What is a Domain Name or a Website Name?

By Jason Klein- NPSIS.com

Your website communicates with other computers and the internet by using its network adapter or NIC (Network Interface Card) that is within the server. This card and thereby the server uses a unique address known as an IP address. An IPv4 ip address is a address annotated as four numbers segmented by dots. Each segment or octet can have a value between zero and 255, so your dedicated server or business computer address format would look similar to this: 172.16.65.17 On a Windows Server you can determine what the server ip address is by selecting the start button then selecting run. Type in ipconfig and click "OK", a black command prompt should appear in which you can type ipconfig. On a Linux Server you can open a terminal window and type ifconfig. You can use the same command on your home Windows or Linux system to determine your static dedicated ip address.

Technology has simplified browsing for websites through the use of something called a host file. A host file translates a website name into the assigned IP address. So when you use your internet web browser to browse a website, it communicates to the web server using the ip address. The host file is stored in the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ directory on a windows computer and in the /etc directory on linux and unix systems.

If I asked "Have you ever been to Disney World?" more than likely you would associate Disney World with the theme park in Florida and you would know would quickly be able to respond either yes or no. But if I said "Have you ever been to 3111 World Drive in Orlando, Florida?" It would not be as easy for you to identify that I was referring to Disney World. You might be able to figure it out, but which is easier to use? In the internet world, 3111 World Drive would be the same as an IP address and Disney World would be the hostname. If you were to equate this to how the internet works, web hosting would be the equivalent of the real estate that Disney world sits on. When you purchase a website domain name, you must have internet real estate (website hosting) for your website to reside on, and conversely if you had website hosting without a domain name then no one would know where to go to access your website.

A hostfile will contain lines that look like this: 192.168.20.34 www.npsis.com which basically says that the ip address 192.168.20.34 corresponds to the hosname or webserver www.npsis.com. Hostfiles are used for name translation for a small number of computers.

For hostname to IP translation on the internet the DNS (Domain Name System) is commonly used. When you type www.npsis.com or the name of your website design store or the website name of your company, your computer contacts a DNS server to find out what IP address goes with the domain name or URL that you entered. Whether you are setting up website on a webserver or an email server you need a domain name.

It is important when selecting your website address that you pick a name that is easy to remember. The domain name should also reflect what your business does. For example the website address tomsgarage.com gives you a pretty good idea of what tom does for a living and its very easy to remember. You can also reserve multiple related domain names and point them at your website address as well. Have your website design store help you to incorporate several relevant key words into your website design and point all of your relevant website addressees at your website (i.e. wefixtires.com, bestlocaltireshop.com, toms-tires.com).

Domain names are typically done on a first come, first serve basis so if you have an idea for a good name you should register it before it is taken by someone else. There are many people and businesses who register and buy the most desirable domain names and resell them; this is usually for a higher cost than the original purchase price.

Make sure you control your own internet destiny. Never let your web designer or web design store reserve your website address in their name. By purchasing your domain name yourself, you secure your own interest in your website address and you protect yourself from negligent people and predators looking to take advantage of you.