Can't delete named.root file?

[Barry Margolin]

In article <bjijem$21f$1 at sf1.isc.org>,
MachineType <google at jyroscop.cotse.net> wrote:
>named.conf contains my ISP's DNS server addresses as a forwarder 
>forward only is not enabled. 
....
>Upon reboot I looked in the log and it seemed like to try to connect
>to every root name server there is within 1-5 seconds. So I moved the
>named.root file to a discrete location, changed the name, and
>rebooted. It still did the same thing.

One of the first things named does when it starts up is get the current
list of root servers from one of the servers in the "hints" file.  Since
you blocked this, it timed out on each and then went on to the next one.

>Is that named.root file only for human consumption and the real one is
>somewhere else? Even if it is only for humans I don't understand why
>that box is doing this it should just answer internal queries or turn
>around and ask my ISP's nameserver about any names it doesn't know,
>right?

You didn't configure "forward only", so it needs to know the real root
servers in case the forwarder doesn't respond.

You didn't mention what version of BIND you're running, but some versions
even require this when "forward only" is configured.

-- 
Barry Margolin, barry.margolin at level3.com
Level(3), Woburn, MA
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