Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!nuug!ifi!enag From: enag@ifi.uio.no (Erik Naggum) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains Subject: Re: HINFO record consistency Message-ID: Date: 28 Nov 90 22:41:23 GMT References: <1990Nov27.234016.21510@terminator.cc.umich.edu> <1990Nov28.025352.28252@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Sender: enag@ifi.uio.no (Erik Naggum) Organization: Naggum Software, Oslo, Norway Lines: 33 Nntp-Posting-Host: hild.ifi.uio.no In-Reply-To: paul@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu's message of 28 Nov 90 02:53:52 GMT Originator: enag@hild In article <1990Nov28.025352.28252@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> paul@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (Paul Pomes - UofIllinois CSO) writes: Not everything worth doing is worth doing well. Agreed, if you know what you're doing. If you don't know what you're doing, you don't have any idea of what "well" entails, either. At UIUC I've arranged to put a HINFO record that gives the full name of each sub-domain, e.g., hinfo cso.uiuc.edu returns cso.uiuc.edu CPU = Computing_Services_Office OS = NONE This is handy for interpreting the sometimes cryptic abbreviations used. This is what the TXT RR is for. Don't kluge up the Resource Records when one for the exact purpose you're looking for exists, but you don't know about it. RTRFC. The TXT RR is standardized, but under- utilized. In the same vein, host 0 in the in-addr.arpa files returns the name of the subnet, e.g., 0.5.174.128.in-addr.arpa returns uiuc-dcl-net.uiuc.edu. The idea is to roll information typically found outside the DNS, /etc/networks for example, into it. This is the Right Thing to do. It's even been standardized. -- [Erik Naggum] Snail: Naggum Software / BOX 1570 VIKA / 0118 OSLO / NORWAY Mail: , My opinions. Wail: +47-2-836-863 --