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diff --git a/doc/draft/draft-ietf-dnsext-wcard-clarify-10.txt b/doc/draft/draft-ietf-dnsext-wcard-clarify-10.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9cf88a5831f6..000000000000 --- a/doc/draft/draft-ietf-dnsext-wcard-clarify-10.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1063 +0,0 @@ -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -DNSEXT Working Group E. Lewis -INTERNET DRAFT NeuStar -Expiration Date: July 9, 2006 January 9, 2006 -Updates RFC 1034, RFC 2672 - - The Role of Wildcards - in the Domain Name System - draft-ietf-dnsext-wcard-clarify-10.txt - -Status of this Memo - - By submitting this Internet-Draft, each author represents that - any applicable patent or other IPR claims of which he or she is - aware have been or will be disclosed, and any of which he or she - becomes aware will be disclosed, in accordance with Section 6 of - BCP 79. - - Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering - Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that - other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet- - Drafts. - - Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six - months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other - documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts - as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in - progress." - - The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at - http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt - - The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at - http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html - - This Internet-Draft will expire on July 9, 2006. - -Copyright Notice - - Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006). - -Abstract - - This is an update to the wildcard definition of RFC 1034. The - interaction with wildcards and CNAME is changed, an error - condition removed, and the words defining some concepts central - to wildcards are changed. The overall goal is not to change - wildcards, but to refine the definition of RFC 1034. - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 1] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -Table of Contents - -1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -1 1 Motivation 3 -1 2 The Original Definition 3 -1 3 Roadmap to This Document 4 -1 3 1 New Terms 4 -1.3.2 Changed Text 5 -1.3.3 Considerations with Special Types 5 -1.4 Standards Terminology 5 -2. Wildcard Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 -2.1 Identifying a Wildcard 6 -2.1.1 Wild Card Domain Name and Asterisk Label 6 -2.1.2 Asterisks and Other Characters 6 -2.1.3 Non-terminal Wild Card Domain Names 6 -2.2 Existence Rules 7 -2.2.1 An Example 7 -2.2.2 Empty Non-terminals 9 -2.2.3 Yet Another Definition of Existence 10 -2.3 When is a Wild Card Domain Name Not Special 10 -3. Impact of a Wild Card Domain Name On a Response . . . . . 10 -3.1 Step 2 10 -3.2 Step 3 11 -3.3 Part 'c' 11 -3.3.1 Closest Encloser and the Source of Synthesis 12 -3.3.2 Closest Encloser and Source of Synthesis Examples 12 -3.3.3 Type Matching 13 -4. Considerations with Special Types . . . . . . . . . 13 -4.1 SOA RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name 13 -4.2 NS RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name 14 -4.2.1 Discarded Notions 14 -4.3 CNAME RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name 15 -4.4 DNAME RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name 15 -4.5 SRV RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name 16 -4.6 DS RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name 16 -4.7 NSEC RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name 17 -4.8 RRSIG at a Wild Card Domain Name 17 -4.9 Empty Non-terminal Wild Card Domain Name 17 -5. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 -6. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 -7. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 -8. Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 -9. Others Contributing to the Document . . . . . . . . 18 -10. Trailing Boilerplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 - - - - - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 2] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -1. Introduction - - In RFC 1034 [RFC1034], sections 4.3.2 and 4.3.3 describe the - synthesis of answers from special resource records called - wildcards. The definition in RFC 1034 is incomplete and has - proven to be confusing. This document describes the wildcard - synthesis by adding to the discussion and making limited - modifications. Modifications are made to close inconsistencies - that have led to interoperability issues. This description - does not expand the service intended by the original definition. - - Staying within the spirit and style of the original documents, - this document avoids specifying rules for DNS implementations - regarding wildcards. The intention is to only describe what is - needed for interoperability, not restrict implementation choices. - In