Frequently Asked Questions

• 1. What is DNS?

  The domain name system (DNS) is an internet technology service that allows a domain name to be translated into an Internet Protocol address (IP). A domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember name that relates to an Internet address (IP).
  
  DNS handles the mapping between host names, which we humans find convenient and Internet addresses which computers understand for example 192.168.98.2.

• 2. What is a Domain Name?

  A domain name is used to locate an organization or other entity on the Internet.

• 3. What is a Fully Qualified Domain Name?

  A Fully Qualified Domain Name is the complete name to specify a specific computers location in the hierarchy of a complete domain.
  
  

• 4. What is an IP?

  The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method (protocol) by which data is sent from one computer to another computer on the Internet. Each computer (known as a host) on the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet.

• 5. What is an TTL?

  TTL (time to live) is the amount of time that your DNS record is cached in resolving name servers the Internet, measured in seconds. If your IP is dynamic (changes often) or if you plan to move your computer to another IP, it is recommended to set your TTL to a lower value to minimize this cache time. Once your IP is on a static IP or after you have transferred your system to the new IP, it is recommended to switch your TTL to a higher value.
  
  The higher the TTL the faster the performance of DNS since most machines will have the value cached for a longer period of time reducing lookups. However, a TTL that it too high often causes lengthy periods of downtime if your system is ever needs to switch IPs.
  
  If your computer's IP is static then a recommended TTL ranges from 12 hours (43200 seconds) to 24 hours (86400 seconds). If your computer uses a dynamic IP then it is recommended that your TTL is between 5 and 120 seconds.