Here's what the perpetrators say (as I now see I should have guessed from their domain name). It's for the Web Server Survey http://www.netcraft.com/survey/ Every month, we publish the Netcraft Web Server Survey which is a survey of the number of web sites that we can find on the Internet, and the software used by these sites. The survey is read avidly by the server development companies such as Netscape, Microsoft, O'Reilly etc, and is regularly reported by the computer press. We use several techniques in order to find new sites, and one of them is to walk the DNS. Zone transfers have been part of the survey research since November 1995 and although a few sites ask for clarification each month, they seem happy once they know the intended purpose. I hope that's okay. Mike -- Mike Prettejohn http://www.netcraft.com [log in to unmask] Phone +44 1225 447500 Fax +44 1225 448600 Netcraft Rockfield House Granville Road Bath BA1 9BQ England