Structure of RWTH DNS
This page describes, how the DNS system at RWTH Aachen University is structured and which resource records are used.
Resource Records
Resource records are the basic building blocks of a DNS system. They contain information that is used to resolve domain names to IP addresses and for other purposes.
RWTH uses the following resource records to assign addressing and routing information:
- A Record: Returns the 32-bit IPv4 address of a computer
- AAAA Record: Returns the 128-bit IPv6 address of a computer
- CAA Record: Specifies which Certificate Authority (CA) is authorized to issue certificates for the domain/zone or host
- CNAME Record: Canonical (alias) name for a computer
- HINFO-Record: General information about the computer, such as processor type or operating system
- MX Record: Assigns one or more MTAs (Mail Transfer Agents) to the responsible mail server
- NAPTR Record: Extension of the A record with regular spelling (for URLs, for example)
- NS Record: Host name of the authoritative name server
- SRV Record: General entry for a service offered
- SSHFP Record: Publishes the fingerprint of an SSH host key so that verification can be performed via a second channel
Zones/Subdomains
Zones/subdomains are used to achieve administrative and logical subdivision within a domain (e.g., rwth-aachen.de).
Registered network contact persons can either make entries for the zone/subdomain entrusted to them themselves via the DNS admin or request an entry by sending an informal email to hostmaster@rwth-aachen.de.
An overview of existing entries and DNS domains can be found in the network overview.
DNS Servers
The following DNS servers are available within the university in the IPv4 and IPv6 ranges:
IPv4
- 134.130.4.1 | dns1.rwth-aachen.de
- 134.130.5.1 | dns2.rwth-aachen.de
IPv6
- 2a00:8a60:0:4::1 | dns1.rwth-aachen.de
- 2a00:8a60:0:5::1 | dns2.rwth-aachen.de
Additional information:
- Host list (updated every 2 hours): https://netstatus.rz.rwth-aachen.de/dns/hosts
