Learn All about Domain Names
By: Steve Ellias – May 28, 2013
All websites have both a domain name and an IP address. In fact, any application like your web site where others connect to your computer, for example NetMeeting or an email server, also have both a domain name and an IP address. You are no doubt familiar with domain names; our domain name is infonetblog.com. Other well-known domain names are YAHOO.COM, and GOOGLE.COM
Top Level Domain – The .COM is called a top level domain – Example of a top level domain name – infonetblog.com
Sub-Domain – INFO.CANADAWEBSERVICES.COM is called a sub-domain or sub-folder. When you create your domain name, you must then add a folder ( name ) of the sub domain so it will have all your website files for that sub-domain located inside this folder. Examples of using sub-domains is when you want to create lots of cities using the exact same feature of the main top level domain name like a classified website where you may choose your city to add your items for sale or to purchase items. This idea is good for a HUGE website with lots of files and lots of sub-domains to be used. The disadvantage is that it’s harder to manage than a FOLDER system.
Folders – CANADAWEBSERVICES.COM/INFO is called a folder system and is very good for small to medium websites where you need to have more cities or topics in all different avenues. This is much easier to control and is much better for the search engines than a sub-domain structure.
Domain are made use of to determine one or more IP addresses. For example, the domain name microsoft.com represents a lot IP addresses. Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular Web pages. For instance, in the URL http://www.canadawebservices/index.html, the domain is canadawebservices.com.
Every domain name has a suffix that shows which top level domain (TLD) it concerns. There are just a limited number of such domains. For example:
gov – Government agencies.
edu – Educational institutions.
org – Organizations (nonprofit).
mil – Armed force.
com – industrial company.
net – Network companies.
ca – Canada.
th – Thailand.
Due to the fact that the Net is based upon IP addresses, not domain names, every Web server needs a Domain System (DNS) server to translate domain into IP addresses.
Among the best aspects of the Net is that no one actually possesses it. It is an international collection of networks, both big and small, that link together in many various means to form the single entity that we know as “the Web.” Since its beginning in 1969, the Internet has actually grown from four host computer system systems to tens of millions. Nonetheless, just since no one possesses the Net, it doesn’t suggest it is not kept track of and maintained in various methods. The Net Society, a non-profit team established in 1992, oversees the development of the policies and protocols that define how we use and interact with the Internet.
When the Net was in its infancy, you could only make connections by offering the IP (Net Method) address of the computer you wished to develop a relate to. For instance, a typical IP address might be 72.167.1.128. This was great when there were just a few hosts out there, however it became very hectic as increasingly more systems came online. The first solution to the problem was a basic text file maintained by the Network Information Center that mapped names to IP addresses. Quickly this text file became so large it was too much to manage. In 1983, the University of Wisconsin produced the Domain Name System (DNS), which maps text names to IP addresses. By doing this you just have to bear in mind www.infonetblog.com, for example, instead of 72.167.1.128.
The Domain System is a distributed database, however there are main name servers at the core of the system. Someone has to preserve these central name servers to stay clear of problems and duplication.
In 1993, the U.S. Department of Commerce, in conjunction with a number of public and private entities, developed InterNIC to keep a central data source contains all the registered domain and the associated IP addresses in the UNITED STATE. Other nations maintain their own NICs (Network Info Centers) Network Solutions, a member of InterNIC, was chosen to administer and keep the expanding number of Internet domain and IP addresses. This main data source is copied to Top Level Domain (TLD) servers all over the world and creates the primary routing tables made use of by every computer system that connects to the Internet.
Until recently, Network Solutions was the only business that provided domain. Nonetheless, to ensure that Network Solutions did not become a monopoly, the U.S. government decided that other companies need to likewise be permitted to sell domain names. While these various other companies (known as registrars) offer domain names and maintain DNS servers, Network Solutions still preserves the central data source to guarantee that there are no duplicates. In the U.S., you pay Network Solutions an annual fee to keep your domain name in the central name server.
Simplified Domain Name Explanation
Lets use the analogy of a physical house address to show you how domain names are used on the internet.
A domain is like a physical house address and gets altered from a domain (infonetblog.com) into an IP address (184.173.228.98) to be sent to the right address and area of the server holding the internet site you want to see on your computer system or gadget.
If you’ve ever used the Internet, it’s a great bet that you have actually used the Domain Name System, or DNS, even without recognizing it. DNS is a method within the set of standards for how computer systems exchange data on the Internet and on many personal networks, known as the TCP/IP protocol suite. Its standard task is to turn an easy to use domain like “infonetblog.com” into a Net Method (IP) address like 184.173.228.98 that computers make use of to identify each other on the network. It’s like your computer system’s GPS for the Web.
Computer systems and various other network gadgets on the Internet make use of an IP address to course your request to the website you’re trying to reach. This is similar to dialing a phone number to link to the individual you’re attempting to call. Thanks to DNS, though, you do not have to keep your own address book of IP addresses. Rather, you simply link with a domain name server, also called a DNS server or name server, which manages a huge database that maps domain names to IP addresses.
Whether you’re accessing a Web site or sending e-mail, your computer system makes use of a DNS server to seek out the domain name you’re attempting to gain access to. The correct term for this process is DNS name resolution, and you would say that the DNS server deals with the domain to the IP address. Foe example, when you get in “http://www.infonetblog.com” in your browser, part of the network connection consists of solving the domain name “infonetblog.com” into an IP address, like 184.173.228.98, for infonetblog.com’ Internet servers.
You can constantly bypass a DNS lookup by getting in 184.173.228.98 directly in your web browser (give it a try). However, you’re probably more likely to remember “infonetblog.com” when you want to return later. In addition, a Website’s IP address can alter gradually, and some websites associate several IP addresses with a single domain name.
Without DNS servers, the Internet would shut down really rapidly. However how does your computer know exactly what DNS server to utilize? Typically, when you connect to your home network, Access provider (ISP) or WiFi network, the modem or router that designates your computer’s network address likewise sends out some important network configuration details to your computer or mobile gadget. That configuration consists of several DNS servers that the device must utilize when equating DNS names to IP address.
Simply Put, a domain gets used on a computer system or gadget by you, it gets sent from that gadget and the request you are sending out to the internet to get to that site you are trying to obtain to. servers along the way send your request out and in a prompt manner and using the very best course. It then visits the server you are attempting to reach and shows you the page you asked for on your computer or gadget.
