Setting up a Root name server

[Jim Reid]

>>>>> "chris" == chris  <chris at megabytecoffee.com> writes:

    chris> Ugh, root servers do not recurs. root nameservers only
    chris> respond to non-recursive queries.. 

Wrong. They do respond to recursive queries. They just don't iterate
to find the answers for them. You either get a referral to the name
servers for the relevant TLD or the correct answer if the query was
for something in the root zone.

I just sent a query with the rd bit set to a.root-servers.net
(your favourite root server) and got a perfectly valid reply.

	% dig @a.root-servers.net . soa
	....
	;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 10
	;; flags: qr aa rd; Ques: 1, Ans: 1, Auth: 13, Addit: 13
	;; QUESTIONS:
	;;      ., type = SOA, class = IN

	;; ANSWERS:
.       86400   SOA     A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. hostmaster.internic.NET. )
	...
	rest of reply snipped
	...
	;; Total query time: 5111 msec
	;; FROM: gw-us1.philips.com to SERVER: a.root-servers.net  198.41.0.4
	;; WHEN: Mon Sep  6 05:56:33 1999
	;; MSG SIZE  sent: 17  rcvd: 491

    chris> I hope you don't do this for a living...

I was thinking the same thing about you...