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Date:      Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:22:50 -0400
From:      Sean Cavanaugh <millenia2000@hotmail.com>
To:        "freebsd-questions@freebsd.org" <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject:   FW: DNS Question
Message-ID:  <BAY126-W8642EA12C68270F81DA77CABD0@phx.gbl>
In-Reply-To: <4AE1A1D0.8060402@pixelhammer.com>
References:  <4AE1A1D0.8060402@pixelhammer.com>

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> Date: Fri=2C 23 Oct 2009 08:30:08 -0400
> From: dave.list@pixelhammer.com
> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
> Subject: DNS Question
>=20
> Good morning.
>=20
> I have been asked by my co-workers and sales why I always create a A=20
> record for new domains we host instead of a CNAME.
>=20
> The issue I run into lately with some domains is that a client has a=20
> website with a industry host such as frank.relator.com and he wants to=20
> have DNS point www.frank.com to frank.relator.com with a CNAME. The=20
> client does not want an A record for frank.com.
>=20
> Somewhere=2C in a class far far away=2C I was taught a DNS zone had to ha=
ve=20
> a A record to function properly. I can't seem to locate anything in the=20
> RFCs.
>=20
> Am I wrong?
>=20

=20
I think you are confusing basics of DNS records. you are partially correct =
in that a DNS zone needs an initial A record to be able to translate a name=
 to an IP=2C but there is nothing wrong about setting up a CNAME to point t=
o a record in a different zone instead. you just cannot do a zone that has =
a CNAME only that does not at some point to a valid A record. CNAMEs are fo=
rwarders only whereas A records are actual lookups.
=20
for proper way to set this up....
=20
The A record would be assigned for the main name that you want to associate=
 to an IP address.
The CNAME record just relates a different name to that original name. this =
allows you to change the IP address of the server and only have to update t=
he original A record instead of every DNS record for that server.
=20
for small number of vhosts=2C this would not really be an issue=2C but imag=
ine if you were hosting a couple hundred vhosts from a single IP and then h=
ad to change that IP because you switched your ISP. It would take you a LON=
G time to update them if they were all A records=2C but only a couple of se=
conds if you had it properly set up as CNAME's
=20
www.bobshosting.com    A         192.168.0.1
www.vhost1.com          CNAME  www.bobshosting.com.
www.vhost2.com          CNAME  www.bobshosting.com.
www.vhost3.com          CNAME  www.bobshosting.com.
www.vhost4.com          CNAME  www.bobshosting.com.

=20
=20
-Sean

 		 	   		  =



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