Selecting between domain name system servers of a plurality of networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9258270-B2
Application number	US-201313901007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2013
Priority date	May 23, 2013
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A method and computer for managing domain name system services for a plurality of networks is disclosed. A computer identifies information for the plurality of networks to which a client device is connected. The computer receives a request to identify an internet protocol address for a domain name or vice-versa. In response to the request, the computer selects a particular set of domain name system servers of a particular network in the plurality of networks based on the information for the plurality of networks and a set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the internet protocol address for the domain name. The computer then sends the request to identify the internet protocol address for the domain name to a domain name system server in the particular set of domain name system servers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing domain name system services for a plurality of networks, the method comprising:
identifying, by one or more processor units, information for the plurality of networks to which a client device is connected, the information for each network in the plurality of networks including a set of private domains, a set of domain name system servers for use in searching for internet protocol addresses for domain names, and a set of routes;
receiving, by the one or more processor units, a request to identify an Internet protocol address for a domain name;
responsive to not having a cached answer for the request to identify the internet protocol address for the domain name, determining, by the one or more processor units, to which domain name system servers of which network in the plurality of networks to send the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name using the information for the plurality of networks and a set of rules, wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name includes a rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network using matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of domains in the set of private domains for each network in the plurality of networks;
selecting, by the one or more processor units, a particular network as a subset of the plurality of networks and a particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network using the information for the plurality of networks and the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name, wherein the selecting, by the one or more processor units, the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprises:
identifying a subset of networks in the plurality of networks that comprise at least one domain in the set of private domains for a respective network that matches a largest number of portions of the domain name in the request; and
responsive to the subset of networks comprising only one network, selecting a respective set of domain name system servers of the one network in the subset of networks as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network; and

sending the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name, by the one or more processor units, to a domain name system server in the particular set of domain name system servers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers includes a rule for selecting a default set of domain name system servers of a default network in the plurality of networks when no other rules in the set of rules identifies the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks, and wherein selecting, by the one or more processor units, the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprises:
selecting the default set of domain name system servers of the default network as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network based on the rule for selecting the default set of domain name system servers of the default network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of routes is a routing table, and wherein each route in the set of routes comprises a destination and a gateway, and electronic communications to the destination occur through the gateway, and wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name includes another rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network based on matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of destinations in the set of routes for each network in the plurality of networks, and wherein responsive to the subset of networks comprising two or more networks, the selecting, by the one or more processor units, of the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the plurality of networks further comprises:
identifying a group of networks in the subset of networks that comprise at least one destination in the set of routes for the respective network that matches the largest number of portions of the domain name in the request; and
responsive to the group of networks comprising only one network, selecting the respective set of domain name system servers of the one network in the group of networks as the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of networks is a number of logical networks comprising a number of virtual private networks and number of public networks.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the domain name is a fully qualified domain name.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request, by the one or more processor units, to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name comprises intercepting the request on the client device before the request has been sent to any domain name system servers.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein an interception of the request prevents the client device from sending the request to any domain name system servers that are not in the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network.

8. A computer program product for managing domain name system services for a plurality of networks, the computer program product comprising program instructions stored on a computer readable storage device, for execution by one or more processors of a data processing system, the program instructions further comprising:
program instructions for identifying information for the plurality of networks to which a client device is connected, the information for each network in the plurality of networks including a set of private domains, a set of domain name system servers for use in searching for internet protocol addresses for domain names, and a set of routes;
program instructions for receiving a request to identify an Internet protocol address for a domain name;
program instructions responsive to not having a cached answer for the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name, for determining to which domain name system servers of which network in the plurality of networks to send the request to identify the Internet protocol address for the domain name using the information for the plurality of networks and a set of rules, wherein the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name includes a rule for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers for the particular network using matches between portions of the domain name in the request and portions of domains in the set of private domains for each network in the plurality of networks;
program instructions for selecting, a particular network as a subset of the plurality of networks and a particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network using the information for the plurality of networks and the set of rules for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers when identifying the Internet protocol address for the domain name, wherein the program instructions for selecting the particular set of domain name system servers of the particular network in the pluralit

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Smith Paul D
• Stenzel Harley A

Classifications

• H04L61/1511 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/1552

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/4511 Primary

  using domain name system [DNS] · CPC title

• H04L61/4552 Primary

  Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories · CPC title

• H04L43/04

  Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation · CPC title