IP Library Granted Patent US 7,996,532
Granted Patent B2
US 7,996,532 · App. 12/399,181 · Granted Aug 9, 2011

Cluster-free techniques for enabling a directory protocol-based domain name system (DNS) service for high availability

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,996,532
App. No.
12/399,181
Granted
Aug 9, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

Cluster-free techniques for enabling a directory protocol-based Domain Name System (DNS) service for high availability are presented. A DNS service monitors a node for wild-carded IP address that migrate to the node when a primary node fails to service DNS requests for a directory of the network. The DNS service forwards the wild-carded IP address to a distributed directory service for resolution and uses the distributed directory service to dynamically configure the DNS service for directly handling subsequent DNS requests made to the directory over the network while the primary node remains inoperable over the network.

Claims (19)

1. A method implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to process on a node and to perform the method, comprising:

listening, on the node, for a wild-carded Internet Protocol (IP) address and recognizing the wild-carded IP address as a Highly Available IP (HaIP) address that is bound to a network resource and decoupled from a physical interface, wherein the HaIP address migrates to the node when an original node that was used to resolve the HaIP address for original DNS requests fails to respond;

receiving, at the node, a first Domain Name System (DNS) request; and

communicating from the node and over a network with a directory service for a directory maintained by the directory service, communication with the directory service indicates that the first DNS request was received on the wild-carded IP address, the first DNS request is asked to be serviced from the directory service that maintains DNS data for the directory, and wherein the directory service is external to the network node over the network, and wherein subsequent DNS requests are serviced from the node;

acquiring, on the node, the DNS data from the directory service; and

rebuilding, on the node, a directory tree for the directory using the DNS data to directly service from the node the subsequent DNS requests node.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein acquiring further includes, downloading a cache state and cache hit ratio for the directory with the DNS data from the directory service over the network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein downloading further includes storing the DNS data, the cache state, and the cache hit ration on a local disk of the node.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein rebuilding further includes loading from the local disk the cache sate and the cache hit ratio to memory of the node when rebuilding the directory tree.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, configuring the node to begin listing for a specific IP address associated with the wild-carded IP address for directly servicing the subsequent DNS requests from the node.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein listening further includes periodically receiving configuration updates over the network for the directory from the directory service at predefined intervals, and wherein at least some updates occur before the wild-carded IP address is detected as being received on the node.

7. A system, the system comprising:

a first device having a distributed directory service stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and to execute on the first device of a network;

a recovery node having a Domain Name System (DNS) service stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and to execute on the recovery node of the network;

wherein the distributed directory service is to monitor a directory being managed on a primary node of the network, and wherein the DNS service is to forward a wild-carded Internet Protocol (IP) address that migrates dynamically to the recovery node when the primary node fails, and wherein the distributed directory service is to resolve the wild-carded IP address for the DNS service and facilitate configuring the recovery node and the DNS service for resolving subsequent DNS requests made over the network to the directory and wherein the wild-carded IP address is a highly available IP (HaIP) address that is bound to a network resource of the directory and is decoupled from any specific physical device of the network and the HaIP address migrates to the recovery node when the primary node that was used to resolve the HaIP address for original DNS requests fails to respond, and wherein DNS data is acquired on the recovery node from the distributed directory service and a directory tree is rebuilt for the directory using the DNS data to directly service from the recover node the subsequent DNS requests.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the distributed directory service is to monitor the directory by maintaining the DNS data for the directory as the directory is accessed and modified on the primary node and while the primary node is operational.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the DNS data includes a last cache state and a last cache hit ration that existed on the primary node before it failed.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the DNS service downloads the DNS data from the distributed directory service and the first device to a local disk of the recovery node.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the DNS service uploads the last cache state and the last cache hit ratio to memory of the recovery node and uses the DNS data to rebuild a directory tree for the directory for purposes of directly resolving the subsequent DNS requests without assistance from the distributed directory service.

Assignments (16)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST REEL/FRAME 035656/0251 Recorded Feb 2, 2023
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: BORLAND SOFTWARE CORPORATION; ATTACHMATE CORPORATION; NETIQ CORPORATION; MICRO FOCUS (US), INC.; MICRO FOCUS SOFTWARE INC. (F/K/A NOVELL, INC.)
Reel/Frame 062623/0009 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST REEL/FRAME 044183/0718 Recorded Feb 2, 2023
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: MICRO FOCUS LLC (F/K/A ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC); BORLAND SOFTWARE CORPORATION; MICRO FOCUS (US), INC.; SERENA SOFTWARE, INC; ATTACHMATE CORPORATION; MICRO FOCUS SOFTWARE INC. (F/K/A NOVELL, INC.); NETIQ CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062746/0399 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE TO CORRECT TYPO IN APPLICATION NUMBER 10708121 WHICH SHOULD BE 10708021 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 042388 FRAME 0386. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE NOTICE OF SUCCESSION OF AGENCY. Recorded Jul 26, 2018
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS PRIOR AGENT
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS SUCCESSOR AGENT
Reel/Frame 048793/0832 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 11, 2017
From: ATTACHMATE CORPORATION; BORLAND SOFTWARE CORPORATION; NETIQ CORPORATION; MICRO FOCUS (US), INC.; MICRO FOCUS SOFTWARE, INC.; ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC; ARCSIGHT, LLC; SERENA SOFTWARE, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 044183/0718 →
NOTICE OF SUCCESSION OF AGENCY Recorded May 2, 2017
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS PRIOR AGENT
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS SUCCESSOR AGENT
Reel/Frame 042388/0386 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 13, 2016
From: NOVELL, INC.
To: MICRO FOCUS SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 040020/0703 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 13, 2015
From: MICRO FOCUS (US), INC.; BORLAND SOFTWARE CORPORATION; ATTACHMATE CORPORATION; NETIQ CORPORATION; NOVELL, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 035656/0251 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 028252/0316 Recorded Nov 24, 2014
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG
To: NOVELL, INC.
Reel/Frame 034469/0057 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 028252/0216 Recorded Nov 24, 2014
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG
To: NOVELL, INC.
Reel/Frame 034470/0680 →
GRANT OF PATENT SECURITY INTEREST FIRST LIEN Recorded May 23, 2012
From: NOVELL, INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 028252/0216 →
GRANT OF PATENT SECURITY INTEREST SECOND LIEN Recorded May 23, 2012
From: NOVELL, INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 028252/0316 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY IN PATENTS SECOND LIEN (RELEASES RF 026275/0018 AND 027290/0983) Recorded May 22, 2012
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: NOVELL, INC.
Reel/Frame 028252/0154 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS FIRST LIEN (RELEASES RF 026270/0001 AND 027289/0727) Recorded May 22, 2012
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: NOVELL, INC.
Reel/Frame 028252/0077 →
GRANT OF PATENT SECURITY INTEREST (SECOND LIEN) Recorded May 13, 2011
From: NOVELL, INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 026275/0018 →
GRANT OF PATENT SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 12, 2011
From: NOVELL, INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 026270/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 11, 2009
From: PHANSE, MADHAVI R.
To: NOVELL, INC.
Reel/Frame 022676/0272 →