repeating records

["D. J. Bernstein" <djb@cr.yp.to>]

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Andreas Gustafsson writes:
> Each of them SHOULD be transmitted only once

That blatantly violates RFC 2119, section 6.

> > Explaining that servers can repeat records, and requiring clients to
> > handle repetitions, would be a clarification of the protocol.
> That's what the draft says

And I have no objection to the draft saying that. What I object to in
this area is the draft saying more---this ludicrous BIND-8-violating
``clarification'' that records ``SHOULD be transmitted only once.''
According to RFC 2119, this means that

   there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore a
   particular item, but the full implications must be understood and
   carefully weighed before choosing a different course

which nobody claims is true in this case.

I shouldn't have to say these things even once. The fact that I have to
keep saying them---Gustafsson simply waits a few months and tries again;
nothing is officially recorded in a usable form; nothing is learned---
reflects a serious deficiency in the IETF procedures.

---D. J. Bernstein, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics,
Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago



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