CNAME records are generally defined in RFC 1034. The records within CNAME are handled in the domain name system and have restrictions on their usage. When a domain name system finds a CNAME record while searching for a regular resource record, it restarts the query using the canonical name. The canonical name that a CNAME record points to lies anywhere in the domain name system, even if it is a local or remote server in a different DNS zone. CNAME often refers to the label or left-hand part of a CNAME record.