Systems and methods for improving domain name system traffic routing

• US 9,779,113 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: NSONE Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Beevers, Kristopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, O. C.
• Application Number:
  US14/661,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20150271031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

Systems and methods for improving Domain Name System (DNS) traffic routing, the systems and methods have a DNS resolver in digital communication with a microprocessor of an authoritative DNS server, wherein the authoritative DNS server is configured to make DNS traffic routing decisions, wherein a DNS query, associated with a requested DNS resource record, is transmitted to the authoritative DNS server. The systems and methods have at least one database in digital communication with, and accessible by, the authoritative DNS server, wherein the authoritative DNS server identifies the requested DNS resource record associated with the DNS query and extracts, from the at least one database, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated comprise at least an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query and at least one assigned filter instruction. The microprocessor filters the input collection of potential answers by executing the at least one filter instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query. The at least one final answer is composed into a DNS response to the DNS query by the microprocessor, and the DNS response may be is returnable as output to the DNS resolver.

Claims

1. A system for improving Domain Name System (DNS) traffic routing, the system comprises:

a DNS resolver in digital communication with a microprocessor of an authoritative DNS server via a digital communication network, wherein the authoritative DNS server is configured to make DNS traffic routing decisions, wherein a DNS query, associated with a requested DNS resource record, is transmitted to the authoritative DNS server via the digital communication network;

at least one database in digital communication with, and accessible by, the authoritative DNS server, wherein the authoritative DNS server identifies the requested DNS resource record associated with the DNS query and extracts, from the at least one database, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record comprise

an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query,

at least one filter chain instruction and

at least one selected from one or more statically configured details relevant to each potential answer and one or more dynamically determined details relevant to each potential answer,

wherein the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server filters the input collection of potential answers by executing and utilizing the at least one filter chain instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query selected from the input collection of potential answers by the microprocessor executing and utilizing the at least one filter chain instruction, wherein at least one final answer is composed into a DNS response to the DNS query dynamically resolved by the microprocessor executing and utilizing the at least one filter chain instruction and the DNS response is at least returnable as output to the DNS resolver, and

further wherein the at least one filter chain instruction comprises a linear sequence of filter chain instructions selected, configured, assigned and/or arranged from a library of filter chain instructions provided as pre-defined and/or built-in codes implemented as part of the authoritative DNS server.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more statically configured details comprises at least one selected from information relevant to each potential answer comprising at least one selected from one or more priorities, one or more weights, one or more network related details, one or more costs, metric watermarks, notes and application specific details.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises at least one selected from one or more infrastructure metrics comprising at least one selected from an up/down status, one or more system loads, one or more bandwidth usages, one or more connection counts, one or more request counts and one or more performance metrics.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises one or more metrics relating to or associated with network connectivity between a client terminal and the requested internet-accessible resource identified by a DNS resource record, wherein the one or more metrics comprise latency, throughput, packet loss, and/or jitter.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface in digital communication with the authoritative DNS server, wherein at least one selected from (i) the configurations details associated with the requested DNS resource record are configured via the user interface, (ii) at least one selected from the at least one filter chain instruction are assigned and associated with the DNS resource record via the user interface, and (iii) at least one selected from the at least one filter chain instruction are selected, configured, assigned and arranged from the library of filter chain instructions via the user interface.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a client terminal in digital communication with at least one selected from the DNS resolver and the authoritative DNS server.

7. A computer-implemented method for improving Domain Name System (DNS) traffic routing, the method comprising:

receiving, by a microprocessor of an authoritative DNS server, a DNS query, associated with a requested DNS resource record, via a digital communication network, wherein the authoritative DNS server makes DNS traffic routing decisions;

identifying, by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server, the requested DNS resource record associated with the DNS query;

extracting, from at least one database or memory accessible by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record comprise an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query, at least one filter chain instruction and at least one selected from one or more statically configured details relevant to each potential answer and one or more dynamically determined details relevant to each potential answer, wherein the at least one filter chain instruction comprises a linear sequence of filter chain instructions selected, configured, assigned and/or arranged from a library of filter chain instructions provided as pre-defined and/or built-in codes implemented as part of the authoritative DNS server;

filtering, by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server, the input collection of potential answers by executing the at least one filter chain instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query dynamically resolved by the microprocessor and selected from the input collection of potential answers by the microprocessor utilizing the at least one filter chain instruction;

composing the at least one final answer into a DNS response to the DNS query by the microprocessor of the authoritative DNS server; and

returning the DNS response as output.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one filter chain instruction is pre-defined filter chain instructions provided by an DNS server operator of the authoritative DNS server.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one filter chain instruction is pre-defined filter instructions selected, configured, assigned and/or arranged from the library of filter chain instructions by a resource owner via a user interface in digital communication with the authoritative DNS server.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more statically configured details comprises at least one selected from information relevant to each potential answer comprising at least one selected from one or more priorities, one or more weights, one or more network related details, one or more costs, metric watermarks, notes and application specific details.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises at least one selected from one or more infrastructure metrics comprising at least one selected from one or more system loads, one or more bandwidth usage, and one or more performance metrics.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more dynamically determined details comprises metrics relating to, or associated with, network connectivity between a client terminal and the requested internet-accessible resource identified by a DNS resource record, wherein the metrics comprise latency, throughput, packet loss, and/or jitter.

13. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

delivering metrics to the authoritative DNS server via a user interface in digital communication with the authoritative DNS server, wherein the metrics are computed and/or measured by a resource owner or a third party.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with filter chain instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a microprocessor of an authoritative Domain Name System (DNS) server, perform a method for improving DNS traffic routing, the method comprising:

identifying, by the microprocessor, a requested DNS resource record associated a DNS query received by the microprocessor;

extracting, from at least one database or memory accessible by the microprocessor, one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record, wherein the one or more configuration details associated with the requested DNS resource record comprise an input collection of potential answers to the DNS query, at least one filter chain instruction and at least one selected from one or more statically configured details relevant to each potential answer and one or more dynamically determined details relevant to each potential answer, wherein the at least one filter chain instruction comprises a linear sequence of filter chain instructions selected, configured, assigned and/or arranged from a library of filter chain instructions provided as pre-defined and/or built-in codes implemented as a part of the authoritative DNS server;

filtering, by the microprocessor, the input collection of potential answers by executing and utilizing the at least one filter chain instruction to extract a final output from the input collection of potential answers, wherein the final output comprises at least one final answer to the DNS query dynamically resolved by the microprocessor executing and utilizing the at least one filter chain instruction;

composing the at least one final answer into a DNS response to the DNS query by the microprocessor; and

returning the DNS response as output.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the authoritative DNS server makes DNS traffic routing decisions.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting the DNS query from a DNS resolver to the microprocessor.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14, further comprising:

storing a plurality of DNS resource records in the at least one database or the memory accessible by the microprocessor; and

selecting, configuring, assigning and/or arranging the at least one filter chain instruction independently for each individual DNS resource record of the plurality of DNS resource records.