Re: [Freeciv-Dev] multiple metaservers (continued)

[Nick Lamb <njl98r@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 20 Jan 1999, Reinier Post wrote:

> We are discussing a honest service here, not a joke of some kind.
> If you're trying to say that it's common and accepted practice
> for DNS names to point to IP addresses without the consent of the
> reverse map's owners, you're telling me something I didn't know.

I have replied privately to Reinier, agreeing that I have found no such
practice, and that other people have said that they are very protective
of the DNS->IP mapping, even beyond the extent to which they have the
power to actually enforce it. I do want an "honest service" and so I
must reluctantly conclude that lots of sites won't be able to use
round-robin DNS, however convenient it would otherwise be :(

> Both methods are simple.  The round robin method avoids client-side
> configuration; the client list method avoids metaserver-metaserver
> communication.  The solutions are simple to combine.  My objection
> against the round robin method is that it prevents end users from
> running their own private metaserver - except by hacking the client, of
> course.  All I can say is I would be grateful to whoever implements
> the solution of his choice.

Well, I know by now that most people won't want to mess with the sacred
DNS->IP mapping. But if you object to altering the Freeciv source every
release, and always use the same alternative server, you might do this
(it assumes you're doing host lookups in the appropriate order).

/etc/hosts
172.16.105.23   platinum.daimi.aau.dk

Nick.