Question about BIND's handling of mismatched glue

Ollie Cook ollie at uk.clara.net
Tue Nov 12 14:08:08 UTC 2002


Hi,

I am trying to ascertain why I cannot retrieve an SOA RR for a particular zone
from a recursive only BIND installation running BIND 8.3.3.

I enclose as detailed debugging information as I can gather, and my
interpretation of it.

I think the problem may lie with glue records in the GTLD servers not matching
what the authoritative servers for the zone return, but I would appreciate
clarification of that, if possible.

I found the following similar post to the list from not long ago:

  http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=bind-users&m=103292931926205&w=2

which suggests that the glue records in the GTLD servers are 'copies' of the
A records in the child zone.

Is this 'automatic' in the sense that if the child A RRs for the glue records
disappear, they will also disappear from the GTLD servers by some means (i.e.
GTLD servers query authoritative servers at intervals), or in a looser sense
that they ought to match but this is not enforced?

Any assistance would be most gratefully received.

Yours,

Ollie

--------- problem report --------
Problem:   recursive-only nameserver cannot retrieve SOA for lifelinenetwork.org

Versions:  195.8.69.7 is running BIND 8.3.3

Configuration:  195.8.69.7's named.conf:

  options {
        datasize 340M;
        fake-iquery no;
        directory "/var/named";
        listen-on { 195.8.69.7; };
        query-source address 195.8.69.7 port *;
  };

  logging {
        category lame-servers{ null; };
  };

  zone "." {
        type hint;
        file "root.cache";
  };

Evidence:  

  Trying a recursive lookup by querying the BIND 8.3.3 server fails:

    ; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> soa lifelinenetwork.org @195.8.69.7 
    ; (1 server found)
    ;  ; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
    ;  ; got answer:
    ;  ; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: SERVFAIL, id: 6
    ;  ; flags: qr rd ra  ; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0
    ;  ; QUERY SECTION:
    ;  ;      lifelinenetwork.org, type = SOA, class = IN

    ;  ; Total query time: 1 msec
    ;  ; FROM: mutare.noc.clara.net to SERVER: 195.8.69.7
    ;  ; WHEN: Tue Nov 12 13:01:10 2002
    ;  ; MSG SIZE  sent: 37  rcvd: 37

  Trying to retrieve SOA manually works:

   1) GTLD servers report authoritative nameservers for lifelinenetwork.org as:

    ; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> ns lifelinenetwork.org @F.GTLD-SERVERS.NET. 
    ; (1 server found)
    ;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
    ;; got answer:
    ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 6
    ;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 2, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 2
    ;; QUERY SECTION:
    ;;      lifelinenetwork.org, type = NS, class = IN

    ;; ANSWER SECTION:
    lifelinenetwork.org.    2D IN NS        NS3.BAIDEN.COM.
    lifelinenetwork.org.    2D IN NS        NS4.BAIDEN.COM.

    ;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
    NS3.BAIDEN.COM.         2D IN A         213.171.200.58
    NS4.BAIDEN.COM.         2D IN A         81.27.96.160

    ;; Total query time: 148 msec
    ;; FROM: mutare.noc.clara.net to SERVER: F.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.  192.35.51.30
    ;; WHEN: Tue Nov 12 13:03:03 2002
    ;; MSG SIZE  sent: 37  rcvd: 115

   2) Query authoritative servers for SOA RR:

    ; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> soa lifelinenetwork.org @213.171.200.58 
    ; (1 server found)
    ;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
    ;; got answer:
    ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 4
    ;; flags: qr aa rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1
    ;; QUERY SECTION:
    ;;      lifelinenetwork.org, type = SOA, class = IN

    ;; ANSWER SECTION:
    lifelinenetwork.org.    1H IN SOA       ns3.baiden.com. root.lifelinenetwork.org. (
                                            10              ; serial
                                            15M             ; refresh
                                            10M             ; retry
                                            1D              ; expiry
                                            1H )            ; minimum


    ;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
    ns3.baiden.com.         1H IN A         213.171.200.58

    ;; Total query time: 13 msec
    ;; FROM: anteros.uk.clara.net to SERVER: 213.171.200.58  213.171.200.58
    ;; WHEN: Tue Nov 12 13:22:01 2002
    ;; MSG SIZE  sent: 37  rcvd: 108

    ; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> soa lifelinenetwork.org @81.27.96.160 
    ; (1 server found)
    ;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
    ;; got answer:
    ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: SERVFAIL, id: 4
    ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0
    ;; QUERY SECTION:
    ;;      lifelinenetwork.org, type = SOA, class = IN

    ;; Total query time: 16 msec
    ;; FROM: anteros.uk.clara.net to SERVER: 81.27.96.160  81.27.96.160
    ;; WHEN: Tue Nov 12 13:23:41 2002
    ;; MSG SIZE  sent: 37  rcvd: 37

Discussion:

  Presumably, I've followed the same steps that BIND ought to:

      - get nameserver names and glue records for zone from root and GTLD
        servers
      - query each such nameserver for the SOA record for the zone

  I can't see how it's giving SERVFAIL, when at least one of the authoritative
  nameservers is giving correct data (213.171.200.58).

  I do notice that the glue for BAIDEN.COM nameservers doesn't match what the
  authoritative servers say, but should this matter? Does BIND trust the glue
  from the GTLD servers?

    ; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> a NS3.BAIDEN.COM. @k.gtld-servers.net 
    ; (1 server found)
    ;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
    ;; got answer:
    ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 4
    ;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2
    ;; QUERY SECTION:
    ;;      NS3.BAIDEN.COM, type = A, class = IN
  
    ;; ANSWER SECTION:
    NS3.BAIDEN.COM.         2D IN A         213.171.200.58
  
    ;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
    BAIDEN.COM.             2D IN NS        NS.ADLHOSTING.COM.
    BAIDEN.COM.             2D IN NS        NS4.BAIDEN.COM.
  
    ;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
    NS.ADLHOSTING.COM.      2D IN A         81.27.96.160
    NS4.BAIDEN.COM.         2D IN A         81.27.96.160

    ;; Total query time: 88 msec
    ;; FROM: anteros.uk.clara.net to SERVER: k.gtld-servers.net    192.52.178.30
    ;; WHEN: Tue Nov 12 13:10:40 2002
    ;; MSG SIZE  sent: 32  rcvd: 126

    ; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> +norec a NS3.BAIDEN.COM. @81.27.96.160 
    ; (1 server found)
    ;; res options: init defnam dnsrch
    ;; got answer:
    ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 48972
    ;; flags: qr aa ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
    ;; QUERY SECTION:
    ;;      NS3.BAIDEN.COM, type = A, class = IN

    ;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
    BAIDEN.COM.             1H IN SOA       ns.adlhosting.COM. ns.intec.net. (  
                                            2002090102      ; serial
                                            1H              ; refresh
                                            30M             ; retry
                                            1w3d            ; expiry
                                            1H )            ; minimum


    ;; Total query time: 23 msec
    ;; FROM: anteros.uk.clara.net to SERVER: 81.27.96.160  81.27.96.160
    ;; WHEN: Tue Nov 12 13:14:16 2002
    ;; MSG SIZE  sent: 32  rcvd: 94
--------- end problem report --------
-- 
Oliver Cook    Systems Administrator, ClaraNET
ollie at uk.clara.net               020 7903 3065


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