root hints

[Anand Buddhdev]

On 28/01/2011 21:10, Jack Tavares wrote:

> I have a question about the hints file.
> 
> It is "built in" to BIND.
> 
> Does bind check for updates to this periodically?
> If so, where does it get it from ?
> I assume it gets it from ftp.isc.org.
> Does bind contain a hardcode for that IP address?
> or does it use the existing hints to find the address
> of "ftp.isc.org" and then download a new ftp.isc.org?

Hi Jack,

BIND has a built-in copy of the root server hints file. However, each
time it starts up, it sends a query to the root servers to get an up to
date copy of the root servers and their addresses. This is called a
"priming query". The priming query is repeated periodically to ensure
that BIND has a fresh copy.

Regards,

Anand Buddhdev
RIPE NCC