U.S. patent application number 13/973972 was filed with the patent office on 2016-09-08 for existent domain name dns traffic capture and analysis.
This patent application is currently assigned to VERISIGN, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is VERISIGN, INC.. Invention is credited to Alexander D. Holmes, Tamir Kamara, Mark Kosters, Eyal Lanxner, Matt Larson, Shevek Mankin, Leonard Orentas, Karthik Shyamsunder, Andrew W. Simpson, Srinivas Sunkara, Nir Zohar.
Application Number | 20160261470 13/973972 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42826967 |
Filed Date | 2016-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160261470 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
Holmes; Alexander D. ; et
al. |
September 8, 2016 |
EXISTENT DOMAIN NAME DNS TRAFFIC CAPTURE AND ANALYSIS
Abstract
Systems and methods for scoring a domain web traffic based on
DNS traffic requests received at an authoritative name server to
resolve the domain name. A request to resolve the domain name is
received at an authoritative name server. A counter, such as a
server counter or a hit counter, for the domain name is incremented
based on the received request. A score, such as a domain traffic
score or a domain rank, is calculated based upon a count of the
counter. Calculating the score may also include applying a
weighting factor to the counters based on information about a
requesting set of resolvers and other domains/websites that may be
linking and driving traffic to the domain whose traffic score is
being calculated. Examples of relevant set of resolvers information
may include location, traffic levels, traffic type and architecture
of the set of resolvers.
Inventors: |
Holmes; Alexander D.;
(Sterling, VA) ; Simpson; Andrew W.; (Sterling,
VA) ; Shyamsunder; Karthik; (Winchester, VA) ;
Sunkara; Srinivas; (Ashburn, VA) ; Lanxner; Eyal;
(Kfar Saba, IL) ; Zohar; Nir; (Kfar Saba, IL)
; Orentas; Leonard; (South Riding, VA) ; Larson;
Matt; (Dulles, VA) ; Kosters; Mark; (Clifton,
VA) ; Mankin; Shevek; (Dulles, VA) ; Kamara;
Tamir; (Neve Yamin, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
VERISIGN, INC. |
Reston |
VA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
VERISIGN, INC.
Reston
VA
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20150058139 A1 |
February 26, 2015 |
|
|
Family ID: |
42826967 |
Appl. No.: |
13/973972 |
Filed: |
August 22, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12609831 |
Oct 30, 2009 |
8521908 |
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13973972 |
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61167521 |
Apr 7, 2009 |
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61167523 |
Apr 7, 2009 |
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61167528 |
Apr 7, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0282 20130101;
G06Q 30/00 20130101; H04L 61/1511 20130101; G06Q 30/0277 20130101;
H04L 29/12066 20130101; H04L 43/04 20130101; G06Q 30/0273 20130101;
H04L 43/062 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/26 20060101
H04L012/26; G06Q 30/02 20060101 G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1. An automated method for scoring a query, comprising: receiving
at a DNS name server a query comprising one or more character
strings; incrementing one or more server counters for the one or
more character strings; and calculating a traffic score for the
query based upon the one or more server counters, wherein,
calculating the traffic score includes applying a weighting factor
to the one or more server counters based on information about a
requesting set of resolvers.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more server counters
is limited to one count for a particular requesting set of
resolvers in a predetermined period of time.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising incrementing a hit
counter each time the DNS name server receives a query, wherein,
calculating the traffic score is further based upon the hit
counter.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the weighting factor is based on
a geographical location of the requesting set of resolvers.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the weighting factor is based on
at least one of a network traffic level and a network traffic type
of the requesting set of resolvers.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the weighting factor is based on
an architecture of the requesting set of resolvers.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: judging whether the
query is initiated by a user; and determining the weighting factor
based on the judgment.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: automatically
calculating traffic scores for a plurality of queries serviced by
the DNS name server; automatically ranking the plurality of queries
based on the traffic scores; and determining an advertising rate
for at least one of the queries based on the rank of the at least
one query.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein queries that include a "www"
string are counted separately from queries that do not include a
"www" string.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein a count of the queries including
the "www" string are weighted differently in the calculation than a
count of the queries not including the "www" string.
11. A system for scoring a query, comprising: a processor; a memory
programmed with computer-executable code that causes the processor
to perform a method comprising: receiving at a DNS name server a
query comprising one or more character strings; incrementing a one
or more server counter counters for the one or more character
strings; and calculating a traffic score for the query based upon
the one or more server counters, wherein, calculating the traffic
score includes applying a weighting factor to the one or more
server counters based on information about a requesting set of
resolvers.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more server counters
is limited to one count for a particular requesting set of
resolvers in a predetermined period of time.
13. The system of claim 12, further comprising incrementing a hit
counter each time the DNS name server receives a query, wherein,
calculating the traffic score is further based upon the hit
counter.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the weighting factor is based
on a geographical location of the requesting set of resolvers.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the weighting factor is based
on at least one of a network traffic level and a network traffic
type of the requesting set of resolvers.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein the weighting factor is based
on architecture of the requesting set of resolvers.
17. The system of claim 11, further comprising: judging whether the
query is initiated by a user; and determining the weighting factor
based on the judgment.
18. The system of claim 11, further comprising: automatically
calculating traffic scores for a plurality of queries serviced by
the DNS name server; automatically ranking the plurality of queries
based on the traffic scores; and determining an advertising rate
for at least one of the queries based on the rank of the at least
one query.
19. The system of claim 11, wherein queries that include a "www"
string are counted separately from queries that do not include a
"www" string.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein a count of the queries
including the "www" string are weighted differently in the
calculation than a count of the queries not including the "www"
string.
21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising
instructions that cause one or more processors to perform a method
for scoring a query, the method comprising: receiving at a DNS name
server a query comprising one or more character strings;
incrementing one or more server counters for the one or more
character strings; and calculating a traffic score for the query
based upon the one or more server counters, wherein, calculating
the traffic score includes applying a weighting factor to the one
or more server counters based on information about a requesting set
of resolvers.
22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the
one ore more server counters is limited to one count for a
particular requesting set of resolvers in a predetermined period of
time.
23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, further
comprising incrementing a hit counter each time the name server
receives a query, wherein, calculating the traffic score is further
based upon the hit counter.
24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the
weighting factor is based on a geographical location of the
requesting set of resolvers.
25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the
weighting factor is based on at least one of a network traffic
level and a network traffic type of the requesting set of
resolvers.
26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the
weighting factor is based on architecture of the requesting set of
resolvers.
27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, further
comprising: judging whether the query is initiated by a user; and
determining the weighting factor based on the judgment.
28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, further
comprising: automatically calculating traffic scores for a
plurality of queries serviced by the DNS name server; automatically
ranking the plurality of queries based on the traffic scores; and
determining an advertising rate for at least one of the queries
based on the rank of the at least one query.
29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein
queries that include a "www" string are counted separately from
queries that do not include a "www" string.
30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein a
count of the queries including the "www" string are weighted
differently in the calculation than a count of the queries not
including the "www" string.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/609,831 filed on Oct. 30, 2009, which
claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. Nos.
61/167,521, 61/167,523, and 61/167,528 all filed on Apr. 7, 2009
and all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Understanding user activity on the Internet is becoming more
important, and more difficult, as the Internet continues to expand.
