RFC 1033 (rfc1033) - Page 1 of 22
Domain administrators operations guide
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group M. Lottor
Request For Comments: 1033 SRI International
November 1987
DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS OPERATIONS GUIDE
STATUS OF THIS MEMO
This RFC provides guidelines for domain administrators in operating a
domain server and maintaining their portion of the hierarchical
database. Familiarity with the domain system is assumed.
Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This memo is a formatted collection of notes and excerpts from the
references listed at the end of this document. Of particular mention
are Paul Mockapetris and Kevin Dunlap.
INTRODUCTION
A domain server requires a few files to get started. It will
normally have some number of boot/startup files (also known as the
"safety belt" files). One section will contain a list of possible
root servers that the server will use to find the up-to-date list of
root servers. Another section will list the zone files to be loaded
into the server for your local domain information. A zone file
typically contains all the data for a particular domain. This guide
describes the data formats that can be used in zone files and
suggested parameters to use for certain fields. If you are
attempting to do anything advanced or tricky, consult the appropriate
domain RFC's for more details.
Note: Each implementation of domain software may require different
files. Zone files are standardized but some servers may require
other startup files. See the appropriate documentation that comes
with your software. See the appendix for some specific examples.
ZONES
A zone defines the contents of a contiguous section of the domain
space, usually bounded by administrative boundaries. There will
typically be a separate data file for each zone. The data contained
in a zone file is composed of entries called Resource Records (RRs).
Lottor
