When one discusses the concept of the domain name server (DNS) they may leave some people wondering just exactly what is meant by domain name server (DNS). Here is some general information about the domain name server (DNS), such as a domain name server definition of what DNS is, and how it works.
The domain name server (DNS) is a system that stores and relates several different types of information back to a specific domain name. DNS also performs the very important task of relating the easy to remember domain names that we all use to visit our favorite web sites back to a specific IP address. Without the domain name server (DNS) we would not have find locating our favorite haunts on the Internet a much more complicated process.
Among the more important DNS stuff that you should understand is the concept of the DNS cache. In order to handle the huge volume of requests that a DNS server is constantly processing, there is a mechanism in place that allows for any DNS query to be cached for a certain amount of time, which will ensure that it remains active long enough to be processed. From time to time the server will flush DNS in order to free up space, but it will not impact the cached data that has not yet reached that minimum time limit. Any attempts to do so will yield a response such as “cannot clear DNS cache”.
Open DNS may be used for more than translating to IP addresses. For instance, DNS tools also allow mail transfer agents to use free DNS to find out where to deliver email for a particular email address. This particular application is a nice secondary layer of security for email correspondence. Also, a domain name server can support multiple host names related back to a single IP address, which means that a single machine is able to serve a number of different web sites with a great deal of efficiency.
To register a domain name server, you would need of course to work though an authorized domain service registrant. While no one actually owns the domain names associated with DNS service, one can contract to have access to and use the domain name for a specified period of time, such as one year, two years or five years. Before registration can take place, a search will have to be conducted to ensure the name is not already in use. Once DNS verifies the name is not contracted to someone, then the registration can go forward.