Commercial use of the interne is one area that has expanded
dramatically in the last decade, and one that has a particular
interest in understanding, monitoring and predicting user activity.
One significant aspect regarding the commercial use of the interact
is advertising. Advertisers may use factors such as traffic
rankings in determining an appropriate web site or domain to
advertise particular content. Likewise, web site owners may use
traffic ranking to establish an appropriate fee for advertising on
their web site. As known by those of skill in the art, internet
advertising has also taken many different forms that may directly
demonstrate the effectiveness of a particular advertisement, such
as pay per click (PPC) applications. However, traffic rankings are
still an important aspect of internet advertising, as well as other
aspects of interact infrastructure management. For example, as the
number of active web sites on the interne grows, there is an
increased demand for accurate traffic ratings to inform decisions
such as server management, web development, advertising focus and
rates. However, there are limitations on the capabilities of
conventional traffic monitoring services that typically monitor the
traffic of users or web sites to calculate traffic scores.
[0003] A description of the ways in which the Internet is
intrinsically organized can be helpful in understanding the
challenges related to efficiently monitoring and rating the traffic
for particular web sites on the internet.
[0004] The process of establishing a web site on the interne
typically begins with a registrant registering a specific domain
name through a registrar. The registrant is typically an individual
or organization that identities a domain name, such as
"example.com". The registrant contacts a registrar to process the
name registration. The registrar sends the necessary domain name
service (DNS) information to a registry. A registrar may maintain a
database containing additional customer information beyond that
which is sent to the registry.
[0005] The registry receives DNS information from registrars,
inserts that information into a centralized database and propagates
the information on the internet so that domain names can be found
by users around the world.
[0006] In general, the DNS is the part of the Internet
infrastructure that translates human-readable domain names into the
Internet Protocol (IP) numbers needed to establish TCP/IP
communication over the Internet. That is, DNS allows users to refer
to web sites, and other resources, using easier to remember domain
names, such as "www.example.com", rather than the numeric IP
addresses, such as "123.4.56.78", assigned to computers on the
Internet. Each domain name is made up of a series of character
strings (labels) separated by dots. The rightmost label in a domain
name is known as the "top-level domain" (TLD). Examples of
well-known TLDs are ".com"; ".net"; ".org." etc. Each TLD supports
second-level domains, listed immediately to the left of the TLD,
e.g. the "example" level in "www.example.com". Each second-level
domain can include a number of third-level domains located
immediately to the left of the second-level domain, e.g. the "www"
level in "www.example.com". There can be additional level domains
as well, with virtually no limitation. For example, a domain with
additional domain levels could be "www.photos.example.com".
[0007] Additional non-domain information may be included in a
Uniform Resource Identifier ("URI") structure that includes the
domain name. For example, a "path" part is a sequence of segments
(conceptually similar to directories, though not necessarily
representing them separated by a forward slash ("/"). This
information may be included immediately to the right of the domain
name, such as the "blog" in "www.example.com/blog", and may be used
by a server or other receiving device to identify and deliver
specific content or run particular code. Other examples of
non-domain information may include queries and fragments, the
specifics of which are understood by those of ordinary skill in the
art and are not discussed in detail herein. Combinations of this
information may be included in web page hyperlinks that navigate a
user to another section of the same page or to another web page
that may be part of the same, or a different, domain.
[0008] Related domain names, and content, may be organized in a
hierarchical, or nested, manner, such as "www.example.com";
"www.blog.example.com"; "www.example.com/blog"; or
"blog.example.com" etc, each with a different significance. Such
related domains need not share similarities in the actual IP
address to which the various domain names resolve to, in this
regard, part of the domain name may signify a particular server
which is desired, for example, "mail.example.com" and
www.example.com" may resolve to different servers, with different
functions, for the same second-level domain.
[0009] The above registration and structural aspects of the
internet are then used by end-user applications to find specific
resources on the internet by using the DNS resolution process.
Aspects of the DNS resolution process are discussed below to aid in
an understanding of the subject matter of the present
application.
[0010] The responsibility for operating each TLD (including
maintaining a registry of the second-level domains within the TLD)
is delegated to a particular domain name registry. The registry is
responsible for converting domain names to IP addresses
("resolving") through DNS servers that maintain such information in
large databases, and operating its top-level domain. The DNS stores
IP addresses and domain names, facilitating service to addresses in
TLDs, such as .com, .net, .edu, and .tv. Resolving is the process
by which domain names are matched with corresponding IP numbers.
Resolving is accomplished by a combination of computers and
software, referred to as name servers that use the data in the DNS
to determine which IP numbers correspond to a particular domain
name. The following general definitions will be used herein.
[0011] Resolve: To translate domain name to IP address.
[0012] Resolver: A computer issuing a query in order to resolve a
domain name.
[0013] Name server: A computer receiving queries and answering them
directly or via resolve against other name servers.
[0014] Subnet: A group of IP addresses sharing octets of the IP
address.
[0015] Internet domains can be divided to groups according to their
TLD suffix (e.g., .com, .net, .co.uk . . . ) with different
registries responsible for each of them. A single registry may be
responsible for several of these groups, such as the VeriSign
registry which is responsible for .com and .net domains.
[0016] The DNS is maintained by a distributed database system,
which uses the client-server model. The nodes of this database are
the name servers. Each domain or subdomain has one or more
authoritative DNS servers that publish information about that
domain and the name servers of any domains subordinate to it. The
top of the hierarchy is served by the root name servers, the
servers to query when looking up (resolving) a TLD.
[0017] The DNS distributes the responsibility of assigning domain
names and mapping those names to IP addresses by designating
authoritative name servers for each domain. Authoritative name
servers are assigned to be responsible for their particular
domain.
[0018] In theory a fully qualified domain name may have several
name segments, (e.g. www.one.type.example.com). For querying
purposes, the name segment is typically interpreted by segment,
from right to left. At each step along the way, a corresponding DNS
server is queried to provide a pointer to the next server which it
should consult.
[0019] Because of the huge volume of requests generated by DNS, the
resolution process also allows for caching (i.e. the local
recording and subsequent consultation of the results of a DNS
query) for a given period of time after a successful answer. How
long a resolver caches a DNS response (i.e. how long a DNS response
is considered valid) is determined by a value called the time to
live (TTL). The TTL is generally set by the administrator of the
DNS server handling the response. The period of validity may vary
from just seconds to days or even weeks.
[0020] Based on the DNS structure, as well as the caching function,
there are two classifications typically applied to the name
servers, authoritative and recursive (caching). An authoritative
name server is a name server that gives original, definitive
answers ("authoritative" answers) to DNS queries. Every domain name
must be assigned a set of authoritative name servers that are
responsible for resolving the domain name.
[0021] As indicated above, the DNS also uses recursive cache
servers, which store DNS query results for a period of time
determined TTL of the domain name record in question. Typically,
such caching DNS servers also implement the recursive algorithm
necessary to resolve a given name starting with the DNS root
through to the authoritative name servers of the queried domain.
Internet service providers (ISPs) typically provide recursive and
caching name servers for their customers. In addition, many home
networking routers implement DNS caches and recursors to improve
efficiency in the local network.
[0022] DNS "stub" resolvers are also known that essentially operate
as a cache-less application to resolve DNS names into IP addresses.
