A record for @?

[Tony Finch]

@lbutlr via bind-users <bind-users at lists.isc.org> wrote:

> I have a domain that I hot DNS and email for, but not web. I set the A
> record for www.example.com to the IP of the web server with nsupdate,
> removing the old CNAME the pointed to the local webserver, but the web
> monkey for the new website is saying that www has to be a CNAME and the
> @ record should be the A record pointing to the IP.

You can do that, but it might have weird effects if someone tries to send
email to something at www.example.com. I generally think it's neater for both
the zone file origin (aka @) and the www subdomain to have A/AAAA records
pointing at the web server.

> I don't think this is right, and if it is I am not sure how to use
> nsupdate to make this change.

@ is just an abbreviation for (in this case) example.com (it's handy for
writing instructions or zone file that work the same for any domain name).

In cases where there isn't an implicit origin, such as nsupdate, you need
to write the records out in full instead, e.g.

www.example.com. CNAME example.com.

Tony.
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f.anthony.n.finch  <dot at dotat.at>  https://dotat.at/
North Foreland to Selsey Bill: Northwesterly, backing westerly or
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