Granted Patent B2

US 8,250,219 · App. 13/347,387 · Granted Aug 21, 2012

Abstract

Claims (50)

1. A domain name service (DNS) resolver for returning Internet protocol (IP) addresses, the DNS resolver comprising:

a connection with an Internet application or device, wherein the connection receives domain name resolution requests that originates outside of the Internet;

a direct DNS resolver that authoritatively identifies an IP addresses, wherein the direct DNS resolver avoids referring to the Internet after receiving a domain name resolution request, and wherein the authoritatively identified IP addresses are uninfluenced by other DNS resolvers;

a recursing DNS resolver, wherein IP addresses are found by querying one or more DNS servers on the Internet after receiving domain name resolution requests;

a cache of domain names different from a predetermined list of domain names; and

an address store, wherein the address store comprises a predetermined list of domain names and corresponding IP addresses that are specified from a point remote to the DNS resolver, wherein the DNS resolver process the domain name resolutions for the predetermined list of domain names differently than domain name resolutions for other domain names not on the predetermined list of domain names.

2. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the domain name resolutions for the predetermined list of domain names are handled by the direct DNS resolver prior to any handling by the recursing DNS resolver, and wherein the other domain name resolutions are not handled by the direct DNS resolver prior to any handling by the recursing DNS resolver.

3. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the direct DNS resolver processes domain name resolutions for the predetermined list of domain names and the direct DNS resolver does not process the other domain name resolutions.

4. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the connection receives the domain name resolution requests on a port not normally used for conventional DNS domain name resolution requests.

5. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the connection receives the domain name resolution requests in encrypted form.

6. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the predetermined list includes at least some host names for the domain names.

7. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the DNS resolver is within an operating system of the Internet application or device.

8. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the DNS resolver is located away from user computers.

9. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein:

the DNS resolver is application software running on an operating system, and

the Internet application also runs on the operating system.

10. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein a firewall filters traffic between the DNS resolver and the Internet.

11. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the predetermined list is updated periodically.

12. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 1 , wherein the predetermined list is updated when a domain resolution requests matches a domain on the list, but a host name on the domain resolution request cannot be found on the list.

13. A DNS resolver for returning IP addresses, the DNS resolver comprising:

a connection with an Internet application or device, wherein the connection receives domain name resolution requests that originates outside of the Internet;

a recursing DNS resolver, wherein IP addresses are found by querying one or more DNS servers on the Internet after receiving domain name resolution requests;

a direct DNS resolver that processes domain name resolutions that authoritatively identifies an IP addresses, wherein the direct DNS resolver avoids referring to the Internet while processing domain name resolutions, and wherein the authoritatively identified IP addresses are uninfluenced by other DNS resolvers;

an address store, wherein the address store comprises a predetermined list of URL portions that are determined at a point accessible with the Internet, wherein the DNS resolver processes the domain name resolutions for the predetermined list of URL portions differently than domain name resolutions for other URL portions not on the predetermined list of URL portions.

14. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the differential processing of the domain name resolutions for the predetermined list of URL portions and the domain name resolutions for the other URL portions not on the predetermined list of URL portions comprises differential initial assignments to the recursing DNS resolver or the direct DNS resolver.

15. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the predetermined list includes IP addresses corresponding to the URL portions.

16. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the connection receives the domain name resolution requests on a port not normally used for conventional DNS domain name resolution requests.

17. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the connection receives the domain name resolution requests in encrypted form.

18. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the URL portions include domain names and/or host names.

19. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the address store avoids time-to-live tracking for IP addresses.

20. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the DNS resolver is located away from user computers.

21. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein:

the DNS resolver is application software running on an operating system, and

the Internet application also runs on the operating system.

22. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein a firewall filters traffic between the DNS resolver and the Internet.

23. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the predetermined list is updated periodically.

24. The DNS resolver for returning IP addresses as recited in claim 13 , wherein the predetermined list is updated when a domain resolution requests matches a domain on the list, but a host name on the domain resolution request cannot be found on the list.

25. A method for resolving an IP address for a domain name resolution request, the method comprising steps of:

receiving, in a non-recursive manner, a list of possible domain name resolution requests and corresponding IP addresses in advance of the possible domain name resolution request being requested;

storing the list in an authoritative address store;

receiving the domain name resolution request;

determining if the domain name resolution request corresponds to any on the list; and

processing the domain name resolutions request to identify a corresponding IP address, wherein the processing depends on whether the domain name resolution request corresponds to any on the list,

wherein the domain name resolution request is resolved by referring to the Internet using a recursing resolver that queries one or more DNS servers on the Internet when the domain name resolution request does not correspond to any on the list.

26. The method for resolving the IP address for the domain name resolution request as recited in claim 25 , wherein the corresponding IP address is identified locally when the domain name resolution request corresponds to any on the list.

27. The method for resolving the IP address for the domain name resolution request as recited in claim 25 , wherein the second-listed receiving step comprises a step of receiving a cookie that comprises information about an Internet application or device originating the domain name resolution request.

28. The method for resolving the IP address for the domain name resolution request as recited in claim 25 , wherein the IP address corresponds to at least one DNS server at a content delivery network (CDN).

29. The method for resolving the IP address for the domain name resolution request as recited in claim 25 , further comprising steps of:

determining the list is out of date; and

requesting an updated list.

Assignments (8)