3.1.1. DNS Resource Record Types
This document defines a new DNS RR of type SPF, code 99. The format
of this type is identical to the TXT RR [RFC1035]. For either type,
the character content of the record is encoded as [US-ASCII].
It is recognized that the current practice (using a TXT record) is
not optimal, but it is necessary because there are a number of DNS
server and resolver implementations in common use that cannot handle
the new RR type. The two-record-type scheme provides a forward path
to the better solution of using an RR type reserved for this purpose.
An SPF-compliant domain name SHOULD have SPF records of both RR
types. A compliant domain name MUST have a record of at least one
type. If a domain has records of both types, they MUST have
identical content. For example, instead of publishing just one
record as in Section 3.1 above, it is better to publish:
example.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 +mx a:
colo.example.com/28 -all"
example.com. IN SPF "v=spf1 +mx a:
colo.example.com/28 -all"
Example RRs in this document are shown with the TXT record type;
however, they could be published with the SPF type or with both
types.