1. Functions Size Structure Limitations DNS and the Law

2.  Used in the Internet to access websites, which have names called Domain Names that are being recognized as Internet Protocol(IP) addresses  Converts a Domain Name into an IP address  Converts an IP address into a Domain name

3. The steps of the process:  Source Computer asks for information about a domain name’s IP from a DNS server  DNS server responds Usually with another search to another server  Process is repeated until a server with the requested IP address is found  The info is then transmitted back to the main source  Finally the source computer gains access to the requested domain name All that data is being sent through the internet layer with the use of IPv4 and IPv6

4. Inverted tree like structure

5.  Currently over 130 million active domain names  Over 400 million that were deleted  Millions of data updates are being processed every second  Thousands of people working on the maintenance of the server and the database records, as well as handling all the queries from every single person using the internet at the time

6.  Syntax A Domain Name consists of 2 or more parts divided by dots. (e.g. port.ac.uk) Can contain any number and any lower or upper case character, and contain a hyphen. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen  Name servers Arguably the most important component Role: Contain the information that allows the process of translating domain names into IP addresses Contain crucial data for the operation of the DNS  DNS Resolvers Role: They initiate the queries that will ultimately allow the domain name to be translated into an IP address Initiate the process that the name servers are responsible for.

7. Can’t handle large number of traffic  The Server will overload, thus making host name reaction unavailable  Will become very slow or unreachable  Common problem when an article of huge interest to large number of people becomes available

8.  Concerns registering trademarked names  3 rd parties can’t register trademarked names  If it happens, the current owner must forfeit the name  Domain names must be globally unique  Companies that have the same name but no relation with a domain name can exist outside the internet  If a name is trademarked after it has been registered as a domain name, the law can’t have any effect.

10.  Images: (1) Image retrieved from: http://www.howstuffworks.com/dns.htm (2) Image retrieved from: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb726935.aspx#EGAA Information: Thomas Lee and Joseph Davies (March 28, 2003), How DNS works, Microsoft TechNet library Retrieved from: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772774%28WS.10%29.aspxhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/dns.htmhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb726935.aspx#EGAATechNethttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772774%28WS.10%29.aspx  Marshall Brain and Stephanie Crawford (n. d.), How Domain Name Servers Work, The distributed system, howstuffworks.com Retrieved from: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dns.htm Retrieved from: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dns3.htmhttp://computer.howstuffworks.com/dns.htmhttp://computer.howstuffworks.com/dns3.htm  The Domain Name System (n. d.), Wikipedia the online Encyclopedia Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nameserverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_Systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nameserver  The Trade Marks Handbook by The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys & The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys(Date unkown), can be found in intellectual-property.co.uk [a] Also " the limited ability to prevent registration of identical domain names by third parties" phrase taken from here Retrieved from: http://www.intellectual-property.co.uk/pages/domain_nameshttp://www.intellectual-property.co.uk/pages/domain_names  Charles M. Kozierok (September 20, 2005),DNS Resolver Functions and General Operation, The TCP/IP Guide Retrieved from: http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t_DNSResolverFunctionsandGeneralOperation.htm http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t_DNSResolverFunctionsandGeneralOperation.htm  DNS limitations (2011), IBM corporation Retrieved from: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/rtca/rtcaic/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.ibm.storage.rtca. help.doc%2Fad_r_dns_limit.html http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/rtca/rtcaic/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.ibm.storage.rtca. help.doc%2Fad_r_dns_limit.html  Domain name statistics (2011), Domain tools  Retrieved from: http://www.domaintools.com/internet-statistics/http://www.domaintools.com/internet-statistics/