[Bug 1091602] [NEW] Please add resolvconf hook script to generate dynamic forwarders list

[Thomas Hood]

Public bug reported:

This is a wish. It is requested that the bind9 package include a
resolvconf hook script /etc/resolvconf/update.d/bind9 which writes a
forwarders{} statement to /var/run/named/forwarders based on the
nameserver information in resolvconf's database.   Then in order to use
named in whole or in part as a forwarding nameserver the administrator
can simply modify named.conf so that the latter includes
/var/run/named/forwarders at the right place in the file. If this
inclusion could be controlled by a setting in, e.g., /etc/default/bind9,
then that would be even nicer.

The file /etc/resolvconf/update.d/bind included in resolvconf versions
1.52 and earlier illustrates how such a hook script should be written.
The latter file was written for BIND 8 and worked well; but due to
limitations in BIND 8 it had to generate  a whole "options" statement
instead of just the "forwarders" part, which was less nice.

I am prepared to write the needed script for BIND 9 and attach it here.

--- BACKGROUND INFORMATION ---

As of Ubuntu 12.04, nameserver information is handled by resolvconf in
both the Server and Desktop editions of Ubuntu. Resolvconf maintains a
database of nameserver information, filed by interface name and
configuration agent. This is the information that is needed if named is
to be used in whole or in part as a forwarding nameserver.

BIND 9.7.x manual section 1.4.5.1: "__Forwarding__. Even a caching name
server does not necessarily perform the complete recursive lookup
itself. Instead, it can forward some or all of the queries that it
cannot satisfy from its cache to another caching name server, commonly
referred to as a forwarder. There may be one or more forwarders, and
they are queried in turn until the list is exhausted or an answer is
found. Forwarders are typically used when you do not wish all the
servers at a given site to interact directly with the rest of the
Internet servers. A typical scenario would involve a number of internal
DNS servers and an Internet firewall. Servers unable to pass packets
through the firewall would forward to the server that can do it, and
that server would query the Internet DNS servers on the internal
server’s behalf."

Currently it's possible to configure named to use a static list of
forwarders, but to make use of a dynamic list a resolvconf hook script
is needed.

** Affects: bind
     Importance: Unknown
         Status: Unknown

** Affects: bind9 (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Bug watch added: Debian Bug tracker #483098
   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=483098

** Also affects: bind via
   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=483098
   Importance: Unknown
       Status: Unknown

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Title:
  Please add resolvconf hook script to generate dynamic forwarders list

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