On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:13:19 -0400 Sean Greenslade wrote: > On Fri, Sep 23, 2016 at 05:03:00PM +0100, RW wrote: > > I've been wondering whether recursive is actually the correct term. > > > > As I understand it there are two types of DNS lookup: > > > > 1. Iterative - where results are found by working down through > > multiple servers from the root servers. > > > > 2. Recursive - where a request is made to a single nameserver > > which handles the whole look-up on behalf of a client. > > > > What this turns on is whether a forwarding server is a distinct > > class of of nameserver or a type of recursive server. I think the > > latter is most logical, since both provide a recursive interface. > > Definitions of the term "recursive server" that I've seen contrast > > it only with "authoritative server". > > > > One thing is certain, what you want is a name server that does > > *iterative* lookups. > > A forwarding server is a recursive server. The two are more or less > synonymous. Both iterative and recursive servers may or may not cache > their results to speed up future queries for the same information.
A nameserver that does iteration is definitely a recursive server. To say that "recursive server" and "forwarding server" are more or less synonymous is wrong.
