Re: .COM Clusters are Not RSCs

[Alan Barrett <apb at iafrica.com>]

On Fri, 20 Mar 1998, Karl Denninger wrote:
> A query for X.COM has to go to the root server, and THEN to the server which
> holds the data for X.COM.

A query for X.COM will go to an X.COM server if we already have the list
of X.COM servers cached; else to a COM server if we already have the list
of COM servers cached; else to a root server.  Loop until done or
bored.

Most nameservers get the list of COM servers cached pretty quickly, so
most queries for <anything>.COM go to the COM servers.

Many of the COM servers also happen to be root servers, so it's not
completely inaccurate to say that most queries for <anything>.COM go to
the root servers; but I think it's misleading, because the reason (most)
such queries arrive is because they were directed to a COM server.

--apb (Alan Barrett)