Bruce Tonkin wrote:
] In EPP protocol based registries (including .com.au, .org, .biz, .info),
] there are separate data records for domains, hosts, and contact records.
] To delegate a domain name to a nameserver, requires the existance of the
] host record for that domain name in the registry.  HOWEVER this registry
] host record does not need to contain the IP address (and in most cases
] SHOULDN'T contain the IP address).
] 
] So if you create the domain something.biz, and wish to delegate it to
] ns1.somethingelse.com.au and ns2.somethingelse.com.au, you should first
] create the "host" records for ns1.somethingelse.com.au and
] ns2.somethingelse.com.au in the registry WITHOUT the IP addresses.  If
] you create these nameservers without IP addresses, the registry WILL NOT
] create a glue record for them in the zonefile.  Leave it to the .com.au
] zonefile to manage the resolution of ns1.somethingelse.com.au to an IP
] address.

Bruce, thanks for confirming that information about gTLD domains which
are *newly created*.  You don't need to specify the IP address for
ns1.somethingelse.com.au (as above) in a gTLD registry like .biz, but
you do need a host record for ns1.somethingelse.com.au in that registry.

Presumably the same applies to the .com/.net gTLD registry.

What about say a lastcentury.com domain which was created in the 1990s
with DNS servers ns1.somethingelse.com.au and ns2.somethingelse.com.au?
Network Solutions (before Verisign entered the picture) would have held
a host record with ns1.somethingelse.com.au and IP address 1.2.3.4 (say)
when the lastcentury.com domain was first registered.

Have these old host records in the .com gTLD registry (or at gTLD
registrars) at some point been stripped of IP addresses?  

I have tried looking in whois.verisign-grs.com for a number of hosts
records I know where the host name ends in .au (for example host
ns1.melbourneit.com.au and ns1.qantas.com.au which are used as DNS
servers for .com domains) but cannot find any with IP addresses.
I look after black-bean.cyber.com.au which used to have an IP
address, but not any more.

I don't suppose anyone would know who removed the IP addresses
and when?  I'm glad its been done, to reduce duplication of
information, I'd just be interested to know.

___________________________________________________________________________
 David Keegel <djk&#167;cybersource.com.au>  http://www.cyber.com.au/users/djk/
 Cybersource P/L: Linux/Unix Systems Administration Consulting/Contracting