Re: How common is lack of DNS server diversity?

[deeann mikula <deeann () telerama com>]

On Sat, 27 Jan 2001, Charles Scott wrote:

> On Sat, 27 Jan 2001, Brian wrote:
>
> > I have heard from numerous sources that even if you provide multiple name
> > servers in windows 9x tcp/ip config, only the first is used.  Not sure how
> > true it is currently.  It seems from below you are talking about
> > resolvers, not authorative name servers??
>
> Brian:
>   Yes, talking about resolvers. If I remember the incident correctly, at
> the time a number of other nearby providers were using NT servers and it
> was those which failed to ask another authoritative name server for the
> domain when a particular server was not reachable. In our case, it was
> actually the second server listed for our domains.

i experienced this exact same thing, and it was the secondary ns that
NT was "fixating" on when making queries.  (the secondary was up and
down for a few weeks until a new one was shipped out--yes, off-site
and off-AS ;)

i had a VERY hard time explaining to NT professionals that their email
to our domains shouldn't be bouncing, and that 99% of the internet
could get mail to our domains just fine with one operating nameserver.
i also didn't have any proof that NT didn't do The Right Thing, and no
one wanted to help me prove it by hanging on the phone with me after
complaining that "your nameservers are down."  is this misbehavior of
NT documented anywhere?  is it fixable?  i don't know d*ck about NT,
but i'd love to be able to at least suggest a fix and give someone a
URL.

thanks!

deeann m.m. mikula

network administrator
telerama internet -- http://www.telerama.com
abuse () telerama com/spam () telerama com
1.877.688.3200x501