Supporting multiple name servers in a software provisioning environment

• US 9,124,497 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul, Eckersberg, John Joseph II
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWEET, LONNIE V
• Application Number:
  US12/324,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20100128639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,470 Days
• Field of Search: 370/255, 709/226, 709/230
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

A provisioning server can be configured to include a network configuration module that can set-up, configure, and manage network connections served by the provisioning server including name servers, such as Domain Name System (DNS) servers, in the network connections. The provisioning server can be configured to maintain a set of network modules, each network module corresponding to a different type of name server. Each of the network modules can be configured to include logic for generating or altering a configuration file for the corresponding type of name server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, in a provisioning server, a plurality of network modules, wherein each network module in the plurality of modules is associated with a different type of name server and comprises instructions to generate a configuration file for the associated type of name server;

identifying, by the provisioning server, an alteration to a connection of a plurality of network connections to a computer system coupled to the connection;

identifying a network module from the plurality of network modules in view of a type of a name server in the connection affected by the alteration; and

altering, by the provisioning server, a configuration file of each of a plurality of name servers utilizing the identified network module, wherein the identified network module comprises instructions to alter the corresponding configuration files of each of the plurality of name servers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the configuration file comprises altering network parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a new name server to the connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each network module in the plurality of network modules comprises a template of the configuration file of the associated type of name server.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating the configuration file for the name server in the connection utilizing the network module; and

providing the configuration file to the name server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each network module in the plurality of network modules comprises an interface for communicating with the associated type of name server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the provisioning server communicates with the name server utilizing the interface of the network module for altering the configuration file of each of the plurality of name servers utilizing the identified network module.

8. A system comprising:

a network interface to a network comprising a plurality of network connections; and

a processor, to communicate with the network interface, the processor to;

maintain, in the processor, a plurality of network modules, wherein each network module in the plurality of modules is associated with a different type of name server and comprises instructions for generating a configuration file for the associated type of name server;

identify, by the processor, an alteration to a connection of the plurality of network connections to a computer system coupled to the connection;

identify a network module from the plurality of network modules in view of a type of a name server in the connection affected by the alteration; and

alter a configuration file of each of a plurality of name servers utilizing the identified network module, wherein the identified network module comprises instructions to alter the corresponding configuration files of each of the plurality of name servers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein alteration to the configuration file comprises altering network parameters.

10. The system of claim 8, the processor to add a new name server to the connection.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein each network module in the plurality of network modules comprises a template of the configuration file of the associated type of name server.

12. The system of claim 11, the processor to:

generate the configuration file for the name server in the connection utilizing the network module; and

provide the configuration file to the name server.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein each network module in the plurality of network modules comprises an interface for communicating with the associated type of name server.

14. The system of claim 13, the processor to communicate with the name server utilizing the interface of the network module to alter the configuration file of the name server.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium being programmed to cause a processor to:

maintain a plurality of network modules, wherein each network module in the plurality of modules is associated with a different type of name server and comprises instructions to generate a configuration file for the associated type of name server;

identify, by the processor, an alteration to a connection of a plurality of network connections to a computer system coupled to the connection;

identify a network module from the plurality of network modules in view of a type of a name server in the connection affected by the alteration; and

alter, by the processor, a configuration file of each of a plurality of name servers utilizing the identified network module, wherein the identified network module comprises instructions to alter the corresponding configuration files of each of the plurality of name servers.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein altering the configuration file comprises altering network parameters.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising adding a new name server to the connection.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein each network module in the plurality of network modules comprises a template of the configuration file of the associated type of name server.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

generating the configuration file for the name server in the connection utilizing the network module; and

providing the configuration file to the name server.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein each network module in the plurality of network modules comprises an interface for communicating with the associated type of name server.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the processor communicates with the name server utilizing the interface of the network module for altering configuration file of each of the plurality of name servers utilizing the identified network module.