A Record - An ‘A record’ is part of the zone file. It is used to point Internet traffic to an IP address of a Web hosting server. You can use the Webservio DNS Hosting control panel to point Web browsers for your domain to your Web hosting server.

CNAME - A canonical name (CNAME) record acts as an alias to another domain name, the canonical name. The canonical name and its alias can belong to different zones so the CNAME record must always be entered as a fully qualified domain name. An example would be: www CNAME dnsgoodies.com

DNS (Domain Name System) - The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address (IP Address) – just like a telephone number – which is a long string of numbers. IP Addresses are hard to remember. The DNS makes using the Internet easier by allowing the domain name to be used instead of the IP address.

DNS Hosting (aka DNS server hosting or DNS services) - DNS hosting dedicates servers that are specifically designed to house domain (zone) records such as A records, MX records and CNAMES.

DNS Query (DNS Lookup) - A DNS Query allows you to view records and IP addresses for specific domain names. Utilities such as http://dnsgoodies.com are available to perform DNS lookups.

DNS Template - A standard of zone records that will be applied to one or more domain names.

Name Server (Nameserver) - A program or computer that translates names from one form into another.

Primary DNS - The Name Server (NS) record identifies the authoritative DNS servers for a domain. A second name server is required for redundancy, and two NS records must be in the zone file (one for the primary; one for the secondary). The secondary server queries the primary server for changes. Webservio DNS hosting includes 4 levels of redundancy!

Pointer Record (PTR) - The Pointer (PTR) record provides data for reverse DNS, which is used for logging the domain name and verification purposes. Also called “inverse DNS,” the PTR record is an option.

Mail Exchange Record (MX) - The Mail Exchange (MX) record identifies the server to which e-mail is directed. It also contains a priority field so that mail can be directed to multiple servers in a prescribed order for redundancy.

Redundant DNS - To have redundant DNS, more than one name server is required in the zone files. Webservio DNS provides four NS records to provide complete redundancy with 99.5% uptime guaranteed!

Secondary DNS - A second name server is required for redundancy, and two NS records must be in the zone file (one for the primary; one for the secondary). The secondary server queries the primary server for changes. Webservio DNS hosting includes 4 levels of redundancy!

First Record in File (SOA) - Start of Authority (SOA) is the first record in the zone file. It contains the name of the primary DNS server, which must correspond to an NS record in the file, the administrator’s e-mail address and the length of time records can be cached before going back to the authoritative DNS server.

The SOA also includes data for the secondary DNS server such as the date of last update (the “Serial Number”) and time intervals for checking the domain.

Text Record (TXT) - A TXT record can be used for any kind of documentation. It is also used to provide information to the SPF e-mail authentication system.

Zone File - Files residing on a nameserver that designate a domain name, its subdomains, the IP address(s), and mail server. Parts of the zone file include the ‘A record’, CNAME, and MX records.