addition, consideration is given to minimize any backwards - compatibility issues with implementations that comply with RFC - 1034's definition. - - This document is focused on the concept of wildcards as defined - in RFC 1034. Nothing is implied regarding alternative means of - synthesizing resource record sets, nor are alternatives discussed. - -1.1 Motivation - - Many DNS implementations diverge, in different ways, from the - original definition of wildcards. Although there is clearly a - need to clarify the original documents in light of this alone, - the impetus for this document lay in the engineering of the DNS - security extensions [RFC4033]. With an unclear definition of - wildcards the design of authenticated denial became entangled. - - This document is intended to limit its changes, documenting only - those based on implementation experience, and to remain as close - to the original document as possible. To reinforce that this - document is meant to clarify and adjust and not redefine wildcards, - relevant sections of RFC 1034 are repeated verbatim to facilitate - comparison of the old and new text. - -1.2 The Original Definition - - The definition of the wildcard concept is comprised by the - documentation of the algorithm by which a name server prepares - a response (in RFC 1034's section 4.3.2) and the way in which - a resource record (set) is identified as being a source of - synthetic data (section 4.3.3). - - This is the definition of the term "wildcard" as it appears in - RFC 1034, section 4.3.3. - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 3] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -# In the previous algorithm, special treatment was given to RRs with -# owner names starting with the label "*". Such RRs are called -# wildcards. Wildcard RRs can be thought of as instructions for -# synthesizing RRs. When the appropriate conditions are met, the name -# server creates RRs with an owner name equal to the query name and -# contents taken from the wildcard RRs. - - This passage follows the algorithm in which the term wildcard - is first used. In this definition, wildcard refers to resource - records. In other usage, wildcard has referred to domain names, - and it has been used to describe the operational practice of - relying on wildcards to generate answers. It is clear from this - that there is a need to define clear and unambiguous terminology - in the process of discussing wildcards. - - The mention of the use of wildcards in the preparation of a - response is contained in step 3c of RFC 1034's section 4.3.2 - entitled "Algorithm." Note that "wildcard" does not appear in - the algorithm, instead references are made to the "*" label. - The portion of the algorithm relating to wildcards is - deconstructed in detail in section 3 of this document, this is - the beginning of the relevant portion of the "Algorithm." - -# c. If at some label, a match is impossible (i.e., the -# corresponding label does not exist), look to see if [...] -# the "*" label exists. - - The scope of this document is the RFC 1034 definition of - wildcards and the implications of updates to those documents, - such as DNSSEC. Alternate schemes for synthesizing answers are - not considered. (Note that there is no reference listed. No - document is known to describe any alternate schemes, although - there has been some mention of them in mailing lists.) - -1.3 Roadmap to This Document - - This document accomplishes these three items. - o Defines new terms - o Makes minor changes to avoid conflicting concepts - o Describes the actions of certain resource records as wildcards - -1.3.1 New Terms - - To help in discussing what resource records are wildcards, two - terms will be defined - "asterisk label" and "wild card domain - name". These are defined in section 2.1.1. - - To assist in clarifying the role of wildcards in the name server - algorithm in RFC 1034, 4.3.2, "source of synthesis" and "closest - encloser" are defined. These definitions are in section 3.3.2. - "Label match" is defined in section 3.2. - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 4] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - The new terms are used to make discussions of wildcards clearer. - Terminology doesn't directly have an impact on implementations. - -1.3.2 Changed Text - - The definition of "existence" is changed superficially. This - change will not be apparent to implementations; it is needed to - make descriptions more precise. The change appears in section - 2.2.3. - - RFC 1034, section 4.3.3., seems to prohibit having two asterisk - labels in a wildcard owner name. With this document the - restriction is removed entirely. This change and its implications - are in section 2.1.3. - - The actions when a source of synthesis owns a CNAME RR are - changed to mirror the actions if an exact match name owns a - CNAME RR. This is an addition to the words in RFC 1034, - section 4.3.2, step 3, part c. The discussion of this is in - section 3.3.3. - - Only the latter change represents an impact