From: Steve Sobol [mailto:sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.net] Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 8:13 PM

In response to what I said,

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topaz.nstc.com used to run Microsoft DNS. After a while, having tried repeatedly to get MSDNS to actually *serve* the zone files I had set up, and having not been successful, I switched to Bind 8 and have had no problems since.

You might want to try Bind 8.

Roeland Meyer replied:

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The problem is that a PDC requires SRV updates on the zone. Only BIND-8.2.2p7 can do this and it's not clear that it runs sufficiently well (consider that feature as beta verging on alpha, IMHO). Certainly, the configuration is as clear as mud... way too much magic.

That's only a problem if you're running a PDC on your LAN.

I personally am not.

However, I guarantee you that MSFT is and that their internal DNS is Win2K Active Directory DNS and that they have at least one PDC. In fact, they've bragged about how they finally were able to bring HotMail up on Win2Kdatacenter. This means that they HAD to deploy Win2K/DNS.

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My info says that MSFT only tested sufficiently with Win2K DNS. Integration with BIND was not considered especially important. This, in spite of the trip Vix made to NSFT, Summer '99 (where the SRV fixes came from). It is supposed to work, but the config is a nightmare of exceptions and special cases.

But again, that's a Microsoft issue.

I think we are all agreed that it is probably an MSFT issue. But, your suggestion, of MSFT deploying BIND8, is not workable.

I will give Microsoft points for making their DNS server really easy to configure. I will acknowledge not only that Bind is harder to configure for someone who doesn't know it, but has the problems Roeland mentions. Bind ain't perfect either, but it works, and it isn't produced by an organization that thinks that Its Way is the Only Way(tm).

I just deployed a root-server cluster, on COL Linux, bind-8.2.2p7. I am able to leave it with them because I ALSO installed WebMin-0.83, on a seprate IP addr, for administration. I just thank God that they haven't migrated to Win2K yet.

Microsoft has a large enough market share that I feel that it is their obligation to make sure that their Internet products play nice with the rest of the Net. Regardless of the fact that I dislike their business practices, if they'd just work harder towards that end, I'd complain about them a lot less than I now do.

Agreed, whole heartedly! ref: HALLOWEEN I & II, for speculation of why they don't play nice.