What is a domain name - Revision history

Richard at 10:57, 29 May 2015

2015-05-29T10:57:07Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:57, 29 May 2015
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	A Windows NT Domain is a collection of Windows based computers that have been gathered together for a common purpose within a Windows network. In its simplest form it is the name of the Workgroup you assign when you set up the networking, to allow to you to easily browse the network in the old Network Neighbourhood in Windows98. but at the other extreme it is a very complex security system that allows tightly controlled access to network resources, using a centralised permissions database. It is unfortunate that Microsoft chose to use this word as it has caused a lot of confusion over the years. It is further complicated by the fact that newer versions of Windows can use a real Internet Domain name as a Windows Domain Name, although most use a sub domain such as ''office'' or ''local'' to avoid problems.		A Windows NT Domain is a collection of Windows based computers that have been gathered together for a common purpose within a Windows network. In its simplest form it is the name of the Workgroup you assign when you set up the networking, to allow to you to easily browse the network in the old Network Neighbourhood in Windows98. but at the other extreme it is a very complex security system that allows tightly controlled access to network resources, using a centralised permissions database. It is unfortunate that Microsoft chose to use this word as it has caused a lot of confusion over the years. It is further complicated by the fact that newer versions of Windows can use a real Internet Domain name as a Windows Domain Name, although most use a sub domain such as ''office'' or ''local'' to avoid problems.

			[[Category:KB]]

Mvanbeek at 20:29, 30 November 2009

2009-11-30T20:29:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:29, 30 November 2009
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	Every dot in a domain name is a level separator. Reading from right to left, we have what is refered to as the Top Level Domain, or TLD. This is, for example, the ''.com'' or ''.uk'' of your domain name. When a computer is trying to contact your web server, the first lookup is the TLD. This then refers your computer to the next naming server down the tree, until it reaches the last level which should have the IP address of the server in question.		Every dot in a domain name is a level separator. Reading from right to left, we have what is refered to as the Top Level Domain, or TLD. This is, for example, the ''.com'' or ''.uk'' of your domain name. When a computer is trying to contact your web server, the first lookup is the TLD. This then refers your computer to the next naming server down the tree, until it reaches the last level which should have the IP address of the server in question.

	TLD's were given to every country in the world, and because national TLD's are all two letters (''.uk'', ''.us''), some interesting coincidences appeared. For example, ''.tv'' has nothing to to with television. It is, in fact, the national TLD for the Tuvalu islands. The ~~4000~~ or so islanders have turned this coincidence into a cash crop.		TLD's were given to every country in the world, and because national TLD's are all two letters (''.uk'', ''.us''), some interesting coincidences appeared. For example, ''.tv'' has nothing to to with television. It is, in fact, the national TLD for the Tuvalu islands. The 6000 or so islanders have turned this coincidence into a cash crop. Just as well because the highest point on the islands is only 5m above see level.

	There are also a number of non-geographical top level domain names. The best known of these are ''.com'' and ''.org''. You can see a full list of TLD's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains here].		There are also a number of non-geographical top level domain names. The best known of these are ''.com'' and ''.org''. You can see a full list of TLD's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains here].
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	When you acquire a domain name you do not own it. It is more like a lease. It can be taken away from you if you are infringing someone's intellectual property, or abuse the Internet by sending spam, or hosting web sites with illegal content. Every TLD registry has it's own terms and conditions. Nominet, who manage the ''.uk'' namespace, has theirs [http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/aboutdomainnames/legal/terms/ here].		When you acquire a domain name you do not own it. It is more like a lease. It can be taken away from you if you are infringing someone's intellectual property, or abuse the Internet by sending spam, or hosting web sites with illegal content. Every TLD registry has it's own terms and conditions. Nominet, who manage the ''.uk'' namespace, has theirs [http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/aboutdomainnames/legal/terms/ here].

	~~Below~~ your domain name you can have any number of sub domains. Even sub domains can have sub domains. Technically there is no limit to the number of host names and sub domains you can have of your domain name, until you reach the maximum host name length (which has evolved from 64 to 255 characters, and has recently been reviewed again to allow non-latin character sets).		Under your domain name you can have any number of sub domains. Even sub domains can have sub domains. Technically there is no limit to the number of host names and sub domains you can have of your domain name, until you reach the maximum host name length (which has evolved from 64 to 255 characters, and has recently been reviewed again to allow non-latin character sets).

	Using the host name of the server you are using to view this page (www.uk.forgetaboutit.net) as an example, ''.net'' is the TLD, and we are the ~~regsitrant~~ of the ''.forgetaboutit'' part. We have then created a ''.uk'' subdomain so that we ~~can~~ have separate websites for separate countries. The final part, ''www'' is the name of the server. By tradition, www has become the default host name for a web site, just like mail has become the default name for a mail server.		Using the host name of the server you are using to view this page (www.uk.forgetaboutit.net) as an example, ''.net'' is the TLD, and we are the registrant of the ''.forgetaboutit'' part. We have then created a ''.uk'' subdomain so that we could have separate websites for separate countries (or languages) at some point in the future. The final part, ''www'' is the name of the server. By tradition, '''www''' has become the default host name for a web site, just like '''mail''' has become the default name for a mail server.

