A Basic Introduction to a Range of Internet Related Concepts and Terms

The Domain Name System (DNS)

This system allows us to use a name such as abdn.ac.uk to reach the main website of the University of Aberdeen. The DNS thus functions like a telephone book to find the addresses of computers on the Internet.

In the early days of the Internet, all host names and their associated IP addresses were recorded in a single file maintained by the Network Information Centre in the USA. As the Internet grew however this single location approach became impossible to manage effectively. The Internet Domain Name System (DNS) was thus developed to solve this problem. Its primary goal is to allow the allocation of host names to be distributed amongst multiple naming authorities, rather than centralised at a single point.

The DNS is arranged as a highly structured and controlled hierarchy, both from the perspective of the structure of the names maintained within the DNS, and in terms of the delegation of naming authorities. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is in charge of the delegation of this 'naming system' to naming authorities.