Create Alias Name in DNS for any Host (A) Record

Alias name in DNS server allows administrators to assign a user friendly name for any host based on the domain name. Alias names are mostly used for web servers where real host names are complicated enough to be distributed to external users. With the help of alias names administrators can specify a unique user-friendly name which can be mapped with the DNS server and can be distributed among both internal and external users to make them access the website easily and remember the name as well. Creation of alias names in DNS server is a simple process provided a corresponding Host (A) record is available for which the alias name is being created. As a DNS administrator in Windows server 2008 environment if you want to create alias name for any Host (A) record you need to follow the steps given below:

1.       Open DNS Manager Window by going to Administrative Tools.

2.       Expand Forward Lookup Zone tree from the left pane and click on the zone you have created to select it.

3.       In the right pane click anywhere and from the menu click on New Alias (CNAME).

4.       On New Resource Record box under Alias name field specify user-friendly alias name. (e.g. www).

5.       Click on Browse button under Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for target host field to browse for and locate the corresponding Host (A) record for which the alias name is being created.

6.       Once done click on Ok button to create the new alias name.

Note: You can check the successful creation of alias name by pinging it from command prompt.