diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index aefc67c9db..f49aeb0a72 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+ 232.	[bug]		Allow slave zones to not have a file.
+
  231.	[func]		Support new 'port' clause in config file options
 			section. Causes 'listen-on', 'masters' and
 			'also-notify' statements to use its value instead of
diff --git a/bin/named/zoneconf.c b/bin/named/zoneconf.c
index 93275f543f..d69faf0dbc 100644
--- a/bin/named/zoneconf.c
+++ b/bin/named/zoneconf.c
@@ -135,8 +135,12 @@ dns_zone_configure(dns_c_ctx_t *cctx, dns_c_view_t *cview,
 	/* XXX needs to be an zone option */
 	RETERR(dns_zone_setdbtype(zone, "rbt"));
 
-	RETERR(dns_c_zone_getfile(czone, &filename));
-	RETERR(dns_zone_setdatabase(zone, filename));
+	result = dns_c_zone_getfile(czone, &filename);
+	if (result == ISC_R_SUCCESS)
+		RETERR(dns_zone_setdatabase(zone, filename));
+	else if (czone->ztype != dns_c_zone_slave &&
+		 czone->ztype != dns_c_zone_stub)
+		return (result);
 
 #ifdef notyet
 	result = dns_c_zone_getchecknames(czone, &severity);
diff --git a/lib/dns/zone.c b/lib/dns/zone.c
index 737bb9497d..e44b40f30b 100644
--- a/lib/dns/zone.c
+++ b/lib/dns/zone.c
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  * SOFTWARE.
  */
 
-/* $Id: zone.c,v 1.140 2000/06/02 17:31:29 gson Exp $ */
+/* $Id: zone.c,v 1.141 2000/06/05 03:44:17 marka Exp $ */
 
 #include <config.h>
 
@@ -3135,7 +3135,7 @@ zone_replacedb(dns_zone_t *zone, dns_db_t *db, isc_boolean_t dump) {
 		if (result != ISC_R_SUCCESS)
 			goto fail;
 	} else {
-		if (dump) {
+		if (dump && zone->dbname != NULL) {
 			isc_log_write(dns_lctx, DNS_LOGCATEGORY_GENERAL,
 				      DNS_LOGMODULE_ZONE, ISC_LOG_DEBUG(3),
 				      "dumping new zone version");
diff --git a/lib/dns/zoneconf.c b/lib/dns/zoneconf.c
index 93275f543f..d69faf0dbc 100644
--- a/lib/dns/zoneconf.c
+++ b/lib/dns/zoneconf.c
@@ -135,8 +135,12 @@ dns_zone_configure(dns_c_ctx_t *cctx, dns_c_view_t *cview,
 	/* XXX needs to be an zone option */
 	RETERR(dns_zone_setdbtype(zone, "rbt"));
 
-	RETERR(dns_c_zone_getfile(czone, &filename));
-	RETERR(dns_zone_setdatabase(zone, filename));
+	result = dns_c_zone_getfile(czone, &filename);
+	if (result == ISC_R_SUCCESS)
+		RETERR(dns_zone_setdatabase(zone, filename));
+	else if (czone->ztype != dns_c_zone_slave &&
+		 czone->ztype != dns_c_zone_stub)
+		return (result);
 
 #ifdef notyet
 	result = dns_c_zone_getchecknames(czone, &severity);