The DNS stub resolver forwards DNS queries to the DNS server
configured for the workstation (or server) and returns the DNS
server's response to the requesting software. If a stub resolver
queries a caching nameserver for a record that is being held by the
caching server before the TTL has expired, the caching server will
reply with the cached resource record rather than retrieve it from
the authoritative name server again.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] There are currently several approaches used to provide web
traffic information. Known methods include panel-centric approaches
in which selected samples of users are provided with a client agent
that monitors their web traffic usage. There are also site-centric
approaches in which web traffic statistics are gathered directly
from the web server for a web site. Other methods focus on the ISP,
and gather web usage traffic from logs of ISPs that are providing
the web data to the client. However, the known methods each suffer
from drawbacks related, to the point at which the data is gathered,
the amount of data gathered and/or the materiality of the data that
is gathered. For example, panel-centric applications are limited in
their ability to obtain holistic views of activity on the Internet
because they are limited to the selected use who are being
monitored. Additionally, any attempt to catalogue the activities of
the billions of individual Internet users, even if possible, would
create massive amounts of data that would quickly reach an
unmanageable level. ISP's are also limited in their ability to
characterize the overall activity of the Internet based on their
particular client base, geographical interests, and other factors
that inherently or implicitly restrict the traffic that the
particular ISP is privy to.
[0024] There are additional problems in determining accurate and
meaningful traffic rankings for domains. In general, Internet
traffic can be divided into two groups: user oriented traffic, and
machine oriented traffic. User oriented traffic can be considered
as activity generated by users browsing web sites. Machine oriented
traffic can be considered as activity generated by automatic
processes and services (e.g. antivirus updates, operation system
updates, web services, etc.). For the purposes of commerce,
including online advertising, identifying the user generated
traffic driven into web sites is particularly important. Therefore,
methods for measuring the user oriented traffic are preferable.
However, this is a significant challenge because, for example,
information regarding the nature of the requestor cannot be
obtained from the incoming DNS queries themselves. Another
challenge in distinguishing between the traffic types is caused by
the architecture of the Internet DNS system, which refers queries
initiated by intermediate DNS resolvers. This can obscure the
nature of the end-user that initiated the request.
[0025] The present subject matter addresses many of the above
issues through various mechanisms using DNS traffic data obtained
at authoritative name servers, such as the TLD DNS servers.
According to aspects of the invention, domains across the Internet
can be ranked in ways that known systems do not contemplate or
achieve. In embodiments, several attributes and/or measurements may
be obtained from the DNS traffic seen at authoritative name
servers, such as the TLD DNS server for various domains, and used
to calculate traffic scores. The calculated scores may be used to
rank the domains.
[0026] The inventors have recognized that a challenge in converting
DNS data into a meaningful and useful form is the size of the DNS
data. Registries may operate several resolution sites located at
different parts of the world. The sites for one registry may answer
over thirty four billion queries a day. This huge number of queries
presents an overwhelming challenge in attempts to analyze raw data.
The present application provides systems and methods for data
aggregation that may reduce the overall amount of data into a more
manageable size. According to these methods, it has also been found
that a more accurate picture of meaningful activity on the Internet
can be developed, beyond what has been achieved by conventional
methods using raw traffic data.
[0027] Disclosed methods may include different aggregation formats
including, for example, domain summarized traffic information which
may list several statistics per domain per day, and domain detailed
traffic information, which may list more detailed information about
DNS queries. It has been found that a particularly useful example
of DNS query information are the identities of a set of resolvers
generating the queries.
[0028] Embodiments of the invention may include automated methods
for scoring a domain in which a request to resolve a domain name is
received at an authoritative name server, such as a TLD DNS. Based
on the received request, a server counter may be incremented for
the domain name, and a domain traffic score may be calculated based
upon the server counter. In embodiments, calculating the domain
traffic score may include applying a weighting factor to the server
counter based on information about a requesting a set of
resolvers.
[0029] Embodiments may also include, the server counter being
limited to a predetermined number of counts for a particular
requesting a set of resolvers in a predetermined period of time.
For example, a counter for a set of resolvers may be limited one
count per 24-hour period. Embodiments may include resetting the
counter after the predetermined period of time.
[0030] Embodiments may include incrementing a hit counter each time
the authoritative name server receives a request to resolve the
domain name. In addition, calculating the domain traffic score may
be based upon the hit counter.
[0031] Embodiments may include the weighting factor being based on
various criteria such as, for example, a geographical location of
the requesting set of resolvers, a network traffic level of the
requesting set of resolvers, a network traffic type, and/or an
architecture of the requesting set of resolvers.
[0032] Embodiments may include judging whether the request to
resolve the domain name is initiated by a user or traffic that is
likely machine generated; and determining the weighting factor
based on the judgment.
[0033] Embodiments may include automatically calculating domain
traffic scores for a plurality of domains serviced by the
authoritative name server. Additionally, the plurality of domains
may be automatically ranked based on the domain traffic scores.
Embodiments may include calculating a ranking score based on a
relative traffic score tor a domain among a predetermined category
of domains. This may include comparing the domain traffic score of
a domain with other domain traffic scores from the predetermined
category of domains. Calculated traffic and/or ranking scores may
be automatically distributed as part of a fee service, or used in
determining other items such as an advertising rates, etc.
[0034] Embodiments may include determining various secondary values
based on the rank of a domain such as, for example, an advertising
rate, hosting value, and/or a popularity rating of the domain. As
used herein, an advertising rate is understood as a rate at which
advertising on a domain is valued for sale. The advertising rate
can be used, for example, in the context of offering or completing
an advertising transaction and/or providing a valuation to the
owner of a domain. As used herein, a hosting value is a calculated
value that represents the value of domain based on the described
scoring methods. A hosting value can be used, for example, in
transactions such as the sale of a domain, and/or providing the
owner of a domain with a valuation of the domain. A popularity
rating is a calculated value representing the popularity of the
domain, and may be targeted to represent popularity of various
types such as, for example, geographic popularity, user type
popularity, traffic type popularity and the like. Through various
combinations of the above factors, accurate rate tables used for
various purposes may be developed for an extensive network of
domains. This can be advantageous in providing a reliable and
centralized advertising fee service, domain resale market, and the
like, based on, or sponsored by, a TLD provider with information
that is not otherwise available to other entities.
[0035] Embodiments may include counting requests that meet
predetermined criteria with different counters. For example,
request that meet a predetermined format may be counted by a
particular counter, such as requests that include a "www" string
being counted on a separate counter from requests that do not
include a "www" sting. In embodiments, different counters for a
domain may be weighted differently such as, for example, counts of
the requests including the "www" string being weighted differently
in scoring calculations than a count of the requests not including
the "www" string.
[0036] Embodiments may include distinguishing between types of
addresses requested in DNS queries. For example, embodiments may
separately recognize exact requests, "www" requests, and other
requests. As used herein, an exact request is a request that
matches predetermined criteria, such as a specific number of
labels. Exact requests may be identified in embodiments as
containing two labels, such as an exact 2nd level domain name
requested without any prefix. For example, an exact request for the
domain "example.com" may be "http://example.com/".
