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Date:      Thu, 29 Aug 2002 22:21:14 +0100
From:      Matthew Seaman <m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk>
To:        Joshua Lokken <jolok@myrealbox.com>
Cc:        FreeBSD quest <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   Re: your mail
Message-ID:  <20020829212114.GA34286@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophi>
In-Reply-To: <73BACB51FD64GBYX4YMLRNXUNHFONRP.3d6e51c0@inspectorbox>
References:  <73BACB51FD64GBYX4YMLRNXUNHFONRP.3d6e51c0@inspectorbox>

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On Thu, Aug 29, 2002 at 09:54:24AM -0700, Joshua Lokken wrote:
> I am running 4.6.2 release on a Pentium 150 box as a gateway/firewall.  The 
> same box also runs apache2.  I am confused about a few things.  I am 
> assigned an IP via DHCP, and I use dns2go for dynamic DNS.  I guess my 
> problem is keeping things straight.  For example, now that I have 
> joshualokken.com, and am using dns2go, do I use their name servers 
> exclusively, or do I still need the name servers assigned by my ISP?

DNS servers come in two types --- or should do in a well administered
network.  The first type is an "authoritative" server: one that has
the data for a number of zones loaded into it and can give definitive
answers to queries about those zones.  The second is a "recursive" or
"caching" server.  This exists to look up addresses on behalf of the
user.  The difference is that an authoritative server should answer
only the queries about the zones it knows about, whereas a recursive
server will (as the name suggests) trace it's way from the root
servers through the various different top level domain servers and so
on down until it finds the required answer.  Ideally a box running a
name server should fit one or other of those styles, but not both.

So the answer is that you need to use both sets of servers: the
'dns2go' machines are the authoritative servers that hold the A record
corresponding to your domain which you have to update whenever your
DHCP lease changes, whereas your ISP's servers are the recursive
servers that you use for your everyday DNS needs.

	Cheers,

	Matthew

-- 
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                       26 The Paddocks
                                                      Savill Way
                                                      Marlow
Tel: +44 1628 476614                                  Bucks., SL7 1TH UK

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