NT 4.0 root.cache replacement problems

[Mark Damrose]

<Suzanne.VanPatten at Gunter.AF.mil> wrote in message
news:a63gm6$mk at pub3.rc.vix.com...
>
> We have a client running DNS on NT 4.0.  She replaces her entire
root.cache
> file with the appropriate root servers for the private network she is on.
> She also has added a registry hack "AutoCacheUpdate   0" which is supposed
> to set it to not ever update the root.cache file.
>
> When replacing the root.cache file with the appropriate root servers, we
> have made sure the service was stopped first. When the service is started,
> everything works great for a while and then it stops working again. When
she
> checks out the root.cache file (after stopping the service), it has
modified
> this file. Sometimes there are only NS records now in the file and no A
> records. But always it has modified this file to the extent that she can
no
> longer resolve anything except her own domain.  She has to replace this
file
> with the correct information several times a day.
>
> Any suggestions?

I don't know for sure, but I think this is similar to a problem I had when
running DNS on NT 4.0.  That version of DNS links the cached records to the
root hints.  In my case I manually cleared the cache and ended up with an
empty root hints file.  In this case, I'm guessing that this server is also
used to resolve DNS on the public Internet.  When a lame server is
contacted, and the NT DNS gets a referral to the root servers, the cache is
updated - which modifies the root hints file.

Microsoft used to have a disclaimer in the knowledge base that NT 4.0 DNS
was not really intended to run mission critical applications.  They must
have pulled it, because I haven't been able to find that the last few times
I looked.

See Peter Håkanson's comments.  Even Win2000 DNS would be a better option.

>
>
> Suzanne B. VanPatten
>
>