Micetro 10.0: manage the DNS, not the platform

Micetro 10.0 has been released, and in addition to the shiny new features, it contains a smorgasbord of smaller improvements and fixes.

We invite you to take Micetro for a spin (for free!), and while it deploys, browse through the release notes. But one of the smallest fixes in this release is indicative of a much larger value Micetro delivers to your IT teams.

The CasE of the RebeLLious RRSET

From RFC 7719:

RRset: A set of resource records with the same label, class and type, but with different data. (Definition from RFC2181.) Also spelled RRSet in some documents. As a clarification, "same label" in this definition means "same owner name". In addition, RFC 2181 states that "the TTLs of all RRs in an RRSet must be the same". (This definition is definitely not the same as "the response one gets to a query for QTYPE=ANY", which is an unfortunate misunderstanding.)

When adding DNS records to a zone in AWS Route 53 or syncing DNS data through xDNS Redundancy between differing DNS platforms (like Active Directory and AWS), one of our customers encountered an error if they supplied the same record name but with a different case.

AWS stores and handles RRSETs case insensitive, always in lowercase. When Micetro queried Route 53 about whether the record already existed, it compared the case insensitive, always lowercase response to the case-sensitive input from the user.

The fix wasn't a complicated one. We just had to transform the case-sensitive input to lowercase before talking to Route 53. Thus:

Adding new DNS records to AWS is now case insensitive and will no longer fail when the same but case insensitive resource record set with the same name already exists in AWS Route 53 and other cloud providers.

However, the real value here isn't this small fix but what it ultimately represents: a recipe for sustainable networking.

Manage the DNS, not the platform

Remembering how Route 53 handles RRSETs is a tiny detail by itself. But every platform has multitudes upon multitudes of these tiny details that can quickly overwhelm a DNS team if left unchecked. Besides, remembering all these tiny details takes time away from, well, the things they're actually supposed to be doing with DNS records.

A way to adopt sustainable networking practices is reducing the individual overhead, thereby increasing the value of your effort and resources. Through Micetro, when orchestrating the idiosyncrasies of the different platforms, every tiny bit of efficiency gained pays dividends down the line.

Want to see how much time (and money) you can save with Micetro 10.0? Schedule a personalized demo!