System and method for updating a dynamic domain name server

• US 7,836,142 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Filippi, Geoffrey George
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US12/035,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/246, 709203-208, 709217-224, 370/230
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A system and method for synchronizing a dynamic domain name system (DDNS). Updated domain name information is received at a first datastore and sent to a second datastore. Updated domain name information is also received at the second datastore and sent to the first datastore. Either datastore determines whether the other datastore is available to receive the updated domain name information. If the receiving datastore is not available, the sending datastore waits until the receiving datastore is available. The first datastore is connected to a first master DNS server and the second datastore is connected to a second master DNS server. The first and second master servers share an IP address. When a request for domain name information is received at a router, the request is sent to a master DNS server selected from the first and second master DNS servers using the shared IP address. A master DNS server is selected to respond to the DNS request only if that master server is able to respond to the request. The requested domain name information is retrieved from the datastore connected to the selected DNS server and a response to the request for domain name information is generated.

Claims

1. A synchronized dynamic domain name system (DDNS) comprising:

a first master DDNS server device connected to a first master datastore, wherein the first master datastore comprises domain name information and wherein the first master datastore is configured to receive updated domain name information;

a second master DDNS server device connected to a second master datastore, wherein the second master datastore comprises the domain name information, wherein the second master data store is configured to receive updated domain name information and wherein the first and second DDNS server devices share an IP address;

wherein the first master datastore comprises instructions for receiving first updated domain name information and sending the first updated domain name information to the second master datastore; and

wherein the second master datastore further comprises instructions for receiving second updated domain name information and sending the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore;

a first monitor connected to the first master DNS server and the network, wherein the first monitor comprises instructions for;

determining whether the first master server is available to respond to a request for domain name information; and

generating the availability information based on the availability of the first master DNS server;

a second monitor connected to the second master DNS server and the network, wherein the second monitor comprises instructions for;

determining whether the second master DNS server is available to respond to the request for domain name information; and

generating the availability information based on the availability of the second master

DNS server; and

a network accessible to the first and second master DDNS server devices, wherein the network comprises routers comprising instructions for;

receiving availability information from the first and second monitors relating to the availability of the first and second master DDNS server devices to receive packets;

receiving requests for domain name information;

routing packets comprising the request for domain name information to a master DDNS server device selected from an available one of the first and second master DDNS server devices using a shared IP address based on the availability information;

wherein the first master DDNS server device further comprises;

the shared IP address;

instructions for receiving the request for domain name information;

instructions for retrieving the requested domain name information from the first master datastore; and

instructions for generating a response to the request for domain name information, wherein the response comprises the requested domain name information, and

wherein the second master DDNS server device comprises;

the shared IP address;

instructions for receiving the request for domain name information from the router;

instructions for retrieving the requested domain name information from the second master datastore; and

instructions for generating a response to the request for domain name information, wherein the response comprises the requested domain name information.

2. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 1, wherein the instructions for receiving the request for domain name information, the instructions for retrieving the requested domain name information, and the instructions for generating a response to the request for domain name information comprise an instance of a BIND software application.

3. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 1, wherein the first and second master datastores operate an LDAP protocol.

4. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 1,

wherein the first master datastore further comprises instructions for:

prior to sending the first updated domain name information to the second master datastore, determining whether the second master datastore is available to receive the first updated domain name information;

if the second master datastore is not available to receive the first updated domain name information, then waiting until the second master datastore is available to receive it; and

sending the first updated domain name information to the second master datastore when the second master datastore is available to receive it, and

wherein the second master datastore further comprises instructions for;

prior to sending the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore, determining whether the first master datastore is available to receive the second updated domain name information;

if the first master datastore is not available to receive the second updated domain name information, then waiting until the first master datastore is available to receive it; and

sending the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore when the first master datastore is available to receive it.

5. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 1 further comprising:

a first DHCP server device, wherein the first DHCP server device comprises instructions for;

creating the first updated domain name information;

sending the first updated domain name information to the first master datastore if the first master datastore is available to receive it; and

sending the first updated domain name information to the second master datastore if the first master datastore is not available to receive it.

6. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 5, wherein the second master datastore further comprises instructions for:

if the second master datastore receives the first updated domain name information from the first DHCP server device, then determining when the first master datastore is available to receive the first updated domain name information; and

sending the first updated domain name information to the first master datastore when the first master datastore is available to receive it.

7. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 1 further comprising:

a second DHCP server device, wherein the second DHCP server device comprises instructions for;

creating the second updated domain name information;

sending the second updated domain name information to the second master datastore if the second master datastore is available to receive it; and

sending the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore if the second master datastore is not available to receive it.

8. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 7, wherein the first master datastore further comprises instructions for:

if the first master datastore receives the second updated domain name information from the second DHCP server device, then determining when the second master datastore is available to receive the second updated domain name information; and

sending the second updated domain name information to the second master datastore when the second master datastore is available to receive it.

9. The synchronized dynamic DDNS of claim 1, wherein the request for domain name information is sent from a DDNS client connected to the network, wherein the first master DDNS server device further comprises instructions for sending the response to the DDNS client, and wherein the second master DDNS server device further comprises instructions for sending the response to the DDNS client.

10. A method for synchronizing a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) comprising:

receiving, at a first master datastore, first updated domain name information;

sending, from the first master datastore, the first updated domain name information to a second master datastore;

receiving, at the second master datastore, second updated domain name information;

sending, from the second master datastore, the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore;

receiving, at a network router, packets comprising a request for domain name information;

determining, at a first monitoring device, whether the first master server is available to respond to a request for domain name information;

reporting, from the first monitoring device, the availability of the first master DNS server to the network router;

determining, at a second monitoring device, whether the second master server is available to respond to a request for domain name information;

reporting, from the second monitoring device, the availability of the second master DNS server to the network router;

determining, at the network router, whether at least one of the first and second master servers is available to respond to the request for domain name information, wherein the first and second master servers share an IP address, wherein the first master DDNS server device is connected to the first master datastore, and wherein the second master DDNS server device is connected to the second master datastore;

routing, to a master DDNS server device selected from an available one of the first and second master DDNS server devices, the packets comprising the request for domain name information using the shared IP address;

retrieving, from the master datastore connected to the selected master DDNS server device, the requested domain name information; and

generating, at the selected master DDNS server device, a response to the request for domain name information, wherein the response comprises the requested domain name information.

11. The method for synchronizing a dynamic DDNS of claim 10, wherein receiving the request for domain name information, retrieving the requested domain name information, and generating a response to the request for domain name information is performed by an instance of a BIND software application.

12. The method for synchronizing a dynamic of claim 10, wherein the first and second master datastores operate an LDAP protocol.

13. The method for synchronizing a dynamic DDNS of claim 10 further comprising:

determining, at the first master datastore, whether the second master datastore is available to receive the first updated domain name information prior to sending the first updated domain name information to the second master datastore;

determining, at the first master datastore, to wait until the second master datastore is available to receive the first updated domain name information when the second master datastore is not available to receive the first updated domain name information;

determining, at the first master datastore, to send the first updated domain name information to the second master datastore when the second master datastore is available to receive it;

determining, at the second master datastore, whether the first master datastore is available to receive the second updated domain name information prior to sending the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore;

determining, at the second master datastore, to wait until the first master datastore is available to receive the second updated domain name information when the first master datastore is not available to receive the second updated domain name information; and

determining, at the second master datastore, to send the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore when the first master data store is available to receive it.

14. The method for synchronizing a dynamic DDNS of claim 10 further comprising:

creating, at a first DHCP server device the first updated domain name information;

sending, from the first DHCP server device, the first updated domain name information to the first master datastore when the first master datastore is available to receive it; and

sending, from the first DHCP server device, the first updated domain name information to the second master datastore when the first master datastore is not available to receive it.

15. The method for synchronizing a dynamic DDNS of claim 14 further comprising:

determining, at the second master datastore, whether the first master datastore is available to receive the first updated domain name information when the second master datastore receives the first updated domain name information from the first DHCP server device; and

sending, for the second master datastore, the first updated domain name information to the first master datastore when the first master datastore is available to receive it.

16. The method for synchronizing a dynamic DDNS of claim 10 further comprising:

creating, at a second DHCP server device, the second updated domain name information;

sending, from the second DHCP server device, the second updated domain name information to the second master datastore when the second master datastore is available to receive it; and

sending, from the second DHCP server device, the second updated domain name information to the first master datastore if the second master datastore is not available to receive it.

17. The method for synchronizing a dynamic DDNS of claim 16 further comprising:

determining, at the first master datastore, whether the second master datastore is available to receive the first updated domain name information when the first master datastore receives the second updated domain name information from the second DHCP server device; and

sending, from the first master datastore, the second updated domain name information to the second master datastore when the second master datastore is available to receive it.

18. The method for synchronizing a dynamic DDNS of claim 10 further comprising:

sending, from a DDNS client, a request for domain name information from a DDNS client; and

sending, from the selected DDNS master server, the response to the DDNS client.