name server and a second authoritative name server.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:

choosing a first server associated with a first service provider, based on a first measurement associated with the first server;

requesting first data from the first server;

determining that the first server is unresponsive;

choosing a second server based on a second measurement associated with the second server, the second server being associated with a second service provider different from the first service provider; and

requesting the first data from the second server.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to determine whether the first server and second server are associated with the same service provider based on at least one of:

an indication of an association between the first server and the second server;

an indication that the first server and second server are operated by the same service provider;

or

a determination that the first server and second server share at least one of a domain, top-level domain (TLD), domain and TLD, or business association.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to:

determine that the second server is unresponsive;

determine that all of the service providers have at least one associated server that is unresponsive; and

choose a third server, based on a third measurement associated with the third server.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to:

request the first data from a first authoritative name server and a second authoritative name server;

wherein the first data comprises a DNS resolution.