Selecting between domain name system servers of a plurality of networks

• US 9,258,270 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Paul D., Stenzel, Harley A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HENDERSON, ESTHER BENOIT
• Application Number:
  US13/901,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories

Abstract

A method and computer for managing domain name system services for a plurality of networks is disclosed. A computer identifies information for the plurality of networks to which a client device is connected. The computer receives a request to identify an internet protocol address for a domain name or vice-versa. In response to the request, the computer selects a particular set of domain name system servers of a particular network in the plurality of networks based on the information for the plurality of networks and a set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the internet protocol address for the domain name. The computer then sends the request to identify the internet protocol address for the domain name to a domain name system server in the particular set of domain name system servers.

Claims

1. A method for managing domain name system services for a plurality of networks, the method comprising:

identifying, by one or more processor units, information for the plurality of networks to which a client device is connected, the information for each network in the plurality of networks including a set of private domains, a set of domain name system servers for use in searching for internet protocol addresses for domain names, and a set of routes;

receiving, by the one or more processor units, a request to identify an Internet protocol address for a domain name;

responsive to not having a cached answer for the request to identify the internet protocol address for the domain name, determining, by the one or more processor units, to which domain name system servers of which network in the plurality of networks to send the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name using the information for the plurality of networks and a set of rules, wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name includes a rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network using matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of domains in the set of private domains for each network in the plurality of networks;

selecting, by the one or more processor units, a particular network as a subset of the plurality of networks and a particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network using the information for the plurality of networks and the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name, wherein the selecting, by the one or more processor units, the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprises;

identifying a subset of networks in the plurality of networks that comprise at least one domain in the set of private domains for a respective network that matches a largest number of portions of the domain name in the request; and

responsive to the subset of networks comprising only one network, selecting a respective set of domain name system servers of the one network in the subset of networks as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network; and

sending the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name, by the one or more processor units, to a domain name system server in the particular set of domain name system servers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers includes a rule for selecting a default set of domain name system servers of a default network in the plurality of networks when no other rules in the set of rules identifies the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks, and wherein selecting, by the one or more processor units, the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprises:

selecting the default set of domain name system servers of the default network as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network based on the rule for selecting the default set of domain name system servers of the default network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of routes is a routing table, and wherein each route in the set of routes comprises a destination and a gateway, and electronic communications to the destination occur through the gateway, and wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name includes another rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network based on matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of destinations in the set of routes for each network in the plurality of networks, and wherein responsive to the subset of networks comprising two or more networks, the selecting, by the one or more processor units, of the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprises:

identifying a group of networks in the subset of networks that comprise at least one destination in the set of routes for the respective network that matches the largest number of portions of the domain name in the request; and

responsive to the group of networks comprising only one network, selecting the respective set of domain name system servers of the one network in the group of networks as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of networks is a number of logical networks comprising a number of virtual private networks and number of public networks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain name is a fully qualified domain name.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request, by the one or more processor units, to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name comprises intercepting the request on the client device before the request has been sent to any domain name system servers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein an interception of the request prevents the client device from sending the request to any domain name system servers that are not in the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network.

8. A computer program product for managing domain name system services for a plurality of networks, the computer program product comprising program instructions stored on a computer readable storage device, for execution by one or more processors of a data processing system, the program instructions further comprising:

program instructions for identifying information for the plurality of networks to which a client device is connected, the information for each network in the plurality of networks including a set of private domains, a set of domain name system servers for use in searching for internet protocol addresses for domain names, and a set of routes;

program instructions for receiving a request to identify an Internet protocol address for a domain name;

program instructions responsive to not having a cached answer for the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name, for determining to which domain name system servers of which network in the plurality of networks to send the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name using the information for the plurality of networks and a set of rules, wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name includes a rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network using matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of domains in the set of private domains for each network in the plurality of networks;

program instructions for selecting, a particular network as a subset of the plurality of networks and a particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network using the information for the plurality of networks and the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name, wherein the program instructions for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprise;

program instructions for identifying a subset of networks in the plurality of networks that comprise at least one domain in the set of private domains for a respective network that matches a largest number of portions of the domain name in the request; and

program instructions responsive to the subset of networks comprising only one network, for selecting a respective set of domain name system servers of the one network in the subset of networks as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network; and

program instructions for sending the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name to a domain name system server in the particular set of domain name system servers.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers includes a rule for selecting a default set of domain name system servers of a default network in the plurality of networks when no other rules in the set of rules identifies the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks, and wherein the program instructions for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprise:

program instructions for selecting the default set of domain name system servers of the default network as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network based on the rule for selecting the default set of domain name system servers of the default network.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the set of routes is a routing table, and wherein each route in the set of routes comprises a destination and a gateway, and electronic communications to the destination occur through the gateway, and wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name includes another rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network based on matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of destinations in the set of routes for each network in the plurality of networks, and wherein responsive to the subset of networks comprising two or more networks, the program instructions for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprise:

program instructions for identifying a group of networks in the subset of networks that comprise at least one destination in the set of routes for the respective network that matches the largest number of portions of the domain name in the request; and

program instructions responsive to the group of networks comprising only one network, for selecting the respective set of domain name system servers of the one network in the group of networks as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the plurality of networks is a number of logical networks comprising a number of virtual private networks and number of public networks.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the domain name is a fully qualified domain name.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions for receiving the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name comprises program instructions for intercepting the request on the client device before the request has been sent to any domain name system servers.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions for intercepting the request prevents the client device from sending the request to any domain name system servers that are not in the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network.

15. A data processing system for managing domain name system services for a plurality of networks, the system comprising:

a bus;

a memory connected to the bus, having program instructions stored therein;

one or more processor units connected to the bus, wherein the one or more processor units execute the program instructions to direct the data processing system to;

identify, by the one or more processor units, information for the plurality of networks to which a client device is connected, the information for each network in the plurality of networks including a set of private domains, a set of domain name system servers for use in searching for Internet protocol addresses for domain names, and a set of routes;

receive, by the one or more processor units, a request to identify an Internet protocol address for a domain name;

responsive to not having a cached answer for the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name, determine, by the one or more processor units, to which domain name system servers of which network in the plurality of networks to send the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name using the information for the plurality of networks and a set of rules, wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the internet protocol address for the domain name includes a rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network using matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of domains in the set of private domains for each network in the plurality of networks;

select, by the one or more processor units, a particular network as a subset of the plurality of networks and a particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network using the information for the plurality of networks and the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name, wherein selecting the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprises;

identify, by the one or more processor units, a subset of networks in the plurality of networks that comprise at least one domain in the set of private domains for a respective network that matches a largest number of portions of the domain name in the request; and

responsive to the subset of networks comprising only one network, select, by the one or more processor units, a respective set of domain name system servers of the one network in the subset of networks as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network; and

send, by the one or more processor units, the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name to a domain name system server in the particular set of domain name system servers.