forwarding algorithm and timeouts

[Kevin Darcy]

Brad Knowles wrote:

> At 1:04 PM -0500 3/26/01, Bob Vance wrote:
>
> >  Do all resolvers follow the algorithm described in 'DNS and BIND' ?
>
>         Resolvers don't forward.  Name servers forward.

Well, this is just a matter of semantics, but when a nameserver program (like
"named") forwards, it is acting in the *role* of a "resolver" (i.e. a
DNS client). It is therefore quite reasonable, in my opinion, to compare and
contrast, as Bob is doing, the respective timeout/retry strategies for
"forwarding" versus stub resolvers.

>         Unfortunately, while name servers may contact a variety of name
> servers to whom they are configured to forward queries, they will
> only ever forward queries to one machine.

This just sounds wrong. What about forwarder failover or the RTT-based
forwarder-selection in BIND 8.2.3? Perhaps you are using terms like
"contact" in a way that is unfamiliar to me.


- Kevin