Internet infrastructure survey

• US 9,385,988 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Cedexis Incorporated (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Kagan, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Scott B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONCANNON, SEAN D
• Application Number:
  US13/502,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20120246315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/35 containing special prefixes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/302 Administrative registration, e.g. for domain names at internet corporation for assigned names and numbers [ICANN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 Caching of addresses or names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles

Abstract

A system for surveying Internet access quality includes a nameserver, registered to be authoritative for a domain name and configured to receive a DNS query to resolve a pseudo-hostname and to extract from the pseudo-hostname an access quality indicator, and a web portal configured to transmit a data survey code to a web browser, the data survey code being configured to access a resource, to determine the access quality indicator responsively to the resource access, to generate the pseudo-hostname including the access quality indicator and the domain name, and to initiate the DNS query.

Claims

1. A method of surveying access quality over an Internet using DNS queries, the method comprising:

transmitting to a plurality of content consuming clients at least one survey code configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on a remote content providing network;

wherein the at least one test resource is separate and independent from a resource used for responding to=requests for content from content consuming clients;

receiving DNS queries from the plurality of content consuming clients, the DNS queries generated using the transmitted survey code, the DNS queries comprising pseudo-hostnames encoding resource status and access quality information determined using the transmitted survey code;

wherein the resource status specifies an online or offline status of the at least one test resource and access quality information specifies quality of online connection to the at least one test resource;

decoding the resource status and access quality information from the pseudo-hostnames using one or more DNS resolver system components; and

calculating one or more aggregate measures of the resource status and access quality from data in the decoded pseudo-hostnames.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

transmitting the survey code further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least two versions of the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on at least two distinct content delivery network infrastructures; and

generating at least one access quality profile based on the aggregate measures for the two distinct content delivery network infrastructures and persisting the access quality profile.

3. The method of claim 2, further including:

selecting based at least in part on the access quality profile which content delivery network infrastructure should be returned in response to a DNS query for a real hostname that is supported by the two distinct content delivery network infrastructures; and

forwarding towards a DNS server that is authoritative for the real hostname the selected content delivery network infrastructure.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying DNS query locations for origins of the DNS queries;

correlating the DNS query locations with the resource status and access quality information; and

generating access quality profiles for the DNS query locations.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the DNS query locations correspond to geographic locations with latitudes and longitudes.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the DNS query locations correspond to physical locations of either initial resolvers or web browser clients.

7. The method of claim 4, further including:

selecting based at least in part on the access quality profiles for the DNS query locations which content delivery network infrastructure should be returned in response to a DNS queries for a real hostname that originate from the DNS query locations; and

forwarding towards a DNS server that is authoritative for the real hostname the selected content delivery network infrastructure for the DNS query locations.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

transmitting the survey code further configured to determine the resource status and access quality for access at least twice to the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet, thereby allowing one or more edge caches to be loaded with the at least one test resource;

receiving the DNS queries encoded with the resource status and access quality information;

correlating pairs of the resource status and access quality information indicative of non-cached and cached access to the at least one test resource; and

calculating one or more aggregate measures of the resource status and access quality that distinguish between the non-cached access and the cached access.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the survey code is further configured to encode the pseudo-hostnames with lower precision information that categorically reflects the access quality, thereby increasing a likelihood that a cached DNS entry will be returned in response to a pseudo-hostname DNS query.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the access quality information encoded in the pseudo-hostnames is a metric of one of a round trip time of Internet communication, a connection delay time, a transmission speed, a variability of transmission speed, or a communications error rate.

11. A method of contributing to a survey of access quality over an Internet using DNS queries, the method comprising:

receiving with content from a content provider a survey code configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on a remote content providing network;

wherein the at least one test resource is separate and independent from a resource used for responding to=requests for content from content consuming clients;

wherein the resource status specifies an online or offline status of the at least one test resource and access quality information specifies quality of online connection to the at least one test resource;

executing the survey code and measuring resource status and access quality for access to the at least one test resource;

encoding the measured resource status and access quality information into a pseudo-hostname; and

transmitting a DNS query with the pseudo-hostname towards a DNS resolver system that includes components that decode from the pseudo-hostname, the resource status and access quality information.

