Solaris Common Messages and Troubleshooting Guide

Action

This error indicates that an alias (CNAME) is associated with another type of DNS record.

The DNS system allows you to set up an alias to a system using the CNAME record. See the following example:


alias1		IN CNAME	host1.domain1.

The alias alias1 cannot appear in any other type of record. Only the actual name of the host can be used. So, if you wanted to use this host as a mail exchanger, the record


alias1		IN MX  10  host2.domain1.
would be illegal and would produce the error.

Instead, you should use:


host1		IN MX  10  host2.domain1.
This remedy applies to all types of records, including HINFO and A records.

Also, this error might occur without explicitly setting the left side of a record. The DNS system defaults the left side to the last given left side. So you might have the following in a named database file:


host1	IN A	 123.124.125.126
        IN HINFO Sun Solaris
alias1  IN CNAME host1.domain1.
        IN MX 10 host2.domain1.
In this fragment, an implied alias1 is in the left side of the MX record. If the alias was added after the database was in use for a while, the error would suddenly occur. The MX record was legal until the CNAME was added in front of it. This example could be fixed either by reversing the order of the MX and CNAME records, or explicitly giving the host1 in the left side of the MX record.