[0037] A "www" request is a request in which the character string
"www" is included in a prefix. For example, a request that reads
"http://www.example.com/", "http://www1.example.com/", and
"http://AAA-www.example.com/", are recognized as "www" requests. As
used herein, an "other" request is a request that does not meet
either of the "exact" or "www" criteria, This may include other
prefixes as part of the request. For example,
"http:/(jobs.example.com/", "http://mail.example.com/", and
"http://AAA.BBB.example.com/", would be recognized as "other"
requests, if no corresponding exact match was identified.
[0038] In embodiments, the following exemplary attributes about DNS
queries for a domain may be obtained and used to calculate
ranking:
[0039] WWW request hits. A count of hits on DNS records with "www"
in the first label.
[0040] Exact request hits. A count of hits on DNS records with only
two labels, e.g, only "example.com".
[0041] Other request hits. A count of hits on DNS records which
fall into neither category above.
[0042] As discussed further below, embodiments may also includes
applying appropriate weighting factors to the various request hits
for a domain in determining traffic and/or ranking scores.
[0043] Embodiments may include accounting for the following
attributes related to the originating IP address and/or a set of
resolvers of DNS queries, and using them to calculate the
ranking:
[0044] WWW server count. A count of unique downstream IP addresses
or a set of resolvers hitting a DNS record with "www" in the first
label.
[0045] Exact server count. A count of unique downstream IP
addresses or a set of resolvers hitting a DNS record with only two
labels.
[0046] Other server count. A count of unique downstream IP
addresses or a set of resolvers hitting DNS records which fall into
neither category above.
[0047] As discussed further below, embodiments may also include
applying appropriate weighting factors to the various server counts
for a domain in determining traffic and/or ranking scores.
[0048] Embodiments may include calculating the traffic and/or
ranking scores based on a TTL of DNS records for the domain.
[0049] Further advantages of the present subject matter will become
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and
understanding the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0050] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system and related network in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0051] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary system and related network in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0052] FIG. 3 depicts aspects of an exemplary method in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0053] FIG. 4 depicts aspects of an exemplary method in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0054] FIG. 5 depicts aspects of an exemplary method in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0055] FIG. 6 depicts aspects of an exemplary method in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0056] FIG. 7 depicts aspects of an exemplary method in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0057] FIG. 8 depicts aspects of an exemplary method in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0058] FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary system and related network in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0059] FIG. 10 depicts a chart reflecting a relation between domain
traffic size and the percentage of the traffic going to the "Other"
targets;
[0060] FIG. 11 depicts a chart reflecting a relation between domain
traffic size and the percentage of the traffic going to the "www"
and "Exact" targets; and
[0061] FIG. 12 depicts a chart reflecting numbers of domains
grouped according to aspects of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0062] The following detailed description is provided with
reference to exemplary embodiments for the case of description and
understanding. Applicants invention is not limited to the disclosed
embodiments, and encompasses other variations that fall within the
overall scope of description provided herein.
[0063] As indicated above, embodiments of the present invention may
involve operations on a network, such as the Internet environment
depicted in FIG. 1. A client computing device 110 may initiate a
DNS request 103 to recursive name server 130. As suggested by FIG.
1, DNS requests 103 can be originated, or transmitted to recursive
name server 130, from various sources such as mobile device 120,
wireless computing device 122, other communication link 124, and/or
intermediate network servers 126. The DNS request to resolve a
domain name typically has n labels separated by periods. These
labels are usually in some form that is easier to remember than the
numerical IP address for a desires Internet resource, e.g. a web
page. For the ease of description, the leftmost label may be
considered to be the first label and the TLD is the nth label.
Thus, in a request for "www.example.com", n=3, the first label
would be "www" and the TLD would be ".com". As described above, the
recursive name server 103 may transmit the DNS request to various
authoritative servers 140, 150, 160 as part of the recursive name
resolution. Alternatively, the requested DNS information may reside
in a cache of recursive name server 130, subject to the DNS
record's TTL, in which case, the query may be answered without
referring to the authoritative name servers 140, 150, 160.
[0064] FIG. 2 depicts additional details regarding a recursive name
server 220 and its interaction with authoritative name servers 230,
240, 250. In FIG. 2, authoritative servers 230 are root level
authoritative servers. Each of these servers contains information
for particular TLDs on the internet. The root level servers can
direct requests for domains within their TLD to other authoritative
servers managed by that TLD registry. For example, DNS request 202
from client 210 may include a request for "www.example.com".
Recursive name server 220 may first check an internal cache for a
corresponding DNS record. If one is not found, the DNS request may
be forwarded at 203 to root level authoritative name servers 230.
An authoritative root level server among servers 230 that is
responsible for ".com" may return DNS information for "example.com"
directing the requestor to authoritative name servers 240, in this
case these servers represent the constellation of servers for a
registry of ".com".
[0065] As described herein, DNS requests, e.g., 203, 204, 205, can
be counted at various authoritative servers, e.g., 230, 240, 250.
In embodiments, the counting may be done at a TLD name server such
as, for example, 230. Other authoritative name servers 240, 250 can
also count DNS hits for those records handled by the respective
server. Embodiments may include combining the scores from various
servers, and/or TLDs, e.g. ".com.", ".net", ".edu", ".uk", to
arrive at combined rankings.
[0066] In embodiments, determinations may be made to count a
request or not count a request on a given counter. For example,
certain counters, such as a "server counter", may be limited to a
single count per a predetermined period of time. As depicted in
FIG. 3, a request may be received in S3100. A relevant hit counter
may be incremented in S3200. In S3300 a determination may be made
whether to increment a server counter. In this example, a current
count of the server counter may be compared to a predetermined
value "X". If the server count is greater than, or equal to, X, the
determination is made not to increment the server counter again,
and the method may proceed to S3500. If the server count is less
than X, the method may proceed with S3400 where the server counter
is incremented. The server count may be automatically reset after
the predetermined period of time. Although described in the context
of a server counter, other counters may be limited in similar
manner, such as, counters associated with a particular IP address,
a set of resolvers, etc. As described further below, limiting the
count of certain counters may be used to develop a more accurate
picture of meaningful Internet activities. These limited counters
may be considered alone or in combination with hit counters to
provide users with a manageable and accurate representation of
overall web traffic. For example, using a limited counter may
reduce the unwanted effects of artificial or unreliable traffic
indicators, that may originate from a particular server, a set of
resolvers, IP address, etc.
[0067] In S3500, a set of resolvers associated with the request may
be determined. For ease of depiction in the figures, an exemplary
set of resolvers may be referred to as a subnet. However, as
discussed herein, features related to sets of resolvers are not
limited to subnets per se, and may include other sets of resolvers
that may represent various associations, such as, for example,
address, geographic, organizational, and type, and combinations
thereof. In embodiments, the determination may be made prior to
determining whether to increment the server counter in S3300, such
as to identify the appropriate counter to be evaluated. Data
relevant to the set of resolvers may be determined and/or accessed
in S3500. For example, as discussed further below, data relevant to
the location, traffic level, traffic type etc. for the set of
resolvers may be determined, calculated and/or accessed. In
embodiments, information about a particularly identified requesting
server may be used to apply an appropriate weighting factor, such
as, for example, if the identified server is known to be utilized
by web crawlers, or the like, that generate significant non-user
traffic. A list of such servers may be stored in a database with or
without appropriate weighting factors. Thus, requesting servers
that appear to be, or are documented to be, data-oriented in nature
can be penalized in the domain scoring. The method continues with
S3700.