	To break it down further, the ''http:'' bit in front of the domain name ~~indicates to~~ the browser what protocol ~~it is~~ ~~using~~ (in this case [[What_is_HTTP\|HTTP]]) to download the file, followed by two ''//'' to indicate that what follows is a host name and the bit after the domain name (from the first single ''/'' is the navigation down though the folders to the file (see [[What_is_the_difference_between_a_file_and_a_folder\|here]] for more info).		To break it down further, the ''http:'' bit in front of the domain name tells the browser what protocol to use (in this case [[What_is_HTTP\|HTTP]]) to download the file, followed by two ''//'' to indicate that what follows is a host name and the bit after the domain name (from the first single ''/'' is the navigation down though the folders to the file (see [[What_is_the_difference_between_a_file_and_a_folder\|here]] for more info).

	== Windows NT Domain Name ==		== Windows NT Domain Name ==

			A Windows NT Domain is a collection of Windows based computers that have been gathered together for a common purpose within a Windows network. In its simplest form it is the name of the Workgroup you assign when you set up the networking, to allow to you to easily browse the network in the old Network Neighbourhood in Windows98. but at the other extreme it is a very complex security system that allows tightly controlled access to network resources, using a centralised permissions database. It is unfortunate that Microsoft chose to use this word as it has caused a lot of confusion over the years. It is further complicated by the fact that newer versions of Windows can use a real Internet Domain name as a Windows Domain Name, although most use a sub domain such as ''office'' or ''local'' to avoid problems.

Mvanbeek at 20:13, 30 November 2009

2009-11-30T20:13:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:13, 30 November 2009
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	When you acquire a domain name you do not own it. It is more like a lease. It can be taken away from you if you are infringing someone's intellectual property, or abuse the Internet by sending spam, or hosting web sites with illegal content. Every TLD registry has it's own terms and conditions. Nominet, who manage the ''.uk'' namespace, has theirs [http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/aboutdomainnames/legal/terms/ here].		When you acquire a domain name you do not own it. It is more like a lease. It can be taken away from you if you are infringing someone's intellectual property, or abuse the Internet by sending spam, or hosting web sites with illegal content. Every TLD registry has it's own terms and conditions. Nominet, who manage the ''.uk'' namespace, has theirs [http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/aboutdomainnames/legal/terms/ here].

	Below your domain name you can have any number of sub domains. Even sub domains can have sub domains. Technically there is no limit to the number of host names and sub domains you can have of your domain name, until you reach the maximum host name length.		Below your domain name you can have any number of sub domains. Even sub domains can have sub domains. Technically there is no limit to the number of host names and sub domains you can have of your domain name, until you reach the maximum host name length (which has evolved from 64 to 255 characters, and has recently been reviewed again to allow non-latin character sets).

	Using the host name of the server you are using to view this page (www.uk.forgetaboutit.net) as an example, ''.net'' is the TLD, and we are the regsitrant of the ''.forgetaboutit'' part. We have then created a ''.uk'' subdomain so that we can have separate websites for separate countries. The final part, ''www'' is the name of the server. By tradition, www has become the default host name for a web site, just like mail has become the default name for a mail server.		Using the host name of the server you are using to view this page (www.uk.forgetaboutit.net) as an example, ''.net'' is the TLD, and we are the regsitrant of the ''.forgetaboutit'' part. We have then created a ''.uk'' subdomain so that we can have separate websites for separate countries. The final part, ''www'' is the name of the server. By tradition, www has become the default host name for a web site, just like mail has become the default name for a mail server.

	To break it down further, the ''http:'' bit in front of the domain name indicates to the browser what protocol it is using (in this case [[What_is_HTTP\|HTTP]]) to download the file, and the bit after the domain name (from the first single ''\'' is the navigation down though the folders to the file (see [[What_is_the_difference_between_a_file_and_a_folder\|here]] for more info).		To break it down further, the ''http:'' bit in front of the domain name indicates to the browser what protocol it is using (in this case [[What_is_HTTP\|HTTP]]) to download the file, followed by two ''//'' to indicate that what follows is a host name and the bit after the domain name (from the first single ''/'' is the navigation down though the folders to the file (see [[What_is_the_difference_between_a_file_and_a_folder\|here]] for more info).

	== Windows NT Domain Name ==		== Windows NT Domain Name ==

Mvanbeek at 20:09, 30 November 2009

2009-11-30T20:09:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:09, 30 November 2009
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	When you acquire a domain name you do not own it. It is more like a lease. It can be taken away from you if you are infringing someone's intellectual property, or abuse the Internet by sending spam, or hosting web sites with illegal content. Every TLD registry has it's own terms and conditions. Nominet, who manage the ''.uk'' namespace, has theirs [http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/aboutdomainnames/legal/terms/ here].		When you acquire a domain name you do not own it. It is more like a lease. It can be taken away from you if you are infringing someone's intellectual property, or abuse the Internet by sending spam, or hosting web sites with illegal content. Every TLD registry has it's own terms and conditions. Nominet, who manage the ''.uk'' namespace, has theirs [http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/aboutdomainnames/legal/terms/ here].

