DNS glossary

   Authoritative DNS server
           A DNS server which recursive DNS servers contact in
           order to resolve a given DNS node

   DNS node
           A name which DNS usually converts in to an IP, such as
           www.yahoo.com. Not all DNS nodes have IPs, however.

   DNS record
           A single piece of DNS data, which can either be data for
           a DNS node, or meta-data which DNS uses.

   DNS server
           A program which resolves DNS records

   DNS server administrator
           A person who manages DNS; setting up DNS servers,
           changing DNS records, and what not.

   Domain registry
           A domain registry is a company that allows one to have
           their authoritative DNS servers be contacted by
           recursive name servers.

   Domain suffix
           The part of the domain which is (usually) after the
           first dot in a DNS node. The domain suffix for
           www.yahoo.com, for example, is yahoo.com.

   Domain zone
           A domain zone is a set of one or more DNS nodes. All
           names in a given domain zone share the same domain
           suffix.

   IP
           A number which a computer connected to the internet has,
           similar to a phone number.

   Internet service provider
           An internet service provider (or ISP) is a company that
           offers access to the internet.

   Mail Transport Agent
           A computer program which accepts incoming SMTP (email)
           connections, allowing a server to receive email.

   Recursive DNS server
           A recursive DNS server is a DNS server which contacts
           other DNS servers to resolve a given DNS node.

   To resolve
           To convert a DNS node, such as www.yahoo.com, in to an
           IP, such as 10.17.243.32.

   To serve
           The action of an authoritative DNS server making DNS
           nodes available to recursive DNS servers.

   Static IP address
           A static IP address is an IP addresses whose value does
           not change. Only some internet service providers offer
           static IP addresses.