Significance of case in responses

[Robert Faulds]

=> Case is not significant.  However, it is preserved.
=> 
=> 
=> Dave...

Perhaps you could explain this behavior?

If I dig(1) @ two root servers  I receive the behavior I am curious
about.  All information is correct but the case of the response
from one of the root servers has changed.  Case is not preserved.
b-gtld-servers.net responds with parts of the domain names changed
to uppercase. All records for this domain are lowercase in the zone
file. I have confirmed that the zonefile on dns.energyinteractive.com
is a correct AXFR from mleko.xocolatl.com and that the data is all
lowercase.

dns.energyinteractive.com is secondary for xocolatl.com, but
since its much larger pipe to the Internet I have it answering
queries first.

Search down for '*** Query' to see the start of each dig.
Four in total. The first one is source of my curiosity.

*** Query 1
> dig @b.gtld-servers.net xocolatl.com 

; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> @b.gtld-servers.net xocolatl.com 
; (1 server found)
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 4
;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;	xocolatl.com, type = A, class = IN

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
xocolatl.com.		2D IN NS	DNS.ENERGYINTERACTIVE.com.
xocolatl.com.		2D IN NS	MLEKO.xocolatl.com.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
DNS.ENERGYINTERACTIVE.com.  2D IN A  63.93.230.67
MLEKO.xocolatl.com.	2D IN A		216.240.49.129

;; Total query time: 15 msec
;; FROM: mleko.xocolatl.com to SERVER: b.gtld-servers.net  192.33.14.30
;; WHEN: Thu Feb  6 14:53:31 2003
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 30  rcvd: 118

*** Query 2
> dig @a.gtld-servers.net xocolatl.com 

; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> @a.gtld-servers.net xocolatl.com 
; (1 server found)
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 4
;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;	xocolatl.com, type = A, class = IN

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
xocolatl.com.		2D IN NS	dns.energyinteractive.com.
xocolatl.com.		2D IN NS	mleko.xocolatl.com.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
dns.energyinteractive.com.  2D IN A  63.93.230.67
mleko.xocolatl.com.	2D IN A		216.240.49.129

;; Total query time: 90 msec
;; FROM: mleko.xocolatl.com to SERVER: a.gtld-servers.net  192.5.6.30
;; WHEN: Thu Feb  6 14:53:12 2003
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 30  rcvd: 118


*** Query 3
; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> @dns.energyinteractive.com xocolatl.com 
; (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: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;	xocolatl.com, type = A, class = IN

;; ANSWER SECTION:
xocolatl.com.		4W IN A		216.240.48.11

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
xocolatl.com.		4W IN NS	dns.energyinteractive.com.
xocolatl.com.		4W IN NS	mleko.xocolatl.com.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
dns.energyinteractive.com.  1D IN A  63.93.230.67
mleko.xocolatl.com.	4W IN A		216.240.49.129

;; Total query time: 41 msec
;; FROM: mleko.xocolatl.com to SERVER: dns.energyinteractive.com  63.93.230.67
;; WHEN: Thu Feb  6 15:01:17 2003
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 30  rcvd: 134


*** Query 4
; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> @xocolatl.com xocolatl.com 
; (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: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;	xocolatl.com, type = A, class = IN

;; ANSWER SECTION:
xocolatl.com.		4W IN A		216.240.48.11

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
xocolatl.com.		4W IN NS	dns.energyinteractive.com.
xocolatl.com.		4W IN NS	mleko.xocolatl.com.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
dns.energyinteractive.com.  5h56m17s IN A  63.93.230.67
mleko.xocolatl.com.	4W IN A		216.240.49.129

;; Total query time: 1 msec
;; FROM: mleko.xocolatl.com to SERVER: xocolatl.com  216.240.48.11
;; WHEN: Thu Feb  6 15:01:36 2003
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 30  rcvd: 134

-- 
frf at xocolatl.com   39:FF:7C:52:66:9D:B9:A3  EA:67:3C:7F:D1:B6:30:36	


 "I do not know myself, and God forbid that I should."
 		-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe