DNS Multicast Query Duplicate Suppression via Known Answers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Issuing repeated multicast queries in computer networks often results in inefficiencies due to redundant identical replies, especially when packet-switching technologies may lose or corrupt packets, leading to unnecessary network traffic.
Innovation Solution
A method where a client includes a list of known answers in the DNS query packet, allowing responders to suppress duplicate responses by checking against this list, thereby reducing redundant replies by the second or third transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If repeated multicast queries are issued to ensure reliable information retrieval, then query reliability is improved, but network traffic increases due to redundant identical replies
Solution Approach 1:
The client includes a list of known answers in the query packet before sending it. This preliminary action allows responders to check against known answers and suppress duplicate responses, thereby maintaining query reliability through repeated queries while reducing network traffic from redundant replies
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from previous query responses by incorporating known answers into subsequent query packets. This feedback mechanism enables responders to identify and suppress duplicate responses, resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliability through repeated queries and reducing network traffic from redundant replies
Data Source
AI summary
Domain Name System (DNS) Queries and DNS Responses both use the same packet format. The DNS packet format includes a header section, a question section, an answer section, an authority record section and an additional record section. In conventional DNS Queries, the header section and the question section are used; the answer section, authority record section and additional record section are empty. In the present invention, when issuing a query, the client places the question in the question section as usual, and places all the answers it already knows into the (previously empty) answer section. When receiving a query, a responder checks to make sure that the answer it is about to give is not already included in the answer section. If the answer is listed in the answer section of the query, it means that the client already has that information, and doesn't need to be told again.