2007-09-11 15:54:07 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
A DNS is a Domain Name Server. It's a computer that translates Web addresses (www.yahoo.com) to IP addresses (209.131.36.158) for other computers.
No, you don't need to know how to program. You just need to know how to set one up.
Not too many people need a DNS. ISPs generally supply them for their users. And why would you be interested in making something if you don't even know what it is?
2007-09-11 16:06:53 · answer #1 · answered by The Phlebob 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A DNS server is a server for what's called the "Domain Name System". Basically, it's a name registry. Every website name like "yahoo.com" actually has numerical equivalents which is what the computer actually understands. Those numerical addresses ("IP addresses") are what are actually used to send data on the network. The addresses we're familiar with are just nicknames for those.
You can build one if you want, but you can find one easily for a lot less work. You can actually get them for free. The Internet Systems Consortium provides the code for a reference server used by a lot of people for free, called "BIND" (see URLs below).
There you'll find more information, prepackaged binaries to run on Windows (2000/XP/2003), and a basic source code distribution you can compile and run on Unix systems.
Of course, if you REALLY want to, you can build one. Pick up the RFC's for the Domain Name System, which includes all the official technical specifications for how DNS servers (and a bunch of other bits of Internet infrastructure) work, and anyone who *REALLY* wants to can find enough information to build one from scratch. A good place to pick up RFC's is given below. Be warned that the documents are very technically dense, so it's definitely not a beginner's guide.
Have fun!
2007-09-11 23:14:46 · answer #2 · answered by Ralph S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Domain Name Server or Root Name Server. It translates the name you enter into your Internet browser to an IP address.
Example www.yahoo.com would translate to 69.147.114.210
If you access a particular website alot during the day you could go into your "hosts" file on your pc and provide the IP address.
Your browser would bypass going to a DNS site to resolve the IP address thus making your access faster.
2007-09-11 23:04:53 · answer #3 · answered by Bill 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A DNS server is a computer that resolves ip addresses into names, so it makes it easy for people to know website address. Its so much easier to remember yahoo than it is 216.109.112.135. So you type in yahoo and the DNS translates that to mean 216.109.112.135, and sends the information requested back to the computer that requested it.
2007-09-11 23:04:23 · answer #4 · answered by Brian W 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DNS - Domain Name Server
You don't need to be able to program, but you do need to know how to setup and manager a server. MicroSoft TechNet has a lot of information.
2007-09-11 23:01:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