DNS Services and ProtocOl

Now that we have a better understanding of how applications provide an interface for the user and provide access to the network, we will take a look at some specific commonly used protocols.

As we will see later in this course, the Transport layer uses an addressing scheme called a port number. Port numbers identify applications and Application layer services that are the source and destination of data. Server programs generally use predefined port numbers that are commonly known by clients. As we examine the different TCP/IP Application layer protocols and services, we will be referring to the TCP and UDP port numbers normally associated with these services. Some of these services are:
Domain Name System (DNS) - TCP/UDP Port 53
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) - TCP Port 80
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) - TCP Port 25
Post Office Protocol (POP) - UDP Port 110
Telnet - TCP Port 23
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - UDP Port 67
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - TCP Ports 20 and 21

DNS

In data networks, devices are labeled with numeric IP addresses, so that they can participate in sending and receiving messages over the network. However, most people have a hard time remembering this numeric address. Hence, domain names were created to convert the numeric address into a simple, recognizable name.
On the Internet these domain names, such as www.cisco.com , are much easier for people to remember than 198.132.219.25, which is the actual numeric address for this server. Also, if Cisco decides to change the numeric address, it is transparent to the user, since the domain name will remain www.cisco.com . The new address will simply be linked to the existing domain name and connectivity is maintained. When networks were small, it was a simple task to maintain the mapping between domain names and the addresses they represented. However, as networks began to grow and the number of devices increased, this manual system became unworkable.

The Domain Name System (DNS) was created for domain name to address resolution for these networks. DNS uses a distributed set of servers to resolve the names associated with these numbered addresses.

The DNS protocol defines an automated service that matches resource names with the required numeric network address. It includes the format for queries, responses, and data formats. DNS protocol communications use a single format called a message. This message format is used for all types of client queries and server responses, error messages, and the transfer of resource record information between servers.