What Is DNS?

DNS or Domain Name System (Service/Server) is an efficient internet system by means of which important information regarding domains is stored and associated with the respective domain names.

How Are IP Addresses Used By DNS?

The Internet Protocol address (IP address) distinguishes each computer on the Internet. IP address is in the form of a complicated series of numbers which ordinary Internet surfers might find difficult to remember. So, instead of numbers, domains are named using a memorable series of letters or alphabets, which makes it easy for every one to access the Internet host-names. Therefore, the function of DNS is chiefly translating or resolving each and every domain name into its corresponding IP address. For example: www.x.com is translated to 193.0.15.5741.8.

How is DNS Managed?

The Domain Naming System is the brainchild of Paul Mockapetris who invented it in the year 1983. The domain names are arranged in the form of a tree and divided into zones, which are served by name servers.

The entire management and co-ordination of the DNS is vested with the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). The thirteen special computers at the core of the DNS are known as root servers that store the IP addresses of all registered country code top level and generic domain names. The computers to which these root servers are connected are called resolvers because they resolve domain names by querying the root servers, thus translating domain names to IP addresses.

The DNS lists mail exchange servers for each domain, and thus helps in accepting e-mail addresses and other Internet applications for each domain. DNS is used by mail transfer agents to determine where to deliver the e-mail for a specific address.

How Are DNS Changes Tracked?

DNS helps in assigning Internet destinations to several organizations, companies and individuals regardless of the physical routing. Therefore, no matter what the current IP routing measures may be, the hyperlinks and Internet contact information always remain the same. The DNS assigns an authoritative server for every domain name. Through these servers, changes can be automatically tracked preventing the need for a central registrar to continuously update and maintain the information.