Domain Name Information

Understand the Domain Name System


Ever wonder why DNS systems came into existence? Efficiency. Every computer has a distinct IP address, and the Internet needed an elite method for obtaining these addresses and for managing the system as a whole. Enter ICANN.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number manages the DNS root of the Internet domain namespace. ICANN's role is to manage the assignment of identifiers, ensuring that all users have unique names.

The DNS system is run by a series of servers called DNS servers. ICANN manages the root DNS domains, under which are the top-level domains.
It also manages:

Organizational domains
Geographical domains
Reverse domains

Beneath the top-level domains are other naming authorities such as Nominet, the UK's naming authority.

How does a DNS Query work?

The process occurs in two parts. Firstly, a name query begins at a client computer and is passed to DNS client service for resolution. When the query cannot be resolved locally, DNS servers are queried.

For example, when a web browser calls the fully qualified domain name www.discountdomainsuk.com, the request is passed on to the DNS client service to resolve the name by using locally cached information. If the query is held in the cache, then the process is complete.

If, however, the query cannot be answered locally, the DNS client service uses a server list (ordered in sequence) to query external DNS servers. When a DNS server receives a query, it first checks to see if it is authoritive for that domain name. If it is authoritive, it resolves the name, and the process is complete.

If the DNS server is unable to resolve the query, it in turns queries other DNS servers, using a process known as recursion. DNS servers make use of root hints to assist in locating DNS servers, which are able to provide the required result. In this way, DNS queries are minimised and the Internet is able to operate quickly and effectively.

A typical query may run as follows:

Client contacts Nameserver A looking for www.discountdomainsuk.com.

Nameserver A checks its cache, but can't answer, so it queries a server authoritive for the Internet root.

The root server responds with a referral to a server authoritive for the .com domains. NameserverA queries the the .com server and gets referred to the server authoritive for www.discountdomainsuk.com.

Nameserver A queries this server and gets the IP address for www.discountdomainsuk.com.

Nameserver A replies to the client with the IP address.

Queries can return answers that are authoritive, positive, negative or referral in nature. In the event of a negative answer, another DNS server is queried.


---------------------------------------------
Clare Lawrence is CEO of Discount Domains Ltd - A leading UK provider of Domain name registration and Web Hosting services. Please feel free to re-publish this article provided this reference box remains together with a hyperlink to http://www.discountdomainsuk.com Clare can also be contacted on clare@discountdomainsuk.com.
---------------------------------------------


MORE RESOURCES:

Creative Thinking: Replycycle for Parked Domain Names
Domain Name Wire, TX - Aug 26, 2008
If you think your parked domain names don’t receive e-mails, think again. Some of my domain names that aren’t parked but don’t have content receive multiple ...


JIPO moves to block sale by US-based company of athletes' domain names
Jamaica Observer, Jamaica - Aug 24, 2008
Domain names of Jamaican gold medal Olympians are being pedalled on the Internet and the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office JIPO - the government ...


Where to Find Free Domain Names
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 25, 2008
There are some facts you should know about what is involved and what should be looked for in considering the offers of free domain names. ...


OKC NBA team nickname to be announced Sept. 3
NewsOK.com, OK - 1 hour ago
Thunder has been believed to be the nickname for more than a month after KOCO reported the company the NBA uses to file domain names purchased ...


Unlimited-Space to give away 1000 internet domain names this Thursday
Seeking Media (press release), Australia - Aug 24, 2008
Australian website hosting company and domain provider Unlimited-Space.com is set to take the internet world by storm by giving away 1000 domain names and ...


ME DOMAINS NAMES HIT MARKET IN RECORD STYLE - Domain auction
OnlineCasino.org - Aug 26, 2008
Domain names are a big part of any internet business. As anybody that has had a modicum of success in the online world can tell you, an easy to remember ...


Boosting numbers in .ke domain names
Business Daily Africa, Kenya - Aug 19, 2008
August 20, 2008: Internet domain names have increasingly become part of our daily lives, but the uptake of the .ke (dot ke) is still lagging behind. ...


VeriSign to Extend SSL Security to Web Sites With ...
CNNMoney.com - Aug 18, 2008
VeriSign today announced that its SSL Certificates will now support Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). IDNs display Web site addresses in local language ...
Go Daddy SSL Market Share Hits All-Time High Ad-Hoc-News (Pressemitteilung)
all 21 news articles


India should follow China in protecting domain names of athletes
SINDH TODAY, Pakistan - Aug 22, 2008
Maybe, it is time for the Indian sports authorities to take some steps in this direction of protecting domain names of famous athletes. ...


Big Companies Go After .Mobi Domain Names
Domain Name Wire, TX - Aug 22, 2008
In the past two months, Capital One, Airtran, Tufts, State Farm, and Primerica have all filed UDRP complaints to get their hands on .mobi domain names. ...

Domain-Names - Google News

home | site map
© 2006-2007