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From: rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains
Subject: Re: HINFO record consistency
Message-ID: <1990Nov28.023751.7459@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Date: 28 Nov 90 02:37:51 GMT
References: <1990Nov27.234016.21510@terminator.cc.umich.edu>
Organization: Northern Illinois University
Lines: 38

In article <1990Nov27.234016.21510@terminator.cc.umich.edu> bryan@terminator.cc.umich.edu (Bryan Beecher) writes:
>One problem with trying to use HINFO records for anything useful (at least
>on an inter-domain level) is that there isn't very much consistency between
>what various hostmasters place in them.  Some are fairly generic like
>"SUN" "UNIX" while others are more specific "Sun-3/50" "SunOS 3.5".
>
>Is there any semi-agreed upon convention for putting stuff in HINFOs?
>Is there a list of "proper" CPUs and OSs?  (There is a list at the NIC
>that's useful for HOSTS.TXT entries, but if I remember correctly, it's
>missing things that some people might like to have like Macs, PCs,
>Xterminals and other things.)

  The current convention is, I suspect, approximately the following:

	If the computer is one you manage - for example the system
	running the name server - place fairly specific information
	in the HINFO record.

	If the computer is managed by someone else, use vague incomplete
	information, because the person who knows the details (if such a
	person exists) didn't give it to you, and doesn't understand why
	you want it, and probably doesn't want to know what BIND is all
	about anyway, as long as his system works.

>If there isn't a convention or list already, I'd like to volunteer to
>assemble a list of CPUs and OSs suitable for use in HINFO records.
>Then if we can keep this list in well-known spots on the Internet,
>it might be possible to get people to use it and get some standardization.
>And then maybe HINFO records could be used for something worthwhile.

  Good luck in your attempt.  As you can guess from my comments above, I
think your effort is doomed to failure.

-- 
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
  Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science               <rickert@cs.niu.edu>
  Northern Illinois Univ.
  DeKalb, IL 60115.                                  +1-815-753-6940