Subject: Re: the uberTXT

From: Edward Lewis <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 11:43:14 -0400

>>  The bottom line is that TXT succeeds in delivering the data to every
>>  interested client, whereas new record types are a miserable failure.
>
>	this line of thinking should raise the question - why keep
>	any of the other, now vestigal, RR types...  anything we want
>	can be done in the TXT RR.  right?

Peace folks.

The argument here is not head to head.  One set of words reflects the 
way it is now.  The other set of words is motivated by what may lie 
ahead.

I really want to encourage the continual movement towards an 
architectural correct DNS.  Without that, the system will become 
unmanageable and will be forced into stagnation from an engineering 
viewpoint.

But reformation comes at a cost - we can't shutdown the DNS for a 
week, have a flag day, instructing all uses of DNS software upgrade 
on a dime.  For this, we have to give a nod to doing some undesirable 
things, undesirable from the point of view of an architectural purist.

What's missing from the discussion is how the DNS engineering 
community helps lead the communities using DNS to reform their ways 
when it comes to using DNS. (E.g., what can be done to get 
application developers to not hold DNS data beyond the TTL 
recommendation?)  This is the answer to the "we gotta use TXT cause 
it works today," not retorting with "relying on the TXT means we can 
remove all other types."

I can't imagine any engineer worth their salt would want a system to 
stagnate.  I can imagine an engineer doing everything possible to 
continue to offer support to users, even if this means stagnation 
might look like the best approach.

That is why I think the draft ought to recognize that it is 
preferable to extend via new types and ought to acknowledge that 
reusing TXT, although discouraged, has a legitimate role in DNS work.

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

"Now under neu management"

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