How domain names work

I think it was Shakespeare who asked: "What is in a name?" and, if memory serves, he concluded "...a rose by any other name will smell as sweet." Pretty profound statement, and pretty accurate in love and romance. On the internet however, a rose by another name is called "Unknown host" or "Undeliverable email".

Computers have no sense of romance. Come to think of it, they have no sense of humor either. No wonder we struggle so much to get along.

Actually, the internet is not so much about computers as it is about computers talking to one another over a number of networks.

Domain names are a numbers game

The internet consists of millions of networks connected by a set of communication rules called TCP/IP. This protocol requires that every device (computer, printer, server, etc) on the network has a unique address, called an IP number. The IP number consists of 4 "parts" and looks like this n.n.n.n where n is a number between 0 and 255.

The IP number is like a phone number, enabling routers (electronic boxes designed to pass information around networks) to send the data packets to the correct place.

The normal telephone system works in the same way: If you are outside of South Africa and you dial "27" then the local phone exchange knows that the rest of the telephone number applies to South Africa. Then you dial 21 and the search narrows down to the Cape Town metropolis. Follow that by 559 and the search narrows further to the Bothasig exchange. The last 4 digits connects you to Cozahost.

IP numbers use the first three digits to identify (and route to) the network, and the last digit is used to identify the specific device (computer) on the network. (This means that the internet can only consist of 255 networks of 255 networks of 255 networks of 255 computers, so we are almost out of IP numbers! The IP addressing scheme will be upgraded to version 6 over the next 5 to 10 years to allow for many billions more IP numbers, but that is another story)

A practical example of IP numbers: Microsoft`s web site`s IP number is 207.46.156.188. IBM`s web site is 129.42.19.99. Google is 66.102.9.99. Cozahost is 196.25.192.74. Want to send email to Cozahost? Then the address is person@196.44.19.124, or anoher@n.n.n.n for AN Other working for Microsoft.

You get the point - no IP number, no routing, no connection, no joy. No sense of humor.

To try to remember those IP numbers and type them (correctly) into your web browser is obviously an exercise in futility or extreme boredom. The only people I can think of that would find such a scheme workable would be accountants, bank managers or SARS clerks: all of whom have a scary talent for remembering numbers. ;-)

So, how does one get around the stubborn insistence of the network to use IP numbers and our utter incapability to remember hundreds of IP numbers accurately?

The plan - domain names

Why the word "domain" instead of just "name"? To be honest, I don`t know the exact answer, but I offer this theory: In the old days (when I say "old days" I mean Lord of the Rings old days) kings had domains. Kingdoms. A land where they were the boss and they could chop off heads, or hire any damn wizard they pleased. And the sheep were very afraid.

Network administrators have kingdoms too. They (the administrators) can connect or disconnect any device on the network and install any damn operating system they choose. And the users are very afraid.

If you can`t have the world - create your own word in cyberspace! Much easier to achieve total world domination this way. :-)

So what does the domain name system do? How does the domain name work?

Instead of using IP numbers, the system allows us to use a word or name to refer to a IP number. Instead of typing 207.46.156.188, we can type www.microsoft.com. Pretty easy. Pretty cool.

But wait: what happened to requirement for an IP number if we can use names?

It`s still there. Special servers on the internet called DNS (Directory Naming Service) or Name servers are responsible for translating www.microsoft.com into it`s equivalent IP number. This happens automatically and invisibly to you because your computer does this work in the background - all by itself. All you need to know is the NAME you want to access.

In principle this works beautifully, but in practice there are hundreds of millions of computers on the internet. Who maintains the database of names and numbers? Where is the database located? What happens if that DNS server breaks down? How will one computer handle the billions of lookup requests per minute? Who has control over the database, and what can be done to prevent abuse or a dictatorship?

Making it work in practice

The answer was (and is): distribute the service. Thousands of DNS servers across the internet share the load - there is no single point of failure and no one person or organization with total and absolute control. In the same way as telephone numbers and IP numbers work, domain names also follow a fixed structure that allows the request to be directed to the correct DNS server on the internet. Let`s take www.cozahost.com.za as an example:

Reading from the back, the DNS server closest to the user determines that the domain in question is in the ".za" (South African) high level domain. The local DNS server now asks one of the 7 root (boss) DNS servers to direct it to the DNS server that is responsible for the ".za" domain name.

The .za space is resolved to one of a few .za root servers (in different places and on separate networks). A .za DNS server now studies the request and determines that the user is looking for a ".co" name in the ".za" space and passes the request on to one of the servers responsible for .co.za names. One of these servers finds the cozahost.co.za entry, determines that the Cozahost DNS server is responsible for the name and passes the request to the Cozahost DNS servers (separate servers on separate networks).

Arriving at the cozahost.co.za domain name server, the server looks up the www entry and "resolves" (looks up) to an IP number. That IP number is now passed back to the computer who requested the information.

As you will correctly deduce, this is quite a long operation and it can take up to 10 seconds to complete. To prevent this delay (and to reduce the number of lookups that must be made), the final (called "primary") DNS server tells the rest of the servers in the chain that www.cozahost.com is IP number so-and-so and they better remember it - and not ask again for a pre-determined amount of time.

That piece of information is said to have a TTL (time to live / sell-by date) and it allows other DNS servers to answer questions immediately when they have fresh data available.

