Patent Issued for Systems, methods, and computer readable media for managing a hosts file (USPTO 11789628): United Services Automobile Association

2023 NOV 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States) has been issued patent number 11789628, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Landivar, Luis (San Antonio, TX, US).

This patent was filed on September 13, 2021 and was published online on October 17, 2023.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “A hosts file is an electronic file that correlates hostnames to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. It is used by software applications that access computer networks, e.g., browsers such as INTERNET EXPLORER®, SAFARI® or FIREFOX®, as well as any number of other network-enabled applications prevalent today, to determine an IP address for a node on a network. The hosts file is often used in addition to the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS provides a network-accessible directory of IP addresses for the Internet, while the hosts file provides a local directory that is stored, for example, on a Personal Computer (PC) local hard drive.

“Because the hosts file is locally controlled, and its contents can be tailored to the specific wishes of a computer user, network-enabled software applications often give hosts file mappings priority over mappings from other locations, such as DNS. For example, if a user configures his hosts file to point to a specified IP address for a particular hostname, most commercial browser applications will go to that specified IP address, even if it differs from an address that would otherwise be retrieved through DNS. While hosts file information takes precedence, the hosts file is infrequently used today, because DNS provides Internet users with nearly all of the IP addresses they need.

“Many modern operating systems include a hosts file with operating system software. The file may have certain operating-system-specific layout and behavior properties, however many systems follow a Unix-like convention for configuration files, with a plain text format. For example, the file may list an IP address, followed by a list of names for that node. Any comments may be introduced with a hash mark (“#”). However, operating systems do not presently include automated approaches to managing the hosts file. If a computer user wants to modify a computer’s hosts file, he will typically navigate to the file location in his operating system’s file structure, open the file, type any desired modifications using a keyboard input device, then save and close the file.

“The above approach can be cumbersome in situations where hosts file modifications are frequently made. There is a need in the industry for a hosts file manager that allows for hosts file modifications using more automated, less error prone technologies.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “Systems, methods, and computer readable media are provided for managing a hosts file. In one embodiment, a method is provided comprising displaying a user interface with a list of selectable server groups. The list may comprise, for example, identifications server groups. Each server group corresponds to an IP address, and the hosts file manager has access to such IP address data. A user selection of a first server group may be made and received via said user interface. A computer’s hosts file may then be modified to correlate a hostname with an IP address of the selected server group. Finally, the modified hosts file may be stored, as modified, on a computer readable medium.

“In another embodiment, a method may be employed for facilitating test access to server groups that supply services for a common hostname. Such method may comprise maintaining hosts file manager data comprising at least one IP address for at least one server group. A hosts file manager program may be deployed to at least one computer, said at least one computer having network access to the at least one server group. Once deployed, the hosts file manager may receive a selection, for example a user selection, of a server group from said at least one server group. The hosts file manager can then modify a hosts file for said at least one computer by correlating, in said hosts file, an IP address for the selected server group with said common hostname. Finally, the hosts file as modified can be stored on a computer readable medium.

“In another exemplary embodiment, a method for managing a hosts file is provided that may comprise, for example, providing a list of selectable server groups, each server group serving a common hostname, and each server group corresponding to a unique IP address. A button can be provided that activates an automatic modification of a hosts file by inserting an entry correlating said common hostname with a unique IP address associated with a selected one of said server groups. Again, the hosts file as modified can be stored on a computer readable medium.

“Other aspects and features of the exemplary disclosed embodiments are described below.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer system for hosts file management, comprising: memory storing processor-executable instructions; one or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions to: retrieve hosts file data from a hosts file manager datastore based on a requested hostname from a client computer, wherein the hosts file data correlate a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses with a plurality of hostnames, and wherein each IP address of the plurality of IP addresses is associated with a respective server group; identify, within the hosts file data, a particular IP address of a server group based on a correlation between the particular IP address and the requested hostname, wherein the server group satisfies an operational criteria; transmit the particular IP address to the client computer; modify the hosts file data to correlate the requested hostname with the particular IP address and no other of the plurality of IP addresses; and store the modified hosts file data on the client computer.

