Introduction to DNS and Name Servers

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the mechanism that translates Internet domain names preferred by users, such as example.com, into IP addresses used by computers, such as 10.0.0.1. This translation is required because the network layer of the Internet uses IP addresses to identify domains; however, Internet users prefer to use names rather than IP addresses. More about how the Domain Name System works.

Domain Name Registration

When you want to host a domain with a service provider, you need to let your service provider know the name of your domain along with details of the services that you want to make available on your domain. Your service provider registers the domain name and the name servers for the domain with an ICANN-Accredited Registrar and creates the domain. When the domain is created, zones and related zone records required for the domain are automatically created.

Note: You can create zones and records for your site, if your service provider has enabled zone management capability for the site. If enabled, you will see the DNS option in the shortcuts section of the Home page.

Further, your ability to manage zones and their records depend on the policy settings configured by your service provider. For example, if your service provider has disabled the add A record setting in the policy file, you will be unable to add A records. Contact your service provider if you want the settings changed.

Managing DNS Zones for Your Domain

If your service provider has enabled you to perform DNS-related actions for your domain, you can:

For complete information on DNS, the following books are recommended.