'search' path ignored

Don Buchholz buchhod at kentrox.com
Sat Oct 16 00:04:22 UTC 1999


We've hit a rather bizarre problem.  For some reason, our resolver
clients behave differently when querying a BIND 4.9.x server than
when querying a BIND 8.x server.  We have seen similar behavior
using 'nslookup' on SunOS 5.5.1, SunOS 5.7, and Windows NT4(SP4).

Our search path is "kentrox.com adc.com".  We are trying to resolve
the host "501e009a.adc.com" which exists only in the "adc.com" domain.

As long as the server is a BIND v4, the client attempts each domain
suffix found in the 'search' directive.  However, if the client 
queries a BIND v8 server, it tries the first one, and then quits!

For example, on a SunOS 5.5.1 host (IP numbers have been changed):

   % cat /etc/resolv.conf               # verify "resolv.conf" is
   search kentrox.com adc.com           # setup correctly
   nameserver 172.71.96.50
   nameserver 172.71.4.50

   % nslookup                           # Invoke 'nslookup'
     ...
   > set debug
   > 501e009a                              # Query the 4.9.x server,
   Server:  bubba.kentrox.com              #  and get the expected
   Address:  172.71.96.50                  #  behavior.
   
   ;; res_mkquery(0, 501e009a.kentrox.com, 1, 1)
     ...
   ;; res_mkquery(0, 501e009a.adc.com, 1, 1)
     ...
   ------------
   Name:    501e009a.adc.com
   Address:  172.16.231.109

   > server ingate
     ...
   > 501e009a                              # Query the 8.x server,
   Server:  ingate.adc.com                 #  and see it quit early!
   Address:  172.16.231.200
    
   ;; res_mkquery(0, 501e009a.kentrox.com, 1, 1)
     ...
   ;; res_mkquery(0, 501e009a, 1, 1)
     ...
   ------------
   *** ingate.adc.com can't find 501e009a: Non-existent host/domain


Can anyone explain why the exact same 'nslookup' process attempts
	501e009a.kentrox.com
	501e009a.adc.com
when querying a 4.9.x server, but then only tries
	501e009a.kentrox.com
	501e009a		(unqualified!)
on a 8.x server?

I perused the October archives, and didn't see any similar questions.


Thanks in advance,

- Don Buchholz, Communication Networks Manager   <don_buchholz at adc.com>
- ADC Telecommunications, Broadband Business Group - Portland, OR - USA
- 14375 NW Science Park Drive, Portland, OR 97229
- phone: 503/350-6466    FAX: 503/641-3321










More information about the bind-users mailing list