[0068] In S3700, a weighting factor (WF) for the set of resolvers
is determined. This determination may be based on various data, as
determined in S3600, and may be applied in calculating the score
for the domain in S3900.
[0069] In S3800, the request may be evaluated to determine whether
it represents user generated traffic. This determination may be
based on various factors, such as, for example, information
embedded the request, information regarding the originating set of
resolvers, the subnet architecture and the like. Exemplary methods
of making this determination are described further below. If S3800
indicates that the request is likely related to user generated
traffic, a user weighting factor may be determined in S3900. In
embodiments, user generated traffic may be given a higher WF than
other traffic, such as traffic that is of undetermined origin, or
traffic that is likely machine generated. In embodiments, only user
generated traffic may be considered by applying a WF=1, and all
other traffic disregarded by applying a WF=0.
[0070] With reference to FIG. 4, exemplary methods may include
determining a set of resolvers in S1500 associated with a received
request, e.g. in similar manner to S3500 in FIG. 3. This type of
information is typically available to the authoritative server with
the received request in order to provide return address information
for the domain address information being requested from the
authoritative server. The method may continue with S4510.
[0071] In S4510, the request may be evaluated to determine a set of
resolvers location. The inventors have found that the origin
location, such as the country of the resolving server, has
significance in representing the number of users behind its
queries. This is due to various factors, including the fact that,
in some countries in which the Internet is strongly developed,
there are many more resolvers per Internet user than in other,
less-developed, countries. These numbers are not necessarily static
and can be refined on an ongoing basis to provide even more
valuable information.
[0072] As shown in Table 1, data regarding the number of users per
set of resolvers in different geographic regions can be used to
advantageously estimate a traffic score represented by individual
requests from various sets of resolvers, such as subnets.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Small Users Total Small Subnet per Country
Users Subnets Subnets Ratio Subnet Country A 34,820,000 22,482
4,320 19% 1,917 Country B 34,708,144 35,203 9,129 26% 1,331 Country
C 32,700,000 30,931 5,444 18% 1,283 Country D 28,000,000 30,070
8,312 28% 1,287 Country E 26,500,000 17,958 1,197 7% 1,581
[0073] In embodiments, a number of users per set of resolvers may
be used as a basis for the weight factor (WF) determined for the
set of resolvers in S4700, e.g. according to the county of origin.
In circumstances where these values are not well know, or subject
to change, the affect of the metric may be reduced by using a
non-linear function. For example, it has been determined by the
inventors that a root in the 3rd order achieves good results in
balancing between the range and granularity. This scale has been
found to produce, a max/min ratio of about 10. Information about a
given country, the set of resolvers and users within the country,
and/or overall countries of interest may be advantageously
combined. For example, in embodiments, combinations of the
geographic information above may be used in calculating the domain
traffic such as by the following formula:
Weight c = InternetUsers c Subnets c - SmallSubnets c 3
##EQU00001## Score ( d ) = 1 n ( c .di-elect cons. C W c ( d )
Weight c c .di-elect cons. C UniqueW c Weight c + m c c .di-elect
cons. C E c ( d ) Weight c c .di-elect cons. C UniqueE c Weight c +
m o c .di-elect cons. C O c ( d ) Weight c c .di-elect cons. C
UniqueO c Weight c + ) ##EQU00001.2##
[0074] where
d--domain C--countries of interest W/E/O.sub.c--W/E/O subnets from
country c referring to domain d Weight.sub.c--the weight of country
c UniqueW/E/O.sub.c--unique W/E/O subnets from country c
n/m.sub.c/m.sub.o--heuristic based variables
[0075] By using such formulas in calculating a domain score, the
inventors have found that a more accurate estimation of traffic
volume may be achieved, particularly with domains that are more
heavily frequented by non-U.S. users. That is, by separately
weighting a set of resolvers according to geographic region, a more
accurate representation of the global popularity of a domain may be
achieved. Additionally, in terms of advertising and value of a
domain to a given customer, it may be advantageous to refine the
popularity calculation to weight certain geographically based
traffic more or less. For example, advertisers for a certain
product or service may be interested in the relative popularity of
a domain within a geographic region, or common culture, language,
and the like. In those instances, embodiments of the present
subject matter provide mechanisms for calculating scores that
reflect the traffic that is significant to the customer, such as by
adjusting the weighting factors for certain countries/regions of
interest above those countries/regions that are less significant to
the customer. Such methods may include receiving a criteria from a
customer, such as, for example, a geographic region, calculating
the scores and/or ranks for a domain based on the user-defined
criteria, and reporting the results of the modified scoring to the
customer. The above factors provide improved flexibility in scoring
domains depending on the intended audience, e.g. a global or
localized audience. Thus, aspects of the present subject matter may
capitalize on the set of resolvers information received by
authoritative name servers in conjunction with customer-specific
information to improve and refine the scoring for domain
traffic.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 4, as part of determining a subnet WF,
embodiments may include determining a set of resolvers traffic
volume (TV) in S4520. It has been found that the traffic volumes
for various sets of resolvers may vary greatly across the internet,
and that the traffic volume, such as the number of queries issued
by the set of resolvers in a given time, can be used to estimate a
WF for the set of resolvers. For example, it has been found that
about 40% of the resolver IP addresses generate 10 DNS queries a
day or less. This low-level TV may be used to infer a corresponding
low number of users, compared to resolvers that generate a higher
volume of queries per day. That is, a set of resolvers with a low
number of overall queries per day may represent a low number of
users with lower level overall traffic at the resolver level, that
may be assumed for purposes of weighting the relative significance
of the requests received at the authoritative server.
[0077] Additionally, there are changing numbers and percentages of
DNS resolvers that refer to a very small number of domains per day
(i.e. small set of resolvers). The inventors have found it useful,
in certain embodiments, to weight counters for set of resolvers
that issue queries for a very small number of domains differently
than a set of resolvers that issue queries for a large number of
domains per day, e.g. a set of resolvers that refer to millions of
domains per day. This type of sets of resolvers characteristic may
be determined, for example, in S4530 as a traffic type (TT)
determination. Traffic type may include other aspects of the
traffic generated by a set of resolvers that may be useful in
inferring the presence of user generated traffic versus machine
generated traffic, which, as discussed herein, can be
advantageously used in calculating the score and rank of a domain
for the purposes of advertising, and the like, that are concerned
with user generated traffic. Aspects of the present subject matter
may capitalize on the information received by authoritative name
servers in conjunction with metrics regarding requesting set of
resolvers to improve and refine the scoring for domain traffic.
[0078] As shown in FIG. 5, embodiments of the present subject
matter may also adjust a weighting factor for a set of resolvers
based on characteristics of the set of resolvers architecture. This
may be advantageous in circumstances such as, for example, where
DNS clients are configured with primary and secondary DNS servers.
In such circumstances, different IP addresses for a plurality of
servers, such as primary and secondary servers, may represent a
common user base. However, each IP address and server may represent
unequal levels of user activity with respect to other servers based
on the relative percentage of traffic handled by the particular
server. It has been found that the respective percentages for a
plurality of servers of a DNS client may be found by monitoring
traffic information at the authoritative name server level, and
that an appropriate weighting factor may be applied based on this
determination. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a set of resolvers
may be determined in S5500, e.g. in similar manner to S3500 in FIG.
