Linux and Networking

Linux and Networking

5.1.1 How does the Domain Name System work?

The Domain Name System is like an “Internet phone book.” Just as a telephone number belongs to a person, an IP address can correspond at any given time to a domain. This process is called DNS name resolution and can be broken down into several steps:

 

1 Type any web address into your browser’s search engine.

2 The query is forwarded to a DNS-Resolver, which is usually managed by your Internet service provider.

3 The DNS resolver forwards the query to a DNS server which, in turn, is forwarded to another DNS server.

4 The DNS resolver redirects the query to different DNS servers until it finds the web address name.

5 The end server searches its log until it finds the corresponding IP address and transmits it to the DNS resolver.

6 The DNS resolver provides the IP address to the web browser and it accesses the corresponding web page.

 

Several components are involved in name resolution, such as the DNS resolver and the different name servers. Broadly speaking, the DNS resolver is the program that controls the name resolution process and obtains the necessary information from the Domain Name System. You may find the nslookup command-line tool useful to check if name resolution is working correctly.

Rollplay
Explain to your partner how the Domain Name System works.

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