Mon 26 May 2008
Most network adapters within servers and computers are assigned a unique address known as an IP address. An IPv4 ip address is a address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can have a value between zero and 255, so your dedicated server or home computer address format would look somewhat like this 172.16.3.44. You can find out what your ip address is by typing ipconfig at the command prompt (Start, Run, ipconfig) on a Windows Server and by typing ifconfig on a Linux Server. You can use the same command on your home Windows or Linux system to determine your static dedicated ip.
When you lookup websites online, your web browser talks to web servers via their IP address. Advances in technology have made it possible to assign words or hostnames to ip addresses. PC’s use operating systems like windows or linux operating systems. These operating systems use something called a host file to translate the words into IP addresses. On a Windows computer the host file is stored in the c:\windows\system32\drives\etc\ directory; on Linux and Unix servers the host file is kept in the /etc directory.
Have you ever been to 3111 World Dr. in Orlando Florida? Do you know where that is? You may be able to figure out what location I am talking about but wouldn’t it be easier if I said have you ever been to Disney Magic Kingdom? That is essentially name resolution 3111 World Dr. Orlando, Florida 32830 is equivalent to the IP address and Disney Magic Kingdom is equivalent to a hostname. The server space or website hosting is equivalent to the land that the theme park sits on. So when you register for a domain name you get the name but you also must rent or purchase some “land” or server space for your website to reside. Likewise if you rent or buy the server space but do not register a domain name or an address, no one will know how to get to your website.
If you wanted your computer to look for www.npsis.com using the ip address 192.168.20.34, you would make an entry in your hostfile. The hostfile contains entries that look like this: 192.168.20.34 www.npsis.com. When you access the website www.npsis.com using your web browser, your computer would look for the ip address 192.168.65.14.
For hostname to IP translation on the internet the DNS (Domain Name System) is commonly used. When you type www.npsis.com or the name of your website design store or the website name of your company, your computer contacts a DNS server to find out what IP address goes with the domain name or URL that you entered. Whether you are setting up website on a webserver or an email server you need a domain name.
Be sure to choose a domain name or website address for your business that is easy to remember and if possible choose a name that relates to your business or service (i.e. tomsgarage.com). You can use this to your by registering multiple website addresses and having their website design optimize the web pages for all those key words. You can then point multiple website addresses at your website (i.e. sarahs-hair-studio.com, bestlocalhairstyles.com and quickperms.com).
Website domain names are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. So if you have an idea for the perfect website address, you should reserve it before you’re your good idea is taken by somebody else. There are many companies and individuals who potentially popular domain names and resell them for a profit.
If you are dealing with a website design store or a web designer you will want to absolutely make sure that you own the domain name and not them. When you purchase a domain name yourself you better protect yourself from predators looking to take advantage of you.