[dns-operations] online version checks

[Paul Vixie]

> From: Joe Greco <jgreco at ns.sol.net>
> Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:18:23 -0600 (CST)
> 
> I'd actually love to see some other information exported.  Was it here
> that I was talking about monitoring for failed zone transfers and the
> like?

no, that was over on the IETF DNSEXT mailing list, where folks periodically
talk about an XML based name server clustering and control protocol.  i do
not think we should try to export the list of zones and their status via a
DNS channel (imagine ZONES._DOMAIN AXFR and you'll get my meaning.)  better
to use DNS for simple things like version numbers, and define something else
for complex things like statistics and control.

> > this insight leads me to suggest that UPGRADE.BIND (as in your example)
> > be a TXT RRset containing the URL that the local management system could
> > use to find version-specific vendor-specific upgrade information.
> 
> That'd be nifty, as long as vendors could commit to avoiding allowing
> the URL's go stale, and yes, I recognize that your suggestion above is
> a good way to go about that, but I'm a little cynical sometimes.

vendor quality is outside the scope of the specification.  noone should be
using software whose vendor has disappeared or who is that flakey.