DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM (DNS)

Domain Name System (DNS)

Domain Name System (DNS)

Introduction

The domain name system is the network system that resolves an alphanumeric common domain name, such as www.moon.com, to its numerical Internet Protocol (IP) address. The Internet is really based not on alphanumeric domain names, but on the underlying numeric IP addresses - usually four sets of numbers separated by periods, i.e., 123.12.123.12. Alphanumeric domain names are used as they are easier to remember and more useful from a business perspective. The Internet Protocol is the accepted format for sending and receiving data between two devices on the Internet. (Bloxx, 2010)

Size of the Domain Name System

The system which enables recognizable names (such as bbc.co.uk) to be associated with Internet locations (Internet Protocol numbers) that serve as routing addresses on the Internet. It is a directory organized in a hierarchy of levels, with each level separated by a dot. The top-level domain is the name which occurs at the top of the Internet domain-name hierarchy - the rightmost element of a domain name. Examples include country codes or non-geographical generic codes. Most US addresses, for historical reasons, do not end in a country code. (Contagio, 2011) Within countries, regional administrators control what second-level domains are recognized. These relate to different types of activity, such as co for commercial enterprises and ac for academic establishments. Dynamic Doman Name Service (DNS) providers offer a free and paid service which allows the aliasing of dynamic (DHCP) IP addresses to static hostnames and the provision of Uniform Resource Indicator (URI) redirection services etc. As the name suggests, it allows Internet Protocol (IP) address changes to be dynamically altered to ensure the static hostname a user has registered always resolves to the end-registered host or entity. The dynamic updating of IP addresses can be achieved in multiple ways predominantly with the use of pre-installed software which provides an agent-based IP change notification service that detects changes on a host immediately notifying the dynamic DNS service provider who then updates their own DNS records accordingly. Dynamic DNS is an added layer that's runs atop the standard DNS system currently in use today.

3 components are the most important for DNS

The Domain Name System (DNS) was developed primarily to allow humans to use more easily remembered character strings in place of dotted decimal or, heaven forbid, hexadecimal numbers. You can enter a destination's numeric IP address into a browser or other application and get the results you would expect without any contribution by the DNS. Once the system was in place, however, it took on a number of supplemental roles that have stretched and contorted the system far beyond the original intentions of its architects. The DNS is an essential component of Internet based e-mail. It can serve as a repository for encryption keys and other security components. Currently, it is undergoing expansion that will integrate IP addresses with worldwide telephone numbering.

DNS Components

The DNS consists of three components. The first is a “Name Space” that establishes ...