Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!ucbvax!LCS.MIT.EDU!MAP
From: MAP@LCS.MIT.EDU (Michael A. Patton)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains
Subject: questionable resolver code
Message-ID: <9008101656.AA00777@gaak.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Date: 10 Aug 90 16:56:58 GMT
References: <1891@jimi.cs.unlv.edu>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: inet
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 22


   Date: 10 Aug 90 05:28:52 GMT
   From: unsvax!jimi!duke.cs.unlv.edu!greg@uunet.uu.net  (Greg Wohletz)

					... the behavior is to append
   the local domain name whenever the name does not end with a .  Hence
   when I type ``ping jimi.cs.unlv.edu'' it causes queries like
   jimi.cs.unlv.edu.cs.unlv.edu to be generated.

This is the intended usage from the spec.  Names that end in a dot are
fully specified and not intended for local interpretation.  Names
without a dot at the end are potentially ambiguous.  They are tried
with the suffixes from the search list.  Apparently your search list
is ``cs.unlv.edu. .'' which is why it tries that long name first.  The
extra query should only happen once per resolver client.  Once it
caches that there is no listing under any ...edu.cs.unlv.edu then it
won't ask about any other hosts that are local.  You shouldn't be
affected that much by these.  If you want to avoid it completely, just
specify the complete name (i.e. ``ping jimi.cs.unlv.edu.'') or
configure your search list to include only ``.''.  Your suggestion
prevents a very useful ability to abbreviate names in adjacent
domains.