FORMERR

[bsfinkel at anl.gov]

Occasionally I will look the "lame-log" on one of my BIND 9.6.1-P1
servers and find FORMERR messages.  Then I do DNS queries to try to
understand why the FORMERR occurred.  Here is one where I am confused:

03-Dec-2009 16:07:50.722 lame-servers: info:
   FORMERR resolving 'd2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net/AAAA/IN':
   216.137.38.22#53

dns% dig d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net @216.137.38.22

; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net @216.137.38.22 
; (1 server found)
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 4
;; flags: qr aa rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 8, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;      d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net, type = A, class = IN

;; ANSWER SECTION:
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.66
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.193
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.214
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.186
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.241
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.143
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.11
d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.39.244

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
stl2.cloudfront.net.    1M IN NS        ns-stl2-01.cloudfront.net.
stl2.cloudfront.net.    1M IN NS        ns-stl2-02.cloudfront.net.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
ns-stl2-01.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.38.22
ns-stl2-02.cloudfront.net.  1M IN A  216.137.38.23

;; Total query time: 8 msec
;; FROM: dns.anl.gov to SERVER: 216.137.38.22  216.137.38.22
;; WHEN: Thu Dec  3 16:08:15 2009
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 52  rcvd: 262

dns% dig d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net @216.137.38.22 AAAA

; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net @216.137.38.22 AAAA 
; (1 server found)
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 4
;; flags: qr aa rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;      d2rdfnizen5apl.stl2.cloudfront.net, type = AAAA, class = IN

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
cloudfront.net.         5M IN SOA       ns-01.cloudfront.net. hostmaster.cloudfront.net. (
                                        1259878079      ; serial
                                        4h33m4s         ; refresh
                                        34m8s           ; retry
                                        1w5d3h16m16s    ; expiry
                                        1M )            ; minimum


;; Total query time: 8 msec
;; FROM: dns.anl.gov to SERVER: 216.137.38.22  216.137.38.22
;; WHEN: Thu Dec  3 16:08:20 2009
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 52  rcvd: 105

dns%  

The response to the query for the "A" record looks fine, as does the
AAAA query response.  Why the FORMERR?  Thanks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry S. Finkel
Computing and Information Systems Division
Argonne National Laboratory          Phone:    +1 (630) 252-7277
9700 South Cass Avenue               Facsimile:+1 (630) 252-4601
Building 240, Room 5.B.8             Internet: BSFinkel at anl.gov
Argonne, IL   60439-4828             IBMMAIL:  I1004994