A subdomain is a name space within the .tamu.edu domain that can be requested by colleges, departments, A&M System entities and research organizations.

Most hosts are registered in tamu.edu which results in a "very flat name space." It is desirable to create a larger name space so that unique, desirable names are easier to create. Subdomains can help with this problem. 

Departments can request a subdomain to allow them to create hosts within it. This allows departments to manage resources within their subdomain (department) with appropriate granularity and control. Requests for a subdomain are approved by the department head or a higher-level IT professional.

Several Guidelines are used in the creation of subdomains. These guidelines are intended to ensure that subdomains are created in a controlled manner, and effectively used once they are created.

Subdomains are not hosts, but do contain hosts. yourdepartment.tamu.edu is a subdomain, and will allow for the creation of host names like lab1.yourdepartment.tamu.edu or office106.yourdepartment.tamu.edu.

Getting Started

See the Request section for detailed information on how to request a subdomain.

Requests for a subdomain in tamu.edu:

Complete the subdomain request form on https://itselfservice.tamu.edu.

The name of the subdomain needs to meet the following naming requirements:

• Alpha-numeric
• Start with Letter
• Reflects the organization
• Reasonable Length

Requests for changing the name of a subdomain should be handled in the same manner as requesting a new subdomain. The organization is responsible for updating the configurations of affected machines to reflect the change.

3rd level sub-domains (sub.department.tamu.edu) may be created in Infoblox by the user, so long as a separate zone is not required. See the Guidelines section for additional information.

Creation and maintenance guidelines

Subdomains can be created for the following entities:

• Colleges
• Departments (Academic or non-academic)
• TAMU System entities
• "Permanent" University research organizations
• [e.g. resnet.tamu.edu, rns.tamu.edu]

Once a subdomain is created, all names associated with the organization's machines should be moved underneath the subdomain as soon as possible. This will allow the Departmental IT staff to manage their hosts in Infoblox directly. The organization is responsible for updating the configurations of affected machines to reflect the shift into the subdomain.

Authority of any new subdomains will not be delegated. In other words, the DNS zone must be managed by Technology Services through Infoblox. This restriction is necessary to avoid technical problems that arise in the management of the inverse namespace.

Subdomains that are not used will be candidates for deletion. If after a one year period none of the hosts within a subdomain are active, the subdomain will be marked to indicate non-use. The organization associated with the subdomain will be contacted before the subdomain is removed.

3rd Level Sub-Domains

3rd Level Sub-Domains, or sub-domains below the departmental level, are available in Infoblox. These subdomains typically fall directly under the departmental subdomain and are owned by the same group. Permissions for these would be inherited. In Infoblox, this domain level is seen as part of the hostname. For example, the name figment.private.net.tamu.edu will show up in the net.tamu.edu zone / srg as figment.private.

A zone or shared record group will be made for permissions only.

Departmental Approvals

Colleges, Agencies and Departments will be asked to provide the names of the individuals allowed to approve requests for sub-domains and creation of hosts in the tamu.edu name space. These names will be referenced on Texas A&M Technology Services ServiceNow Service Catalogs Request Forms. To update the departmental approvals, send an email to infoblox@tamu.edu.