                                  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, similiar
           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.
