4 ms·
The real question is why would anything allow you to use an illegal hostname? I first ran into this problem 20 years ago, and have constantly over the next 20
by bastard_op 2y ago
The real question is why would anything allow you to use an illegal hostname?
I first ran into this problem 20 years ago, and have constantly over the next 20 years. Usually *nix Bind DNS servers warn you against self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but Windows DNS lets you do so gladly. I've managed to figure out over the years this was largely due to silly Windows NT4 admins that built domains, hostnames, and other things with underscore, that when evolving to Active Directory with Windows 2000 that used real DNS, and if Microsoft didn't let them use an underscore, they'd have forced (and should have) admins all over to have to rebuild their domains from scratch to conform to DNS RFC's.
The easy (Microsoft) answer: "Extend" the standard to allow underscores for AD DNS... And allow bad habits to extend perpetually and indefinitely, world and standards bed damned. As usual, thanks for all the fish Microsoft.
I've run into several organizations over the years that use Windows domains that have underscores, and every time I laugh, usually explaining to them about how that's technically illegal and breaks compatibility with, oh everyone but them. It's usually shrugged off that because it's "internal only" they don't have to. At least until they setup external partner and extranet networks outside of their own.
Any unix/linux folks that have ever setup a bind server themselves has probably run into this fact, but windows admins tend to remain still blissfully ignorant about the evils they do.
- fanf2 2y agoPart of the problem is that NETBIOS allowed _ in hostnames but forbade - and Microsoft didn’t address the incompatibility by doing any hostname character translation between the Internet and NETBIOS worlds.
- bastard_op 2y agoExactly, and what lazy lug of a windoze admin in 2000 wanted to rebuild NT4 domains to a whole new naming standard that actually complied with the choice to use "modern" DNS instead of Netbios? Those admins would have been at Microsoft's door with pitchforks and torches for making work for them, so instead they capitulated and relaxed the standard.
- Anthony-G 2y agoSimilarly, during the 2000s, Microsoft recommended the use of .local as a top-level domain for internal networks. This domain name is actually reserved by the IETF for multicast DNS so this practice has also been the source of many interoperability problems.
- jimbobthrowawy 2y agoI think apple devices still try to be reachable at <hostname>.local over their mDNS implementation. It's nice when it does work.