Shared DNS Server with Tenant Namespace Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current DNS solutions in cloud computing environments require dedicated virtual machines for each tenant, leading to management overhead and lack of fault tolerance, while allowing tenants to bring their own domain names is either cost-ineffective or restricts domain name usage, and existing solutions do not provide seamless isolation and name resolution for overlapping domain spaces.
Innovation Solution
A shared DNS server architecture with a DNS proxy that tags DNS requests with a virtual network ID, allowing each virtual network to have its own namespace and using a single DNS server to manage multiple virtual networks, ensuring isolation and supporting 'bring your own domain name' scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dedicated DNS server is allocated to each tenant in a cloud computing environment, then each tenant can have its own namespace and avoid naming conflicts, but the device complexity and management overhead increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple tenant-specific DNS servers into a single shared DNS server that serves multiple tenants. The DNS server includes a tenant identification module that identifies which tenant a DNS query belongs to, and a namespace selection module that selects the appropriate namespace for that tenant. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate DNS servers for each tenant while maintaining namespace isolation, thereby reducing device complexity and management overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary modules within the shared DNS server structure - specifically a tenant identification module and a namespace selection module. These intermediaries act as mediators between incoming DNS queries and the appropriate tenant-specific namespace data. The tenant identification module extracts tenant identifiers from queries, and the namespace selection module uses these identifiers to route queries to the correct namespace, enabling isolation without dedicated servers.
2Device complexity
If multiple tenants share a single DNS server, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but namespace isolation and fault tolerance between tenants may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the namespace data within the shared DNS server into distinct tenant-specific namespaces. Each tenant has its own isolated namespace that is separately managed and protected. The namespace selection module ensures that queries from one tenant are routed only to that tenant's namespace, preventing cross-tenant interference and maintaining logical isolation even though the physical infrastructure is shared.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making each tenant's namespace have unique properties and isolation characteristics. The tenant identification module identifies the specific tenant context for each query, and the namespace selection module applies tenant-specific namespace configurations. This allows each tenant to have customized namespace properties while sharing the underlying DNS server infrastructure, ensuring that faults in one tenant's namespace do not affect others.
3Reliability
If tenants are restricted to specific domain name formats, then namespace conflicts are avoided, but the adaptability and versatility of domain name usage are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the shared DNS server universal by enabling it to handle multiple tenant namespaces with different domain name formats and requirements. The tenant identification module recognizes various tenant identifiers, and the namespace selection module adapts to different namespace structures. This allows each tenant to use their own domain names and naming conventions without restriction, while the system universally manages all these diverse namespaces through a single server.
Data Source
AI summary
A DNS proxy may tag DNS requests from a virtual network with a separating identifier, such as a virtual network ID, before forwarding them to a shared DNS server. This can allow each virtual network to have its own namespace and avoid naming conflicts. The shared DNS server can examine the tagged DNS requests to respond to the DNS requests using the local namespace as identified by the separating identifier.