DNS primary and secondaries...

[Christian Krackowizer]

At 13:35 31.08.1999 -0600, you wrote:
>The idea of "primary" and "secondary" name server does NOT include the
>concept of failover.  Both the primary and secondary name servers can
>always answering DNS queries.  There is no "failover".
>
>If the clients are not receiving answers from the secondary name
>server, then either the secondary name server is not functioning, or
>the clients are not configured to query the secondary name server.
>
>Have you configured your clients to use the secondary?  For a Unix
>system, this would be in the /etc/resolv.conf file.  For Windows, this
>information is in the Start->Settings->Control Panel->Network and then
>select TCP/IP->Properties->DNS Configuration.  For a Mac, you need to
>look in either the MacTCP or TCP/IP control panel.  For any of these
>systems, you should have the IP address of both the primary and
>secondary name servers listed.
>
>Bill Larson (wllarso at swcp.com)
>
>In article <37CC1BB0.5C422D76 at actioni.net>,
>Morgan Sarges  <blip at actioni.net> wrote:
>>
>>When we kill or knock out  the primary, shouldnt the secondary start
>>picking up
>>and answering for the client workstations?
>>
>>Currently, it doesnt look like it is.

this is mainly a client-(application)-problem. When a client is started, it
'reads' the list of available NS, contacts the first (normally the primary)
and is happy with him.
When it fails, the client stays connected!, sometimes with a (long)
timeout, mostly not.
When you kill the client and restart him, he will contact the first NS,
recognize him as dead and connect to the second ...

that's 'failover'


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