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From: kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent England)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains
Subject: Re: PTR records of gateways on the Internet
Message-ID: <71990@bu.edu.bu.edu>
Date: 10 Jan 91 18:55:09 GMT
References: <1991Jan9.195641.17628@slcs.slb.com> <CKD.91Jan9220223@bucsd.bu.edu>
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In article <CKD.91Jan9220223@bucsd.bu.edu>,
 ckd@cs.bu.edu (Christopher Davis) writes:
> 
> Chris> b) I found PTR records that pointed to names that mapped back to
> Chris> different addresses.
> 
> And one of the big offenders here?  The NSFNET NSSes!
> 
> How to you expect the regionals and campus networks to get this right
> when the folks who pass the long haul stuff don't seem to be bothering?
> 
	One of the nicest features of the inverse mapping of the
backbone IP addresses is that traceroute will give you a nice name for
the NSS interface as you traverse the Internet.  You will be able to
figure out where your path goes.  It is an excellent argument for
having intelligible gateway interface names throughout the Internet.

	For those who run the backbone, one of the nicest features of
the lack of an A record for that name is that there is less likelihood
that people will pour pings, telnet, ftp, and mail messages at the
gateways.  They still can, but it must be to an IP address and not a
name.

	All in all a nice compromise, in my opinion.

	--Kent