What is a Domain Name ?
A Domain Name is essentially a Web address on the Internet. More specifically, domain names
are alphanumerical address which most often consist of letters and/or numbers chosen by the owner/registrant which are
easily remembered, recognizable, catchy and/or similar, exact or an abbeviation of an organization's or owners
name and/or tradename. Each domain name that is utilized on the Web by it's owner is mapped/directed to a more arcane and "harder
to remember" IP address such as 207.39.57.2 (IP stands for Internet Protocol).
Every computer on the Internet has it's own unique IP address - which is akin to a telephone
number - but usually a more complicated and arcane string of numbers and decimals. The Domain Name System ("DNS") was
created by the Internet regulators to make it easier for Internet users to remember the addresses of Web sites and navigate
the Internet and World Wide Web.
What/Who is ICANN ?
ICANN is the widely accepted abbreviation/acronym for the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers - the non-profit organization appointed by the US Government (Department of Commerce) for
coordinating and overseeing certain aspects of the Internet- including administering the Domain Name System.
What is a Registrar ?
A Registrar is a an entity authorized and accredited to register a domain name (ending in such suffixes as
.com, .net, .info and .org, among others) for a registrant/owner with the central Domain Name System registry.
What is a Registrant ?
A registrant is the official owner of a domain name that is registered with an ICANN accredited registrar.
What is a URL ? URL (Universal Resource Locator) - is the addressing standard used for documents and media
on the Internet. The term "http://www.mycompany.com/info/file.html" is a URL. It specifies the
document type (HTTP), the computer where the document can be found (www.mycompany.com),
where on the computer the document is located (/info), and the document's name (file.html).
What is Domain Name Forwarding ?
Domain Name Forwarding (sometimes referred to as URL Forwarding) is a function that most registrars allow, whereby one
Domain that is parked with a registrar can be redirected or pointed to another Domain Name with an existing
Web site. All Web traffic generated from the forwarded Domain ends up at the receiving Domain's Web site.
For Example: Tiger Direct a major online/mailorder Computer retailer has TigerDirect.com as its main Web site address.
The company also owns the generic Domain Computers.com (which is an obviously great keyword for that industry). If you
type in computers.com into a Web browser, you will arrive at TigerDirect.com. Computers.com is enabled to do this via
the Domain Name Forwarding function.
What is a Name Server ? : A Name Server is the Internet's
equivelant to a phone book. A domain Name Server maintains a directory of Domain Names and their matching IP addresses.
This information allows other computers to know where to go to find your Web site. For a Domain Name to be functional, it
must be associated with at least one name server.
What does HTTP mean ?: HTTP means Hypertext
Transfer Protocol. It is the set of networking standards used to exchange information over the World Wide Web. The "http://"
at the beginning of every Web address tells a Web browser that a document is a Web page.
What is HTML ?: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) -
Is the language used to create Web pages. HTML code consists of formatting instructions called "tags," which are distinguished
by their surrounding angle brackets ("<" and ">").
What is Web Hosting ?: Web Hosting is a service
that allows you to upload and store a Web site's HTML documents and related files on a Web server. This
makes the files available on the World Wide Web for viewing by the public. Also called Web site hosting. A company
that provides this service to Domain Name owners is called a Web Host.
What does WHOIS mean ? WHOIS is an Internet database
and search service which provides key information about a Domain Name and its registrant (owner). It includes the owners name,
address, telephone number and E-mail. It also provides such information as the Domain's Registrar, registration/creation date
and expiration date as wells as the name servers associated with a Domain.
