Pseudo-Zone DNS Mapping for Very Large IoT Domain Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing very large numbers of Internet of Things (IoT) devices across a wide geographic area poses challenges due to the heavy processing burden on DNS servers, leading to performance issues and potential failures affecting a large number of devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a pseudo-zone hierarchy with a mapping function to distribute host names among subzones, translating original FQDNs into new FQDNs, and intercepting DNS queries to manage very large DNS zones efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single DNS zone is used to register all IoT devices, then all devices can be managed under one domain, but the processing burden on the DNS server becomes unmanageably heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a very large DNS zone into multiple subzones by extracting prefixes from host names and creating separate subzone files for each prefix. This segmentation distributes the processing burden across multiple files and enables parallel loading, resolving the contradiction between managing all devices under one domain and maintaining server processing capacity.
2Device complexity
If a single DNS server is used to manage very large zones, then centralized control is maintained, but the server takes unacceptably long to boot up and start running
Solution Approach 1:
The zone data is divided into multiple subzone files that can be loaded in parallel during server startup. This segmentation dramatically reduces boot time while maintaining centralized management through the parent zone's NS records that point to multiple child zone servers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-organizes zone data into subzone files with predetermined prefixes before server startup. This preliminary organization allows the server to load only necessary subzones in parallel, significantly reducing boot time while maintaining centralized control structure.
3Ease of operation
If a single DNS zone is used, then all devices can be queried through one domain, but if the zone server fails, it affects a very large number of devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates multiple child zones with their own authoritative servers, distributing the risk of failure. If one child zone server fails, only devices in that specific subzone are affected, while other subzones remain operational, thereby improving system reliability while maintaining ease of operation through the unified parent zone structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The parent zone acts as an intermediary that distributes queries to multiple child zone servers. This intermediary structure enables single-domain querying while providing fault isolation, as the parent zone can redirect queries away from failed child zones to healthy ones.
4Productivity
If the DNS zone is divided into multiple subzones, then the load is distributed across servers, but the complexity of managing multiple zones increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal parent zone structure that can manage multiple child subzones through a standardized NS record mechanism. This multi-functional parent zone handles delegation, query distribution, and failure recovery uniformly across all subzones, reducing management complexity despite the increased number of zones.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and devices are provided for registering DNS hostnames of Internet host devices for very large domain zones (VLZ) stored on a DNS server on a network, including setting a pseudo-zone as the VLZ, intercepting DNS updates to the pseudo-zone, mapping the entries in the pseudo-zone into a hierarchy of real parent zones and sub-zones using a mapping formula, and translating DNS updates to the pseudo-zone from an original fully qualified domain name (FQDN) into a at least one new FQDNs and adding the at least one new FQDNs to an authoritative DNS Server.