Cnames and "virtual name based hosting"

Jonathan de Boyne Pollard J.deBoynePollard at Tesco.NET
Wed Apr 7 11:36:56 UTC 2004


f> I have heard rumors 

... these "rumours" being prior postings to this very forum ...

f> that it would be illegeal and bad to use Cnames to point out
f> websites at webhotels using "virtual name based hosting".

It's illegal to use client-side aliases with virtual hosting because, as 
Jeff Lasman _did_ explain to you, a domain name cannot be both a delegation 
point and a client side alias.  It is, therefore, impossible, when virtually 
hosting a web site for the domain name at the apex of a "zone", to use 
client-side aliases.  One _must_ use server-side aliases.

<URL:http://homepages.tesco.net./~J.deBoynePollard/FGA/web-allowing-omission-of-www.html#DNS>

It is bad to use client-side aliases (in those situations where one actually
can use them) because, as Jeff Lasman _also_ explained to you, they usually 
cause more DNS traffic to occur than not using them would.  Moreover, as I 
explained to you, several DNS server softwares (both proxy and content) 
don't deal with client-side aliases at all well.  If there are two ways of 
doing things, only one of which involves using client-side aliases, one 
should choose the other way.


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