Creating a DNS Alias Record (168322)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q168322

SUMMARY

This explains why a Domain Name Service (DNS) Alias record is needed, and how to create it.

MORE INFORMATION

Sometimes it is useful to be able to access a server (or any host) by using a name other than its DNS host name.

For example, you have an Application Server whose DNS configuration is as follows: 
   Host Name   Domain Name
   ---------   -------------
   myserver    mydomain.com

You have also setup your server as a WWW server so Internet or Intranet browsers can access Web pages from it. You want people to access your Web server by specifying www.mydomain.com as its name instead of myserver.mydomain.com.

To accomplish this, an alias (or canonical name) record needs to be added to your DNS server.

The DNS server should already have the following record under the mydomain.com zone (IPAddress should be the IP address of your server): 
   Myserver   A   <IPAddress>

The following record should be added to the mydomain.com zone: 
   www   CNAME   myserver.mydomain.com

When a DNS server looks up a name and finds a "CNAME" record, it replaces the name with the canonical name, and looks up the new name, in this case, www.mydomain.com.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/9/2002
Keywords:kbhowto kbnetwork KB168322
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.