3. In S5600, aspects of a set of resolvers architecture may be
determined, such as determining whether there are other unique IP
addresses for redundant servers for the set of resolvers. In S5620,
the set of resolvers architecture may be evaluated to determine
whether it meets a predetermined criteria such as, for example, is
there redundancy among IP addresses for the set of resolvers. In
the case of an affirmative result in S5620, the method may continue
with S5640, where an architectural weighting factor may be
assigned. In embodiments the architectural WF may be based on a
percentage of traffic handled by the particular IP address of the
set of resolvers.
[0079] For example, in the context of a set of resolvers with n
resolvers, with a traffic percentage determined for each server, a
formula may be applied in which the score for a set of resolvers
may be based on discreet calculations for individual resolvers,
such as individual IP addresses, within the set of resolvers that
apply weighting factors based on the respective percentages to
scores of individual resolvers, e.g.:
S.sub.R1w.sub.1+S.sub.R2w.sub.2+S.sub.Rnw.sub.n
Where:
[0080] S.sub.R1 is a score from a first resolver, S.sub.R2 is a
score from a second resolver, and w is a unique weighting factor
for each resolver.
[0081] Once the architectural WF is determined, or in the case of a
negative result in S5620, the method may continue with determining
an overall WF for the set of resolvers in S5700. Thus, in
circumstances with separate IP addresses for a given set of
resolvers, the different IP addresses may be counted with different
counters, and separate weighting factors applied to the different
counters.
[0082] With further reference to FIG. 5, an additional example of
applying a set of resolvers architecture WF may include separately
counting additional network entities for a given set of resolvers.
In the context of set of resolvers architecture, the following
entities may be separately evaluated:
[0083] Autonomous system number (ASN)--Globally unique number
assigned to a single network or a group of networks that is managed
by a single administrative entity, such as a University or
business.
[0084] Second level domain (SLD)--The second part of the domain
(e.g. "verisign" in verisign.com). This is usually associated with
the ISP.
[0085] Organization (ORG)--The organization that makes use of the
IP.
[0086] By examining the relationship between these entities and
their corresponding set of resolvers, the inventors have found
that, in circumstances, ASN may be most aggregative, followed by
the SLD and ORG, which may be similar in their aggregative level.
That is, an ASN entity may have a higher number of set of resolvers
represented, followed by SLD and ORG entities. In embodiments,
different counters may be incremented according to the distinct
ASN(s), SLD(s), and/or ORG(s) as derived from the set of resolvers.
As depicted in FIG. 5, this may include determining the relevant
ASN, SLD, and/or ORG in S5600-S5620, and applying an appropriate
architectural WF in S5640 to a given counter for the respective set
of resolvers's ASN, SLD, and/or ORG counter. It has been found by
the inventors that, by using different weighting factors for the
individual entities within a set of resolvers, improved predictive
models may be established in calculating a domain score based on
DNS traffic information. For example, traffic from a ASN may be
more heavily weighted with respect to SLD and/or ORG counters in
calculating the domain score. For example, an average, or other
normalizing calculation, may be taken of:
S.sub.ASNw.sub.1+S.sub.SLDw.sub.2+S.sub.ORGw.sub.3+S.sub.SUBw.sub.4
Where:
[0087] S.sub.ASN is a score based on ASN S.sub.LD is a score based
on SLD S.sub.ORG is a score based on ORG S.sub.SUB is a score based
on the subnet, and w is a unique weighting factor for each
score.
[0088] With reference to FIG. 6, exemplary methods may include
determining if a counter is to be incremented with respect to a
received request in S6000, e.g. in a similar manner to S3300 in
FIG. 3. As detailed above, in some embodiments, a hit counter may
be incremented for received DNS requests for a domain. In some
instances, it may be determined that a limited counter will not be
incremented. In the event that the counter in question will be
incremented, the method may proceed with S6100.
[0089] In S6100, the request may be evaluated to determine whether
the first label of a received domain name includes the string
"www". The string may be an independent part of the requested
address, as in the ease of "www.example.com", or nested with other
characters, such as "www1.example.com". If it is determined that
the first label includes the string "www", then the method may
proceed with S6200, where a counter "A" may be incremented, such as
a www counter for the domain name. If the first label of the
received domain name does not include the string "www", the method
may proceed to S6300.
[0090] In S6300, a counter "B" may be incremented, such as a
miscellaneous counter for the domain name. Although it is not
required to count miscellaneous requests, i.e. requests that do not
meet any of the preceding categories, a miscellaneous counter may
provide advantages in evaluating the meaningfulness of detected
traffic. For example, a miscellaneous counter may be used in
comparison with the www counter to determine a percentage of
traffic that is apparently driven by human interaction.
[0091] In S6210, and/or S6310, a weighting factor may be determined
and/or assigned to the counters A and/or B, respectively. Weighting
factors may be applied to all, or less than all, of the counters
for a domain. Assigning a weighting factor can be based on several
factors related to the nature of the counter and other information
gathered with respect to the domain. Weighting factors may also be
applied in a dynamic manner. For example, over the course of time,
the counts of the different counters for a domain may change or
information may be developed regarding the domain. This may prompt
a change in one or more of the weighting factors applied to the
counters for the domain. The method may continue with S6900.
[0092] In S6900, a score may be calculated for the domain, such as
a traffic score. The traffic score may be based on a plurality of
the counters. It should be noted that it is not required to use
counts from all of the relevant counters. Scores may be calculated
based on one, two or more counts, with any relevant weighting
factors considered. Thus, a domain traffic score may be calculated
based upon a plurality of the counters, and may include applying a
weighting factor to at least one of the counters.
[0093] With reference to FIG. 7, exemplary methods may include
determining if a counter is to be incremented with respect to a
received request in S7000, e.g. in a similar manner to S3300 in
FIG. 3. As detailed above, in some embodiments, a hit counter may
be incremented for received DNS requests for a domain. In some
instances, it may be determined that a limited counter will not be
incremented. In the event that the counter in question will be
incremented, the method may proceed with S7100.
[0094] In S7100, the request may be evaluated to determine whether
the first label of a received domain name includes the string
"www". The string may be an independent part of the requested
address, as in the case of "www.example.com", or nested with other
characters, such as "www 1.example.com". If it is determined that
the first label includes the string "www", then the method may
proceed with S7200, where a counter "A" may be incremented, such as
a www counter for the domain name. If the first label of the
received domain name does not include the string "www", the method
may proceed to S7300.
[0095] In S7300, the request may be evaluated to determine whether
the labels satisfy a predetermined condition "R(r)". R(r) can take
numerous forms including a predetermined number of labels, a
specified string, or other features of DNS request. In the case of
designating a number of labels, described embodiments include where
R(2)=two labels. If the received domain name has only the
predetermined number R(2) of labels, e.g. two labels in
"example.com", then the method may proceed to S7400, where a
counter B(r) is incremented, such as a two-label "exact" counter
B(2) for the domain name. If the request does not have only the
designed number R of labels, e.g. it has more than two labels when
the predetermined number R of labels is two, then the method may
proceed with S7310. Embodiments may include a plurality of B
counters, e.g. multiple exact counters. These may include, for
example, separate counters for various numbers for R(r), or
different versions, of "exact" counters for exact portions of
domain strings. As an example, an additional counter B(3) may be
incremented in response to a request for "mail.example.com", in
which R=3. As another example, requests with a particular string,
e.g. "mail", may be counted by a counter, B("mail"), when the
request contains the string, e.g. "mail5.example.com". This may be
implemented by determining whether additional exact counters B(r)
are being implemented in S7310. If there are other exact counters,
the method may proceed to S7320 where R(r) may be reset to the new
value for counter B(r). After R(r) is reset, the method may
continue back to S7300 to determine if the requests satisfy the new
criteria R(r). S7300, S7310 and S7320 can be reiterated until R(r)
is satisfied, or there are no remaining exact counters. If there
are no remaining exact counters, the method may proceed to
S7500.
