I have had a need to have a simple DNS server I can run (for testing "cloud" related services) - and I came across EagleDNS - a authoritative DNS written in java (by Robert Olofsson). I was able to patch it to automatically reload zone files (it uses the same zone file format that BIND and others use, and are referred to in the RFC) when they are changed - something that seems strangely challenging for the more common DNS servers.
Happily my patch has been accepted and I am now a contributor: http://www.unlogic.se/core/projects/eagledns/page/changelog-1.0.1 I have spent way too much time looking at and thinking about and understanding DNS - but still, I guess learning about the fabric of the web is character building. Or something.
