Bind 9.2.4 slaving problem [bind 9.2.1 and bind 8.3.3]

[Jeff Wark]

Greetings.

I have a master name server running BIND 9.2.1 [Debian Woody - server not available on the
Internet] and a slave server running bind 9.2.4 [Debian Sarge - not currently
available on  the Internet] and two others running bind 8.3.3 [Debian Woody - on the
Internet].

The 9.2.1 is a master for all the others to slave from.  I have an entry in a zone
defined  on the master as the following:
> $ORIGIN example.com.
> spamhaus-datafeed      IN   NS   local-rbl-a
> spamhaus-datafeed      IN   NS   local-rbl-b

When I issue the following command:
#> host -t nx spamhaus-datafeed.example.com 127.0.0.1
on the master server OR the BIND 8.3.3 servers I get an answer pointing me in the
right  direction.  On the Sarge 9.2.4 however I get a:
"Host spamhaus-datafeed.example.com not found: 2(SERVFAIL)"
error.

I can see the records in the local db file on all machines.  The 8.3.3 machines are a
little  more verbose in that they list the TTL for each record, the 'IN' record
qualifier and a  fully qualified hostname at the end of the record [ex.
local-rbl-a.example.com.].  The 9.2.4  machine simply lists a record without the TTL,
without the 'IN' qualifier, and without the  $ORIGIN on the hostname at the end of
the record [ex. local-rbl-a].

I have looked through the DNS and BIND book from O'Reilly but it has not led me to
anything  helpful.  The closest I've come to finding something referring to this
issue is the 'Top 9  gotchas' for Bind 9.  The sixth gotcha refers to the following:
> 6.  BIND 9 strictly enforces zone boundaries.
> Older BIND name servers would let you get away with configurations like this:
> 
> subdomain     IN     NS      ns1
> subdomain     IN     TXT     "Delegated subdomain"
> 
> Technically, that TXT record belongs in the zone data file for subdomain, not in
> the >parent zone. Older versions of BIND, however, would allow it. Not BIND 9,
> though; it >ignores the TXT record as "out-of-zone data."

I am only listing NS records in the 'example.com' domain and no others so this
doesn't  really seem to apply.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Jeff Wark
TBayTel Internet