What qualfies a namespace?

April xiaoxia2005a at yahoo.com
Mon Oct 23 13:45:16 UTC 2006


Edward Lewis wrote:
> At 17:37 -0700 10/20/06, April wrote:
>
> >Thanks Edward for your time and efforts ...
> >
> >In the example, I think if we use forward, in addition to delegation,
> >you can still get by, even without a root.
>
> You can always get by without a root.  A root is not required.
>
> If you are running a name server that is part of a larger system,
> with someone else running a root zone, then there is no need to have
> root on your machine.  In fact, you should not have a root zone on
> your machine.
>
> If you are running the entire DNS system (name space for your
> application), you can use forwarders and other mechanisms to avoid
> having to have a root zone.  My caution is that setting up and
> maintaining a system of forwarders and specially crafted root hints
> files will prove to be complex and costly.
>
> But you can, and people do, succeed in running without a root zone.
>
> >In such a no root environment, do we still call it a namespace, or
> >directly call the individual domains?
>
> You can call it a name space.  But what you call it does not matter
> to the operations of DNS, the protocol and software is not concerned
> with that name.  Ultimately, in DNS all that matters is the
> arrangement of the domains because that is how data is referenced
> (the QNAME).
>
> >Then if I only have son.father and grandson.son.father two domains, can
> >I refer them to my top domain and my subdomain.  As I do not have a
> >root, so I can care less about the absolute levels from the root, if it
> >was there.
>
> Yes, you can do that.
>
> If you only have one server and two domains, then having no root can
> be manageable.  What I said about "complex and costly" applies to
> large DNS applications.  The cost and complexity of not having a root
> zone scales (I'd bet) greater than linearly when you have an
> increasing number of domains, servers, and organization (DNS
> administrators) involved.
>
> --
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> Edward Lewis                                                +1-571-434-5468
> NeuStar
>
> Secrets of Success #107: Why arrive at 7am for the good parking space?
> Come in at 11am while the early birds drive out to lunch.

Makes sense, thanks Edward!  With a root it does scale better, and
forwarding is more suitable for smaller and simpler environments.



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