to implementations. - The definition of existence is not a protocol impact. The change - to the restriction on names is unlikely to have an impact, as - RFC 1034 contained no specification on when and how to enforce the - restriction. - -1.3.3 Considerations with Special Types - - This document describes semantics of wildcard RRSets for - "interesting" types as well as empty non-terminal wildcards. - Understanding these situations in the context of wildcards has - been clouded because these types incur special processing if - they are the result of an exact match. This discussion is in - section 4. - - These discussions do not have an implementation impact, they cover - existing knowledge of the types, but to a greater level of detail. - -1.4 Standards Terminology - - This document does not use terms as defined in "Key words for use - in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels." [RFC2119] - - Quotations of RFC 1034 are denoted by a '#' in the leftmost - column. References to section "4.3.2" are assumed to refer - to RFC 1034's section 4.3.2, simply titled "Algorithm." - - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 5] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -2. Wildcard Syntax - - The syntax of a wildcard is the same as any other DNS resource - record, across all classes and types. The only significant - feature is the owner name. - - Because wildcards are encoded as resource records with special - names, they are included in zone transfers and incremental zone - transfers[RFC1995] just as non-wildcard resource records are. - This feature has been under appreciated until discussions on - alternative approaches to wildcards appeared on mailing lists. - -2.1 Identifying a Wildcard - - To provide a more accurate description of wildcards, the - definition has to start with a discussion of the domain names - that appear as owners. Two new terms are needed, "Asterisk - Label" and "Wild Card Domain Name." - -2.1.1 Wild Card Domain Name and Asterisk Label - - A "wild card domain name" is defined by having its initial - (i.e., left-most or least significant) label be, in binary format: - - 0000 0001 0010 1010 (binary) = 0x01 0x2a (hexadecimal) - - The first octet is the normal label type and length for a 1 octet - long label, the second octet is the ASCII representation [RFC20] - for the '*' character. - - A descriptive name of a label equaling that value is an "asterisk - label." - - RFC 1034's definition of wildcard would be "a resource record - owned by a wild card domain name." - -2.1.2 Asterisks and Other Characters - - No label values other than that in section 2.1.1 are asterisk - labels, hence names beginning with other labels are never wild - card domain names. Labels such as 'the*' and '**' are not - asterisk labels so these labels do not start wild card domain - names. - -2.1.3 Non-terminal Wild Card Domain Names - - In section 4.3.3, the following is stated: - -# .......................... The owner name of the wildcard RRs is of -# the form "*.<anydomain>", where <anydomain> is any domain name. -# <anydomain> should not contain other * labels...................... - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 6] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - The restriction is now removed. The original documentation of it - is incomplete and the restriction does not serve any purpose - given years of operational experience. - - There are three possible reasons for putting the restriction in - place, but none of the three has held up over time. One is - that the restriction meant that there would never be subdomains - of wild card domain names, but the restriciton as stated still - permits "example.*.example." for instance. Another is that - wild card domain names are not intended to be empty non-terminals, - but this situation does not disrupt the algorithm in 4.3.2. - Finally, "nested" wild card domain names are not ambiguous once - the concept of the closest encloser had been documented. - - A wild card domain name can have subdomains. There is no need - to inspect the subdomains to see if there is another asterisk - label in any subdomain. - - A wild card domain name can be an empty non-terminal. (See the - upcoming sections on empty non-terminals.) In this case, any - lookup encountering it will terminate as would any empty - non-terminal match. - -2.2 Existence Rules - - The notion that a domain name 'exists' is mentioned in the - definition of wildcards. In section 4.3.3 of RFC 1034: - -# Wildcard RRs do not apply: -# -... -# - When the query name or a name between the wildcard domain and -# the query name is know[n] to exist. For example, if a wildcard - - "Existence" is therefore an important concept in the understanding - of wildcards. Unfortunately, the definition of what exists, in RFC - 1034, is unclear. So, in sections 2.2.2. and 2.2.3, another look is - taken at the definition of existence. - -2.2.1 An Example - - To illustrate what is meant by existence consider this complete - zone: - - - - - - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 7] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - $ORIGIN example. - example. 