Domain name service (DNS)

The Domain Name System (DNS) is an Internet directory service that translates human-friendly domain names into the numerical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used by computers. Many computers on the Internet work together to provide this directory service.

CISL operates two DNS server clusters, one at NCAR's Mesa Lab and one at the Foothills Lab, to translate host names like cisl.ucar.edu into IP addresses like 128.117.8.226 and back. This allows people to connect to computers using names rather than numbers. DNS also allows computers to handle email and web addresses.