[0096] In S7500, a counter "C" may be incremented, such as a
miscellaneous counter for the domain name. Although it is not
required to count miscellaneous requests, i.e. requests that do not
meet any of the preceding categories, a miscellaneous counter may
provide advantages in evaluating the meaningfulness of detected
traffic. For example, a miscellaneous counter may be used in
comparison with the www counter and the exact counter(s) to
determine a percentage of traffic that is apparently driven by
human interaction.
[0097] In S7210, S7410, and/or S7510, a weighting factor may be
determined and/or assigned to the counters A, B(r) and/or C,
respectively. Weighting factors may be applied to all, or less than
all of the counters for a domain. For example, a weighting factor
may be applied to one, two, or all counters for a domain. Assigning
a weighting factor can be based on several factors related to the
nature of the counter and other information gathered with respect
to the domain. Weighting factors may also be applied in a dynamic
manner. For example, over the course of time, the counts of the
different counters for a domain may change or information may be
developed regarding the domain. This may prompt a change in one or
more of the weighting factors applied to the counters for the
domain. The method may continue with S7900.
[0098] In S7900, a score may be calculated for the domain, such as
a traffic score. The traffic score may be based on a plurality of
the counters. It should be noted that it is not required to use
counts from all of the relevant counters. Scores may be calculated
based on one, two or more counts, with any relevant weighting
factors considered. Thus, a domain traffic score may be calculated
based upon a plurality of the counters, and may include applying a
weighting factor to at least one of the counters.
[0099] As indicated previously, when a recursive name server gets
an answer to a DNS query, it may cache it for future use. The time
that each answer is saved in the cache is based on the TTL. The
inventors have observed that measuring a domains traffic by the
total number of queries targeting the domain may have inaccuracies
based on the caching function and the TTL for the DNS record.
Compensating for the caching function can be particularly difficult
in large-scale implementations based on the fact that each
domain/resolver may manage its TTL differently. For instance, a
resolver may refresh its cache every 6 hours, while another
resolver may refresh its cache every 12 hours. Even if both
resolvers are asked for a given domain the exact number of times,
roughly speaking, the first resolver would be expected to generate
twice as much query traffic up the DNS chain for this domain,
compared to the second, even though both resolvers are representing
the same amount of user-generated traffic to the domain. The
inventors have developed several features to address this
issue.
[0100] As a first example, a weighting score may be determined
based on a TTL for the DNS file. This can compensate, somewhat, for
limitations of hit counters linked to authoritative name servers,
that only see requests that are actually forwarded to the server.
Based on the number of requests forwarded to the server, a
weighting factor based on the TTL can be used to calculate an
estimate of the total traffic that is being directed to the domain.
In general, traffic for sites with a relatively long TTL may
receive a higher weight factor than those with shorter TTLs.
Weighting factors can be established based on a ratio of TTLs among
the scored/ranked domains.
[0101] As discussed herein, disclosed methods may be directed to
observing the number of distinct querying IP addresses, set of
resolvers, and the like, which has been found to introduce less
noise and less dependence on the TTL and caching policy of each
individual resolver. This approach has been found to be
particularly useful in the field of observing traffic at the level
of the TDL and other authoritative name servers, which may see
enormous volumes of overall traffic. The metric of unique querying
IP addresses, set of resolvers, and the like, can also prevent
large offsets received by the total hit counters. For example,
rather than relying exclusively on a total volume of traffic
reflected by a hit counter, each distinct querying IP addresses,
set of resolvers, and the like, may be counted only once per
predetermined period of time, e.g. a 24-hour period.
[0102] In this regard, it is useful to consider two types of
metrics:
Hits (H): The total number of queries generated for a given domain.
Subnets (S): The number of distinct resolver IP addresses, set of
resolvers and the like generating queries for a given domain.
[0103] As discussed above, a given query can request one of three
types of domain targets: www, Exact, Other. The inventors have
observed several factors that help to meaningfully interpret the
nature of the traffic based on the counts of the respective
requests. This can help in understanding the extent to which each
query of a particular type reflects user traffic, as opposed to
non-user traffic, such as web services, etc.
[0104] With regards to www queries, it may be assumed that the
majority of traffic referring to such targets is user-oriented.
However, while www queries typically reflect user-oriented traffic
in a domain, they do not always comprise all of the user-oriented
traffic for the domain. It has been found that, for some domains, a
portion of the user-oriented traffic resides within the "Exact" and
"Other" metrics. For instance, the inventors have found that, for
some popular web sites, less than 10% of the requests fall within
the www category. Therefore, calculating a score based only on the
www metric can result in certain web sites being ranked much lower
than they should be based on the actual traffic that the web site
is seeing. This has been found to be particularly relevant in
evaluating the popularity of large domains in which the "Other"
queries may comprise a large proportion of user-oriented traffic.
For instance, a domain "example.com" may see most traffic directed
to popular sub-domains, e.g. mail.example.com; games.example.com;
news.example.com; etc.
[0105] The inventors have found that there is high correlation
between the size of the domain (i.e. amount of its traffic) and the
percentage of its "Other" traffic out of its overall traffic. FIG.
10 illustrates the relation between domain traffic size (in log
space) and the percentage of the traffic going to the "Other"
targets (sub-domains). Note that the value or each bar is the
average of the percentage of all domains located in that bar.
[0106] This shows a clear relation between the two factors, meaning
larger domains tend to have higher percentage of their total
traffic in the "Other" traffic. Thus, the significance of "Other"
traffic may vary depending on the overall level of traffic for a
domain. This observation has been taken into account in formulating
the various methodologies described herein. For example, although
other traffic may normally be given a lower weight factor than
exact traffic, in embodiments, the weight factor for other traffic
may be increased according to relative traffic volume.
[0107] In many of the referrals to web sites by users, the "www"
prefix is omitted (e.g. "example.com"). However, the ratio of
user-oriented to non-user oriented traffic reflected by such
requests, and hence the significance of the "exact" requests, has
been uncertain.
[0108] Surprisingly, the inventors have observed that considering
both of the "www" and "exact" traffic metrics yields particularly
favorable results. While the "exact" metric by itself does not
fulfill a clear trend or consistency, when combined with the "www"
metric, a clear pattern is observed. Thus, it has been determined
that the two metrics complement one another in an unexpected way,
as shown in FIG. 11.
[0109] The inventors have relied on the foregoing observation to
develop a streamlined and accurate approach for measuring a given
domain's performance by comparing its incoming traffic in a given
period to the overall traffic in that period. In embodiments, www
hits may be counted separately from all other requests.