3600 IN SOA <SOA RDATA> - example. 3600 NS ns.example.com. - example. 3600 NS ns.example.net. - *.example. 3600 TXT "this is a wild card" - *.example. 3600 MX 10 host1.example. - sub.*.example. 3600 TXT "this is not a wild card" - host1.example. 3600 A 192.0.4.1 - _ssh._tcp.host1.example. 3600 SRV <SRV RDATA> - _ssh._tcp.host2.example. 3600 SRV <SRV RDATA> - subdel.example. 3600 NS ns.example.com. - subdel.example. 3600 NS ns.example.net. - - A look at the domain names in a tree structure is helpful: - - | - -------------example------------ - / / \ \ - / / \ \ - / / \ \ - * host1 host2 subdel - | | | - | | | - sub _tcp _tcp - | | - | | - _ssh _ssh - - The following responses would be synthesized from one of the - wildcards in the zone: - - QNAME=host3.example. QTYPE=MX, QCLASS=IN - the answer will be a "host3.example. IN MX ..." - - QNAME=host3.example. QTYPE=A, QCLASS=IN - the answer will reflect "no error, but no data" - because there is no A RR set at '*.example.' - - QNAME=foo.bar.example. QTYPE=TXT, QCLASS=IN - the answer will be "foo.bar.example. IN TXT ..." - because bar.example. does not exist, but the wildcard - does. - - The following responses would not be synthesized from any of the - wildcards in the zone: - - QNAME=host1.example., QTYPE=MX, QCLASS=IN - because host1.example. exists - - QNAME=sub.*.example., QTYPE=MX, QCLASS=IN - because sub.*.example. exists - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 8] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - QNAME=_telnet._tcp.host1.example., QTYPE=SRV, QCLASS=IN - because _tcp.host1.example. exists (without data) - - QNAME=host.subdel.example., QTYPE=A, QCLASS=IN - because subdel.example. exists (and is a zone cut) - - QNAME=ghost.*.example., QTYPE=MX, QCLASS=IN - because *.example. exists - - The final example highlights one common misconception about - wildcards. A wildcard "blocks itself" in the sense that a - wildcard does not match its own subdomains. I.e. "*.example." - does not match all names in the "example." zone, it fails to - match the names below "*.example." To cover names under - "*.example.", another wild card domain name is needed - - "*.*.example." - which covers all but it's own subdomains. - -2.2.2 Empty Non-terminals - - Empty non-terminals [RFC2136, Section 7.16] are domain names - that own no resource records but have subdomains that do. In - section 2.2.1, "_tcp.host1.example." is an example of a empty - non-terminal name. Empty non-terminals are introduced by this - text in section 3.1 of RFC 1034: - -# The domain name space is a tree structure. Each node and leaf on -# the tree corresponds to a resource set (which may be empty). The -# domain system makes no distinctions between the uses of the -# interior nodes and leaves, and this memo uses the term "node" to -# refer to both. - - The parenthesized "which may be empty" specifies that empty non- - terminals are explicitly recognized, and that empty non-terminals - "exist." - - Pedantically reading the above paragraph can lead to an - interpretation that all possible domains exist - up to the - suggested limit of 255 octets for a domain name [RFC1035]. - For example, www.example. may have an A RR, and as far as is - practically concerned, is a leaf of the domain tree. But the - definition can be taken to mean that sub.www.example. also - exists, albeit with no data. By extension, all possible domains - exist, from the root on down. - - As RFC 1034 also defines "an authoritative name error indicating - that the name does not exist" in section 4.3.1, so this apparently - is not the intent of the original definition, justifying the - need for an updated definition in the next section. - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 9] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -2.2.3 Yet Another Definition of Existence - - RFC1034's wording is fixed by the following paragraph: - - The domain name space is a tree structure. Nodes in the tree - either own at least one RRSet and/or have descendants that - collectively own at least one RRSet. A node may exist with no - RRSets only if it has descendents that do, this node is an empty - non-terminal. - - A node with no descendants is a leaf node. Empty leaf nodes do - not exist. - - Note that at a zone boundary, the domain name owns data, - including the NS RR set. In the delegating zone, the NS RR - set is not authoritative, but that is of no consequence here. - The domain name owns data, therefore, it exists. - -2.3 When is a Wild Card Domain Name Not Special - - When a wild card domain name appears in a message's query section, - no special processing occurs. An asterisk label in a query name - only matches a single, corresponding asterisk label in the - existing zone tree when the 4.3.2 algorithm is being followed. - - When a wild card domain name appears in the resource data of a - record, no special processing occurs. An asterisk label in that - context