DNS and IP Definitions - KB Article #1593Related Articles --
What is DNS?
Short for Domain Name System (or Server or Service), DNS is an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphabetic, they're easier to remember. The Internet is actually based on IP addresses. Every time a domain name is used, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.ftpvoyager.com might translate to 220.127.116.11. Another way to think of this is how a person might refer to ï¿½Joan Smithï¿½s houseï¿½ as a location instead of ï¿½1234 Main Street, Anywhere USA.ï¿½
The DNS system is, in fact, its own network. If a given DNS server does not have the domain name's information cached locally, the server asks another one until the correct IP address is returned.
What is an IP address?
An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages based on the IP address of the destination. The format of an IP address (for IPv4) is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 18.104.22.168 could be an IP address.
Within an isolated (private) network, IP addresses can be assigned at random as long as each one is unique. However, connecting a private network to the Internet requires using registered IP addresses (also called internet addresses) to avoid duplicates. Some examples of always-private non-routable IP addresses are 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x.