The domain name system (DNS) is the way that Internet domain names are located and translated into Internet Protocol addresses. A domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember "handle" for an Internet address.
Because maintaining a central list of domain name/IP address correspondences would be impractical, the lists of domain names and IP addresses are distributed throughout the Internet in a hierarchy of authority. There is probably a DNS server within close geographic proximity to your access provider that maps the domain names in your Internet requests or forwards them to other servers in the Internet.
| Getting started with domain name system |
| To explore how DNS is used in the enterprise, here are some additional resources: |
| Tutorial: A primer on DNS and MX records: Learn what MX records are and how they work, and find out how to create an MX record and host that record on your own DNS server. |
| Exchange Server and DNS: This collection of tips, tutorials and tools explains how DNS works and shows how to configure it for optimal Exchange Server availability and performance. |
21 Sep 2005