literally means just an asterisk. - -3. Impact of a Wild Card Domain Name On a Response - - RFC 1034's description of how wildcards impact response - generation is in its section 4.3.2. That passage contains the - algorithm followed by a server in constructing a response. - Within that algorithm, step 3, part 'c' defines the behavior of - the wildcard. - - The algorithm in section 4.3.2. is not intended to be pseudo-code, - i.e., its steps are not intended to be followed in strict order. - The "algorithm" is a suggested means of implementing the - requirements. As such, in step 3, parts a, b, and c, do not have - to be implemented in that order, provided that the result of the - implemented code is compliant with the protocol's specification. - -3.1 Step 2 - - Step 2 of section 4.3.2 reads: - -# 2. Search the available zones for the zone which is the nearest -# ancestor to QNAME. If such a zone is found, go to step 3, -# otherwise step 4. - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 10] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - In this step, the most appropriate zone for the response is - chosen. The significance of this step is that it means all of - step 3 is being performed within one zone. This has significance - when considering whether or not an SOA RR can be ever be used for - synthesis. - -3.2 Step 3 - - Step 3 is dominated by three parts, labelled 'a', 'b', and 'c'. - But the beginning of the step is important and needs explanation. - -# 3. Start matching down, label by label, in the zone. The -# matching process can terminate several ways: - - The word 'matching' refers to label matching. The concept - is based in the view of the zone as the tree of existing names. - The query name is considered to be an ordered sequence of - labels - as if the name were a path from the root to the owner - of the desired data. (Which it is - 3rd paragraph of RFC 1034, - section 3.1.) - - The process of label matching a query name ends in exactly one of - three choices, the parts 'a', 'b', and 'c'. Either the name is - found, the name is below a cut point, or the name is not found. - - Once one of the parts is chosen, the other parts are not - considered. (E.g., do not execute part 'c' and then change - the execution path to finish in part 'b'.) The process of label - matching is also done independent of the query type (QTYPE). - - Parts 'a' and 'b' are not an issue for this clarification as they - do not relate to record synthesis. Part 'a' is an exact match - that results in an answer, part 'b' is a referral. - -3.3 Part 'c' - - The context of part 'c' is that the process of label matching the - labels of the query name has resulted in a situation in which - there is no corresponding label in the tree. It is as if the - lookup has "fallen off the tree." - -# c. If at some label, a match is impossible (i.e., the -# corresponding label does not exist), look to see if [...] -# the "*" label exists. - - To help describe the process of looking 'to see if [...] the "*" - label exists' a term has been coined to describe the last domain - (node) matched. The term is "closest encloser." - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 11] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -3.3.1 Closest Encloser and the Source of Synthesis - - The closest encloser is the node in the zone's tree of existing - domain names that has the most labels matching the query name - (consecutively, counting from the root label downward). Each match - is a "label match" and the order of the labels is the same. - - The closest encloser is, by definition, an existing name in the - zone. The closest encloser might be an empty non-terminal or even - be a wild card domain name itself. In no circumstances is the - closest encloser to be used to synthesize records for the current - query. - - The source of synthesis is defined in the context of a query - process as that wild card domain name immediately descending - from the closest encloser, provided that this wild card domain - name exists. "Immediately descending" means that the source - of synthesis has a name of the form: - <asterisk label>.<closest encloser>. - A source of synthesis does not guarantee having a RRSet to use - for synthesis. The source of synthesis could be an empty - non-terminal. - - If the source of synthesis does not exist (not on the domain - tree), there will be no wildcard synthesis. There is no search - for an alternate. - - The important concept is that for any given lookup process, there - is at most one place at which wildcard synthetic records can be - obtained. If the source of synthesis does not exist, the lookup - terminates, the lookup does not look for other wildcard records. - -3.3.2 Closest Encloser and Source of Synthesis Examples - - To illustrate, using the example zone in section 2.2.1 of this - document, the following chart shows QNAMEs and the closest - enclosers. - - QNAME Closest Encloser Source of Synthesis - host3.example. example. *.example. - _telnet._tcp.host1.example. _tcp.host1.example. no source - _telnet._tcp.host2.example. host2.example. no source - _telnet._tcp.host3.example. example. *.example. - _chat._udp.host3.example. example. *.example. - foobar.