[This document describes a field in the Princeton University Host Database. You may also view descriptions of other fields.]
An alias is an alternate DNS domain name for a device registered in the Host Database. Aliases are optional.
We sometimes refer to an alias as a "host alias" or a "regular alias", to distinguish it from an interface alias. Interface aliases are different that regular aliases.
An alias should only be requested if there's a good reason to have one:
When making up an alias, keep in mind that you are expected to abide by the University's acceptable use policy; that policy appears in Princeton University Information Technology Resources and Internet Access -- Guidelines for Use. The guidelines regarding civility and respect for others are particularly relevant here.
A Dormnet subscription may have a single alias, which must be in the top-level of the Princeton.EDU DNS domain. So although your assigned fully-qualified domain name may be "jdoe.student.princeton.edu" (i.e. ENTRY-NAME "jdoe", DNS-DOMAIN "student.Princeton.EDU"), you may might request the alias "thwap.princeton.edu".
A Dormnet subscription does not support multiple aliases, or an alias below the top-level of the Princeton.EDU DNS domain.
To set or change an entry's alias, use the appropriate form to change your Dormnet subscription, filling in the form's ALIAS field. To clear the alias, enter NONE in the field. If nothing is entered in the field, the current value (if any) will be left unchanged.
When a Dormnet subscription is unsubscribed, any alias it had is removed.
To have a single alias assigned, fill in the ALIAS field. If you already have an alias assigned and you fill in the ALIAS field, the (first) assigned alias will be changed to whatever you enter here (if the entry had additional aliases, they will all be removed). If you leave the ALIAS field empty, no new alias will be assigned; any existing aliases will remain.
The name you enter in the ALIAS field will be interpreted relative to the same DNS-DOMAIN as your Host Database entry. E.g. if your ENTRY-NAME is "foo" and your DNS-DOMAIN is "Princeton.EDU", entering an alias of "baz" will result in the alias "baz.Princeton.EDU". If your ENTRY-NAME is "foo" and your DNS-DOMAIN is "ee.Princeton.EDU", entering an alias of "baz" will result in the alias "baz.ee.Princeton.EDU".
Just like ENTRY-NAME, an ALIAS can consist of only letters, numbers, and dashes, and must begin with a letter. It must be fewer than 64 characters.
You may find that you need to request an ALIAS that contains a dot in it. For example, say your ENTRY-NAME is "foo", your DNS-DOMAIN is "Princeton.EDU", and you wish to create the alias "www.chemistry.Princeton.EDU". You can't use the Web forms to specify an alias with a dot in it; instead, mail (just) the alias request to hostmaster@princeton.edu . (If you are using the Web to register the device, or change its registration, first go ahead and use the Web to perform all the functions other than the alias registration.)
The Web form can be used to create an entry's first alias, or to replace (all) current aliases with a single new alias. The Web form doesn't support adding additional aliases to an entry that already has one alias, nor does it support removing all aliases. For entries that already have multiple aliases assigned, the Web form doesn't support changing (or removing) just one of the assigned aliases without affecting the others. To perform any of these operations, please send email to hostmaster@princeton.edu .
If a Host Database entry already has more than one alias assigned, the Web form for changing the entry will contain an ALIAS field, plus one ADD-ALIAS field for each additional alias already assigned. The ALIAS field continues to behave exactly as described above. The ADD-ALIAS field does not replace the alias to the left of it; instead, it adds another alias to the Host Database entry.
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