Using virtual domain name service (DNS) zones for enterprise content delivery

• US 8,909,699 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Neerdaels, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean Gilles, Jude
• Application Number:
  US13/625,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 709/226, 709/232
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3025 Domain name generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/59 using proxies for addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A domain to be published to an enterprise ECDN is associated with a set of one or more enterprise zones configurable in a hierarchy. When a DNS query arrives for a hostname known to be associated with given content within the control of the ECDN, a DNS server responds by handing back an IP address, by executing a zone referral to a next (lower) level name server in a zone hierarchy, or by CNAMing to another hostname, thereby restarting the lookup procedure. At any level in the zone hierarchy, there is an associated zone server that executes logic that applies the requested hostname against a map. A name query to ECDN-managed content may be serviced in coordination with various sources of distributed network intelligence.

Claims

1. A method of content delivery involving a first entity and a second entity, comprising:

deploying a first relay behind an enterprise firewall associated with the first entity, the first relay being software executing in a hardware processor, wherein the first entity has a private namespace that is not resolvable through public Internet DNS, the private namespace having one or more enterprise domains associated therewith;

delegating to the second entity responsibility for managing a virtual zone associated with the private namespace of the first entity; and

in response to receipt of a request associated with the virtual zone, retrieving a private object published by the first entity.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second entity is a service provider and the first entity is a service provider customer.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the virtual zone is resolvable without reference to public Internet DNS.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further including:

building a list of the enterprise domains that are candidates for caching, wherein an enterprise domain that is a candidate for caching has associated therewith a set of one or more IP addresses associated with nearby content servers managed as part of an Internet content delivery network (ICDN) associated with the second entity.

5. The method as described in claim 4 wherein the list of enterprise domains is built based on recorded usage patterns of address record lookups.

6. The method as described in claim 5 further including the step of modifying the list as the recorded usage patterns change.

7. A content delivery system associated with a first entity, and a second entity, the first entity being distinct from the second entity, and each of the first entity and the second entity having an enterprise firewall, at least the first entity having a private namespace that is not resolvable through public Internet DNS, the system comprising:

a first relay comprising software executing in a hardware processor, the first relay being deployed behind the enterprise firewall associated with the first entity and operative as a surrogate origin server for private resources hosted at a private web server of the first entity, the private resources associated with a virtual zone, the virtual zone being associated with the private namespace of the first entity but delegated to a second relay deployed behind the enterprise firewall associated with the second entity;

the first relay operative in response to receipt of a request originating from a client associated with the second entity to retrieve a private resource from the private web server, and to deliver the private resource to the second relay.

8. The content delivery system as described in claim 7 wherein the private namespace is selectively available to the client associated with the second entity without exposing the private namespace to the public Internet DNS.

9. The content delivery system as described in claim 7 wherein the first entity is a producer entity, and the second entity is a consumer entity.