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.\"	@(#)ns.me	6.3 (Berkeley) 9/19/89
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.sh 1 "The Name Service"
.pp
The basic function of the name server is to provide information about network
objects by answering queries.  The specifications for this name server are
defined in RFC1034, RFC1035 and RFC974.  These documents can be found in
\fI/usr/src/etc/named/doc\fP in 4.3BSD or \fIftp\fPed from 
\fBftp.rs.internic.net\fP.
It is also recommended that you read the related manual pages,
\fInamed\fP\|(8),
\fIresolver\fP\|(3),
and \fIresolver\fP\|(5).
.pp
The advantage of using a name server over the host table lookup for host
name resolution is to avoid the need for a single centralized clearinghouse
for all names.  The authority for this information can be delegated to the
different organizations on the network responsible for it.
.pp
The host table lookup routines require that the master file for the entire
network be maintained at a central location by a few people.  This works
fine for small networks where there are only a few machines and the
different organizations responsible for them cooperate.  But this does not
work well for large networks where machines cross organizational boundaries.
.pp
With the name server, the network can be broken into a hierarchy of domains. 
The name space is organized as a tree according to organizational or
administrative boundaries. 
Each node, called a \fIdomain\fP, is given a label, and the name of the
domain is the concatenation of all the labels of the domains from
the root to the current domain, listed from right to left separated by dots.
A label need only be unique within its domain.
The whole space is partitioned into several areas called \fIzones\fP,
each starting at a domain and extending down to the leaf domains or to
domains where other zones start.  
Zones usually represent administrative boundaries.
An example of a host address for a host at the University of California,
Berkeley would look as follows:
.(b
\fImonet\fP\|\fB.\fP\|\fIBerkeley\fP\|\fB.\fP\|\fIEDU\fP
.)b
The top level domain for educational organizations is EDU;
Berkeley is a subdomain of EDU and monet is the name of the host.