Domain names and IP addresses

People prefer to use easy-to-remember names instead of IP addresses

Domain names are alphanumeric names for IP addresses e.g., neon.cs.virginia.edu, www.google.com
The domain name system (DNS) is an Internet-wide distributed database that translates betweem dom

How important is DNS?

Imagine what happens when the local DNS server is down.

1
 Resolver and name server

An application program on a host accesses the domain system through a DNS client, called the resolver
Resolver contacts DNS server, called name server
DNS server returns IP address to resolver which passes the IP address to application

Reverse lookups are also possible, i.e., find the hostname given an IP address
 DNS Name hierarchy

DNS hierarchy can be represented by a tree

Root and top-level domains are administered by an Internet central name registration authority (ICANN)

Below top-level domain, administration

of name space is delegated to organizations
Each organization can delegate further

Managed by UVA

Managed by CS Dept.
Domain names
Hosts and DNS domains are named based on their position in the domain tree
Every node in the DNS domain tree can be identified by a unique Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). The FQDN gives th

A FQDN consists of labels (cs,virginia,edu) separated by a period (.)

There can be a period (.) at the end.
Each label can be up to 63 characters long
FQDN contains characters, numerals, and dash character (-)
FQDNs are not case-sensitive
 com Commercial organizations

edu Educational institutions

gov Government institutions

int International organizations

mil U.S. military institutions

net Networking organizations

org Non-profit organizations

Organizational top-level domains

X

DNS domain and zones

X
 Addresses
Rootof name
root servers
servers

The root name serversA.ROOT-SERVERS.EDU.

know how to find the authoritative(formerly NS.INTERNIC.NET)
name servers for all top-level zones. 10.0.2.32
A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (formerly NS1.ISI.EDU) 198.41.0.4
B.ROOT-SERVERS.NET.
There are only 13 root name servers (formerly C.PSI.NET) 128.9.0.107
C.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (TERP.UMD.EDU) 192.33.4.12
D.ROOT-SERVERS.NET.
Root servers are critical (NS.NASA.GOV)
for the proper functioning of name resolution 128.8.10.90
E.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (NS.ISC.ORG) 192.203.23
F.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (NS.NIC.DDN.MIL) 192.5.5.241
G.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (AOS.ARL.ARMY.MIL) 192.112.36.4
H.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (NIC.NORDU.NET) 128.63.2.53
I.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (at NSI (InterNIC)) 192.36.148.17
J.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (operated by RIPE NCC) 198.41.0.10
K.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (at ISI (IANA)) 193.0.14.129
L.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. (operated by WIDE, Japan) 198.32.64
M.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 202.12.27.33

Domain name resolution

X
 There are two types of queries:
Recursive queries
Iterative (non-recursive) queries

The type of query is determined by a bit in the DNS query

Recursive query: When the name server of a host

cannot resolve a query, the server issues a query to
resolve the query
Iterative queries: When the name server of a host cannot
resolve a query, it sends a referral to another server to the
resolver

Recursive queries
VWTXHU QHRQFVYLUJLQLDHGX

In a recursive query,
5H
H the resolver
IUUDOWRHGXQDP expects the response from the name se
HVHUYHU

QGTXHU QHRQFVYLUJL
Q
LDHGX

5H
H
IUUDOWRYLUJLQLDHGXQDP H VHUYHU
If the server cannot supply the answer, it will send the query to the closest
known authoritative name server (here: In the w
1 D P H VHUYHU HGXVHUYHU
UGTXHUQ
HRQFVYLUJLQLDHGX

5H
H
IUUDOWR FVYLUJLQLDHGX
QDPHVHUYHU
The root sever sends a referral to the edu server. Querying this server yields a referral to the server of virginia.edu
YLUJLQLDHGXVHUYH
and so on WK TXHU QHRQFVYLUJLQLDHGX

5HVROYHU ,3 DGGUHVVRI QHRQFVYLUJLQLD

HGX

FV YLUJLQLDHGX VHUYH
Iterative queries
URRVWHUY
In an iterative query, the name HU
server sends a closest known
authoritative name server the a
1DPH
referral to the root server. VHUYHU

This involves more work for the

resolver HGXVHUYH
U

YLUJLQLDHGX
VHUYH

WKTXHU
5HVROYHU

QHRQFVYLUJ LQLDHGX
,3 DGGUHVVRI FV
QHRQFVYLUJLQ YLUJLQL
LDHGX DHGX
VHUYH

Caching
 Resource Records

db.mylab.com

Max. age of cached data in seconds

* Start of authority (SOA) record Means: This name server is authoritative for the zone Mylab.com
$TTL 86400
PC4.mylab.com is the name server
mylab.com. IN SOA PC4.mylab.com. hostmaster.mylab.com. (
1 ; serial [email protected] is the email address of the person X
28800 ; refresh in charge
7200 ; retry Name server (NS) record.
604800 ; expire One entry for each authoritative name server
86400 ; ttl
Address (A) records.
)
One entry for each hostaddress
;
mylab.com. IN NS PC4.mylab.com.
;
Amy1l2a7b..
localhost PC4.mylab.com.PC3.mylab.com.PC2A.mylAab.cAom.APC1. 0c
.o
0m
..
1
10.0.1.41
10.0.1.31
10.0.1.21
10.0.1.11