NWE Help: Web: Searching: Domains

Internet Domain Names (DNS)

Domain names are the "addresses" of the Internet which we use--all the computers use numbers. Names are easier for us; numbers are easier for them. DNS stands for Domain Name Service and it translates the numbers into words for us, and words into numbers for the computer. The numbers DNS translates are IP (internet protocol) addresses and these addresses are on each computer connected to the internet.

IP addresses can be static, which means you have a constant connection to the internet and the address never changes. Or, IP addresses can change, which happens with dial-up. With changing IP addresses, you are assigned a new IP address for the pool of possible addresses that are maintained by your dial-up company. For instance, if you connect through Gatorlink your IP address with always be within the pool that Gatorlink maintains, but it won't be the same exact IP address. The pool of IP addresses that your internet provider owns falls within that provider's subnet mask.

To find out who has registered a particular domain by looking up the name on a domain name registrar using WHOIS. See ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, for more information.