Re: Multicast DNS and the ".local" domain

From: Scott Lowe (me_at_privacy.net)
Date: 03/08/05 

Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 11:11:26 -0500

On 2005-02-28 19:20:59 -0500, "BOT House" <bothouse@insight.rr.com> said:

> Refer to...
>
> http://files.multicastdns.org/draft-cheshire-dnsext-multicastdns.txt
>
> "3. ... Any DNS query for a name ending with '.local.' MUST be sent to the
> mDNS multicast address (224.0.0.251 or its IPv6 equivalent FF02::FB).
>
> "3.2 ... Operators setting up private internal networks ('intranets') are
> advised that their lives may be easier if they avoid using the suffix
> '.local.' in names in their private internal DNS server."
>
> and...
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;836413
>
> "MORE INFORMATION When you plan your network, avoid assigning your domain a
> name that uses the .local extension."
>
> DOH!
>
> Jeez... what happened here? MS has been pushing ".local" for AD for years.
> AT LEAST half a decade.
>
> Is this a flip-flop or a "major policy reversal"?
>
> Granted, this is just a draft proposal (it hasn't made it to the IETF yet),
> but does anyone know if this is going to take off? Are those of us who
> called their AD domains "whatever.local" going to be SCREWED in a few years?
>
> I stumbled into this because after I upgraded a Debian Linux system, I had a
> process called "mDNSResponder" running. Turns out it's in every bleeding
> edge Linux distro out there.
>
> FWIW, MS has a competing draft proposal called Link Local Multicast Name
> Resolution (LLMNR).
>
> On or off-list comments are welcome.

I haven't yet worked with the mDNSResponder on various Linux systems
(just installed FC3 a few days ago on a spare laptop), but there are
workarounds for those of you that need to support mDNS in environments
with a .local TLD.

See <http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20040806232315819>
for a workaround for Mac OS X. This workaround may also work for other
mDNSResponder implementations. 

-- 
Scott Lowe

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