*.example. *.example. no source - - - - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 12] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -3.3.3 Type Matching - - RFC 1034 concludes part 'c' with this: - -# If the "*" label does not exist, check whether the name -# we are looking for is the original QNAME in the query -# or a name we have followed due to a CNAME. If the name -# is original, set an authoritative name error in the -# response and exit. Otherwise just exit. -# -# If the "*" label does exist, match RRs at that node -# against QTYPE. If any match, copy them into the answer -# section, but set the owner of the RR to be QNAME, and -# not the node with the "*" label. Go to step 6. - - The final paragraph covers the role of the QTYPE in the lookup - process. - - Based on implementation feedback and similarities between step - 'a' and step 'c' a change to this passage has been made. - - The change is to add the following text to step 'c' prior to the - instructions to "go to step 6": - - If the data at the source of synthesis is a CNAME, and - QTYPE doesn't match CNAME, copy the CNAME RR into the - answer section of the response changing the owner name - to the QNAME, change QNAME to the canonical name in the - CNAME RR, and go back to step 1. - - This is essentially the same text in step a covering the - processing of CNAME RRSets. - -4. Considerations with Special Types - - Sections 2 and 3 of this document discuss wildcard synthesis - with respect to names in the domain tree and ignore the impact - of types. In this section, the implication of wildcards of - specific types are discussed. The types covered are those - that have proven to be the most difficult to understand. The - types are SOA, NS, CNAME, DNAME, SRV, DS, NSEC, RRSIG and - "none," i.e., empty non-terminal wild card domain names. - -4.1 SOA RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name - - A wild card domain name owning an SOA RRSet means that the - domain is at the root of the zone (apex). The domain can not - be a source of synthesis because that is, by definition, a - descendent node (of the closest encloser) and a zone apex is - at the top of the zone. - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 13] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - Although a wild card domain name owning an SOA RRSet can never - be a source of synthesis, there is no reason to forbid the - ownership of an SOA RRSet. - - E.g., given this zone: - $ORIGIN *.example. - @ 3600 IN SOA <SOA RDATA> - 3600 NS ns1.example.com. - 3600 NS ns1.example.net. - www 3600 TXT "the www txt record" - - A query for www.*.example.'s TXT record would still find the - "the www txt record" answer. The asterisk label only becomes - significant when section 4.3.2, step 3 part 'c' is in effect. - - Of course, there would need to be a delegation in the parent - zone, "example." for this to work too. This is covered in the - next section. - -4.2 NS RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name - - With the definition of DNSSEC [RFC4033, RFC4034, RFC4035] now - in place, the semantics of a wild card domain name owning an - NS RRSet has come to be poorly defined. The dilemma relates to - a conflict between the rules for synthesis in part 'c' and the - fact that the resulting synthesis generates a record for which - the zone is not authoritative. In a DNSSEC signed zone, the - mechanics of signature management (generation and inclusion - in a message) have become unclear. - - Salient points of the working group discussion on this topic is - summarized in section 4.2.1. - - As a result of these discussion, there is no definition given for - wild card domain names owning an NS RRSet. The semantics are - left undefined until there is a clear need to have a set defined, - and until there is a clear direction to proceed. Operationally, - inclusion of wild card NS RRSets in a zone is discouraged, but - not barred. - -4.2.1 Discarded Notions - - Prior to DNSSEC, a wild card domain name owning a NS RRSet - appeared to be workable, and there are some instances in which - it is found in deployments using implementations that support - this. Continuing to allow this in the specification is not - tenable with DNSSEC. The reason is that the synthesis of the - NS RRSet is being done in a zone that has delegated away the - responsibility for the name. This "unauthorized" synthesis is - not a problem for the base DNS protocol, but DNSSEC, in affirming - the authorization model for DNS exposes the problem. - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 14] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - Outright banning of wildcards of type NS is also untenable as - the DNS protocol does not define how to handle "illegal" data. - Implementations may choose not to load a zone, but there is no - protocol definition. The lack of the definition is