Talk:Response policy zone

Too technical
This article as currently written is hopelessly obscure -- full of what in the field of technical writing is sometimes called gobbledygook. There is way, waaaaaayyy too much use of undefined, unexplained technical jargon with which the average person has no familiarity. The article needs help from someone knowledgeable about the subject matter. Famspear (talk) 21:54, 6 October 2014 (UTC)


 * At least the intro should now be clear. Would you please check?  TIA ale (talk) 08:11, 17 June 2019 (UTC)

Here is the intro as currently worded:


 * A response policy zone (RPZ) is a mechanism to introduce a customized policy in Domain Name System servers, so that recursive resolvers return possibly modified results. A modified result can block access to the corresponding host.


 * Usage of an RPZ is based on DNS data feeds, known as zone transfer, from an RPZ provider to the deploying server. With respect to other block list methods, such as Google Safe Browsing, the block list is not managed by the client application. Web browsers, and any other client applications which connect to servers on the Internet, need the IP address of the server in order to open the connection. The local resolver is usually a system software which in turn puts the query to a recursive resolver, which often is located at the Internet service provider. If the latter server deploys RPZ, and either the queried name or the resulting address are in the block list, the response is modified so as to impede access.

This material still contains some jargon that is not defined in the article, as far as I see. Many average readers today who use computers may know what a "server" or a "client application" is, but some other terms in the introduction are needlessly obscure.

What is the world is a "recursive resolver"? Is it part of the hardware? Is it an item of software? Are there "resolvers" that are not "recursive" in nature? What is the purpose of a recursive resolver? What is it that is being "resolved"?

What is a "block list"?

What is a "Domain Name System server"? Are there other kinds of servers that are not "Domain Name System" servers?

Regarding this sentence: "Usage of an RPZ is based on DNS data feeds, known as zone transfer, from an RPZ provider to the deploying server" -- what does that mean in plain English? The sentence makes little grammatical sense. For example, "DNS data feeds" are known as "zone transfer"? "Feeds" appears to be a plural noun, while "transfer" appears to be singular. Maybe it should be "zone transfers"? And, the "usage" is "based on" the "data feed"? What does that mean in plain English?

Suppose I were to write, in an article on the law of U.S. Federal taxation: "The amount included under section 61(a)(3) is the excess of the section 1001(b) amount over the section 1011 adjusted basis", I would be deliberately trying to "hide the ball".

My sense is that this article as written perhaps unintentionally obscures simple concepts -- by the excessive use of undefined jargon. I realize that it is sometimes a judgment call as to which technical terms need to be defined in an encyclopedia article. Famspear (talk) 19:51, 17 June 2019 (UTC)

What is RPZ?
Technically, RPZ is a protocol. The Internet draft specifies a format for writing policies. That is a very technical subject, of course. Perhaps it should be covered in greater detail, for technical people. In addition, there is the theme of who, besides BIND, has implemented the change (Power DNS?)

On the other hand, RPZ makes no sense if there weren't block-list providers. That section is of interest to DNS admins, people who run their own DNS servers. When RPZ will be implemented in pre-installed DNS servers for home routers, RPZ can become a subscription option that ISPs offer for security, parental control, porn, hate speech, what else. For the time being, securityzones mentions Spamhaus, SURBL and Intel. Spamhaus sprout deteque, a commercial division. Covering that section, however, sounds distinctly commercial. ale (talk) 08:40, 17 June 2019 (UTC)

And, in the context of computers, what exactly is a "protocol" -- in plain English? Famspear (talk) 19:52, 17 June 2019 (UTC) What is a "block-list," and what is a "block-list provider"? Famspear (talk) 19:52, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Protocol is not used, the term mechanism looks clear enough, and the fact that it implies a protocol to interoperate is not mentioned. Blocklist has its own page, so I linked it.  ale (talk) 09:24, 24 July 2019 (UTC)