Sep 14 2011

Bastardizing the CNAME

Second time around edit: I recovered this from the burning wreckage of the former site, its an oldie, with a unique lesson and an arrogant voice, but something to get the posts flowing.

So I was just now tossing and turning thinking about a new series I want to write on web applications when I thought to check my blog, after all it has been too long. Lo-and behold my server was up, but my redirect was down. For a while now I have been taking advantage of no-ip.org‘s free dynamic ip resolving DNS service. Circumstances has forced me to move my server to a residential connection to the nets with a dynamic ip. Bad news for trying to be in touch with home. So I transferred all my domains to a new registrar, mainly name.com, because they include DNS in your registration fee, which at the time was 10$, not bad considering I was previously paying 7$. (per year mind you, so affordable on anyone’s income.) This took care of my Google apps ( <3 ) and the like but still did not take care of my dynamic ip problem.

Solution, the CNAME record. A CNAME record in my opinion is far too often overlooked by administrators as a valuable tool. First things first, administrators out there I’m talking to you, your customers should not have to distinguish between www.youdomain.com and yourdomain.com unless there is a very good reason for doing so. CNAME records should be in place for your www name to redirect to the A records for your domain. VIOLA! Instant karma with your patrons. Secondly, and more important to my little rant here is that CNAME records can point to those unsightly domain names that the free dynamic DNS services provide you. For instance I CNAME www.weneck.com to weneck.com (which would normally be my A record) and then CNAME weneck.com to weneck.no-ip.com. BAM! Instant dynamic ip resolution while keeping my pretty domain name. Gotta love that.

Long short, I’m back up and in business, and maybe soon I can get cracking on my 3 part web application rant.

By Rusty Weneck • Computer Science • 0 • Tags: , , ,