title: How to overcome root domain CNAME restrictions?
body: <p>We are hosting many web applications for our customers.  As is obvious they want to use their own domains to refer to those applications, usually they want that any user that either type <code>http://www.customer1.example</code> or <code>http://customer1.example</code> goes to their web application.</p>
  
  <p>The situation we are facing is that we need to have the flexibility to change IP addresses in the near future.  And we don't want to rely on the customer doing the A record change on their domains.  So we thought that using <code>CNAME</code> records will work, but as we find out <code>CNAME</code> records will not work for the root domain.  </p>
  
  <p>Basically:</p>
  
  <pre><code>customer1.example IN CNAME customer1.mycompanydomain.example //this is invalid as the RFC
  www.customer1.example IN CNAME customer1.mycompanydomain.example //this is valid and will work
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>We want to be able to change the IP address of <code>customer1.mycompanydomain.example</code> or the <code>A</code> record and our customers will follow this record which we have control over.</p>
  
  <p>in our DNS it will look like:</p>
  
  <pre><code>customer1.mycompanydomain.example IN A 192.0.2.1
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Any ideas?</p>