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From: pvm@VENERA.ISI.EDU (Paul Mockapetris)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains
Subject: Re: Network names via DNS
Message-ID: <9003142135.AA15733@venera.isi.edu>
Date: 14 Mar 90 21:36:01 GMT
References: <618@logicon.arpa>
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Reply-To: pvm@venera.isi.edu
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> Now that I can use the DNS to look up host names, it seems sort of
> silly for getnetbyname() and getnetbyaddr() to be doing linear
> searches through /etc/networks every time I do a "netstat -r".
> 
> Has anyone implemented these functions in a way that uses the DNS to
> translate back and forth between network names (e.g., ARPANET) and
> network numbers (e.g., 10.0.0.0)?  Some analogue to the .IN-ADDR.ARPA
> domain (NET-ADDR, maybe?) would be appropriate for mapping numbers to
> names.  It would also be a good idea to invent a zone (NET-NAME?) for
> the names to keep them out of the root domain.  Comments and/or
> pointers to any relevant RFCs would be appreciated.
> 
> Warning: obviation of /etc/services and /etc/protocols is next.
> 
>                            :: Jeff Makey

See RFC 1101, "DNS Encoding of Network Names and Other Types"

Although I wrote it up, the ideas were a combination arrived
at by consensus of the IETF DNS WG.  Note that although we have a
definition, it is not used, mostly because of the chicken-and-egg
problem: we don't use it because the data isn't there and we don't
bother to put the data there because it isn't used.  (The RFC is also
wrong in that it assumes that subnet masks are hierarchical or
otherwise well-behaved.)

Now if you want to get seriously into this, check out Hesiod and lose
your /etc/passwd.

paul