A network administrator needs to create a way to redirect a network resource that has been on the local network but is now hosted as a SaaS solution. Which of the following records should be used to accomplish the task?

A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is a type of DNS record that maps an alias name to a true or canonical domain name. In this scenario, the network resource has moved to a SaaS provider, which will provide a new hostname (e.g., company.saasprovider.com). The administrator can create a CNAME record to point the old, familiar internal hostname (e.g., resource.company.com) to the new SaaS hostname. This acts as a redirection, ensuring that when users try to access the old name, the DNS resolver provides the address of the new SaaS location. This is the standard method for handling such migrations.

A. TXT: This record is used to hold arbitrary, human-readable text and is often used for email security protocols like SPF or domain verification, not for redirecting traffic.
B. AAA: This is not a standard DNS record type. If it is a typo for AAAA, that record maps a hostname to an IPv6 address, not to another hostname as required for a SaaS redirection.
C. PTR: A Pointer record is used for reverse DNS lookups, mapping an IP address back to a hostname. This is the opposite of the required function.

1. Mockapetris

P. (1987). RFC 1035: Domain Names - Implementation and Specification. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Section 3.3.1

CNAME RDATA format: "CNAME RRs specify the canonical or primary name for a domain name. The owner of a CNAME RR is an alias... If a CNAME RR is present at a node

no other data should be present; this ensures that the data for a canonical name and its aliases cannot be different." This defines the CNAME record's function as an alias for another name.

2. Elz

R.

& Bush

R. (1997). RFC 2181: Clarifications to the DNS Specification. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Section 10

CNAME resource records: This document clarifies the behavior of CNAME records

reinforcing that an alias name (defined by a CNAME record) effectively substitutes for the canonical name for all other DNS lookups.

3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (n.d.). CS 438: Communication Networks - DNS Slides. Department of Computer Science.

In typical networking courseware covering DNS

the CNAME record is explained as an alias mechanism. For example

lecture notes often state: "CNAME: foo.com is an alias for realserver.com." This directly aligns with the use case of pointing a local name to an external SaaS provider's name.

4. Cisco. (2023). DNS Best Practices

Network Protections

and Attack Identification. Cisco Systems

Inc.

In documentation discussing DNS security and configuration

Cisco explains the function of various record types. Such guides describe CNAME records as a method to "point a hostname to another hostname

" which is precisely the requirement for redirecting to a SaaS solution.