(CNAME) A host' s offICial name as opposed to an alias. The offICial name is the first hostname listed for its {Internet address} in the hostname database, {/etc/hosts} or the Network Information ServICe (NIS) map hosts.byaddr ("hosts" for short). A host with multiple network interfaces may have more than one Internet address, each with its own canonICal name (and zero or more aliases). You can find a host' s canonICal name using nslookup if you say set querytype=CNAME and then type a hostname. (1994-11-29)