Host not in any zone?

Mark_Andrews at isc.org Mark_Andrews at isc.org
Tue Oct 16 14:46:58 UTC 2001


> 
> Danny Mayer <mayer at gis.net> wrote in message news:<9qft8s$475 at pub3.rc.vix.com
> >...
> > At 05:10 PM 10/15/01, Will Yardley wrote:
> > 
> > >no mail wrote:
> > >
> > > > I have an administrator here who says that on her previous job they
> > > > were able to ping hosts by DNS name, and that the DNS name took the
> > > > form of "servername" without any zone or domain info on the end. Is
> > > > this possible with DNS, and if so, how? I can do this with a hosts
> > > > file, but can't seem to find a way to do it with DNS.
> > >
> > >  this has to do with the resolver on the client's computer and not with
> > >the DNS server itself.  on a *nix machine the search path is in
> > >/etc/resolv.conf ; in windoze this is in the TCP-IP settings box i
> > >believe.  i'm not sure but i don't think DHCP can define more than one
> > >search domain (newer versions may be able to do this more easily).
> > >
> > >so if my search path is:
> > >hq.newdream.net newdream.net dreamhost.com
> > >
> > >unqualified hostnames are checked against this search path in order
> > >(with the first match taking precedence).
> > 
> > WINS usually is the major factor in this since it assumes a flat domain spa
> ce and
> > all machine names have to be unique.
> > 
> >          Danny
> 
> So you are saying that this (simple) feature of specifying a
> searchpath for (dot-less) hosts in the nameserver itself, is
> definitively not possible with current bind?

	It's *never* been in BIND.

	BIND 4 and 8 can qualify a unqualified query with a *single*
	domain.  No searching, just plain replacing the query.

> Can you think of any reason this is not implemented?

	Because it is impossible to turn off on a per query basis.
	Any sane resolver would reject responses that don't answer
	the question sent.

> The only problem I can think of, is if you would allow this autosearch
> in a situation with multilevel domains, where for example
> "www.debian.org" existed in a local zone and a lookup always returned
> the local host, with no way for an ordinary user to get around that.
> But for hosts in a flat domain space there is no problem, right?
> 
> In current Windows versions you can always set your domain, but in XP
> Home Edition this won't be possible, so thats a problem there.

	Well vote with your wallet and don't buy XP Home Edition.
	For most home user I doubt that they will even notice that
	the functionality in not there.  They generally never use
	unqalified names.  I know my wife doesn't and she fits the
	typical home user profile.

	The ones that do are used to connecting to corporate networks
	though there are a few home networks appearing.  MS may or
	may not reverse there decision once they get feedback from
	this lot of users though I wouldn't hold my breath waiting.

	Mark

> 
> Greetings, Bart.
--
Mark Andrews, Internet Software Consortium
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: Mark.Andrews at isc.org


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