Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!pacbell.com!ucsd!hub.ucsb.edu!spectrum.CMC.COM!lars
From: lars@spectrum.CMC.COM (Lars Poulsen)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains
Subject: Re: Does anyone use RFC1101 ??
Message-ID: <1991Feb3.191920.18897@spectrum.CMC.COM>
Date: 3 Feb 91 19:19:20 GMT
References: <14170@ganymede.inmos.co.uk>
Organization: Rockwell CMC
Lines: 41

In article <14170@ganymede.inmos.co.uk> gwh@inmos.co.uk () writes:
>::::::::::::::
>/etc/named.zone (abbreviated excerpts):
>::::::::::::::
>inmos.co.uk.    IN      SOA     eagle.inmos.co.uk. gwh.inmos.co.uk. (
>				    1.0010 3600 300 360000 3600   )
>eagle           IN      A       138.198.35.7
>trout           IN      A       138.198.35.204
>br-ether        PTR     0.0.198.138.IN-ADDR.ARPA.
>
>Now getnetbyname ("br-ether") returns:
>    name = br-ether.inmos.co.uk
>    addrtype = 2
>    net = 138.198.0.0

Seems utterly wrong to me. Can someone explain this ? I would have
expected to see:
  /etc/named.zone (abbreviated excerpts):
    Inmos.CO.UK.    IN      SOA     eagle.inmos.co.uk. gwh.inmos.co.uk. (
    				    1.0010 3600 300 360000 3600   )
    eagle           IN      A       138.198.35.7
    trout           IN      A       138.198.35.204
    br-ether        IN      A       138.198.0.0

  /etc/named.zone.rev:
    198.138.IN-ADDR.ARPA. IN SOA eagle.inmos.co.uk. gwh.inmos.co.uk. (
    				    1.0010 3600 300 360000 3600   )
    0.0             PTR     br-ether.Inmos.CO.UK.
    7.35            PTR     eagle.Inmos.CO.UK.
    204.35          PTR     trout.Inmos.CO.UK.

(1) I believe that a "PTR" record is a pointer record, and must point to
    a "real" RR.
(2) I believe that the "real" RR should be in the forward domain.
(3) I believe that this only works because BIND synthesizes A-records
    out of reverse PTR records.

On the other hand, I am quite willing to believe that I'm all wrong.
-- 
/ Lars Poulsen, SMTS Software Engineer
  CMC Rockwell  lars@CMC.COM