DNS Server - Domain Name System Server

There is no doubt that we should have a central authority keeping track of the database of names in the topmost level domains such as com, edu and net. However, it is not prudent to centralize database of all of the entries within the com domain. For example, IBM has hundreds of thousands of IP addresses and domain names. IBM would like to maintain its own Domain Name System Server (DNS Server), also called just Domain Name Server, for the IBM.com domain. A DNS server is simply a computer that contains the database and the software for mapping between domain names and IP addresses. Similarly, USA wants to govern the us top level domain; and Australia wants to take care of the au domain, and so on. That is why DNS is a distributed database. IBM is totally responsible for maintaining the name server for IBM.com. It maintains the computers and the software (databases, etc.) that implement its portion of the DNS, and IBM can change the database for its own domain (IBM. com) whenever it wants to, simply because it owns its domain name servers. Similarly, for IBM.au, IBM can provide a cross reference entry in its IBM.com domain, and take its responsibility.

Thus, every domain has a DNS server. It handles requests coming to computers owned by it and also maintains the various domain entries. This might surprise you. In fact, this is one of the most amazing facts about the Internet. The DNS is completely distributed throughout the world on millions of computers. It is administered by millions of people. Still, it appears to be a single, integrated worldwide database.

Domain Name Search