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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.
For more detailed information on OpenSRS, see End
User FAQ #4. The End
User FAQ and General
FAQ are also good sources for general information about OpenSRS.
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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: http://www.opensrs.org/whois/newwhois.shtml
and http://www.opensrs.org/Support_FAQ.shtml#Live_whois_confusion.
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