Retrieving all DNS records - help!

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Smith
  • Start date Start date
J

John Smith

Hi;

Is there any way to get a complete list of records from a remote DNS server?
I've tried nslookup and it fails due to the server not wanting to list
everything.

I really need a complete list of records from various DNS servers - is there
anyway to do this? It would save me weeks of arduous work!
 
JS> Is there any way to get a complete list of records from
JS> a remote [content] DNS server?

Yes. They vary from DNS server software to DNS server software, of course,
and they rely upon one having the coöperation of the DNS administrator who
runs the content DNS server in question.

(One may think of "zone transfer" and "'NXT' walking", but, in the light of
tagged database records, neither necessarily provide a _complete_ list (as
specified), and the former is furthermore, as with the other methods,
dependent from having the coöperation of the relevant DNS administrator.)

JS> I really need a complete list of records from various
JS> DNS servers [...]

There are two common cases when people say that they "need" this sort of
information. Either they do _not_ actually "need" it at all (and merely want
it, without understanding what it is that they _actually_ need), or they are
doing something underhanded. (If they aren't doing something underhanded,
they usually just ask the DNS administrator directly, rather than asking other
people on Usenet, to provide them with a copy of the server's DNS database,
and obtain what they need in the straightforward manner and in short order.)

So: What makes you think that you "really need" such a list ?
 
The reason is that I compile a list of servers for different ISP's to help
their users. Most broadband IPS's seem to use single machine names for their
servers, such as mail, news etc. These names don't resolve when you install
a router - a fully qualified domain name is required.

As a result I research major ISP's networks and determine the machines
FQDN's. The problem is that discovering their naming conventions and
geographic locations is a pain in the rear and very time consuming.

Contacting DNS administrators doesn't seem to help as the email typically
never gets to them. Does that need meet your approval?
 
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