Re: AS information available via DNS

[Havard Eidnes <]

>   * > [mature-tony-1480] host -lt txt as1104.aut-num.ripe.net
>   * > AS1104.aut-num.ripe.net TXT     192.16.185.0
>   * > AS1104.aut-num.ripe.net TXT     192.16.186.0
>   * > AS1104.aut-num.ripe.net TXT     192.16.194.0
>   * > AS1104.aut-num.ripe.net TXT     192.16.195.0
>   * > AS1104.aut-num.ripe.net TXT     192.16.199.0
>   * > AS1104.aut-num.ripe.net TXT     192.87.45.0
>   * ...
>   * I'm not sure of what a solution to this problem should be, however, or
>   * whether we just ignore the problem.
>
> That was my feeling too. If people like the idea and we can reliably use
> it for the update procedure then I'll just make sure we either make 
> "warning" documentation to use TCP based queries or we put up a good 
> resolver.

I've given this some further thought, and a possibility could be to do it
like this:

$origin as224.aut-num.ripe.net.
@	IN	SOA	...
;
@		NS	...
@		NS	...
;
1		A	32.0.0.0
2		A	128.39.0.0
3		A	129.177.0.0
4		A	129.240.0.0
;

etc.

Since you are primarily concerned with the value parts of the RRs in the
zone, the labels you use to identify each individual entry is of lesser
concern.  This avoids the problem of truncated UDP response packets, but
also removes the possibility to retrieve the network list by using a single
DNS query (over TCP).  Instead, one have to use a zone transfer to
accomplish the same task.

I'm not sure this is a desireable solution...  I think the technically more
correct thing would be to deploy/distribute (contribute to BIND) a better
resolver library but it will take a while for it to be widely distributed
(eg. via vendors).


- Havard