pointing domain (A) record to web server

[Barry Finkel]

"Low sk" <lowskmailbox-1 at yahoo.com.sg> wrote:

> I am running Bind. Is it a good practice to point the domain A record to a 
> web server like below?
> 
> -----------
> $ORIGIN abc.com.
> $TTL   28800
> @       IN      SOA     ns1.abc.com. hostmaster.abc.com. (
>                         2004010101   ;
>                         4H                  ;
>                         120M             ;
>                         4w2d             ;
>                         1h )               ;
> @       IN      NS      ns1.abc.com.
>            IN      NS      ns2.abc.com.
> 
>            IN A 192.168.1.1  <== points to a web server
> 
> www IN A 192.168.1.1
> ---------------
> 
> Will there be any implications? Windows 2000 DNS points their Active 
> Directory domain (A) records to all their domain controllers.

If you have  

     $origin example.com
     ...
     @  IN  A  192.168.1.1  <== points to a web server

there is nothing wrong with this configuration.  But, as you surmise,
if the domain

     example.com      (Use this as an example instead of a real domain.)

is a W2k/W2k+3 Active Directory forest, then there will be a conflict.
All of the Domain Controllers for that forest will have "A" records.
So, you cannot have a web server running on only some of the DCs.
A DNS query for the "A" record for example.com will result in the
IP addresses of all of the DCs.  If you run the web service on all of
the DCs, then there will be no problem from the client perspective.
But I believe that it is unwise to run such a service on a DC.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry S. Finkel
Computing and Instrumentation Solutions Division
Argonne National Laboratory          Phone:    +1 (630) 252-7277
9700 South Cass Avenue               Facsimile:+1 (630) 252-4601
Building 222, Room D209              Internet: BSFinkel at anl.gov
Argonne, IL   60439-4828             IBMMAIL:  I1004994