discuss: who is responsible for the tldp.org domain name
Subject:
Re: [discuss] who is responsible for the tldp.org domain name
From:
Rick Moen ####@####.####
Date:
3 Nov 2008 08:51:09 +0000
Message-Id: <20081103085012.GF5561@linuxmafia.com>
I wrote:
> > we have several sub-domain (for example Brazil - br.tldp.org) that
> > need update.
>
> That has nothing to do with the domain ownership: It's controlled in
> the DNS. The DNS is published by two nameservers at UNC.
In theory, you are _supposed_ to be able to find out who's administering
a domain's DNS zonefile via its public SOA (Start of Authority) record
-- but this works only if the DNS administrator actually bothers to be
correct and informative in that record. So, for example, the top of the
zonefile for domain linuxmafia.com is like this:
$TTL 86400
$ORIGIN linuxmafia.COM.
@ IN SOA ns1.linuxmafia.COM. rick.deirdre.NET. (
2007102400 ; serial
7200 ; refresh 2 hours
3600 ; retry 1 hour
2419200 ; expire 28 days
10800 ; negative TTL 3 hours
)
;
IN NS ns1.linuxmafia.com.
IN NS ns2.linuxmafia.com.
IN NS ns1.thecoop.net.
IN NS ns.primate.net.
IN NS ns.tx.primate.net.
IN A 198.144.195.186
IN MX 10 linuxmafia.COM.
IN HINFO P3/500 Linux-v.2.4.24
IN TXT "v=spf1 a mx -all"
LOC 37 25 53.825 N 122 11 52.128 W 15m
By convention, the SOA line states first the fully-qualified domain name
of the master nameserver (here, "ns1.linuxmafia.com"), followed by a
valid e-mail address for reaching the zonefile maintainer, with the "@"
symbol turned into a period (here, address ####@####.#### This is
followed by five numbers controlling other aspects of the domain's
technical operation.
Querying the SOA for tldp.org yields:
$ dig -t soa tldp.org +short
ns.unc.edu. host-reg.ns.unc.edu. 2008101001 14400 3600 1209600 86400
So, the master nameserver is "ns.unc.edu", and you're supposedly able to
reach the guys who maintain the zonefile at e-mail address
####@####.####
In the real world, the e-mail address specified often goes to a mailbox
that's ignored, or reaches someone who is a NOC technician but doesn't
have authority to alter the domain. With luck, in the latter case,
he/she will forward your mail to the right person.
(Yeah, I'm a sysadmin. DNS is a significant part of what I do.)
--
Cheers, "I'm sorry Dan, what's right isn't always popular,
Rick Moen and what's popular isn't always right."
####@####.#### -- George R. Moscone, Nov. 27, 1978
