DNS forms the foundation for the Internet. DNS records are used to map each web service to the correct server. Each domain name has a collection of DNS records called a zone file. Domains will utilize the DNS records of the name server that they're pointing to. A more in-depth look at DNS Records. The second category of DNS servers mentioned above is typically associated with web, mail and other internet domain hosting services. Though some hardcore IT gurus set up and manage their own DNS servers, hosting services have made DNS management much easier for the less technical audience.
Over time, the results from looking up hosts at the SOA will propagate to other DNS servers, which in turn propagate to other DNS servers, and so on across the internet. So, each time you look up "www. This great web of DNS servers includes the root name servers , which start at the top of the domain hierarchy for a given top-level domain.
There are hundreds of root name servers to choose from for each top-level domain. Though DNS lookups don't have to start at a root name server, they can contact a root name server as a last resort to help track down the SOA for a domain. Now that you know how DNS servers are interconnected to improve the name resolution process, let's look at how you can configure a DNS server to be the authority for your domain. Using the DNS servers from your registrar or hosting company means that you have a parked domain.
This means that someone else owns the computer hardware for the DNS servers, and your domain is just part of that company's larger DNS configuration. Alternatively, if you're passionate about hosting your own DNS, you can set up your own server, either as a physical or virtual machine.
Whether your SOA is somewhere else or on your own system, you can extend and modify your DNS settings to add sub-domains, redirect e-mail and control other services. This information is kept in a zone file on the DNS server. If you're running your own server, you'll probably need to manually edit the zone file in a text editor. Many registrars today have a web interface you can use to manage DNS for your domain.
Each new configuration you add is called a record, and the following are the most common types of records you can configure for your DNS server [source: GoDaddy. The following is an example of what a zone file might look like for those who are editing it directly in a text editor.
Note that the center column second item on each line includes a record type from those listed above. When you see an " " in the left column, it means that the record applies in all cases not otherwise specified:. The MX records allows you to point your mail services somewhere other than your hosting company if you choose to use something like Google Apps for your domain.
This could include setting google. Now you know more about domain name servers, how DNS maps domain names to IP addresses, and how to choose your domain name and configure it to work within the distributed system of DNS servers around the world.
Furthermore, you're in the zone with zone files and registered for success with domain name servers. You should understand that DNS is not a static concept. The security improvements were necessary, says ICANN, because of the way networks are rapidly changing and expanding, in part due to the Internet of Things , which brings millions of new interconnected devices into the internet's fold [source: Cooney ]. Those safety measures are incredibly important because criminal-minded hackers often try to tap into the DNS system to steal personal information or simply wreak havoc, for example, in attacks like DNS hijacking.
That means defense-minded computer users and IT professionals alike must stay up to date on preventative measures to prevent DNS poisoning attacks and denial-of-service attacks, among others [sources: Greenberg , SecurityTrails ]. But there's an even bigger picture at stake with the status of DNS. It's often possible for tech gurus and powerful companies or oppressive political regimes to track traffic DNS traffic.
In the wrong hands, that kind of data could be used for all sorts of nefarious ventures without any sort of regulatory oversight. In , the internet Engineering Task Force accepted a new DNS-over-HTTPS as a standard — essentially an encryption concept meant to offer better privacy for everyone who uses the internet, no matter their purposes, making it much more difficult for manipulative or evil-minded digital empires to follow you around online [sources: Chirgwin , Morgenroth ].
In other words, like the internet itself, the phone book that is DNS will keep evolving at an ever-faster pace — and it's increasingly important to maintain and protect these resources to keep our networks working like they should. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. How Domain Name Servers Work. That sounds like a simple task, and it would be, except for the following points: There are billions of IP addresses currently in use, and most machines have a human-readable name as well.
DNS servers cumulatively are processing billions of requests across the internet at any given time. Millions of people are adding and changing domain names and IP addresses each day.
Each number in an IPV4 number is called an "octet" because it's a base equivalent of an 8-digit base-2 binary number used in routing network traffic. For example, the octet written as 42 stands for Each digit in the binary number is the placeholder for a certain power of two from 2 to 27, reading from right to left. That means that in , you have one each of 21, 23 and There are only possibilities for the value of each octect: the numbers 0 through For example, the IP address So, talking to Finding Your IP Address.
At the command prompt, enter this command: ifconfig Smartphones using WiFi — Look at your phone's network settings. This will vary depending on the phone the version of its operating system.
Read More. Domain Names " ". The Amazon. Nameservers play an important role in connecting a URL with a server IP address in a much more human-friendly way. Nameservers look like any other domain name.
Easy, right? Earlier, we referred to DNS as the phone book of the Internet. But a more specific analogy would be that:. You also might use the DNS records supplied by your nameservers in other ways, like setting up your email account with MX records or verifying your domain name with Google Search Console. If you wanted to, you could leave your nameservers at your domain registrar and just edit the DNS records to point your domain name towards your web hosting.
The most popular example here is Cloudflare. To help you point your domain towards Kinsta, we have tutorials for how to edit the nameservers and A records at popular domain registrars:. For example, Whois.
Nameservers play an essential role in directing traffic on the Internet by helping to connect your domain name with the IP address of your web server. All of that and much more, in one plan with no long-term contracts, assisted migrations, and a day-money-back-guarantee.
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