We got as far as discussing the issue of DNS servers having to refer queries they can't answer to other servers. Gearhead is here to help you find your cast-off sock and answer the DNS question. But we need to cover a lot of ground first. . . . The first concept we need to cover is the distinction between DNS subdomains and DNS zones. And in this subdomain there might be lower subdomains such as accounts, engineering and custserv.
Primary masters load their zone data from locally stored files.
This replication of zone data is called a zone transfer. Secondary masters are used to provide redundant service as well as to spread the load - for example, having two secondary masters on a subnet and having computers use one as their primary DNS server and the other as their secondary DNS server minimizes the load on the primary server. Just to give you way more options than you'd ever think necessary, a DNS server can be authoritative for multiple zones and be a primary master for one zone while it is acting as a secondary master for another zone. We didn't cover enough ground after all so, next week, we'll see if we can get on to referrals - but as DNS systems are pretty complex, we're promising nothing. . . . The place to discuss Gibbs's columns.