Domain and Host Names

Domain and Host Names

Domain and Host Names

So that people don't have to remember strings of numbers, host computer also have names, series of
The last part of the domain name is called the top-level domain (TLD).

words separated by dots.

com- originally for commercial organizations, but now used by individuals, government agencies, and nonprofits as well
net- internet service providers and other network-related companies
org- noncommercial (often nonprofit) organizations
gov- government agencies
edu- educational domains
biz- businesses
info- anyone

Two-letter TLDs indicate the country in which the organization that owns the servers or computer is located. You can find the full geographic TLDs at net.gurus.com/countries. A few countries are taking advantage of their two-letter TLDs to make some money on domain registrations. The most recent two-letter TLD is eu for the European Union, added in mid-2002.

Capitalization doesn't matter in host names. DatorLab.com and datorlab.com are both valid forms of the same name. Host names usually appear in lowercase.

One host computer can have many different names. For example, many ISPs also offer domain hosting, which means that they allow your domain name to be applied to one of their host computers. Domain hosting enables you to have your own domain name, even if you don't have a host computer.