Domain Name System
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network.
(TO DO: expand, cross-reference, illustrate.)
Description
The DNS associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities.
Most prominently, it translates domain names to the numerical IP addresses needed for the purpose of computer services and devices worldwide.
The Domain Name System is an essential component of the functionality of most Internet services because it is the Internet's primary directory service.
The Domain Name System distributes the responsibility of assigning domain names and mapping those names to IP addresses by designating authoritative name servers for each domain.
Authoritative name servers are assigned to be responsible for their supported domains, and may delegate authority over sub-domains to other name servers. This mechanism provides distributed and fault tolerant service and was designed to avoid the need for a single central database.
See also
- Domain name
- Internet
- IP address
- Node (computer science)
- Same-origin policy
- Server (computing)
- Web server
- World Wide Web
External links
- Domain Name System @ Wikipedia
