Scribd
Upload
21 views3 pages

Lecture 12 (BCS 115) Name-to-IP Resolution

Ipv6 vs Ipv4

Uploaded by

kevinkitur807
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
21 views3 pages

Lecture 12 (BCS 115) Name-to-IP Resolution

Ipv6 vs Ipv4

Uploaded by

kevinkitur807
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

BCS 115: INTERNET FUNDAMENTALS

LECTURE 12: NAME-TO-IP RESOLUTION


Session Coverage
 Internet Communication
 Roles of Names and IP Addresses
 Domain Names Systems (DNS)
 DNS Internet Infrastructure
 Names Resolution Process (Recursive & iterative queries)

12.1 Internet Communication


 Internet or network communication requires that each device be identified uniquely.
Unique identification ensures that datagrams that traverse the network are delivered to the
right destination devices.

 Devices on the internet therefore have unique identification. The de-facto internet device
identification protocol is the “Internet Protocol (IP)”. In this protocol, each device is
assigned a unique logical identifier.

 The logical identifier uniquely identifies the device and also identifies the logical network
segment that the device belongs to.

12.2 Roles of Names and IP Addresses


 The two most critical device identifiers used on the network/internet communication are
names and Internet Protocol Addresses.

 The names may be in the form of “hostname”, which is a single name that contains up to
15 characters or Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) which can be made up of up to
255 characters and must contain the domain suffix of the network where the device is
installed. For example:

 Hostname = “Computer-1” or “Accounting-1”


 FQDN = Computer-1.ac.ac.ke, where “computer-1” is the “hostname” where
“au.ac.ke” is the domain suffix appended to the hostname.

 On the other hand, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses may either be IPv4 (old generation),
which is made up of 32-binary bits or IPv6 (New Generation) which is made up of 128-
binary bits.

Page 1 of 3
12.3 Domain Names Systems (DNS)
 Traditionally, users find it easier to recall names rather than complex numbers. Recalling
multiple IP addresses of servers that host various resources in a network/internet is
difficult. Users need a simplified way of recalling the identity of a network resource.

 Domain Name System service is designed to allow users to specify a name rather than an
IP address when attempting to access a resource. This service works in the background to
resolve name-to-IP address and is thus not visible to the naked eye.

 It is the same concept that is used to store cellphone numbers in the mobile phones.
Traditionally, the cellphone numbers stored in the cellphone are associated with names.

 For example, when a user types a “URL” in an address bar of their browser e.g. www.
nationalgeographic.com, the computer sends this URL to the server in the local network
that is configured with the DNS server service – for resolution of URL to the equivalent
IP address of the server that hosts that specified site.

 The local DNS server may respond by providing the address of the server that hosts the
requested website. The computer then uses that IP address supplied to make the request
for the webpage.

 If the Local DNS server cannot resolve and provide the required IP address, the local
DNS servers relays that query to the next upper level DNS server, which may be outside
the local network. (see DNS hierarchy image in Section 12.4 below)

12.4 DNS Internet Infrastructure


 The internet DNS infrastructure is organized hierarchically.

 In the local network, the client computer starts by querying the Local DNS server. When
the local DNS server cannot resolve the request, the query is relayed to DNS servers that
are higher in the DNS hierarchy in the following order: Local DNS server > Second
Level Authoritative DNS server > Top Level Domain Servers > Root.

Page 2 of 3
Local Network DNS resolution process

Global (Internet) DNS infrastructure hierarchy

12.5 Names Resolution Process (Recursive & iterative queries)

 The DNS name resolution infrastructure in the internet environment consists of three main
components
i. Client resolvers
ii. Local DNS (LDNS) servers
iii. Authoritative DNS (ADNS) servers (including special cases of TLD and Root)

 To perform a lookup (name-to-IP resolution), client resolvers make a request to their


configured LDNS server by sending a recursive or iterative DNS resolution (lookup) query.

 When the local DNS receives a recursive query, it responds in a definite way – by either
resolving or informing that requesting client that the request cannot be resolved.

 When the local DNS receives an iterative query and it cannot resolve (lookup), it relays the
query to Authoritative servers in the region. If the authoritative servers cannot resolve the
query, the request is relayed upwards to the “Top Level Domain” and later to the “Root”.

Page 3 of 3

You might also like