Domain Name Servers (DNS) are the Internet’s
equivalent of a phone book. They maintain a directory of domain names and
translate them to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
This is necessary because, although domain names
are easy for people to remember, computers or machines, access websites based
on IP addresses.
Information from all the domain name servers
across the Internet are gathered together and housed at the Central Registry.
Host companies and Internet Service Providers interact with the Central
Registry on a regular schedule to get updated DNS information.
When you type in a web address, e.g., www.jimsbikes.com, your Internet Service Provider views the DNS associated
with the domain name, translates it into a machine friendly IP address (for
example 216.168.224.70 is the IP for jimsbikes.com) and directs your Internet
connection to the correct website.
After you register a new domain name or when you
update the DNS servers on your domain name, it usually takes about 12-36 hours
for the domain name servers world-wide to be updated and able to access the
information. This 36-hour period is referred to as propagation.