Subject: Re: named.conf
To: None <tech-userlevel@netbsd.org>
From: Greg A. Woods <woods@weird.com>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 01/26/2002 15:52:24
[ On , January 26, 2002 at 15:17:13 (-0500), Perry E. Metzger wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: named.conf
>
> Rick Kelly <rmk@toad.rmkhome.com> writes:
> > Perry E. Metzger said:
> > 
> > >In other words, as I said, "historical accident". So what *should* we
> > >be doing -- see my original message.
> > 
> > For consistancy it should probably be /etc/named.conf.
> 
> We have it in namedb for a good reason, and it has been there in BSD
> for over a decade now.

Yes, indeed the sample named config file has been in /etc/namedb for a
long time now.  Note though that if you boot a real 4.3BSD system
(1991), or a 4.4BSD system for that matter, with the original /etc/rc
and /etc/namedb/* files, named will simply fail to start (because it
can't open /etc/named.boot), and if you read the 4.3BSD System Managers
Manual it'll tell you the default location of named's configuration file
is /etc/named.boot.  Presumably if you happen to notice there is a
/etc/namedb/named.boot you'll simply rename or copy it to
/etc/named.boot and then edit it to suit (though the SMM doesn't give
any hint this file exists and I know many people who have created their
own files from scratch using the examples in the SMM).

> It is extremely convenient for people managing
> systems to leave it that way, and I am certainly not going to change
> that.

Indeed it is.  I keep the config file in /etc/namedb, in part because I
have a 'dnsamin' group with write permission in that directory.  However
I still expect named to find its config in /etc/named.conf, and I use a
symlink in that location to cause it to find the one in /etc/namedb.

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

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