Setting up a Root name server

[Michael Voight]

Jim Reid wrote:
> 
> >>>>> "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...

LOL.. He couldn't realize that since my first sentence didn't match the
second, that perhaps I misworded it. I never meant the root servers
didn't respond, I meant they would not recurse. So, if he sent the root
servers a recursive query, he might not get back the answer he wanted if
nslookup was in recurse mode. And... If tech support for a several DNS
(2 use BIND, 1 doesn't ) products (and a few other products) is doing
this for a living, then I am guilty as charged. 

Michael