[wplug] Very strange DNS activity

[Philip Reiche]

# nslookup
Default Server:  fulcrum.doe.gov
Address:  205.254.144.110

> www.treas.gov 
Server:  fulcrum.doe.gov
Address:  205.254.144.110

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    treas.tpaq.treasury.gov
Address:  66.77.70.101
Aliases:  www.treas.gov 


>>> wmoran at potentialtech.com 7/28/2005 12:40 PM >>>

I'd be grateful to anyone who can explain what the government is doing
with
their DNS.  It appears as if www.treas.gov is an alias for
treas.tpaq.treasury.gov, but treas.tpaq.treasury.gov does not have a
DNS record.

However, if you go to www.treas.gov in a web browser, all works well.

Anyone have enough DNS-fu to explain this oddity?

# host www.treas.gov 
Host not found.

# dig www.treas.gov 

; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> www.treas.gov 
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 24148
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;      www.treas.gov, type = A, class = IN

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.treas.gov.          2S IN CNAME     treas.tpaq.treasury.gov.

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
tpaq.treasury.gov.      2h55m22s IN SOA  st3dns.usmint.gov.
hostmaster.st3dns.usmint.gov. (
                                        2005072814      ; serial
                                        8H              ; refresh
                                        2H              ; retry
                                        1W              ; expiry
                                        1D )            ; minimum


;; Total query time: 23 msec
;; FROM: pa-plum1b-166.pit.adelphia.net to SERVER: 68.168.160.2
;; WHEN: Thu Jul 28 12:37:25 2005
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 31  rcvd: 126

6# dig treas.tpaq.treasury.gov

; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> treas.tpaq.treasury.gov 
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 63387
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUERY SECTION:
;;      treas.tpaq.treasury.gov, type = A, class = IN

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
tpaq.treasury.gov.      2h54m59s IN SOA  st3dns.usmint.gov.
hostmaster.st3dns.usmint.gov. (
                                        2005072814      ; serial
                                        8H              ; refresh
                                        2H              ; retry
                                        1W              ; expiry
                                        1D )            ; minimum


;; Total query time: 20 msec
;; FROM: pa-plum1b-166.pit.adelphia.net to SERVER: 68.168.160.2
;; WHEN: Thu Jul 28 12:37:48 2005
;; MSG SIZE  sent: 41  rcvd: 102

-- 
Bill Moran
Potential Technologies
http://www.potentialtech.com 
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