# Re: \[PATCH 2/2\] Define ENONAMESERVICE and ENAMEUNKNOWN to indicate name service errors

- From: David Howells \<hidden\>
- Date: 2012-02-09 10:05:15 
- List: linux-api
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-api/2012/02/3820214
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-nfs/2012/02/3819753/t.md

```text
Jim Rees [ref] wrote:

>   Define ENAMEUNKNOWN to indicate "Network name unknown".  This can be used to
>   indicate, for example, that an attempt was made by dns_query() to make a query,
>   but the name server (e.g. a DNS server) replied indicating that it had no
>   matching records.
> 
> Would this be the same as NXDOMAIN?  That is, does it mean the name server
> couldn't find a record, or does it mean that the record doesn't exist?

Is there a way to tell the difference?  Can you store a negative record in the
DNS?  Or is it that the DNS has records for the name, just not records of the
type you're looking for (eg. NO_ADDRESS/NO_DATA from gethostbyname())?

David
```