	Below your domain name you can have any number of sub domains. Even sub domains can have sub domains. Technically there is no limit to the number of host names and sub domains you can have of your domain name, until you reach the maximum host name length		Below your domain name you can have any number of sub domains. Even sub domains can have sub domains. Technically there is no limit to the number of host names and sub domains you can have of your domain name, until you reach the maximum host name length.

			Using the host name of the server you are using to view this page (www.uk.forgetaboutit.net) as an example, ''.net'' is the TLD, and we are the regsitrant of the ''.forgetaboutit'' part. We have then created a ''.uk'' subdomain so that we can have separate websites for separate countries. The final part, ''www'' is the name of the server. By tradition, www has become the default host name for a web site, just like mail has become the default name for a mail server.

			To break it down further, the ''http:'' bit in front of the domain name indicates to the browser what protocol it is using (in this case [[What_is_HTTP\|HTTP]]) to download the file, and the bit after the domain name (from the first single ''\'' is the navigation down though the folders to the file (see [[What_is_the_difference_between_a_file_and_a_folder\|here]] for more info).

	== Windows NT Domain Name ==		== Windows NT Domain Name ==

Mvanbeek at 20:01, 30 November 2009

2009-11-30T20:01:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:01, 30 November 2009
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	Internet Domain Names were developed as a way to easily identify servers on the Internet. When the Internet first started these domain names, and their related IP Addresses, were all saved in a single file (called a hosts file. There is still one on every computer) that resided on every single computer on the Internet. This was fine when there were only a handful of computers, but by the time the number of servers reached the thousands, keeping these files in sync rapidly became a nightmare.		Internet Domain Names were developed as a way to easily identify servers on the Internet. When the Internet first started these domain names, and their related IP Addresses, were all saved in a single file (called a hosts file. There is still one on every computer) that resided on every single computer on the Internet. This was fine when there were only a handful of computers, but by the time the number of servers reached the thousands, keeping these files in sync rapidly became a nightmare.

	In order to make the management of these host names easier,		In order to make the management of these host names easier, a distributed name serving system was developed. This became known as [[What_is_DNS\|DNS]]. Looking up information in this database is one of the reasons we have the dots in domain names.

			Every dot in a domain name is a level separator. Reading from right to left, we have what is refered to as the Top Level Domain, or TLD. This is, for example, the ''.com'' or ''.uk'' of your domain name. When a computer is trying to contact your web server, the first lookup is the TLD. This then refers your computer to the next naming server down the tree, until it reaches the last level which should have the IP address of the server in question.

			TLD's were given to every country in the world, and because national TLD's are all two letters (''.uk'', ''.us''), some interesting coincidences appeared. For example, ''.tv'' has nothing to to with television. It is, in fact, the national TLD for the Tuvalu islands. The 4000 or so islanders have turned this coincidence into a cash crop.

			There are also a number of non-geographical top level domain names. The best known of these are ''.com'' and ''.org''. You can see a full list of TLD's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains here].

			When you acquire a domain name you do not own it. It is more like a lease. It can be taken away from you if you are infringing someone's intellectual property, or abuse the Internet by sending spam, or hosting web sites with illegal content. Every TLD registry has it's own terms and conditions. Nominet, who manage the ''.uk'' namespace, has theirs [http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/aboutdomainnames/legal/terms/ here].

			Below your domain name you can have any number of sub domains. Even sub domains can have sub domains. Technically there is no limit to the number of host names and sub domains you can have of your domain name, until you reach the maximum host name length

	== Windows NT Domain Name ==		== Windows NT Domain Name ==

Mvanbeek: Created page with 'There are two types of "Domain" Names, which can get confused. Usually the term refers to an Internet Domain Name, but sometimes can refer to a Windows NT Domain Name. == Intern...'

2009-11-30T19:36:15Z

Created page with 'There are two types of "Domain" Names, which can get confused. Usually the term refers to an Internet Domain Name, but sometimes can refer to a Windows NT Domain Name. == Intern...'

New page

There are two types of "Domain" Names, which can get confused. Usually the term refers to an Internet Domain Name, but sometimes can refer to a Windows NT Domain Name.

== Internet Domain Name ==

Internet Domain Names were developed as a way to easily identify servers on the Internet. When the Internet first started these domain names, and their related IP Addresses, were all saved in a single file (called a hosts file. There is still one on every computer) that resided on every single computer on the Internet. This was fine when there were only a handful of computers, but by the time the number of servers reached the thousands, keeping these files in sync rapidly became a nightmare.

In order to make the management of these host names easier,

== Windows NT Domain Name ==