GLOSSARY
1. DNS
(Domain Name System)
2. Domain
Name
3. Domain
Name Registrar
4. Domain
Parking
5. Domain
Registrant
6. Domain
Registry
7. Domain
Name Transfer
8. ICANN
9. ISP
10. Modify
11. Name
Servers
12. Name
Service (Primary or Secondary)
13. Primary
Server
14. Second
Level Domain (SLD)
15. Top
Level Domain (TLD)
16. Web
Hosting
DNS (Domain Name System)
Initially the Internet was
built on the notion that any computer on a global network can be identified
by its numeric Internet Protocol (IP) address. But since people, are the
primary users of the Internet, a more people-friendly naming system called
the Domain Name System (DNS) was invented
This System translates a
domain name such as ! AlohaNic.com into Internet Protocol (IP)
numbers to find the correct web site - in this case the site for registrar/alohanic.
The data is then made available to all computers and users on the Internet.
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Domain Name
A domain name is essentially
a signpost on the Internet. Almost every website you've ever been to, and
every email you've ever composed, has used a domain name in its address.
People register domain names
in order to 'stake a claim' to a particular name -- whether for business
or personal reasons. Once you register a domain name, it is entirely yours,
no other party may use that identity online as long as you continue to
pay the yearly renewal fee and abide by the terms of use.
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Domain Name Registrar
A registrar or "Domain Name
Registrar" is any entity, organization like registrar/alohanic that acts
on behalf of a registrant regarding domain name requests or modifications.
For .COM, .NET, and .ORG names domain name requests and modifications must
be submitted through a registrar.
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Domain Parking
Registrars require the use
of name servers or hosts for every domain registered. In other words, every
domain name has to be linked to a name server for it to be valid. Some
people do not have they own name servers, therefore our Registrar offers
'domain parking' (name parking) on its servers. It is a convenient way
to hold or 'park' domain name(s) for an extended amount of time.
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Domain Registrant
A registrant is the person
or company who registers a domain name. For example, Joe Smith (registrant)
registers the name joesmith.com through AlohaNic DOMAIN registration
(registrar) who in turn submits the name to the central database (Registry).
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Domain Registry
The organization responsible
for the administration and maintenance to a top-level domain database is
known as the registry. The registry is where registrars go for new domain
names or to modify existing domain name. This is a US government contracted
database.
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Domain Name Transfer
The term 'transfer' refers
to when Domain names are sold to another individual or organization or
the name of a company might change. The Registrar has a process by which
permission from the old owner is required to hand over control to the new
owner. The procedure for change of ownership is known as a Registrant Transfer.
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ICANN
The Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the non-profit corporation that
was formed to assume responsibility for the IP address space allocation,
protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management, and root
server system management functions. For more information about ICANN, you
can visit their web site at: http://www.icann.org
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IP number
IP stands for Internet protocol.
A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots. Every machine
that is on the Internet has a unique number, which correlates to its domain
name.
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ISP
ISP stands for Internet
Service Provider. An ISP provides access to the Internet for others via
some connectivity service(s). Examples of ISPs include Earthlink, Mindspring,
and WorldNet to name a few.
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Modify
Modify is a function where
contact information or DNS information can be updated to reflect new changes
pertaining to a domain name. Administrative and Technical Contacts have
the ability to modify domain name information. You can Log In using your
User ID and Password after you have registered a domain name and make on-line
modifications to your contact record and DNS information.
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Name Servers
Nameservers (or Domain Name
Servers) are the machines that perform the DNS function by providing the
mapping of domain names to IP addresses.
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Name Service (Primary
or Secondary)
The domain name-to-Internet
Protocol (IP) number resolution is known as Name Service. Many Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) operate name servers and provide their customers
with name service when they register a domain name. AlohaNic
DOMAIN registration offers both primary and secondary name service for
all domain names registered through us.
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Primary Server
On our Registrars Agreement,
the section where the registrant indicates the host name and Internet Protocol
(IP) number of the name server that will contain authoritative information
for the domain name and will be used to resolve that domain name to its
corresponding IP number(s). The designation of "primary" means that this
name server will be used first and will be relied upon before any of the
other name servers that may be listed on the Domain Name Registration Agreement.
The primary server section of the Agreement is a required section and the
domain name registration will not be processed unless this section of the
Domain Name Registration Agreement is completed properly.
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Second Level Domain (SLD)
Second Level Domains is
the next highest level of the hierarchy underneath the Top Level Domains.
In the example, ! AlohaNic.com - the "registrar/alohanic" part
is the second level domain. Second level domain names are what you register
in a Top Level Domain registry.
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Top Level Domain (TLD)
Top Level Domains is the
portion of a traditional domain name that comes after the dot. So, in ! AlohaNic.com,
the top level domain is .com. The generic top level domains (gTLDs) are
.com, .net and .org; The other type of TLDs are the country code Top Level
Domains (ccTLD) which are assigned to all countries and their dependencies
such as .ca for Canada.
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Web Hosting
The World Wide Web is a
massive collection of web sites, all hosted on computers (called web servers)
all over the world. The web server (computer) where your web site's html
files, graphics, etc. reside is known as the web host. Web hosting clients
simply upload their web sites to a shared (or dedicated) webserver, which
the ISP maintains to ensure a constant, fast connection to the Internet.
A Web Hosting company provides
you space on their web server which allows you anyone on the Internet to
view your web site. Web Hosts charge on a monthly basis and provide differing
levels of service.
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