Domain Name and Website Names: How To
Most NICs or Network Interface Cards within servers and computers are assigned a unique address known as Internet Protocol or IP address. An IPv4 ip address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. An ip address for a dedicated server using NAT (Network Address Translation) or your business computer would look similar to this 192.168.20.34 You can find out what your ip address is by typing ipconfig at the command prompt (Start, Run, ipconfig) on a Windows Server and by typing ifconfig on a Linux Server. You can type this command on your home Windows or Linux or Unix computer as well to find your static dedicated ip address.
When you lookup websites online, your web browser talks to web servers via their IP address. Advances in technology have made it possible to assign words or hostnames to ip addresses. PC’s use operating systems like windows or linux operating systems. These operating systems use something called a host file to translate the words into IP addresses. On a Windows computer the host file is stored in the c:\windows\system32\drives\etc\ directory; on Linux and Unix servers the host file is kept in the /etc directory.
Have you ever been to 1313 S Harbor Blvd in Anaheim California? Do you know what is at that address? If I had said “Have you ever been to Disney Land?” chances are that you would have immediately known what I was talking about. 131 S Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, California 92802 is the equivalent of an IP address, and Disney Land is the equivalent of a hostname. Website hosting is the equivalent of the land where Disney Land sits. So if you register a website address and get the name, you must also rent or purchase internet real estate or server space for your website to reside on. Likewise if you obtain website hosting but don’t register a website address, no one will know how to get to your website.
If you wanted your computer to look for www.npsis.com using the ip address 192.168.20.34, you would make an entry in your hostfile. The hostfile contains entries that look like this: 192.168.20.34 www.npsis.com. When you access the website www.npsis.com using your web browser, your computer would look for the ip address 192.168.65.14.
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.
If you are selecting a domain name or website name for your business it is to your advantage to select a domain name that is easy to remember and if possible reflects what your business or service is (ex. tomsgarage.com). You can also register multiple domain names and have your website design store optimize your web pages for those keywords. Then you can have multiple domain names point to your web site. So you could have tomsgarage.com, bestlocalgarage.com, and wefixcars.com all point to your website.
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.
Have you hired a web design store or individual web design consultant? Make absolutely sure that you own your website address and not them. By purchasing your domain name yourself, you protect yourself from negligent people and predators looking to take advantage of the fact that you might not know better.
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