Every time you follow a link or type in the name
of a web site, such as www.boutell.com, that name
must be translated into an IP address on the Internet.
This translation is done by the domain name system.
A DNS server is a program that participates in the
task of providing this sevice. Some DNS servers
respond to queries from web browsers and other programs,
make further inquiries, and return IP addresses,
such as 208.27.35.236, which is the current IP address
of www.boutell.com.
Other DNS servers have primary responsibility for
answering DNS inquiries about names within a particular
domain, such as the boutell.com domain. Every time
a new domain is registered, a DNS server must be
configured to give out address information for that
domain, so that users can actually find web sites
in that domain. In most cases, web hosting companies
provide this service for the domains that they host;
it is rare for webmasters to run their own DNS servers.
For more information, see setting up web sites.