12. The method of claim 11, further including:

receiving a survey code further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least two versions of the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on at least two distinct content delivery network infrastructures.

13. The method of claim 11, further including:

receiving a survey code further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access at least twice to the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet, thereby allowing one or more edge caches to be loaded with the at least one test resource.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the access quality information encoded in the pseudo-hostnames is a metric of one of a round trip time of Internet communication, a connection delay time, a transmission speed, a variability of transmission speed, or a communications error rate.

15. A network access quality survey system, the system comprising:

a code distribution server including a hardware network interface, coupled in communication with a network, configured to distribute to a plurality of content consuming clients at least one survey code that is configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least one test resource accessible over an Internet in a remote content providing network;

wherein the at least one test resource is separate and independent from a resource used for responding to=requests for content from content consuming clients;

wherein the resource status specifies an online or offline status of the at least one test resource and access quality information specifies quality of online connection to the at least one test resource; and

a DNS query resolver, coupled in communication with the network, configured to;

receive DNS queries from the plurality of clients, the DNS queries including pseudo-hostnames that encode resource status and access quality information determined from the clients;

decode from the pseudo-hostnames, the resource status and access quality information; and

calculate one or more aggregate measures of the resource status and access quality from data in the decoded pseudo-hostnames.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the survey code is further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least two versions of the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on at least two distinct content delivery network infrastructures.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the survey code is further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access at least twice to the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet, thereby allowing one or more edge caches to be loaded with the at least one test resource.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the DNS query resolver is further configured to:

identify DNS query locations for origins of the DNS queries; and

correlate the DNS query locations with the resource status and access quality information; and

generate access quality profiles for the DNS query locations.

19. A client side device, the device comprising:

an Internet browser running on hardware;

a survey code interacting with the Internet browser and implementing actions to;

determine resource status and access quality for access to at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on a remote content providing network, wherein the at least one test resource is separate and independent from a resource used for responding to requests for content from content consuming clients;

measure resource status and access quality for access to the at least one test resource;

wherein the resource status specifies an online or offline status of the at least one test resource and access quality information specifies quality of online connection to the at least one test resource;

encode the measured resource status and access quality information into a pseudo-hostname; and

generate a DNS query with the pseudo-hostname.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the survey code is further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least two versions of the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on at least two distinct content delivery network infrastructures.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the survey code is further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access at least twice to the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet, thereby allowing one or more caches to be loaded with the at least one test resource.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer program instructions that, when run on one or more processors, cause the processors to:

distribute, via a network, to a plurality of content consuming clients at least one survey code that is configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least one test resource accessible over an Internet on a remote content providing network, wherein the at least one test resource is separate and independent from a resource used for responding to requests for content from content consuming clients; and

process DNS queries, including;

receive DNS queries from the plurality of clients, the DNS queries including pseudo-hostnames that encode resource status and access quality information measured from the clients;

wherein the resource status specifies an online or offline status of the at least one test resource and access quality information specifies quality of online connection to the at least one test resource;

decode from the pseudo-hostnames, the resource status and access quality information; and

calculate one or more aggregate measures of the resource status and access quality from data in the decoded pseudo-hostnames.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the survey code is further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least two versions of the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on at least two distinct content delivery network infrastructures.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the survey code is further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access at least twice to the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet, thereby allowing one or more edge caches to be loaded with the at least one test resource.

25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer program instructions that, when run on one or more processors, cause the processors to:

interact with an Internet browser and to;

determine resource status and access quality for access to at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on a remote content providing network, wherein the at least one test resource is separate and independent from a resource used for responding to requests for content from content consuming clients;

measure resource status and access quality for access to the at least one test resource;

wherein the resource status specifies an online or offline status of the at least one test resource and access quality information specifies quality of online connection to the at least one test resource;

encode the determined resource status and access quality information into a pseudo-hostname; and

generate a DNS query with the pseudo-hostname.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the computer program instructions are further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access to at least two versions of the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet on at least two distinct content delivery network infrastructures.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the computer program instructions are further configured to determine resource status and access quality for access at least twice to the at least one test resource accessible over the Internet, thereby allowing one or more edge caches to be loaded with the at least one test resource.