Domain Name System
(DNS) A general-purpose distributed, replicated,
data query service chiefly used on {Internet} for translating
{hostnames} into {Internet addresses}. Also, the style of
{hostname} used on the Internet, though such a name is
properly called a {fully qualified domain name}. DNS can be
configured to use a sequence of name servers, based on the
domains in the name being looked for, until a match is found.
The name resolution client (e.g. Unix's gethostbyname()
library function) can be configured to search for host
information in the following order: first in the local
/etc/hosts file, second in {NIS} and third in DNS. This
sequencing of Naming Services is sometimes called "name
service switching". Under {Solaris} is configured in the file
/etc/nsswitch.conf.
DNS can be queried interactively using the command {nslookup}.
It is defined in {STD 13}, {RFC 1034} and {RFC 1035}.
Domain Name System
{BIND} is a common DNS server.
{Info from Virtual Office, Inc.
(http://virtual.office.com/domains.html)}.
(1997-12-15)