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What is the Domain Name System, DNS? [1] |
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The Domain Name
System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer
on the Internet has a unique address - just like a telephone number - which
is a string of four groups of numbers separated by a period called an "IP
address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol"). The DNS makes using the Internet
easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be
used instead of the arcane IP address, which is difficult to remember. So,
instead of typing 12.34.56.78 to get to eXostream's website, you can type
www.exostream.com. In essence, DNS is a "mnemonic" device that makes web
addresses easier to remember.
It is rather impractical to have a central list of domain name/IP address
correspondences, so, instead, the lists of domain names and IP addresses
are distributed throughout the Internet in a hierarchy of authority. There
is probably a DNS server within close geographic proximity to your access
provider that maps the domain names in your Internet requests or forwards
them to other servers in the Internet for mapping. This is also the reason
why, when you register a domain name, your web site might be accessible
to people in different geographic locations at different times, as the DNS
server in their location is updated with the new entry.
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What are the components of a domain name? [2] |
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Every domain
name is made up of two components, a generic or global top-level domain,
gTLD, and a second-level domain, SLD, which are separated by a period. For
example, in exostream.com, "exostream" represents the second-level domain,
while the ".com" represents the top-level domain. Together, exostream.com,
is referred to as the second-level domain name.
There are also country code top-level domains called ccTLDs. These domain
extensions represent a specific country for example, .us for the United
States, .uk for the United Kingdom and .ca for Canada.
The following table lists various top-level domains and their common uses:
| .com
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The
most popular TLD most commonly used for commercial entities although
anyone can register a .com domain. |
| .net
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Originally
used for networking organizations such as ISPs and backbone providers.
Today, anyone can register a .net domain. |
| .org
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Designed
for miscellaneous organizations, including non-profit groups. Today,
anyone can register a .org domain. |
| .biz
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Restricted
for use by legitimate businesses. |
| .info
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Dedicated
to the dissemination of information, anyone can register a .info domain. |
| .edu
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Restricted
for use by educational organizations such as colleges and universities. |
| .gov
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Restricted
for use by the government of the United States of America. |
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What is a registrar? [3] |
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A registrar
is a company that actually registers domain names. When you register for
a domain, the registrar will submit the technical information to a central
directory known as the "registry," which provides other computers on the
Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your web
site.
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What is a URL? [4] |
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A URL or Universal
Resource Locator is a unique identifier that distinguishes an address on
the World Wide Web (www), along with the protocol by which the resource
is accessed. The most common URL type is "http," which gives the Internet
address of a www page, for example, http://www.exostream.com. Other URL
types include "gopher," which provides the Internet address of a Gopher
directory, and "ftp," which calls up the Internet address of an FTP resource.
No two websites can have the same URL just like no two residencies can have
the same phone number.
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What is hosting? [5] |
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Hosting is the
term used to refer to the housing of various items such as an application,
database, web site, email or a domain. There are several types of hosting,
including:
Co-location |
Co-location
is a type of hosting where the hosting provider stores and maintains
the customer's server. The customer owns the server hardware and software,
but houses the equipment in the hosting providers Network Operations
Center, NOC, taking advantage of the provider's facilities.
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| Dedicated
Hosting |
Dedicated
or managed hosting allows the customer to take advantage of a hosting
provider's facilities, similar to co-location, however, the customer
does not own the server hardware. The hosting provider assumes all
the responsibility for the technical support and maintenance of the
server. |
| Shared
Hosting |
Dedicated
or managed hosting allows the customer to take advantage of a hosting
provider's facilities, similar to co-location, however, the customer
does not own the server hardware. The hosting provider assumes all
the responsibility for the technical support and maintenance of the
server. |
| Virtual
Hosting |
Shared
hosting is similar to dedicated hosting in that the hosting provider
owns the hardware stored in their NOC facility, however, the customer
shares server space with many other clients, allowing the customer
to experience a much lower cost of service. Instead of a customer
buying their own server, they lease space on the hosting provider's
server with other customers, much like renting an apartment in an
apartment building with other residents. |
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What are an IP address? [6] |
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An IP address,
(Internet Protocol address), is the standard way of identifying a computer
that is connected to the Internet, much the way a telephone number identifies
a telephone on a telephone network. The IP address is a 32-binary digit
number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent
in packet across the Internet. When you request a web page or send an e-mail,
your IP address is sent to the IP address associated with the domain name
in the URL you requested or in the e-mail address you sent mail to. At the
other end, the recipient can see your IP address and can respond by sending
the web page you requested or another message using the IP address received.
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What is bandwidth? [7] |
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The term "bandwidth"
is used to refer to the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies
available for network signals. The term is also used to describe the throughput
capacity or data flow speed of a given network medium or protocol measured
in Kilobits or Megabits per second.
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What is POP and SMTP? [8] |
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Post Office
Protocol: Post Office Protocol refers to the protocol used by e-mail software
such as Outlook, Lotus Notes and Eudora get mail from a mail server. SMTP,
or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is the protocol used to send electronic
mail on the Internet. SMTP consists of a set of rules for how a program
sending mail and a program receiving mail should interact.
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What is FTP? [9] |
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FTP, File Transfer
Protocol, is a common method of transferring files between computers in
different locations. An FTP client program (such as CuteFTP or WS-FTP) is
required to access an FTP server.
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What does HTTP mean? [10] |
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HTTP, Hyper
Text Transfer Protocol, is the Internet protocol used to transfer hypertext,
or HTML web pages on the internet. This requires an HTTP client program,
or web browser such as Internet Explorer, Netscape or Mosaic, which retrieves
information from an HTTP server program.
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