Subject: I-D ACTION:draft-ietf-dnsext-axfr-clarify-09.txt

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:00:02 -0700 (PDT)

A New Internet-Draft is available from the on-line Internet-Drafts 
directories.
This draft is a work item of the DNS Extensions Working Group of the IETF.

	Title		: DNS Zone Transfer Protocol (AXFR)
	Author(s)	: E. Lewis
	Filename	: draft-ietf-dnsext-axfr-clarify-09.txt
	Pages		: 14
	Date		: 2008-7-14
	
The Domain Name System standard mechanisms for maintaining coherent
servers for a zone consist of three elements.  One mechanism is the
Authoritative Transfer (AXFR) is defined in RFC 1034 and RFC 1035.
The definition of AXFR, has proven insufficient in detail, forcing
implementations intended to be compliant to make assumptions, impeding
interoperability. Yet today we have a satisfactory set of
implementations that do interoperate. This document is a new
definition of the AXFR, new in the sense that is it recording an
accurate definition of an interoperable AXFR mechanism.

A URL for this Internet-Draft is:
http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-dnsext-axfr-clarify-09.txt

Internet-Drafts are also available by anonymous FTP at:
ftp://ftp.ietf.org/internet-drafts/

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From: Mark Andrews <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:19:49 +1000

"An AXFR client might receive a number of AXFR response messages
	free of an error condition before the message indicating an error
	is received.  But once an error is reported, the AXFR client can
	assume that the error reporting message is the last."

	Last what?
	* message in the axfr response stream?
	* message on the TCP connection?

-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: [email-masked]

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From: Edward Lewis <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:10:06 -0400

>	* message on the TCP connection?

What do you suggest?  I am just the editor.

Should the connection be ended?  Or just the AXFR session?

I suppose that in either case, it is the last message in the AXFR 
session, but it is open whether the connection is to be torn down.

The wording above came from the observation of one WG member that an 
error condition might develop over the life of the session.  Some 
errors will occur at the beginning - like saying "I don't have the 
zone" and some errors (could?) happen part way through the transfer. 
In either case, the "last" message sent would indicate the error. 
The question is, is the TCP connection ended when the session is 
(because of the reported error) ended?  Perhaps the answer is error 
dependent?

-- 
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Edward Lewis                                                +1-571-434-5468
NeuStar

Never confuse activity with progress.  Activity pays more.

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From: Mark Andrews <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:48:47 +1000

> Should the connection be ended?  Or just the AXFR session?

	Just the AXFR session would be my call.  I just commented
	because it could be read either way.

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From: Mark Andrews <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:54:46 +1000

The defaults on whether to allow a transfer or not are
	problematic.  They sound nice but are impractical.

	I would suggest that they remain unspecified.

	Mark

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From: Edward Lewis <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:04:54 -0400

At 0:48 +1000 7/16/08, Mark Andrews wrote:
>I said:

Cool, barring a flood of other comments, I'll clean that up in the 
next go'round.

Speaking to implementers, in regards to dealing with bugs, etc., has 
there been a situation in which, mid zone transfer (AXFR or not), a 
problem arose that caused the connection to be corrupted enough that 
it had to be torn down?  As opposed to being torn down as a matter of 
cleaning up an ended (in failure) transfer session.
-- 
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Edward Lewis                                                +1-571-434-5468
NeuStar