This works very well (it`s the core mechanics of the internet so it better work!), but there is one problem in the TTL scheme: when DNS changes are made - for instance when you move your domain name from one ISP`s DNS to another, the rest of the internet may still have old information that is considered fresh - because the TTL said it was. In most cases the TTL is set to 8 hours, but some ISPs set the TTL to 10 days or longer to save on network traffic and bandwidth costs. These ISPs cause huge problems for their clients when domain names are moved because for long periods of time incorrect and out of date information is stored in some DNS servers.

What kind of domain name to choose

In a nutshell (albeit a rather large one), that is how domain names work on a technical level. From this discussion you can deduce that one domain name, say cozahost.com is not any different from cozahost.co.za - they work in exactly the same way. The only difference is the way in which the name to IP number information is stored on the (invisible) Domain Name Servers (DNS). In theory the top level domain is supposed to indicate the purpose and/or location of the domain: A .com domain is supposed to be a commercial domain. A .co.za is supposed to be a commercial domain in South Africa and so on.

For a number of reasons these conventions have grown vague and of little practical value - just because a domain name sits in the top level .co.za does not necessarily mean that it is situated in South Africa. The moral of the story is that your decision on whether you should register a .com or .co.za domain name is cosmetic (marketing, branding and so on) and not technical at all.

In this case Sheakespeare was right: what`s in a .co.za or .com domain name? A name by any other name will resolve as easily! (Apologies to the literary erudite who may lament the edification of this burlesque, however we attest that no belles-lettres were debilitated in its conception)

Once the not-so-difficult decision of .com or .co.za or .biz is behind you, concentrate on registering your company name, your surname, key phrases in your industry, generic terms like "support" or "cars" or "holiday", your product name - peer into the future and invest in your own irreplaceable intellectual property.

How does a domain name apply to your business or web site?

In one word: power. In another word: freedom. In another word: flexibility. Ok, I give up: It`s not a one word answer - it is a collection of benefits.

Like the kingdoms of yore, owning your own internet domain name gives you a land (in cyberspace) where you are the boss and your competitors better be scared. You can choose to provide a web site, email, FTP, etc. etc. You can have the domain hosted by company A and move it to company B whenever you please. You can call your web server "webserver" instead of "www" if the fancy strikes you.

When you register your own domain name, you own a piece of intellectual property. (This is a strange term: I never heard the term "stupid property" used, so it is safe to assume that the property is not actually intelligent (or even alive) - it`s more like property in your head. Something you think you have, but can`t touch, dust, polish or display it, but you can sell it, and use it for stuff, and you can brag with it. Perhaps they call it "intellectual" because it`s only in your head. All very confusing if you ask me.)

I`m kidding. A bit. Intellectual property means that it belongs to you - even though it is not a physical thing. Like a story in a book. Or the joke you invented that night at the braai, or the excuse you developed to explain why you forgot your anniversary...

Seriously though, the name of your company is also intellectual property. You spent years building a good reputation around that name (or your own) and it has value in and of itself. How much do you think the name "Microsoft" is worth? Imagine you could register the domain name "Microsoft.com"...

You might not have a multi-billion dollar business, but how much is it worth to you to ensure that when a potential customer types www.your-company-name.co.za he lands on YOUR web site and not that of your competitors? Ask Telkom about www.hellkom.co.za and you`ll get the drift of the argument. ;-)

The practical day-to-day value of a domain name

Granted, intellectual property (or property with any IQ for that matter) does not exactly keep you awake at night; but what about not being able to receive email for a week? Would that disrupt your business? What about the possibility that your ISP goes out of business or gives you service so poor that you have to see your doctor for high blood pressure medication and/or self mutilation injuries?

The problem is that all your business cards, your promotional material, your letterheads all refer to JoeSoap@mweb.co.za (I`m using mweb as an example because they are the largest ISP in SA - it`s not like I have an axe to grind ;-)) If you decide to leave your ISP (mweb in this example) because their service is poor or their prices are too high, then you cannot take your JoeSoap@mweb.co.za email address with you - because the mweb domain name does not belong to you.

If you had the foresight to register your own domain name however, you can move that domain name to any ISP you choose - and your email address will never change. From now until you decide to delete your domain name you will always be reachable at JoeSoap@my-domain-name.co.za, regardless where in the world you are or who you use as an ISP.

The same holds true for your web site: no matter where you move, no matter which ISP you use - your web site will always be www.my-domain-name.co.za - `cause you OWN that there piece of cyber land! :-) Who ya daddy?!

In closing

My 4 year old niece likes to use the term "A lot of".

As in: "I like it a lot of", or "I love you a lot of" or "I hate you a lot of". I think it`s a Smarties ad she saw on the TV - you know, a chocolate ad and a 4 year old brain = instant click.

Maybe it`s just cute because of the way she says is, but I like the sound of it, so, if you ask "What`s in a domain name?", I can`t wait to answer: "A lot of." :-)

There are more advantages in having your own domain name that can be covered in this article. Things like search engine placement, branding, customer service, etc, but those stories will have to wait for another time.

In the mean time, go get your own domain name. It`s a good, affordable investment. A lot of. If you have a domain name already, be greedy: register more while you still can. To see what I mean and why that is a good idea, check out www.getinternet.co.za or www.gethosting.co.za - I`m sure you`ll understand my point.

Register your names before someone else does.

To check if your domain name is still available for registration, use the online tool here, or get a quote for registration here.

Hurry.

Do it now.

If you have questions about domain names then please contact us here.

That was fun! A lot of. :-)

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