A Record:
An ‘A record’ is part of the zone file. It is used to point Internet traffic to an IP address. For example, you can use an ‘A record’ to designate abc.yourdomain.com to send traffic to your website at IP address 209.15.32.135. You can also designate xyz.yourdomain.com to go to a separate IP address.

DNS:
The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address – just like a telephone number – which is a rather complicated string of numbers. It is called its ‘IP address’ (IP stands for ‘Internet Protocol’). IP Addresses are hard to remember. The DNS makes using the Internet easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the ‘domain name’) to be used instead of the arcane IP address. So instead of typing 207.151.159.3, you can type www.internic.net. It is a ‘mnemonic’ device that makes addresses easier to remember.

Domain Name:
A domain name, such as MixedSoup.com, signifies your own address on the Internet. As no two parties may ever hold identical domain names, it is truly a unique identifier of you or your company. It is how your customers will remember you and find you among the millions of other websites on the Internet.

Domain Name Registration:
To own your preferred domain name, you need to register it on the Internet. This paid service is offered by several websites, who register your domain name, provided it is not taken-up yet by anyone else. When you register a domain name, you are inserting an entry into a directory of all the domain names and their corresponding computers on the Internet.

Domain Name Servers:
A server that retains the addresses and routing information for TCP/IP LAN users.

Domain Name Transfer:
At times, domains are sold to another organization or sometimes the name of a company might change. Most registries require a letter of permission from the old owner to hand over control to the new owner. The procedures for Transfer of ownership will depend on the registry.

Domain Lock:
This facility helps to keep your domain secure from disgruntled ex-employees and hackers. Once you activate Domain Lock, no changes to your domain is permitted. Your domain has unlocked by you before the domain can change hosting, contacts, registrants or even transfer out to another registrar.

The Domain Lock section is password-protected, meaning only the authorized user can access this section. The username and password to the account is not enough. It asks the user additional queries like “what’s your mother’s maiden name?”; “your pet’s name is…” and so on. Facts that only you know.

Email Auto-responder:
An auto-responder is a mailbox which automatically sends a pre-formatted response message to senders. For example, if you have an info@domain.com mailbox that receives information queries from your customers, you can configure the mailbox to immediately send a pre-formatted information message to the sender of each incoming mail. For instance, “Thanks for writing in. We shall reply to you within 2 business days”.

Email Alias:
An email alias is one or more additional names that direct mail to an email address. For example, if your email address is sales@domain.com, then you may choose to create aliases like salesenquiry@domain.com and prospects@domain.com, which can be programmed to deliver all mail to a single email address – sales@domain.com.

Email Forwarding:
Having email automatically sent (forwarded) from one (or more) email address, to another (possibly more than one) email address that you specify. If a person has ‘unlimited email forwarding’, then an email of the form, anything@domain.com will be sent to the forwarding address. For example, support@domain.com, partner@domain.com and sales@domain, will all be sent to the account (some hosts allow you to have these sent to different accounts) specified to be sent to.

FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name):
Consists of a host and domain name, including the top-level domain. For example, www.MixedSoup.com is a FQDN – www is the host, MixedSoup is the second-level domain, and .com is the top level domain.

ICANN:
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a non-profit corporation that is assuming responsibility from the U.S. Government for coordinating certain Internet technical functions, including the management of Internet domain name system. More information about ICANN can be found at http://www.icann.org.

MX Record:
MX (Mail Exchange) record is part of the zone file and is used to designate which mail server machine should process email for a specific domain.

Registrant:
The individual or organization that registers a specific domain name with a registrar. This individual or organization holds the right to use that specific domain name for a specified period of time, provided certain conditions are met and the registration fees are paid. This person or organization is the ‘legal entity’ bound by the terms of the Domain Name Registration Agreement with the registrar.

Registry:
An Internet domain name registry is an entity that receives domain name service (DNS) information from domain name registrars, inserts that information into a centralized database and propagates the information in Internet zone files on the Internet so that domain names can be found by users around the world via applications such as the world wide web and email.

Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP):
A protocol for the registration and management of second level domain names and associated name servers in both Top Level Domains (TLDs) and country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs). This protocol was developed by the VeriSign registry for use within the Shared Registration System. RRP is a TCP-based, 7-bit US-ASCII text protocol that permits multiple registrars to provide second level Internet domain name registration services in the top level domains (TLDs) administered by a TLD registry.

Second Level Domain Name:
It is that portion of the domain name that appears immediately to the left of the top-level domain. For example, the ‘MixedSoup‘ in ‘MixedSoup.com‘. Second level domain names are used to represent businesses and other commercial concerns on the Internet.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator):
The web address, or location, of a website, file, or resource on the Internet (e.g. http://www.MixedSoup.com/ is a URL).

Zone File:
Files residing on a nameserver that designate a domain name, its subdomains, the IP address(s), and mail server. Parts of the zone file include the ‘A record’, CNAME, and MX records.