Re: DNS and Directory Services

[John Harvey <john.harvey@dir.org>]

Here's another two cents worth!

> > Michael Dillon wrote:
> >
> > I think that DNS *IS* a directory service just like
> > the telephone white pages. I open the book, select the town
> > I'm interested, look for the D's, find Dillon and check the
> > first name and/or initial and/or address and then I have my
> > phone number. I ask a root nameserver who handles .COM, I
> > ask the .COM nameserver for MEMRA.COM, I ask Memra's
> > name server for WWW.MEMRA.COM and I have an IP address.

I disagree.  The DNS isn't like white pages and is not designed to be
one.  Many of us are forced into using WHOIS as the only comprehensive
facility available, but the success rate is so low generating DNS
traffic inefficiencies.

Paul A Vixie wrote: 
> I want to contact the web server for a product called "After
> Hours" Should I use:
> 
>         AFTERHOURS.COM
>         AFTER-HOURS-INC.COM
>         AFTERHRS.COM
> 
> Whois won't tell me.  I have to try each web server.  But if
> I know that the one I want is in a particular city (as is true
> in your telephone directory example) I should be able to 
> narrow it without showing up in each home page counter.  Why
> can't I?  Because DNS isn't a directory service and it's all
> we have and we need --substantially!-- more.

I agree and the sooner the need for a universal directory is recognized
by others within the "community" the easier communication will be for
all.  

Unlike the phone book, it doesn't want to list possible addresses for a
given name, (giving the "direct marketing guys" more  resouces for
generating "junk" mailing lists), but a well defined series of search
engines that only gives a result if you specify detailed information
about who you want to contact.  This may use DNS data or information
directly supplied and controlled by end-users.   

John.
-- 
__________________________________________________________________
John Harvey - Director of On-line Information Services.
mailto:john.harvey@dir.org  Fax:+1 242-326-4105 http://www.dir.org
Directory Corporation, Universal House, Nassau, PO N-3401, Bahamas
__________________________________________________________________