dynamically updated zone and $GENERATE

[Merton Campbell Crockett]

On 05 Apr 2006, at 16:50 , Sten Carlsen wrote:

> Ok, I use a combination of static and dynamic configuration and I  
> forgot
> the dump process because it always looks the same in my case when I do
> static updates with a stopped nameserver.
> If $generate should work under dynamic updates, it would have to be
> processed (and changed) at all times when a new copy of the  
> database is
> written regardles of the cause.


I use $GENERATE in dynamically updated zone files.  It is only  
meaningful in the initial load of the zone file when BIND generates  
the information for the in memory copy of the zone file.  When the  
zone file is written to disk, the macro disappears from the zone file  
and is replaced with the generated records.  I would presume the same  
would hold true for and $INCLUDE macro that you may use.

There are several instances where I have had an occassion to restore  
the original zone file sans all dynamic updates.  For these  
instances, I will create the following zone files prior to adding the  
zones to named.conf.

	arpa.in-addr.192.168.255
	arpa.in-addr.192.168.255-base
	com.hasental
	com.hasental-base

I stop named copy the -base files and then start named.  You could,  
probably, add a $GENERATE to an existing dynamically updated zone  
file provided that named writes the zone file before exiting.  I  
never tried to do that.

Merton Campbell Crockett


Merton Campbell Crockett
m.c.crockett at adelphia.net