DNS (Domain Name System)
The Internet was built on the notion that
any computer on a global network can be
identified by its numeric Internet Protocol
(IP) address. But since people, and not
machines, are the primary users of the
Internet, a more people-friendly naming
system called the Domain Name System (DNS)
was invented. DNS maps a host name like
www.opensrs.org to the IP address of the
machine that hosts the OpenSRS web site. For
example, DNS actually maps the host name
www.opensrs.com to the IP address
207.136.98.175
DNS is built upon the notion that some
server's are 'authoritative' (meaning, knows
all there is to know) for certain domains. A
distributed name server hierarchy, beginning
with the A Root Server and ending at the
thousands of nameservers active on the
Internet, ensures that the naming and
directing system works the same from
anywhere.
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Domain Name
A domain name is essentially a signpost on
the Internet. Almost every website you've
ever been to, and every email you've ever
composed, has used a domain name in its
address.
People register domain names in order to
'stake a claim' to a particular name --
whether for business or personal reasons.
Once a domain name is registered to a person
or company, it is that person's to use
exclusively as long as they continue to pay
the yearly renewal fee and abide by the
terms of use.
Top Level Domain (TLD)
The portion of a traditional domain name
that comes after the dot. So, in
opensrs.org, the top level domain is .org.
The generic top level domains (gTLDs) are
.com, .net and .org; there are also
country code top level domains (ccTLDs)
such as .ca, or .uk.
Second Level Domain (SLD)
The portion of a traditional domain name
that comes before the dot. So, in
opensrs.org, the second level domain is
opensrs.
Generic Top Level Domain
(gTLD)
gTLDs are top level domains that are not
associated with any country. Currently,
the only gTLDs in existence are .com, .net
and .org. Originally, the top level domain
designation was meant to denote whether
the domain name was being used for
business (.com), charity/non-profit
(.org), or for a network (.net). However,
with the explosion of the Internet (and
specifically, the world wide web) as a new
business medium, the lines were blurred,
and companies and individuals alike
started cross-registering domains (ie.
me.com, me.net, me.org) just to protect
their interests. Now, .com, .net, and .org
names (the generic Top Level Domains) can
be used for any purpose.
Country Code Top Level
Domain (ccTLD)
Every country (and a few territories) in
the world has a reserved, two letter
country code domain that is theirs to use
as they see fit. Some countries run their
own ccTLD registry, others outsource it to
a private company, and still others sell
rights to their ccTLD to third parties to
run as they see fit.
Examples of ccTLDs are .ca (Canada), .us
(United States), and .to (Tonga). In
general, these are registered by
businesses with a coincidental link to the
TLD in question.
For example: .to is used more by
Torontonians than Tongans and .tv has more
American television content than native
Tuvalu culture.
See also,
DNS.
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Domain Registrar
A "Registrar" (or "Domain Name Registrar")
is an organization like OpenSRS or Network
Solutions that has control over the granting
of domains within certain TLDs (top level
domains, like the generic .com/.org/.net or
country-specific .ca/.us/.mx etc.).
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Domain Registry
The 'Registry' is the system backend that is
maintained by the operators of the TLD.
Registrar's write new names to a central
registry database, from which the
authoritative root (essentially, a table of
all domain names) is built. In the case of
.com, .net and .org, the InterNIC runs the
registry, and qualified registrars have
shared access to it. In the case of many
ccTLDs, the registry and registrar functions
are combined within one entity.
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Domain Registrant
A registrant is the person or company who
registers a domain name. For example,
Jessica Smith (registrant) registers the
name jessicasmith.com through OpenSRS
(registrar) who in turn writes the name to
the central database (Registry).
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Domain Renewal
gTLDs:
Domains are leased on an annual basis, and
need to be renewed once the current payment
for the lease expires. If a domain is
registered on April 15, 2000 and prepaid for
one year, it will be due for renewal on
April 15, 2001, at which point the
registrant either pays for additional years,
or lets the name expire. Domains can also be
pre-paid for multiple years, up to a maximum
of 10 years.
ccTLDs:
The *.uk registry, Nominet, has set
registration and renewal periods for all .uk
names at two years.
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Domain Transfer
The term 'transfer' has been used to
describe various kinds of domain name
transfers. Traditionally, simply changing
the nameservers providing name service for a
domain was considered a transfer. Nowadays,
such a modification is more rightly called a
modification, and the term 'transfer'
describes the transfer of a domain from one
registrar to another.
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ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) is the non-profit
corporation that was formed to assume
responsibility for the IP address space
allocation, protocol parameter assignment,
domain name system management, and root
server system management functions
previously performed under U.S. Government
contract by IANA and other entities.
For more information about ICANN, please
visit: http://www.icann.org
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InterNIC
The InterNIC maintains the root domain
registry, containing nameserver and
registrar information for all .com, .net and
.org domains. When an end user registers a
domain name through an OpenSRS RSP, OpenSRS
updates it's own database with the full
WHOIS information, and passes select domain
information up to the root registry.
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Name Servers
Nameservers (or Domain Name Servers) are the
machines that perform the DNS function,
containing zone files listing all the hosts
on their network, and their corresponding IP
addresses. If a nameserver is unable to
determine which IP address a given hostname
(i.e. www.opensrs.org) should map to, it
will at least be able to point to another
nameserver, which will either contain the
information, or pass the request on until
the correct nameserver is found.
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Nominet
The Nominet is the registry for all .uk
domain names, serving a simlar function as
the NSI registry does for the gTLDs. Tucows
is an authorized Nominet agent.
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OpenSRS (Open Shared
Registration Sytem)
OpenSRS is a wholesale domain name
registration service that uses Open Source
principles to ensure equal participation for
as many companies and individuals as
possible. Sponsored by Tucows.com, OpenSRS
has been accredited as a domain registrar by
ICANN and recognized by the United States
Government and Network Solutions.
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Registration Service
Provider (RSP)
Under the OpenSRS model, the Registration
Service Provider resells domain names
through OpenSRS and sells them to
individuals or businesses. RSPs are
generally Internet based service providers,
either running a domain registration
business as a 'value add' to their core
business, or in some cases, as their core
business. RSPs also provide all technical
support to domain registrants.
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UDRP
The Uniform Dispute Resolution policy is a
document which governs how domain name
disputes will be resolved within the gTLD
namespace. It defines the conditions under
which a genuine dispute may arise, and
provides guidelines for administrative
proceedings to settle the issue, outside of
a court where possible. All registrants
registering domains through OpenSRS (or any
other registrar) are bound by the UDRP. The
UDRP can be found at:
http://www.opensrs.org/legal/udrp.shtml
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Web
Hosting
One service often closely associated with
domain names is web site hosting. The World
Wide Web is a massive collection of web
sites, all hosted on computers (called web
servers) all over the world. Because of the
web's uniquely global nature, a web site
should be accessible 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. Rather than pay to have a 24/7
dedicated Internet connection to an in-house
webserver, many people opt to host their
sites with a web hosting provider. Web
hosting clients simply upload their web
sites to a shared (or dedicated) webserver,
which the ISP maintains to ensure a
constant, fast connection to the Internet.
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WHOIS
WHOIS databases contain nameserver,
registrar, and in some cases, full contact
information about a domain name. Each
registrar must maintain a WHOIS database
containing all contact information for the
domains they 'host'. A central registry
WHOIS database is maintained by the
InterNIC. This database contains only
registrar and nameserver information for all
.com, .net and .org domains.
For more information on WHOIS, see: our
Whois FAQs
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