Info about master files

[Barry Margolin]

In article <9vc5bk$akr at pub3.rc.vix.com>, Aparna <aparna at cradle.com> wrote:
>I am new to DNS and bind. I have been trying to read the RFC's 1034 and 1035

You're much better off reading the book "DNS & BIND"; the RFC's aren't
intended for users, they're for implementors.

> Can anyone please simplify the concept of master files ? I need to know how
>these are generated, what is the file format, how are they updated ( the
>exact procedural steps) ?

On a master server they're normally created and updated by hand with a text
editor, although there are many scripts and web applications floating
around that will create them.  Also, recent versions of BIND support
dynamic DNS update operations, in which case the server software itself
rewrites the files.

On a slave server they're written by the server software when it performs a
zone transfer from the master.

>If I try to implement my own DNS  then how can i generate these files?

With a text editor like Emacs.

>Also i want to know about statements of refresh policies (what is the format
>of these, who provides these and how exactly are they implemented?).
>Any information regarding these will be of a great help to me.

These are provided by the adminstrator of the master server when he creates
the zone file, and their format is a decimal number of seconds.  You
determine them based on the needs of your domain.  The DNS & BIND book
probably has some advice about them.

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar at genuity.net
Genuity, Woburn, MA
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