DNS, or Domain Name System, is the translation of a website or email’s human-friendly location name into a computer-friendly location name, or the website’s URL into an IP Address. Computers read locations by IP addresses. An example of an IP Address would be 74.208.168.187 for the website you are currently on. These addresses are always in the same numerical format and can be used to direct your internet browser to the files required to view a website. As the exclusive use of IP Addresses to access websites would be difficult, instead of typing in the IP Address, the DNS allowed you to enter in www.oso-web.com which was then translated into the IP Address location.
DNS service can be performed by your website/email’s host company, the company from whom you purchased your website URL or even a third party. It is important to use a trusted and reputable company for your DNS services, because even the large businesses can go down temporarily. For example, on September 10, 2012, GoDaddy.com, one of the main DNS providers, crashed due to a hacking incident. During this time, all websites with DNS services through GoDaddy.com were unavailable and unable to be accessed online.
For more information on DNS and trusted providers, contact Optimum Systems Online at 203-702-3680.
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