Week 5 - DNS: The Internet's Phonebook

-

    In order to find a website, your PC needs to know its IP address. However, most people use a URL, like google.com, when searching the internet. Then how does your PC get the IP address when you give it a URL? That’s where the Domain Name System (DNS) comes in. Think of it as the internet’s phonebook. Instead of memorizing a bunch of IP addresses (like 142.250.190.14), DNS translates the URL, also known as a “hostname,” into computer-friendly IP addresses behind the scenes.

    Here’s how it works: You type a URL, and your device checks its local DNS cache. Your PC stores these IP addresses locally for quick translation when attempting to reach a site you’ve visited before. If the IP doesn’t exist in the cache, it hits up a recursive DNS server, which does the legwork by contacting other DNS servers such as the root servers, TLD servers (like .com or .org), and the authoritative server for that domain. Once the IP is found, it is handed back to your device. Your browser of choice then connects to the web server hosting the website and loads it in the blink of an eye.

    Without DNS, we’d be stuck memorizing IPs to order pizza or shop at Amazon. Fast, smart, and mostly invisible, DNS is doing its thing.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 9 - Your Network’s Digital Security Guard

-
Imagine a firewall as the bouncer outside your network’s club. No one gets past them except for the ones on the guest list. In cybersecurity, a firewall is a tool that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing traffic between your device and the internet. Its job? Keep the sketchy, dangerous stuff out. Firewalls protect your network from all kinds of digital threats like viruses, hackers, phishing attempts, and malware looking for a way in. You've got two options: A software firewall that lives on your device monitoring your apps/device activity and a hardware firewall that mans the gates, keeping unwanted travels from entering your domain. In short, firewalls create a secure boundary. Without them, your network’s wide open to the chaos of the internet.
Read more

Week 1 - Decoding Networks

-
  Hello everyone,     My name is Bilal, and I am pursuing a BS in Information Technology. I have an IT background from my days in the United States Air Force; however, I have always been interested in technology and how things worked under the hood. I spent a little over 9 years as a Satellite Communications Technician, working on the ground terminals used to connect to military satellites in space. It was hard work but rewarding, which led me to choose this major.      This blog will be where I share my knowledge, experiences, and maybe even a few lessons learned along the way. I'll be attempting to break down concepts and dissect the inner workings of network devices and protocols to help build a deeper understanding of the field. If you're also an aspiring network professional or someone curious about how computers communicate over the internet, I hope you enjoy following along as I attempt to decode networks.
Read more

Week 10 & Wrap Up - Vulnerable Networks and My Blogging Goodbye

-
You’d think connecting computers and devices together would be simple, but networking is full of hidden vulnerabilities that can make even seasoned pros sweat. From misconfigured firewalls to weak passwords left unchanged for years, like passwords literally being "password", the doors to trouble are everywhere. Once you're online, you're not just talking to your team, you’re basically yelling into a hallway where anyone might be listening. Phishing attacks, man-in-the-middle interceptions, outdated protocols… it’s an endless buffet of risk if you’re not careful. The good news? With strong encryption, regular updates, and a dash of paranoia, most threats can be dodged.  Well, we've finally made it to this point. The end of the course and the end of this blog journey. If you’ve been following along, first off, thank you. It means a lot that you took the time to read.  Honestly, the whole blogging-for-a-grade experience felt a bit forced. I get the intention, b...
Read more