CNAME only zone?

[Mark Andrews]

In message <barmar-072F49.19202810122011 at news.eternal-september.org>, Barry Mar
golin writes:
> In article <mailman.507.1323556030.68562.bind-users at lists.isc.org>,
>  Mark Andrews <marka at isc.org> wrote:
> 
> > In message 
> > <CAA3U4eO=EbKB2ECSS4F1=fF22rpK2XcbP7qdUA3autXxaP8y-w at mail.gmail.com>
> > , =?UTF-8?B?6aOO5rKz?= writes:
> > > 2011/12/10 Lightner, Jeff <JLightner at water.com>:
> > > > Is it possible to create a zone file that only contains a CNAME?
> > > >
> > > 
> > > Some nameservers can setup that, though it's breaking the RFC.
> > > 
> > > quote:
> > > Never one to let a RFC stand in the way of a solution to a real
> > > problem, we're happy to announce that CloudFlare allows you to set
> > > your zone apex to a CNAME. This allows CloudFlare users to host on
> > > EC2, Rackspace's Cloud, Google App Engine, or other cloud hosts and
> > > use their naked domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) without forcing a hack
> > > solution to a subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com).
> > > 
> > > http://blog.cloudflare.com/zone-apex-naked-domain-root-domain-cname-supp
> > 
> > While you can change what a authoritative server allows the real
> > problem is what recursive servers do when they have a CNAME record
> > in the cache you you actually want resolvers to see the other records
> > that live beside the CNAME.
> 
> If CloudFlare is similar to Akamai's solution, recursive servers never 
> see the CNAME record.  Instead, when the auth server receives the query 
> for the A record of the apex, it performs its own query for the CNAME, 
> and returns the result of this.
 
The service provider could just push out signed address records
changes using UPDATE which would work with all vendors.  It's not
like they don't know the addresses or which sites are being serviced.

The real problem is that WC3 hasn't taken up SRV records or asked
for something more specific.  CNAME was *never* the right solution
for this.

-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: marka at isc.org