The Domain Name System

Running head: The Domain Name System

The Domain Name System
MISM 5306 – VC02

The Domain Name System Imagine surfing the internet and trying to find a website by using Internet Protocol (IP) addresses? Most people today can’t remember their own telephone number, much less, a 192.154.20.3. The internet works due to a Domain Name System (DNS). DNS is a service provided by the internet to identify domain names by Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. This is what keeps us from having to remember countless combinations of numbers or addresses because humans and computers don’t speak the same language. DNS is considered to be a hierarchically arranged, distributed database whose main purpose is to match domain names with IP addresses. (Dettmer, 2003) This is great for the end user. Addresses, whether they are an email address or a new web based site, can be updated and quickly distributed so as not to affect the end user, who continues to use the same web name. And for people who want to be found on the internet, “DNS provides a mechanism to request a name, verify its availability, and associate it with an individual or organization.” (Webrech, 2010) DNS is divided into many levels or zones. For example, top level domain names end with .com or .org. On the left of the “.” is the domain name or second level domain. This name is governed by a registrar who can assign domain names under one or more of their top level domain names. The registrar reports to the InterNIC, which is a service of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), who is responsible for enforcing the uniqueness of a domain name. And from there, the domain name becomes part of a central domain registration database know as whois.com or the registry. The resolver matches the user’s request for an IP address in the registry. Without DNS, the internet would not work as proficiently as it does; it would be a conglomerate of private networks with no governance and efficiency. As of January 2012, ICANN proposed to open the doors to new top level domain names. (Notess, 2011) This will allow for companies to trademark their names and could open the door for controversy with copyright laws and not to mention designs of new infrastructures.

References
Dettmer, R. (2003). What’s In A Name. IEE Review, 49(11), 38-40.
Notess, G. R. (2011). Internationalization and Expansion of Web Addresses. Online, 35(6), 44- 46.
Werbach, K. (2010). Castle In The Air: A Domain Name System For Spectrum Northwestern University Law Review, 104(2), 613-640.

References: Dettmer, R. (2003). What’s In A Name. IEE Review, 49(11), 38-40. Notess, G. R. (2011). Internationalization and Expansion of Web Addresses. Online, 35(6), 44- 46. Werbach, K. (2010). Castle In The Air: A Domain Name System For Spectrum Northwestern University Law Review, 104(2), 613-640.