Automatically replacing localhost as hostname in URL with fully qualified domain name or IP address

• US 9,565,161 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kaplinger, Todd E., Lentz, James L., Mitchell, Christopher C., Shook, Aaron K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R
• Application Number:
  US13/480,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20130318173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709204-206, 715751-759
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for electronically communicating a correct Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The browser detects a copying of a URL to be placed in an electronic communication. In response to determining that the URL specifies an address of a loopback interface of the computing device via a localhost, the browser obtains the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computing device hosting the resource (e.g., application) referenced by the URL. The browser replaces the localhost in the URL with either the FQDN or IP address of the computing device. The modified URL is then made available to be shared with other users via electronic communication. In this manner, the localhost is automatically replaced with the correct domain name or IP address thereby ensuring that third party users will be able to retrieve the resource hosted on the computing device.

Claims

1. A method for a software developer to electronically communicate a correct Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the method comprising:

detecting a copying of a URL from a browser to be placed in an electronic communication;

obtaining one of a fully qualified domain name and an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a computing device hosting a resource referenced by said URL in response to said URL specifying an address of a loopback interface of said computing device via a localhost, wherein said loopback interface is used for testing software;

replacing, by a hardware processor of a developer device, automatically said localhost in said URL with one of said fully qualified domain name and said IP address of said computing device thereby ensuring that third party users will be able to retrieve said resource;

providing said URL with one of said fully qualified domain name and said IP address of said computing device to be available to be shared with other users via said electronic communication; and

accessing a domain name system server for translating said fully qualified domain name into said IP address in response to said computing system being relocated.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said electronic communication comprises one of the following:

electronic mail and instant messaging.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

querying an operating system of said computing device for one of said fully qualified domain name and said IP address of said computing device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining said IP address of said computing device from a proxy component.

5. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for enabling a software developer to electronically communicate a correct Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the computer program product comprising the programming instructions for:

detecting a copying of a URL from a browser to be placed in an electronic communication;

obtaining one of a fully qualified domain name and an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a computing device hosting a resource referenced by said URL in response to said URL specifying an address of a loopback interface of said computing device via a localhost, wherein said loopback interface is used for testing software;

replacing automatically said localhost in said URL with one of said fully qualified domain name and said IP address of said computing device thereby ensuring that third party users will be able to retrieve said resource;

providing said URL with one of said fully qualified domain name and said IP address of said computing device to be available to be shared with other users via said electronic communication; and

accessing a domain name system server for translating said fully qualified domain name into said IP address in response to said computing system being relocated.

6. The computer program product as recited in claim 5, wherein said electronic communication comprises one of the following:

electronic mail and instant messaging.

7. The computer program product as recited in claim 5 further comprising the programming instructions for:

querying an operating system of said computing device for one of said fully qualified domain name and said IP address of said computing device.

8. The computer program product as recited in claim 5 further comprising the programming instructions for:

obtaining said IP address of said computing device from a proxy component.

9. A method for a software developer to electronically communicate a correct Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the method comprising:

detecting a copying of a URL from a browser to be placed in an electronic communication;

obtaining one or more of a list of possible URLs and a list of possible Media Access Control (MAC) addresses encoded as a single URL for accessing a computing device hosting a resource referenced by one or more of said list of possible URLs and said list of possible MAC addresses in response to said URL specifying an address of a loopback interface of said computing device via a localhost, wherein said loopback interface is used for testing software;

replacing, by a hardware processor of a developer device, automatically said URL containing said localhost with said single encoded URL thereby ensuring that third party users will be able to retrieve said resource;

providing said single encoded URL to be available to be shared with other users via said electronic communication; and

decoding said single encoded URL into said list of possible URLs to access said resource hosted by said computing device.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

accessing each potential URL in said list of possible URLs.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

accessing said resource hosted by said computing device in response to said computing device being reachable by a URL in said list of possible URLs.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

decoding said single encoded URL into said list of possible MAC addresses in response to said computing device not being reachable by any URL in said list of possible URLs.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising:

querying a domain name system server to obtain a current Internet Protocol (IP) address for each MAC address in said list of possible MAC addresses.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

accessing each obtained IP address; and

accessing said resource hosted by said computing device in response to said computing device being reachable by an IP address obtained from said domain name system server.