w2k dns setup in mix unix environment

[Barry Finkel]

Maggie Gee wrote:

>Our internal primary dns is a sun machine running bind 8.2.2 p5, with
>secondaries running on NT 4 & another unix machine.  When we upgrade
>to w2k, the w2k workstations will be using dhcp & dynamic dns, to update
>the dns  While the unix machines will continue to have static ip
>addresses.  For this upgrade, would it be better:
>
>      1.  to leave the primary as is and have w2k machines be a
>          subdomain of it.  The w2k machines will be authorative for 
>          this subdomain
>      2.  get rid of bind on the unix machines & have the w2k machines
>          be authorative on the domain.  Could you mix static & dynamic
>          addresses in the same segment?  Is there any other problems
>          that we might encounter in this setup?  Is it possible to
>          have unix be a secondary in this setup?

It has been recommended on this list a number of times that static
zones be separated from dynamic zones.  If you politically can separate
the W2k machines into their own subdomain

     w2k._____.com

then that is the best, in my opinion.  You can then have that zone
be subject to DDNS.  I consider the MS W2k DNS code to be NEW code
whose reliability has not yet been proven.  I have no idea if it has
gone through as much extensive testing as BIND 9, which is also new
code.   I do not trust the MS W2k DNS code, and I am reluctant to
put a lot of production zones there.  I do not care about the zones
that contain only SRV records, as those data would only affect W2k
boxes if those data were to become corrupted or missing.

The only benefit I see for MS W2k DNS is that its GUI presents a clear
view of each zone, even after dynamic updates.  As has been mentioned
in this forum, DDNS will not preserve the order and formatting in a
BIND master zone.  This benefit is minor.  We have not done a lot of
DDNS testing in our W2k testbed network, so I do not know how many
problems we will experience.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry S. Finkel
Electronics and Computing Technologies Division
Argonne National Laboratory          Phone:    +1 (630) 252-7277
9700 South Cass Avenue               Facsimile:+1 (630) 252-9689
Building 221, Room B236              Internet: BSFinkel at anl.gov
Argonne, IL   60439-4844             IBMMAIL:  I1004994