Table of Contents
DNS Definition
This article is part of our Web Hosting, Domains & DNS resource section.
DNS (Domain Name System) is a hierarchical nomenclature system that deals with domain name space management. Its primary task is to resolve the naming requests.
This translation from a human-readable domain name to a numerical IP address is known as DNS resolution. It enables a browser to locate the correct server and retrieve the requested website or online service.
The explanation of this function can be by comparison with a telephone information service that has current contact data and provides them when someone requests them.
To do this, the domain name system uses a global network of DNS servers, which subdivide the namespace into areas managed independently of each other. This allows the decentralized management of domain information.
Each time a user registers a domain, it creates a WHOIS entry in the corresponding registry. And it is stored in the DNS as a resource record. The database of a DNS server thus becomes the compilation of all records in the area of the domain namespace that it manages.
DNS records can also direct a subdomain to a particular server, application, or section of a website. Businesses commonly use subdomains for blogs, online stores, customer portals, support centers, and regional content.
History
The creation of the domain name system (DNS) in 1983 replaced the previous resolution procedure, very prone to errors, and based on a local host file.
- This hosts.txt file can still be found today on UNIX-based systems in the etc / directory and, on Windows computers, in % SystemRoot% \system32\drivers\, etc.
- The hosts.txt file required manual maintenance and regular update. An effort that, as the Internet grew exponentially, was no longer possible.
- Today, the use of this file is exclusively for the classification of IP addresses in local networks.
- It also allows you to block web servers by automatically diverting your address to the localhost.
What is a DNS server?
A DNS server (name server) consists of server software that uses a DNS database to respond to requests that relate to the domain namespace.
A DNS server does not normally store the website itself; it directs visitors to the server where the site is located. Understanding how web hosting works helps clarify the relationship between a domain name, its DNS records, and the hosting infrastructure containing the website’s files.
As, as a rule, they host on dedicated hosts, they have also named the computers that host these programs. There is a distinction made usually between primary and secondary [DNS servers] :
Primary or master server:
A primary DNS server is called when it saves information about a specific area of the domain namespace in its own database.
Secondary or slave server:
when the information of a name server does not come from the own zone files. But is second-hand or third-party, this server becomes secondary or slave for this information.
DNS error notification
Sometimes the ” DNS server does not respond ” it receives error notification when there are connection problems. This happens when the Internet connection does not work, and it is not possible to access a web page.
Website owners should determine whether an outage is caused by DNS configuration, internet connectivity, or the hosting server. WordPress users can reduce hosting-related problems by comparing the best WordPress hosting providers based on uptime, performance, security, backups, and technical support.
