Validation of alignment of wireless and wireline network function configuration with domain name system records

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12058098-B2
Application number	US-202218056501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2022
Priority date	Nov 17, 2022
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

Techniques for validating alignment between network element configuration and DNS records associated with a communication network are presented. Alignment management component (AMC) can retrieve respective configuration parameter data items relating to respective configuration parameters associated with respective resource-related identifiers, and respective metadata items associated with the respective resource-related identifiers, from a configuration data store; and retrieve respective DNS records from respective DNS name servers, based on analyzing the respective metadata items associated with respective DNS records. For each resource-related identifier that is supposed to have a corresponding DNS record, based on the result of analyzing the respective configuration parameter data items and respective DNS records, AMC can determine whether the resource-related identifier has a corresponding DNS record stored in the DNS name server indicated by the metadata item. AMC can generate an audit report comprising a missing DNS record data item for each DNS record determined to be missing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
retrieving, from a configuration data store by a system comprising a processor, respective configuration parameter data items relating to respective configuration parameters associated with respective resource-related identifiers, and respective metadata items associated with the respective resource-related identifiers;
with regard to the respective resource-related identifiers and based on the respective metadata items, retrieving, from respective domain-name-system name servers by the system, respective domain-name-system records, comprising respective record data items;
based on a result of analyzing the respective configuration parameter data items and the respective record data items, determining, by the system, whether a resource-related identifier of the respective resource-related identifiers has a corresponding domain-name-system record stored in the respective domain-name-system name servers;
in response to determining that the corresponding domain-name-system record is not detected as being stored in the respective domain-name-system name servers, generating, by the system, a missing record data item that indicates the corresponding domain-name-system record is determined not to be stored in the respective domain-name-system name servers;
generating, by the system, an audit report that comprises respective missing record data items that indicate respective corresponding domain-name-system records are determined not to be stored in the respective domain-name-system name servers, wherein the respective missing record data items comprise the missing record data item, wherein the respective corresponding domain-name-system records comprise the corresponding domain-name-system record;
grouping, by the system, the respective missing record data items associated with the respective configuration parameters into respective subgroups of missing record data items based on respective network functions associated with the respective missing record data items; and
classifying, by the system, the respective missing record data items with respective record classifications that indicate respective types of domain-name-system records associated with the respective missing record data items,
wherein the audit report comprises subgroup information relating to the respective subgroups and record classification information relating to the respective record classifications, wherein, in the audit report, information relating a configuration parameter of the respective configuration parameters is searchable or extractable on a network element basis or a domain-name-system name server basis, and wherein the information relating to the configuration parameter comprises a portion of the respective missing record data items, respective configuration parameter data items, respective record data items, the subgroup information, or the record classification information.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
presenting, by the system, the audit report to a device or a message account associated with a user identity.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the record classifications relate to a service record, a name authority pointer record, an address record, or an AAAA record.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the result is a first result, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, by the system, the user identity, the device, or the message account based on a second result of analyzing user identity data, device identifier data, message account identifier data, or network element data accessed from a data store, wherein the network element data indicates a network element associated with the corresponding domain-name-system record, and wherein the user identity data indicates the user identity associated with the network element.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the audit report comprises audit report data relating to a group of missing record data items, wherein respective missing record data items of the group indicate respective corresponding domain-name-system records that are determined not to be stored in the respective domain-name-system name servers, wherein the group of missing record data items comprises the missing record data item, and wherein the method further comprises:
comparing, by the system, the audit report data to previous audit report data of a previous audit report, wherein the previous audit report data relates to respective previous missing record data items of a previous group of previous missing record data items, and wherein the respective previous missing record data items indicate respective corresponding previous domain-name-system records that are determined not to be stored in the respective domain-name-system name servers;
determining, by the system, a difference between the audit report data and the previous audit report data; and
sending, by the system, difference information relating to the difference to the device or the message account associated with the user identity.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the audit report comprises audit report data relating to a group of missing record data items, wherein respective missing record data items of the group indicate respective corresponding domain-name-system records that are determined not to be stored in the respective domain-name-system name servers, wherein the group of missing record data items comprises the missing record data item, and wherein the method further comprises:
comparing, by the system, the audit report data of the audit report to baseline audit report data of a baseline audit report, wherein the baseline audit report data indicates a defined baseline relating to missing record data items;
determining, by the system, a difference between the audit report data and the baseline audit report data; and
sending, by the system, difference information relating to the difference to the device or the message account associated with the user identity.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the corresponding domain-name-system record is stored in a domain-name-system name server of the respective domain-name-system name servers, generating, by the system, a verified record data item that indicates the corresponding domain-name-system record is determined to be stored in the domain-name-system name server;
including, by the system, the verified record data item in the audit report; and
sending, by the system, the audit report to a device or a message account associated with a user identity for presentation via the device or the message account.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective resource-related identifiers comprise respective fully qualified domain names or respective uniform resource identifiers.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a metadata item of the metadata items indicates whether the resource-related identifier is to be associated with the corresponding domain-name-system record, indicates a type of domain-name-system record that is to be associated with the resource-related identifier, or indicates a domain-name-system name server of the respective domain-name-system name servers where the domain-name-system record is specified to be stored.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the system, that searching for a domain-name-system record is to be bypassed based on a result of the analyzing a metadata item of the respective metadata items indicating that a corresponding resource-related identifier of the respective resource-related identifiers does not have or require the domain-name-system record.

11. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that st

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Qiu Chaoxin
• Ashby Eric
• Lu Min
• Naidu Lakshminarashimhan

Classifications

• H04L61/5007

  Internet protocol [IP] addresses · CPC title

• H04L61/5014

  using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP] · CPC title

• H04L61/50

  Address allocation · CPC title

• H04L61/4535

  using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers · CPC title

• H04L61/4511 Primary

  using domain name system [DNS] · CPC title