Domain Name System (DNS)

Key Features

Domain Name Resolution: Translates human-readable domain names (e.g., www.university.edu) into IP addresses for communication, with reverse look up functionality to map IP addresses back to domain names when needed.
Hierarchical Structure: Organizes domain names in a hierarchy, from top-level domains (e.g., .edu) to specific subdomains, and stores various types of DNS records (e.g., A, MX, CNAME) to provide detailed information about domain configurations.
DNS Caching: Caches DNS query results locally to speed up future queries and reduce server load, with a Time-To-Live (TTL) setting that defines how long records are stored before they refresh.
DNS Servers: Uses recursive resolvers to handle client queries by querying other servers until they find the answer, and authoritative servers to provide definitive answers for the domains they manage.
Redundancy and Load Balancing: Distributes DNS queries across multiple servers to balance load, improve performance, and provide redundancy to ensure uninterrupted service.
Security Features: Incorporates DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) to verify DNS response authenticity and prevent spoofing, along with DDoS protection to mitigate attacks aimed at overwhelming DNS servers.

Benefits

User-Friendly Navigation: Simplifies access to websites by using memorable domain names instead of IP addresses.
Scalability: Supports large numbers of domains and queries, accommodating university growth.
Improved Performance: Reduces latency and improves browsing speed with DNS caching and load balancing.
Reliability and Redundancy: Uses multiple servers and a distributed system to prevent single points of failure.
Enhanced Security: DNSSEC verifies response authenticity, helping protect against attacks.
Flexibility: Allows custom DNS records for email, subdomains, and specialized services.

Available to

University departments for managing DNS entries and changes for specific domains or services.

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