What’s in a name … server? DNS made easy

What’s in a name … server? DNS made easy: "Between the time you type a domain name into your browser and the time the web site appears, a lot has to happen in that split second. Take a look at this simplified depiction of the chain of events:

YOU
type www.yourfavoritesite.com into your browser

•

YOUR BROWSER (let's call her...Angela)
says, “How in the gigabytes am I supposed to know where this is? Keep your keyboard on, I’ll ask Kevin.” (Whips out her Thimbleberry and texts your computer.) “This is Angela. Constant-web-surfer-dude here wants to go to yourfavoritesite.com. Can you help him out?”

•

YOUR COMPUTER (Kevin)
says, “Hey, you know I deal in IP numbers, not names. You’re going to have to wait a nanosecond.” (Calls up your Internet Service Provider’s nameserver.) “Yo, Stanley, I gotta request for yourfavoritesite.com. You still owe me a favor, you know. Howzabout you tell me which nameserver knows the IP address for this domain?”"
YOUR ISP’S NAMESERVER (Stanley)
says, “Howzabout you quit hassling me? All right, hold on.” (Connects to the Domain Name System.) “Is this Dwight? I need an IP address to go with this domain name, please.”

•

DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM (Dwight)
says, “Weren’t you just in here a minute ago asking for something? We do have other customers, you know.” (Rifles through files.) “Okay, you’re going to have to call Phyllis. She’s the nameserver on duty tonight for yourfavoritesite.com.”

•

YOUR ISP’S NAMESERVER (Stanley)
says, “Thanks.” (Takes the name and dials.) “Hello, can I get a large pepperoni with everything, hold the mushrooms?”

•

NAMESERVER FOR YOURFAVORITESITE.COM (Phyllis)
says, “Large pep? No 'shrooms? Would you like an IP address with that, sir?”

•

YOUR ISP’S NAMESERVER (Stanley)
says, “Yeah, that too. Thanks, Phyllis.” (Calls your computer back.) “Okay, Kevin, got an IP number to go with that domain name you were asking about.”

•

YOUR COMPUTER (Kevin)
says, “Thanks, Stanley. You da man.” (Turns to browser.) “Here you go, Angela. This should work.”

•

YOUR BROWSER (Angela)
says, “Took you long enough.” (Sighs heavily.) “I don’t get paid enough for this.” (Displays yourfavoritesite.com on the screen for you.)

•

YOU
browse your favorite site, blissfully unaware of the above exchange.

Okay, it doesn't happen exactly like that (in reality, nameservers don't eat pizza, gives them heartburn), but you get the general idea.

Editors Note: This is primarily an archive website for my personal use. Yes there may be accidental traffic later, but for now I simply saved a humorous introduction. First paragraph of details below:

Okay, it doesn't happen exactly like that (in reality, nameservers don't eat pizza, gives them heartburn), but you get the general idea.

Instructions for setting DNS

To change name servers, log into your domain registrar’s site with the username and password you chose when you bought your domain. The following instructions pertain specifically to GoDaddy. If you purchased your domain somewhere else, the same principles will apply, although the links or buttons will be in a different place and possibly named a little differently.

Source of Entire Article Above:

Skip The Scams.com

Header For Above:

What’s in a name … server? DNS made easy
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Once you purchase your domain name and a hosting package, what next? If you didn't buy them at the same web site—for example, you got your domain name at GoDaddy and your web hosting at Host Gator—you need to "tie them together" so that when someone types your domain name in their browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, for example), it can pull your web site's files from whatever server it resides on in the world. How is that done?

It's done by setting the domain nameservers at the site where you purchased the name. This is a confusing concept for many, but let's see if we can make it a little easier to understand.

For starters, the acronym "DNS" stands for Domain Name Server, if you haven't figured that out already. So to say "DNS domain name server" or "domain DNS" is actually redundant. Not to mention repetitive.

Between the time you type a domain name into your browser and the time the web site appears, a lot has to happen in that split second. Take a look at this simplified depiction of the chain of events:

About this site
by LAURA

Hi! My name is Laura Burke, and I'm an affiliate marketer and writer from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. When it comes to work, I've run the gamut from pumping gas (back when you didn't have to do it yourself!) to newspaper editor to medical transcriptionist to photographer to graphic/web designer. I enjoyed all those jobs, but this one is the best, hands down.

From my cozy office here in my home—cozy being a cheerful way to describe a workspace that is far too small, although large enough to lose an entire desk on a regular basis—I'll be blogging about affiliate marketing, with special attention to the challenges faced by beginners. They are bombarded by scams, dealing with information overload, and usually don't have any online experience. My goal is to make earning online easier for them.

Also, I have created a home study program from the affiliate marketing for beginners course I teach locally, called the Affiliate Marketing Schoolbook Beginner Course. You are welcome to download a sample lesson free of charge, or check out my free ebook, Affiliate Marketing: Just the FAQs, by entering your name and e-mail address under the blue box at the right.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about affiliate marketing. Please read more about the beginner course here.