Great job AT&T (re: Microsoft problems)

Thu Jan 25 04:13:12 UTC 2001

In response to what I said,

> > topaz.nstc.com used to run Microsoft DNS. After a while, having tried
> > repeatedly to get MSDNS to actually *serve* the zone files I
> > had set up, and having not been successful, I switched to Bind 8 
> > and have had no problems since.
> >
> > You might want to try Bind 8.

Roeland Meyer replied:

> The problem is that a PDC requires SRV updates on the zone. Only
> BIND-8.2.2p7 can do this and it's not clear that it runs sufficiently well
> (consider that feature as beta verging on alpha, IMHO). Certainly, the
> configuration is as clear as mud... way too much magic.

That's only a problem if you're running a PDC on your LAN.

I personally am not.

> My info says that MSFT only tested sufficiently with Win2K DNS. Integration
> with BIND was not considered especially important. This, in spite of the
> trip Vix made to NSFT, Summer '99 (where the SRV fixes came from). It is
> supposed to work, but the config is a nightmare of exceptions and special
> cases.

But again, that's a Microsoft issue. 

I will give Microsoft points for making their DNS server really easy to
configure. I will acknowledge not only that Bind is harder to configure
for someone who doesn't know it, but has the problems Roeland mentions.
Bind ain't perfect either, but it works, and it isn't produced by an
organization that thinks that Its Way is the Only Way(tm).

Microsoft has a large enough market share that I feel that it is their
obligation to make sure that their Internet products play nice with
the rest of the Net. Regardless of the fact that I dislike their business
practices, if they'd just work harder towards that end, I'd complain about
them a lot less than I now do.

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