BIND 8 with DYNUPDATE capabilities

[Jim Reid]

>>>>> "Jeff" == Wilde, Jeff <Jeff.Wilde at westgroup.com> writes:

    Jeff> I know that windows 2000's dns it is integrated into the
    Jeff> active directory so that you can basically have two primary
    Jeff> name servers and replications is always taking place because
    Jeff> of the AD.  If one name server fails, the other name server
    Jeff> will automaticaly keep on receiving dynamic updates and the
    Jeff> replications will take place once the failed server comes
    Jeff> back into service.  I currently have bind 8 set up as a
    Jeff> master/slave configuration.  If my master was to fail, the
    Jeff> dynamic updates wouldn't be handled by my slave the way I
    Jeff> have it configured.  Is there a way to have either

    Jeff> a) two primary servers that replicate zones to each other 

No. A master name server - primary is OLD jargon - is the definitive
source of DNS data for some zone. By definition it has nowhere else to
get that information other than from the zone file (or equivalent)
that it loads. If the server is master for some zone, it knows that
by implication nothing else should be master for that zone too.

    Jeff> b) have master/slave setup with the higher soa value being
    Jeff> replicated to the other server.

No. A name server that is master for some zone will NEVER EVER
"replicate" that zone by retrieving a copy of the zone from some slave
server. See the answer to your previous question.

W2K has its own replication protocol for Active Directory and for
ensuring that its multiple master name servers keep in sync with each
other. IIUC this protocol is proprietary to Microsoft.

    Jeff> My other question is, is there a timeout on the dynamic
    Jeff> updates to cancel old stale data?

No. How can the name server tell what data is old and what isn't? The
responsibility for removing stale data from the zone rests with
whatever put it there: a DHCP server, hostmaster, etc.