complicated - by having to cover dynamic update [RFC 2136], zone transfers, - as well as loading at the master server. The case of a client - (resolver, caching server) getting a wildcard of type NS in - a reply would also have to be considered. - - Given the daunting challenge of a complete definition of how to - ban such records, dealing with existing implementations that - permit the records today is a further complication. There are - uses of wild card domain name owning NS RRSets. - - One compromise proposed would have redefined wildcards of type - NS to not be used in synthesis, this compromise fell apart - because it would have required significant edits to the DNSSEC - signing and validation work. (Again, DNSSEC catches - unauthorized data.) - - With no clear consensus forming on the solution to this dilemma, - and the realization that wildcards of type NS are a rarity in - operations, the best course of action is to leave this open-ended - until "it matters." - -4.3 CNAME RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name - - The issue of a CNAME RRSet owned by a wild card domain name has - prompted a suggested change to the last paragraph of step 3c of - the algorithm in 4.3.2. The changed text appears in section - 3.3.3 of this document. - -4.4 DNAME RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name - - Ownership of a DNAME [RFC2672] RRSet by a wild card domain name - represents a threat to the coherency of the DNS and is to be - avoided or outright rejected. Such a DNAME RRSet represents - non-deterministic synthesis of rules fed to different caches. - As caches are fed the different rules (in an unpredictable - manner) the caches will cease to be coherent. ("As caches - are fed" refers to the storage in a cache of records obtained - in responses by recursive or iterative servers.) - - For example, assume one cache, responding to a recursive - request, obtains the record: - "a.b.example. DNAME foo.bar.example.net." - and another cache obtains: - "b.example. DNAME foo.bar.example.net." - both generated from the record: - "*.example. DNAME foo.bar.example.net." - by an authoritative server. - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 15] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - The DNAME specification is not clear on whether DNAME records - in a cache are used to rewrite queries. In some interpretations, - the rewrite occurs, in some, it is not. Allowing for the - occurrence of rewriting, queries for "sub.a.b.example. A" may - be rewritten as "sub.foo.bar.tld. A" by the former caching - server and may be rewritten as "sub.a.foo.bar.tld. A" by the - latter. Coherency is lost, an operational nightmare ensues. - - Another justification for banning or avoiding wildcard DNAME - records is the observation that such a record could synthesize - a DNAME owned by "sub.foo.bar.example." and "foo.bar.example." - There is a restriction in the DNAME definition that no domain - exist below a DNAME-owning domain, hence, the wildcard DNAME - is not to be permitted. - -4.5 SRV RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name - - The definition of the SRV RRset is RFC 2782 [RFC2782]. In the - definition of the record, there is some confusion over the term - "Name." The definition reads as follows: - -# The format of the SRV RR -... -# _Service._Proto.Name TTL Class SRV Priority Weight Port Target -... -# Name -# The domain this RR refers to. The SRV RR is unique in that the -# name one searches for is not this name; the example near the end -# shows this clearly. - - Do not confuse the definition "Name" with the owner name. I.e., - once removing the _Service and _Proto labels from the owner name - of the SRV RRSet, what remains could be a wild card domain name - but this is immaterial to the SRV RRSet. - - E.g., If an SRV record is: - _foo._udp.*.example. 10800 IN SRV 0 1 9 old-slow-box.example. - - *.example is a wild card domain name and although it is the Name - of the SRV RR, it is not the owner (domain name). The owner - domain name is "_foo._udp.*.example." which is not a wild card - domain name. - - The confusion is likely based on the mixture of the specification - of the SRV RR and the description of a "use case." - -4.6 DS RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name - - A DS RRSet owned by a wild card domain name is meaningless and - harmless. This statement is made in the context that an NS RRSet - at a wild card domain name is undefined. At a non-delegation - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 16] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - point, a DS RRSet has no value (no corresponding DNSKEY RRSet - will be used in DNSSEC validation). If there is a synthesized - DS RRSet, it alone will not be very useful as it exists in the - context of a delegation point. - -4.7 NSEC RRSet at a Wild Card Domain Name - - Wild card domain names in DNSSEC signed zones will have an NSEC - RRSet. Synthesis of these records will only occur when the - query exactly matches the record. Synthesized NSEC RR's will