2.9.8 Location through database

• Keep information about object in a table, indexed by a name. Location is just another piece of information.

• In DNS, table is stored as {name,attribute} pairing, in a resource record

• If database centralised, then
  • Whole system fails if database machine fails
  • Database machine acts as bottleneck for performance of system as whole
  • In wide area systems, authority should be shared amongst controlling organisations

  So name information usually distributed.