Method and apparatus for looking up configuration information for a network node

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for looking up location-specific configuration information for a network node or a subnet. During system operation, a network node creates a query message containing a key that comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) prefix and a string, wherein the IP prefix identifies the network node or the subnet, and the string specifies the type of configuration information. The network node then sends the query message to a name server, which is part of a distributed system that provides a global naming service, wherein the name server additionally stores configuration information. Finally, the network node receives a response message from the name server, wherein the response message contains the requested configuration information.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present patent is a continuation of, and hereby claims priority under 35 U.S. §120 to, pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 877,401, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Looking up Configuration Information for a Network Node,” by inventor Stuart D. Cheshire, filed on 25 Jun. 2004 (Attorney Docket No. APL-P3398).BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to the process of looking up configuration information for a network node. More specifically, the present invention relates to the process of looking up configuration information for a network node by sending a query message to a name server, which is part of a distributed system that provides a global naming service.[0004]2. Related Art[0005]The Internet is permeating more and more aspects of our lives—from buying cameras to buying real estate, and from reading a newspaper to watching a movie.[0006]Due to the Internet's complexity, a network node, such as a compute...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Due to the Internet's complexity, a network node, such as a computer, that wants to participate in the Internet needs to lookup a large amount of configuration information.

Furthermore, it is cumbersome to ask the user to lookup the configuration information.

Unfortunately, there are many drawbacks in using DHCP for looking up configuration information.

This is a severe limitation, because it forces the network node to guess what kind of configuration information it is going to need in the future.

For example, if the network node does not lookup the NetBIOS (Network Basic Input Output System) name server during system boot, the network node may not be able to provide this information to an application that requires this information during normal system operation, thereby preventing the application from running properly.

Furthermore, since configuration information can change over time, the configuration information that was obtained using DHCP during system boot can be out of date.

Note that, although it is possible to use DHCP to lookup configuration information during normal system operation, such lookup operations may not be supported by all DHCP servers.

Moreover, performing a lookup during normal system operation may cause the DHCP server to assign a new IP address to the network node, which can cause many applications to malfunction.

Furthermore, DHCP can only support up to 255 types of configuration information, which places a hard limit on the types of configuration information that can be looked up using DHCP.

Images