Jeff Weisberg on Tue, 15 Jul 2003 21:34:13 -0400


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Re: [PLUG] dig returns "Transfer failed", what to do?



| >       mail            CNAME   cliff-claven.example.com.
|
| I've always read that as meaning "mail is a canonical name for
| cliff-claven.example.com". The same way that:
| 
|   cliff-claven    A    1.2.3.4
| 
| means "cliff-claven is a name for 1.2.3.4".
| 
| That is, in every other DNS record type I can think of (MX, HINFO,
| NS), the item on the *left* is the one being described, and the item
| on the right is the description.

no, I think you are looking at something backwards.

the RR-Type is always describing the type of stuff on the right.

	cliff-claven    A    1.2.3.4

means that '1.2.3.4' (right-side) is the 'A'ddress of 'cliff-claven' (left-side).
just like the top example means that
'cliff-claven.example.com' (right-side) is the 'canonical name' of 'mail' (left side).


or equivalently, the stuff on the right answers the question
about the left side and RR-Type.

"what is the address (A) of 'cliff-claven'?"
=> it is '1.2.3.4'

"what is the canonical name (CNAME) of 'mail'?" 
=> it is 'cliff-claven'.

| I can see how the meaning you describe makes sense and justifies the
| name. Can you see how it's maybe not the best semantic choice?

no, but perhaps I've been doing this for too long...



	--jeff

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