roode@ORC.OLIVETTI.COM (David Roode) (07/09/90)
You can't solve all the world's problems with the DNS, but it does provide some useful tools. I think it is possible and indeed quite common to set up a perfectly good, functioning system for distributed rather than central management of host names and address assignments. It is not automatic or inherent in the system that this happens, and the system could use some extensions. There is the market for a commercial product that would sit atop a DBMS product probably, and implement a different system for distribution of responsibility. This product could control "centralized" servers as Stan Barber advocates. However, the full power of a distributed DBMS could be used to exactly specify the control over various subdomains. Support for dynamic address assignment to users could be provided, with this being enabled or disabled ona network by network basis, could be included. How mundane and repetitious is this task of assigning host names and addresses. Why not have it automated? Perhaps it could be said that the only responsive central authority is a codified, documented and automated one.