Looking Up Domains and Hosts with Nslookup

CS 3000 -- Lab Assignment #6

DIRECTIONS: Before you start, scan the man page for nslookup. When you do the lab, type nslookup commands equivalent to the ones you see typed below, and examine the output. Ask questions.
 /* Start interactive nslookup. */
john@alcyone: nslookup

Default Server:  www.cs.csustan.edu
Address:  130.17.70.35
 
/* Select the primary nameserver at Cal Tech.  I got the 
domain name of the server by entering caltech.edu 

at this site. */

> server mercutio.ni.caltech.edu

Default Server:  mercutio.ni.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.254.99

 /* Enter a host names we got from a web search.  See if the nameserver
gives a translation to an IP number. */

> www.cs.caltech.edu
Server:  mercutio.ni.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.254.99

Name:    whirlwind.cs.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.44.115
Aliases:  www.cs.caltech.edu

>

/* Tell nslookup you want to get info about mail hubs for hosts. */

> set querytype=MX

/* Get info about this host. */

> squid.cs.caltech.edu 
Server:  mercutio.ni.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.254.99

cs.caltech.edu
        origin = namae.cs.caltech.edu
        mail addr = hostmaster.cs.caltech.edu
        serial = 10091950
        refresh = 43200 (12H)
        retry   = 3600 (1H)
        expire  = 3628800 (6W)
        minimum ttl = 3600 (1H)

>

/* Ask Mercutio to give us a complete list of all the hosts
   in its database for the domain cs.caltech.edu. */ 

> ls -d cs.caltech.edu
[mercutio.ni.caltech.edu]
$ORIGIN cs.caltech.edu.
@                       3H IN SOA       namae hostmaster (
                                        10091950        ; serial
                                        12H             ; refresh
                                        1H              ; retry
                                        6W              ; expiry
                                        1H )            ; minimum

                        3H IN NS        namae
                        3H IN NS        names
                        3H IN NS        tepid.ni.caltech.edu.
                        3H IN NS        tybalt.caltech.edu.
                        3H IN NS        mercutio.ni.caltech.edu.
                        3H IN A         131.215.44.20
                        3H IN MX        0 mailhost
                        3H IN MX        10 obento
abacus                  3H IN CNAME     abekas.gg.caltech.edu.
abekas                  3H IN CNAME     abekas.gg.caltech.edu.
above                   3H IN CNAME     above.ugcs.caltech.edu.
abstract                3H IN A         131.215.45.96
acapponi                3H IN A         131.215.45.28
actel                   3H IN CNAME     actel.pcmp.caltech.edu.
activision              3H IN A         131.215.44.11
daemon.ad               3H IN CNAME     daemon
against                 3H IN CNAME     against.ugcs.caltech.edu.
alaincable              3H IN A         131.215.185.187
alainslaptop            3H IN A         131.215.45.129
alainsotherlaptop       3H IN A         131.215.45.6
alexei                  3H IN A         131.215.45.4
altair                  3H IN A         131.215.45.138
alternator              3H IN A         131.215.44.44
amanuensis              3H IN A         131.215.44.136
amber                   3H IN A         131.215.45.54
amongst                 3H IN CNAME     amongst.ugcs.caltech.edu.
anaheim                 3H IN A         131.215.44.89
ansible                 3H IN A         131.215.44.137
anvil                   3H IN CNAME     anvil.pcmp.caltech.edu.
apoggo                  3H IN CNAME     apoggo.gg.caltech.edu.
apollo                  3H IN CNAME     apollo.gg.caltech.edu.
apple                   3H IN A         131.215.45.146
appleii                 3H IN A         131.215.44.18
apropos                 3H IN A         131.215.45.113
aristotle               3H IN A         131.215.44.7
                        3H IN MX        0 mailhost
arknoid                 3H IN A         131.215.45.184
around                  3H IN CNAME     around.ugcs.caltech.edu.
arpeggio                3H IN CNAME     arpeggio.gg.caltech.edu.
ascend                  3H IN A         131.215.44.71
aspen                   3H IN A         131.215.45.157
asteroids               3H IN A         131.215.45.195
astride                 3H IN CNAME     astride.ugcs.caltech.edu.
async                   3H IN CNAME     async.async.caltech.edu.
atari                   3H IN A         131.215.44.68
atop                    3H IN CNAME     atop.ugcs.caltech.edu.
babylon                 3H IN CNAME     epsilon3
babylon2                3H IN A         131.215.44.6
                        3H IN MX        0 epsilon3
backgammon              3H IN A         131.215.45.116
baroque                 3H IN A         131.215.45.106
bartek-xp-host          3H IN A         131.215.45.158
battleship              3H IN A         131.215.45.141
battlezone              3H IN A         131.215.45.187
bauhaus                 3H IN A         131.215.45.85
behind                  3H IN CNAME     behind.ugcs.caltech.edu.
below                   3H IN CNAME     below.ugcs.caltech.edu.
ben                     3H IN A         131.215.45.56