not - be harmful as they will never be used in negative caching or to - generate a negative response. [RFC2308] - -4.8 RRSIG at a Wild Card Domain Name - - RRSIG records will be present at a wild card domain name in a - signed zone, and will be synthesized along with data sought in a - query. The fact that the owner name is synthesized is not a - problem as the label count in the RRSIG will instruct the - verifying code to ignore it. - -4.9 Empty Non-terminal Wild Card Domain Name - - If a source of synthesis is an empty non-terminal, then the - response will be one of no error in the return code and no RRSet - in the answer section. - -5. Security Considerations - - This document is refining the specifications to make it more - likely that security can be added to DNS. No functional - additions are being made, just refining what is considered - proper to allow the DNS, security of the DNS, and extending - the DNS to be more predictable. - -6. IANA Considerations - - None. - -7. References - - Normative References - - [RFC20] ASCII Format for Network Interchange, V.G. Cerf, - Oct-16-1969 - - [RFC1034] Domain Names - Concepts and Facilities, - P.V. Mockapetris, Nov-01-1987 - - [RFC1035] Domain Names - Implementation and Specification, P.V - Mockapetris, Nov-01-1987 - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 17] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - - [RFC1995] Incremental Zone Transfer in DNS, M. Ohta, August 1996 - - [RFC2119] Key Words for Use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement - Levels, S Bradner, March 1997 - - [RFC2308] Negative Caching of DNS Queries (DNS NCACHE), - M. Andrews, March 1998 - - [RFC2672] Non-Terminal DNS Name Redirection, M. Crawford, - August 1999. - - [RFC2782] A DNS RR for specifying the location of services (DNS - SRV), A. Gulbrandsen, et.al., February 2000 - - [RFC4033] DNS Security Introduction and Requirements, R. Arends, - et.al., March 2005 - - [RFC4034] Resource Records for the DNS Security Extensions, - R. Arends, et.al., March 2005 - - [RFC4035] Protocol Modifications for the DNS Security Extensions, - R. Arends, et.al., March 2005 - - Informative References - - [RFC2136] Dynamic Updates in the Domain Name System (DNS UPDATE), - P. Vixie, Ed., S. Thomson, Y. Rekhter, J. Bound, - April 1997 - -8. Editor - - Name: Edward Lewis - Affiliation: NeuStar - Address: 46000 Center Oak Plaza, Sterling, VA, 20166, US - Phone: +1-571-434-5468 - Email: ed.lewis@neustar.biz - - Comments on this document can be sent to the editor or the mailing - list for the DNSEXT WG, namedroppers@ops.ietf.org. - -9. Others Contributing to the Document - - This document represents the work of a large working group. The - editor merely recorded the collective wisdom of the working group. - - - - - - - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 17] - -Internet-Draft dnsext-wcard January 9, 2006 - -10. Trailing Boilerplate - - Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006). - - This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions - contained in BCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors - retain all their rights. - - This document and the information contained herein are provided - on an "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION - HE/SHE REPRESENTS OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET - SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL - WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO - ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT - INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF - MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. - -Intellectual Property - - The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of - any Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might - be claimed to pertain to the implementation or use of the - technology described in this document or the extent to which - any license under such rights might or might not be available; - nor does it represent that it has made any independent effort - to identify any such rights. Information on the procedures - with respect to rights in RFC documents can be found in BCP 78 - and BCP 79. - - Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any - assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an - attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the - use of such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this - specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR - repository at http://www.ietf.org/ipr. The IETF invites any - interested party to bring to its attention any copyrights, - patents or patent applications, or other proprietary rights - that may cover technology that may be required to implement - this standard. Please address the information to the IETF at - ietf-ipr@ietf.org. - -Acknowledgement - - Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the - Internet Society. - -Expiration - - This document expires on or about July 9, 2006. - - - -DNSEXT Working Group Expires July 9, 2006 [Page 19] |