The disgusting and useless nslookup [7:6041]

[Bob Vance]

OK.  One more time, just to (try to :) be totally clear.
There are 2 issues -- and 2 tools.

I use 'nslookup' for troubleshooting resolver issues, but *only* the
vendor's version -- I never use the one from the ISC BIND distro. I
agree with Jim, here, that it is pretty much useless.  I use the
vendor's version because it tries to emulate the vendor's resolver
library's logic, including any vendor extensions (such as "nsswitch").

'dig' is better for strict DNS troubleshooting, and I use it, precisely,
as Jim says, to avoid the "extra" logic that 'nslookup' might be
employing.

-------------------------------------------------
Tks        | <mailto:BVance at sbm.com>
BV         | <mailto:BobVance at alumni.caltech.edu>
Sr. Technical Consultant,  SBM, A Gates/Arrow Co.
Vox 770-623-3430           11455 Lakefield Dr.
Fax 770-623-3429           Duluth, GA 30097-1511
=================================================





-----Original Message-----
From: nobody at groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody at groupstudy.com]On Behalf Of
Bob Vance
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2001 4:19 PM
To: cisco at groupstudy.com
Subject: RE: The disgusting and useless nslookup [7:6041]


Let me rephrase this response:

I didn't mean to imply that I *only* use 'nslookup' or that I use it to
troubleshoot DNS problems.  I use it to resolve :) resolver issues, in
which case it is perfect and 'dig' is useless.

-------------------------------------------------
Tks        |
BV         |
Sr. Technical Consultant,  SBM, A Gates/Arrow Co.
Vox 770-623-3430           11455 Lakefield Dr.
Fax 770-623-3429           Duluth, GA 30097-1511
=================================================





-----Original Message-----
From: bob vance
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2001 3:55 PM
To: blst
Subject: RE: The disgusting and useless nslookup


I didn't say that I used it to troubleshoot DNS problems -- only
resolver issues, in which case it is perfect and 'dig' is useless.


-------------------------------------------------
Tks        |
BV         |
Sr. Technical Consultant,  SBM, A Gates/Arrow Co.
Vox 770-623-3430           11455 Lakefield Dr.
Fax 770-623-3429           Duluth, GA 30097-1511
=================================================





-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Reid [mailto:jim at rfc1035.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2001 3:25 PM
To: bobvance at alumni.caltech.edu
Cc: bind-users at isc.org
Subject: Re: The disgusting and useless nslookup


>>>>> "Bob" == Bob Vance  writes:

    Bob> That's the main reason that I use it -- in fact I always use
    Bob> the vendor's copy so that things like nsswitch are accounted
    Bob> for.  The other reason that I use it is laziness -- I'd
    Bob> rather type ping bobv than ping bobv.dyn.atl.sbm.com

This is one of the major reasons for *not* using nslookup. If nslookup
is returning answers from other lookup mechanisms on the computer, how
can you expect it to troubleshoot DNS problems? How can you tell which
lookup facility the answer came from? What if that answer differs from
what's in the DNS (which wasn't queried because nsswitch and friends
say "look at /etc/hosts or NIS before going to the DNS")?




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