Alternatively, all three DNS target types may be included, e.g. www
(W), exact (E) and other (O), and each may be assigned a different
weight. As an additional feature, "set of resolvers" metrics may be
used, alone, or in combination with "Hit" metrics. For example, the
following represents an embodiment of the disclosed
methodologies:
[0110] Calculate each domain's W/E/O average daily ratios for the
given period; in other words, for each domain, calculate the
average of its daily ratio between its distinct set of resolvers
metric and the overall number of distinct set of resolvers that
day. This can be done for each of the target types individually;
W/E/O:
SW_Ratio = 1 P Day i .di-elect cons. P SW ( D , Day i ) SW ( All ,
Day i ) ##EQU00002## SE_Ratio ( D , P ) = 1 P Day i .di-elect cons.
P SE ( D , Day i ) SE ( All , Day i ) ##EQU00002.2## SO_Ratio ( D ,
P ) = 1 P Day i .di-elect cons. P SO ( D , Day i ) SO ( All , Day i
) ##EQU00002.3##
[0111] Where D is Domain; P is Period (|P| is the size of the
period in days) and SW/E/O(All, Day.sub.i) is the overall number of
distinct set of resolvers querying W/E/O accordingly.
[0112] Calculate the overall score for the domain within the given
period:
Score ( D , P ) = W W SW Ratio ( D , P ) + W E SE Ratio ( D , P ) +
W O SO_Ratio ( D , P ) W W + W E + W O ##EQU00003##
[0113] Were W.sub.W/E/O is the weight of each of the target types
W/E/O accordingly. In a preferred embodiment, the following
approximate weights may be used in the above equation.
[0114] W.sub.W=1
[0115] W.sub.E=0.5
[0116] W.sub.O=0.2
[0117] In other embodiments, the weighting factors can be described
more generally. For example, W.sub.W.gtoreq.W.sub.E.gtoreq.W.sub.O.
As suggested previously, W.sub.O can be adjusted according to
traffic volume. For example, Wo may be corrected as
W.sub.O=(W.sub.OK) where K is a relative factor of domain traffic
volume such that K.gtoreq.1 represents a relatively high volume of
traffic, and K.ltoreq.represents a relatively low volume of
traffic.
[0118] The inventors have recognized that grouping similar scores
can improve the utility of the information to various users. For
example, a useful representation of groups may be created by
dividing the log of the scores to 100 equal width bins where 1 is
the lowest and 100 in the highest. FIG. 12 shows the number of
domains in each group.
[0119] In embodiments, advertising pricing can be determined based
on the group ford domain. For example, a domain in a traffic group
between 90-100 may have a different advertising rate applied to it
as opposed to a domain in a traffic group between 50-60. It should
be noted that these groups are not limited to raw traffic score
data and represent a more meaningful and valuable metric based on
the methodologies described herein, as well as the broad
perspective gained from the level of the TLD server. For example,
the inventors have observed that the methodologies discussed herein
may identify web sites and domains that are developing traffic at a
lower level and in advance of conventional methods. Such results
can be obtained, in part, based on the ability of the TLD to
aggregate, and evaluate the significance of, traffic from across
the Internet.
[0120] With reference to FIG. 8, embodiments may include taking a
calculated score, such as in S3990, S6900, and/or S7900, and using
that score to rank the domain. For example, a calculated traffic
score for a domain may be compared against other calculated scores
in S8992 in order to rank the domain among other domains on the
web. Such rankings can be used in a more intuitive way for users to
evaluate an appropriate pricing or value for advertising on a
particular domain. The calculated ranks may be distributed as part
of a pay service, or used for other purposes including system
management, etc. Domain rankings can also be used in the context of
commercial services, such as advertising, to calculate a value in
S8994. For example, the value of advertising on a particular domain
may be linked to a rank based equation that provides automated
online advertising rates. Such systems can be used to evaluate and
reward web site developers that are beginning to see significant
traffic, in ways that are not possible using current methods. For
example, a TLD server, or other vendor with access to the disclosed
information, can automatically provide offers from potential
advertisers to domains that meet a particular ranking. As indicated
above, the inventors have found that it is possible to identify
previously unrecognized low-level traffic sites, that may be of
interest to potential advertisers, when viewed from the position of
the authoritative server, particularly the TLD server.
[0121] Embodiments of the present invention can include systems for
implementing the described methods, as well as computer-readable
storage medium coded with instructions for causing a computer to
execute the described methods. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, an
electronic system 900 including a processor, a memory and an
electronic communication device may be configured to request DNS
information via ISP server 950. The system 900 may be represent a
user computer system, wireless communication devices such as 920,
970, subnetworks such as 930, 990, a server, or any other
network-capable device with the requisite functional capabilities.
Servers 952, 954 may operate as part of, or separate from, a DNS
server associated with a registry.
[0122] The system 900 includes any number of processors (not shown)
that are coupled to storage devices including a first storage (not
shown, typically a random access memory, or "RAM"), second storage
(not shown, typically a read only memory, or "ROM"). Both of these
storage devices may include any suitable type of the
computer-readable media described and/or mentioned above. A mass
storage device (not shown) may also be used to store programs, data
and the like and is typically a secondary storage medium, such as a
hard disk that is slower than primary storage. It will be
appreciated that the information retained within the mass storage
device, may, in appropriate cases, be incorporated in standard
manner as part of primary storage as virtual memory. A specific
mass storage device such as a CDROM may also pass data
uni-directionally to the processor.
[0123] The system 900 may also include an interface that includes
one or more input/output devices such as such as video monitors,
track balls, mice 904, keyboards, microphones, touch-sensitive
displays, transducer card readers, magnetic or paper tape readers,
tablets, styluses, voice or handwriting recognizers, or other known
input devices, including other computers 910. The system 900 may be
coupled to a computer or other electronic communication network
990, 980 using a network connection as shown generally at 901. The
network can connect various wired, optical, electronic and other
known networks to exchange information among computers 910, servers
950, 952, 954, wireless communication devices 920, 970 and
sub-networks 990, 930. With such a network connection, it is
contemplated that the system 900 and the processor therein may
receive information from the network, or may output information to
the network in the course of performing the above-described method
steps. The above-described devices and materials will be familiar
to those of skill in the computer hardware and software arts and
need not be individually or exhaustively depicted to be understood
by those of skill in the art. The hardware elements described above
may be configured (usually temporarily) to act as one or more
modules for performing the operations described above.
[0124] In addition, embodiments of the present invention farther
include computer-readable storage media that include program
instructions for performing various computer-implemented
operations. The media may also include, alone or in combination
with the program instructions, data files, data structures, tables,
and the like. The media and program instructions may be those
specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present
subject matter, or they may be of the kind available to those
having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of
computer-readable storage media include magnetic media such as hard
disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CDROM
disks; magneto-optical media such as optical disks; and hardware
devices that are specially configured to store and perform program
instructions, such as read-only memory devices (ROM) and random
access memory (RAM). Examples of program instructions include both
machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing
higher level code that may be executed by the computer using an
interpreter.
[0125] The invention has been described with reference to exemplary
embodiments. Modifications and alterations of the described
embodiments may be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art
upon a reading and understanding of this specification. The present
invention is intended to include all such modifications and
alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended
claims, or the equivalents thereof.
* * * * *
References