System and method for reducing latencies while translating internet host name-address bindings

In a distributed network of host computers, a system for translating names and addresses of the host computers, comprising:

• a collecting site probing the network for names of substantially all of the host computers;
• a distributed name system connected to the network for obtaining name-address bindings for the collected names;
• a recipient computer connected to the network, the proxy server computer including a memory for storing the name-address bindings;
• means for receiving translation requests for any of the name-address bindings stored in the memory, the translation requests including first translation requests for any of the name-address bindings stored in the memory;
• and
• means for replying the name-address bindings in response to the translation requests including the first request translation requests to reduce response latencies.

In a distributed network of host computers, a computer implemented method for translating names and addresses of the host computers, comprising the steps of:

• collecting names of host computers by probing the network from a collecting site;
• obtaining a name-address binding for each of the collected names;
• storing a copy of the name-address bindings in a cache memory of each of a plurality of recipient computers;
• receiving translation requests for any of the name-address bindings stored in the memory, the translation requests including first translate requests for any of the name-address bindings stored in the memory;
• replying the name-address bindings in response to the translation requests including the first translation requests to avoid compulsory misses.

In a distributed network of host computers, a computer implemented method for translating names and addresses of the host computers, comprising:

• collecting names of host computers by probing the network from a collecting site;
• storing a table containing the collected names;
• transferring the table to recipient computers each of which having a cache memory;
• loading the table into the cache memory of each of the recipient computers;
• obtaining and including in the table a name-address binding with an associated time-to-live value for each of the collected names;
• storing a copy of the table containing the name-address bindings and associated time-to-live value in the cache memory of each of the recipient computers;
• receiving translation requests including first translation requests for any of the name-address bindings;
• and
• replying the name-address bindings in response to the translation requests including the first translation requests to avoid compulsory misses.