[ale] DNS Server Propagation

[michael d. ivey]

On Wed, Dec 12, 2001 at 03:15:34PM -0800, Gabriel Donnell wrote:
> I would like to know if anyone knows what I can do to publicize our
> DNS server to the DNS servers on the Internet.  We have the correct
> information posted in Network Solutions' database.  However, it does
> not seem like the DNS servers on the Internet are getting updated
> with our DNS information listed with our registrar.

Normally I charge by the hour to diagnose DNS, but this one's on the
house.  =)

] $ dig @a.gtld-servers.net -q ns dentfirst.com
] 
] ;; ANSWER SECTION:
] dentfirst.com.		2D IN NS	DNS.dentfirst.com.
] dentfirst.com.		2D IN NS	FIREWALL.DMZ.dentfirst.com.
] 
] ;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
] DNS.dentfirst.com.	2D IN A		216.27.174.122
] FIREWALL.DMZ.dentfirst.com.  2D IN A  216.27.174.121

This is good...the root zones have your DNS servers in them.  So let's check
those DNS servers and see what we get.

] $ dig @216.27.174.122 -q mx dentfirst.com
] 
] ;; ANSWER SECTION:
] dentfirst.com.		1D IN MX	0 mx.dentfirst.com.
] 
] ;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
] dentfirst.com.		1D IN NS	ns.dentfirst.com.

First one is OK ... but the second one has problems:

] $ dig @216.27.174.121 -q mx dentfirst.com
] 
] ; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> @216.27.174.121 -q mx dentfirst.com 
] ; (1 server found)
] ;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
] ;; res_nsend to server 216.27.174.121: Connection timed out

So, I'm guessing that things are failing when that second DNS server
can't be reached.  Just because it's listed as secondary, doesn't mean
that it won't be tried.  Both DNS servers you list need to be active
and reachable.

That's my guess, based on a quick look.  I get intermittent results
looking up records in your domain, which implies that sometimes the
good server is chosen and sometimes the bad one is chosen.

Make sense?  Of course, I could be wrong, since I haven't really
looked too deep.  YMMV.

-- 
michael d. ivey        [McQ] : "Famous remarks are very seldom quoted
   <ivey at gweezlebur.com>     :    correctly."
http://gweezlebur.com/~ivey/ :                       -- Simeon Strunsky
 encrypted email preferred   :

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