Essay - Distributed Systems - How Domain Name Servers Work How Domain...

Distributed Systems - How Domain Name Servers Work

How Domain Name Servers Work is an article written by Marshall Brain, located on the "HowStuffWorks" Web site located at http://www.howstuffworks.comand assessed on February 27, 2005. Th***** ***** describes one form of a distributed system, domain name servers on the Internet. The ***** name server system forms ***** ***** the largest and most active ***** d*****abases on ***** planet. Without domain name servers, the Internet would shut down very quickly ***** ***** not exist.

When the Internet is used to send an e-mail message, a domain name ***** used to send ***** *****. It is through the domain name that the processing of this system is distributed. For example, for ***** article, the ***** name ***** which the ***** is distributed is "howstuffworks.com." In the domain name system, processors are interconnected. Every machine connected to the Internet has its own Internet protocol (IP) address. A home computer that ***** dialing up through a modem often ***** an IP address ***** is assigned ***** ***** Internet service provider when you dial in. That IP address is unique ***** your session and may be different the next time you ***** in. In this way, an Internet ***** provider only needs one IP address for each ***** it supports, ra*****r than for every customer. Since the ***** essentially is a "network of **********," the entire ***** name system is inter*****.

***** names ***** distributed ***** different databases. Within every top-level domain there is a huge l*****t of second-level domains. ***** example, in the COM first-level domain, ***** different ***** could *****: "howstuffworks," or "yahoo," ***** "msn." ***** name in the COM top-level domain must be *****, but there can be duplication across *****s. For *****, howstuffworks.com ***** howstuffworks.org are completely different databases. System-wide rules also apply to provide the operating discipline for the components to work **********. Because all of the names in a given domain need to be unique, ********** has to ***** a single entity that controls the list and makes sure no duplicates arise. For example, the COM domain cannot contain any duplicate names, and the service provider is maintains a ***** of ***** already in use. When a doma***** name is registered, a *****in name, it goes through ***** service ***** and a central database that checks if the ***** is in use or adds it to the list. This is an ***** of how the distri*****ion system components work together.

The benefits claimed by this distribution system are extraordinary. ***** allows for an international domain name system that is completely distributed throughout the world on millions of machines administered by millions of people, and operates as a single, integrated *****. This system has a complicated, but invisible infrastructure. ***** a dom*****in ***** is typed into your browser, the browser's first step is to convert ***** domain name and host name into an ***** address so ***** the browser can go request a Web p*****ge from the machine at that IP