Every machine on the Internet has a unique identifying number, called an IP Address. A typical IP address looks like this: 216.27.61.137.

When the Internet was in its infancy, you could only make connections by providing the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the computer you wanted to establish a link with. This was fine when there were only a few hosts out there, but it became very unwiedly as more and more systems came online.

The first solution to the problem was a simple text file maintained by the Network Information Center that mapped names to IP addresses. Soon this text file became so large it was too cumbersome to manage. In 1983, the University of Wisconsin created the Domain Name System (DNS), which maps text names to IP addresses.

In 1993, the U.S. Department of Commerce, in conjunction with several public and private entities, created InterNIC to maintain a central database that contains all the registered domain names and the associated IP addresses in the U.S. Other countries maintain their own NICs. (Network Information Systems) Network Solutions, a member of InterNIC, was chosen to administer and maintain the growing number of Internet domain names and IP addresses.

This central database is copied to Top Level Domain (TLD) servers around the world and creates the primary routing tables used by every computer that connects to the Internet.

If you spend any time on the Internet sending email or browsing the web, then you use domain name servers without even realizing it. Domain name servers, or DNS, are an incredibly important but completely hidden part of the Internet, and they are fascinating! The DNS forms one of the largest and most active distributed databases on the planet. Without DNS, the Internet would shut down very quickly.

The DNS system is a database, and no other database on the planet gets this many requests. No other database on the planet has millions of people changing it every day, either. That is what makes the DNS system so unique.

When you register a domain name, it goes through one of several dozen registrars who work with Network Solutions to add names to the list. Network Solutions, in turn, keeps a central database that contains information about the owner and name servers for each domain. If you go to the whois form, you can find information about any domain currently in existence.

Ms. Deborah Maisonet will be keeping the Black community updated on the most current in technology and Internet etiquette. Visit regularly for new information that could help you pursue a more positive technological lifestyle.

To subscribe to Deborah's column join the Afromerica email list to receive new information as it is updated. Or E-mail Deborah at: grvc@worldnet.att.net

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