“2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is configured to execute the processor-executable instructions to receive a request including the requested hostname from the client computer.

“3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors is configured to execute the processor-executable instructions to identify the client computer based on an association of the client computer with the request.

“4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is configured to execute the processor-executable instructions to transmit an instruction to update one or more hosts files on other client computers to reflect a change detected in the association between at least one of the plurality of hostnames and at least one of the plurality of IP addresses.

“5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is configured to execute the processor-executable instructions to: display a list of selectable server groups on a user interface; and receive the requested hostname as a selection of a server group from the list of selectable server groups, the server group having the requested hostname.

“6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors is configured to categorize each server group within the list of selectable server groups into an internal server group or an external server group.

“7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is configured to identify a new server group that is accessible to the one or more processors over a network.

“8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors is configured to: add a recognizable identifier of the new server group to a list of server groups, the recognizable identifier corresponding to an IP address of the new server group; and update the hosts file data by inserting the IP address of the new server group into the hosts file data.

“9. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors is configured to display a user interactive component on a user interface, the user interactive component configured to receive input and restore modified hosts file data to a state preceding modification of the hosts file data to reflect the change detected in the association between the at least one of the plurality of hostnames and the at least one of the plurality of IP addresses.

“10. A computer system comprising: a memory storing a hosts file comprising data correlating a plurality of IP addresses with a plurality of hostnames; one or more processors configured to: identify a particular IP address of the plurality of IP addresses based on a correlation between a requested hostname and the particular IP address in records of the hosts file, wherein the particular IP address is for a server group, and wherein the server group satisfies an operational criteria; transmit the particular IP address for the server group to a client computer; and modify the hosts file to correlate the requested hostname with the particular IP address and no other of the plurality of IP addresses; and store the modified hosts file data on the client computer.

“11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors is configured to receive a request to access a server group, the request comprising the requested hostname.

“12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors is configured to modify the hosts file when a new correlation between a new hostname and a new IP address is detected by the one or more processors.

“13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors is configured to retrieve the records of the hosts file and search the records to identify correlations.

“14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors is configured to: upon the hosts file being modified, transmit an instruction to a plurality of client computers to update a corresponding client hosts file stored on each client computer of the plurality of client computers.

“15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors is configured to: display a list of selectable server groups on a user interface; and receive a selected server group from the list of selectable server groups as a request to access the selected server group, wherein the request comprises the requested hostname.

“16. A computer implemented method, comprising: correlating a plurality of IP addresses with a plurality of hostnames in a hosts file; receiving a request including a requested hostname; searching the hosts file, with one or more processors, to identify a particular IP address of the plurality of IP addresses based on the requested hostname correlating with the particular IP address in records of the hosts file, wherein the particular IP address is for a server group; transmitting, with the one or more processors, the particular IP address for the server group to a client computer associated with the request; detecting a change in an association between at least one of the plurality of hostnames and at least one of the plurality of IP addresses; and modifying, with the one or more processors, the hosts file to reflect the change detected in the association between the at least one of the plurality of hostnames and the at least one of the plurality of IP addresses.

“17. The computer implemented method of claim 16, comprising detecting, with the one or more processors, a new correlation between a new hostname and a new IP address.

“18. The computer implemented method of claim 17, comprising modifying the hosts file, with the one or more processors, in response to the new correlation between the new hostname and the new IP address being detected by the one or more processors.

“19. The computer implemented method of claim 16, comprising resetting, with the one or more processors, the hosts file to a condition prior to the modifying in response to an input received via a user interface.”

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Landivar, Luis. Systems, methods, and computer readable media for managing a hosts file. U.S. Patent Number 11789628, filed September 13, 2021, and published online on October 17, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11789628)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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