Newbie Questions

[Gregory Hicks]

> Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 17:03:12 +0000
> From: "Andy Shellam (Mailing Lists)" <andy.shellam-lists at mailnetwork.co.uk>
> To: bind-users at isc.org
> Subject: Re: Newbie Questions
> 
> Here's my views in-line below:
> 
> dev_null at pubbox.net wrote:
> > 1) Should the root hint zone be always needed? In fact I commented these 
> > four lines and bind seems work normally too:
> >
> > //zone "." in {
> > //        type hint;
> > //        file "db.cache";
> > //};
> >   
> Since bind-9.3.2, I've never needed the root hints on my DNS servers.

This is because the root hints are compiled in to the executable.  The
capability exists to allow the DNS maintainer to provide root hints if
all the hints compiled in go south.


> > 2) The rndc command's help info say:
> >
> > stop          Save pending updates to master files and stop the server.
> > halt          Stop the server without saving pending updates.
> >
> > So, what's the meanings of "pending updates" ?
> >   
> Pending updates, I believe, are when you modify a zone on-the-fly 
> (dynamic updates), it saves a journal file but doesn't actually write 
> the physical changes to disk immediately.
> A pending update has been applied to the zone, but not yet written to 
> the zone's file.  A 'stop' will flush the journal to disk, whereas a 
> 'halt' will cause you to lose un-committed changes.
> (I think!)
> > 3) After install bind,why I need to create named.conf & rndc.key by hand? 
> > Why bind doesn't create the default files for them like Apache?
> >   
> I personally don't believe there is such thing as a "default" config for 
> bind.  For example, are you using it as a caching-only server, as a 
> slave for one/multiple zones, as a primary for one/multiple zones?  
> There's a long list of uses for bind and your configuration depends on 
> your use.  Also regarding the key file, it's specific to the machine, if 
> you shipped a standard key file out with bind, a lot of people would 
> have the same key file and it'd be a big security risk.
> > 4) What's the use of port 953 running on localhost?
> >   
> I believe this is the port that rndc uses to connect to bind.
> 
> Andy Shellam
> NetServe Support Team
> 
> 
> 

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gregory Hicks                        | Principal Systems Engineer
Cadence Design Systems               | Direct:   408.576.3609
555 River Oaks Pkwy M/S 6B1
San Jose, CA 95134

I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes.  I will surely
learn a great deal today.

"A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for
lunch.  Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the
decision." - Benjamin Franklin

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they
be properly armed." --Alexander Hamilton