If the ConnectionConfigurationSet contains AliasNames (Figure 70 provides an overview of the configuration), then the Client should perform the following steps:

1. Connect to the well-known GDS (or aggregating Server). This is typically preconfigured in all Servers since the GDS also provides other functionality, such as certificate management or discovery.
2. Call FindAlias with the provided AliasName(s), which will return the target Server and the NodeId.

A single Call to the GDS or AliasName Server can resolve all AliasNames in all records in the ConnectionConfigurationSet. The returned list of Servers (Connection information) and NodeIds should be cached.

Figure 70 – AliasName Resolution

If an AliasName was used to obtain the Server information, the connection process might be slightly different (illustrated in Figure 71). The AliasName Server provides the information required to connect to the Server. Once connected, the EstablishConnections Call may be issued without any additional resolution step, assuming all nodes were defined using AliasNames and resolved on an initial step.

Figure 71 – Client connection process for AliasNames