True-- Linux can have multiple DNS servers specified. So, DNS 1 is 127.0.0.1, DNS 2 is 68.56.0.XXX, DNS 3 68.56.0.yyy (on my box anyway, and actually I have 4 deep).

The variable name used by networking in the routing files is: nameserver and if you have several it will happily cascade as needed. The only downside to the cache is sometimes you have to manaully remove a listing or several when websites change hosts. What I will usually do is trash the cache and let bind refetch when I get too many misses for favorite places.

Also, if you have a website that you need to build up before DNS propagates publicly and you know the remote IP of the Host's DNS you can hard-code a route to it-- just remember you did this, as such are usually temporarily set up and made temporary quite deliberately. I did this with http://www.allposixwiki.com/ (which is still tiny and may be growing slowly for a while, but was deliberately established for the long haul). I also did a variant on this before sticking my other sites up on Hostway-- had to IP access the site area with FTP instead of name accessing it on my previous host service.

Anything you can whois you can hard code-- that includes host's DNS servers for sites you buy domain space for. And you can do it in your box yourself until the public reg propagates. This lets you check a site before it is goes live, to function test it. I tend not to do this too much, only at need and for legit reasons as in the US it is legal to monitor webspace without notification (fairly specific warrant which is legally obtained yes, person(s) being monitored need not be notified).

But, nameservers can be whois'd also. The internet, by definition, is public space and should be treated as such-- so do not regard as private and think you are able to protect as such easily and certainly things you send through that space.

John Danielson, II
(googleable)