/* There were a lot more hosts.  I deleted the rest of 
      the information. */

/* Get back into the mode in which nslookup translates from
   domain names to IP numbers. */

> set querytype=A

/* Set the current hostname to squid */

> squid.cs.caltech.edu

Server:  mercutio.ni.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.254.99

Name:    squid.cs.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.44.93

>

/* If you have a couple of minutes to kill, execute the command below
      to ask who is logged on to squid */

> finger
finger: connect: Connection timed out

/* After a minute or two, the connection times out.  I did a web search to
try to find a more "student oriented" machine. I came up with a host that does
respond to finger.  */

> www.gps.caltech.edu

Server:  mercutio.ni.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.254.99

Name:    wwwftp.gps.caltech.edu
Address:  131.215.65.167
Aliases:  www.gps.caltech.edu

> finger
[wwwftp.gps.caltech.edu]
Login       Name               TTY         Idle    When    Where
mlb      Michael Black         pts/1         1d Mon 10:06  tincan              

/* See what specific information we can get about "mlb" */

> finger mlb
[wwwftp.gps.caltech.edu]
Login name: mlb                         In real life: Michael Black
Directory: /home/mlb                    Shell: /bin/tcsh
On since Apr 25 10:06:27 on pts/1 from tincan
1 day 9 hours Idle Time
New mail received Sun May  1 00:30:08 2005;
  unread since Fri Apr 29 17:12:34 2005
No Plan.

/* (It takes a minute to get the response from this next command.)
   Try a "generic" name to see how much information we can get: */

> finger john
[wwwftp.gps.caltech.edu]
Login name: grotz                       In real life: John P. Grotzinger
Directory: /home/grotz                  Shell: /opt/util/bin/tcsh
Never logged in.
Mail last read Thu Jan 13 07:44:52 2005
No Plan.

Login name: kinmtrcs                    In real life: John Walsh
Directory: /home/kinmtrcs               Shell: /opt/util/bin/tcsh
Never logged in.
No unread mail
No Plan.

Login name: jholt                       In real life: John Holt
Directory: /home/jholt                  Shell: /opt/util/bin/tcsh
Never logged in.
No unread mail
Project: Everyone should believe in something...
Plan:
I believe I'll have another beer.

Login name: johna                       In real life: John Armstrong
Directory: /home/johna                  Shell: /opt/util/bin/tcsh
Never logged in.
No unread mail
Project: No project yet...
No Plan.

Login name: jtoth                       In real life: John Toth
Directory: /home/jtoth                  Shell: /opt/util/bin/tcsh
Never logged in.
Mail last read Fri Apr 29 17:03:25 2005
No Plan.

Login name: markwis                     In real life: John Marquis
Directory: /home/markwis                Shell: /opt/util/bin/tcsh
Last login Tue Oct  2, 2001 on pts/4 from earth
Mail last read Mon Jan 10 16:25:05 2005
Plan:

        To actually have a plan.
        To change it every so often.
        To keep hammering away at my work.


/* There were a lot more records of users.  I deleted the rest of the
   information. */

/* Note: Sometimes you can get more "finger information" by doing what we
   did above than the information you would get by just executing the command

finger john@www.gps.caltech.edu 

at a unix prompt.  (Try it.)  */

/* Change the nameserver.  This time it is one of our department Sun
   Ultra's that runs named. */

> server altair.csustan.edu
Default Server:  altair.csustan.edu
Address:  130.17.70.4

>

/* Set the current hostname to POLLUX. */

> pollux
Server:  altair.csustan.edu
Address:  130.17.70.4

Name:    pollux.csustan.edu
Address:  130.17.70.15

>

/* Ask who is logged on to POLLUX. */

> finger
[pollux.csustan.edu]
No one logged on

/* That was kind of boring so set the current hostname to ALTAIR. */

> altair
Server:  altair.csustan.edu
Address:  130.17.70.4

Name:    altair.csustan.edu
Address:  130.17.70.4

>

/* Ask who is logged on to ALTAIR. */

> finger
Login       Name               TTY         Idle    When    Where
vlee     Van Lee               console       1d Fri 13:44  :0

> exit