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XS✔ ◾ Updating rule - better wording for easier understanding. #8026

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XS✔ ◾ Updating rule - better wording for easier understanding. #8026

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83 changes: 61 additions & 22 deletions rules/dns-what-and-how-it-works/rule.md
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Expand Up @@ -4,52 +4,93 @@ title: Do you know what DNS is and how it works?
uri: dns-what-and-how-it-works
authors:
- title: Dhruv Mathur
url: https://www.ssw.com.au/people/dhruv-mathur/
url: https://`www.ssw.com.au`/people/dhruv-mathur/
- title: Gordon Beeming
url: https://www.ssw.com.au/people/gordon-beeming
url: https://`www.ssw.com.au`/people/gordon-beeming
created: 2024-02-28T07:04:54.685Z
guid: 21275f4c-aaf4-4964-9d25-804f3cb56e75
---


The Domain Name System (DNS) is akin to the internet's phonebook. It's easy to remember a website's name, like www.ssw.com.au, but computers and networks need numerical IP addresses to access websites. DNS translates human-readable domain names to machine readable IP addresses.
Have you been in a scenario when you look at a website in your phone and it works. Meanwhile, one of your colleagues is looking at it in their PC and they get a response saying this site doesn't exist. That's probably a DNS (Domain Name System) issue.

DNS is akin to the internet's phonebook. It's easy to remember a website's name, like `www.ssw.com.au`, but computers and networks need numerical IP addresses to access websites. DNS translates human-readable domain names to machine readable IP addresses.

<!--endintro-->

### DNS explained

`youtube: https://www.youtube.com/embed/27r4Bzuj5NQ`
**Video: Everything You Need to Know About DNS (5 min)**

Understanding DNS is crucial for troubleshooting connectivity issues, optimizing network performance, and ensuring secure internet navigation.

If the IP address is not avaibale in the DNS resolver's cache, then the answers are always present with the authoritative name server. When we update a domains DNS records as a site owner we are updating its authoritative name server.
Understanding DNS is crucial for troubleshooting connectivity issues, optimizing network performance, and ensuring secure internet navigation

When you type `www.ssw.com.au` into your browser, the process to translate this human-readable domain name into a machine-readable IP address involves several steps and servers in the Domain Name System (DNS). Here's a detailed breakdown:

1. **Domain Name Input:**\
You enter `www.ssw.com.au` into your web browser.

1. **Browser Checks Cache:**\
First, your browser checks its own cache to see if it has recently resolved the IP address for `www.ssw.com.au`. If it finds the IP address there, it skips the remaining DNS steps and proceeds to connect to the web server.

1. **Operating System Cache Check:**\
If the browser cache doesn't have the IP address, the query moves to the operating system's DNS cache. If the operating system (OS) has the IP address cached, the DNS lookup process stops here, and the browser uses this IP address. If not, the process moves to the next step.

1. **DNS Resolver Query:**\
The query is sent to a DNS resolver, typically operated by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). The resolver checks its cache; if the IP address is there (and still valid based on its TTL), the process ends, and the IP is returned to your browser. If not, the resolver queries a root nameserver.

1. **Root Nameserver Query:**\
The DNS resolver contacts one of the root nameservers. The root server doesn't know the IP address for `www.ssw.com.au` but knows where to direct queries for `.au` domains. It responds with the address of the TLD nameserver for `.au`.

1. **TLD Nameserver Query:**\
Next, the resolver contacts the `.au` TLD nameserver. This server manages information for `.au` domains but doesn't store individual IP addresses. Instead, it knows which authoritative nameserver handles `ssw.com.au`. It responds with the address of this nameserver.

1. **Authoritative Nameserver Query:**\
The resolver then queries the authoritative nameserver for `ssw.com.au`, which has the actual IP address for `www.ssw.com.au`. This server responds with the IP address of the web server hosting the `ssw.com.au` site.

**Important:** A DNS resolver and a DNS server are not the same, A DNS resolver translates domain names into IP addresses for end-users, while a DNS server stores and provides the domain name information.
1. **Resolver Caching:**\
The DNS resolver caches the IP address of `www.ssw.com.au` with the corresponding TTL. This caching helps speed up future requests to the same domain.

But how does the DNS resolver find the correct authotritative name server?, this is where the system of DNS get instresting. Here is how it works:
1. **Browser Connection to Web Server:**\
With the IP address now known, your browser can establish a connection to the web server hosting `www.ssw.com.au`. It sends an HTTP request to the server asking for the web page associated with `www.ssw.com.au`.

- **Domain Name Input:** When you type a web address into your browser, the DNS process begins. Your browser requests the DNS to translate the human-friendly domain name into a machine-friendly IP address.
1. **Web Server Response:**\
The web server processes the request and sends the requested web page back to your browser, which then displays the content to you.

- **DNS resolver query:** Your computer sends this request to a DNS resolver, typically operated by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). If the resolver doesn't have the IP address cached, it queries further.
Each of these steps involves complex interactions between your computer, various DNS servers, and the final web server hosting the content you wish to access. This process, although it might seem lengthy, happens within milliseconds, allowing for the quick loading of web pages.

- **Root Nameserver Query:** The resolver contacts a root nameserver, which stores the IP address of all the Top-Level Domain (TLD) nameservers and responds with the correct one based on the TLD of the requested domain (e.g., `.com`, `.au`).
![Figure: DNS - finding the correct authoritative nameserver.](DNS-how-it-works.png)

- **TLD Nameserver Query:** The resolver then asks the TLD nameserver for the authoritative nameserver of the domain, which holds the actual IP address.
### Hierarchical Structure of Domain Names

- **Authoritative Nameserver Response:** The authoritative nameserver provides the IP address for the requested domain to the resolver.
Domain names are structured hierarchically, with the right-most component being the top-level domain (TLD). In the domain name `www.ssw.com.au`:

- **Resolver Caching:** The resolver caches the IP address for a predetermined time, determined by the Time to Live (TTL), to improve response times for future queries to the same domain.
- `.au` is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Australia.
- `com.au` is considered a second-level domain within the `.au` ccTLD. It's commonly used by commercial entities in Australia.
- `ssw.com.au` is a domain registered by an entity (in this case, SSW) within the `com.au` space.
- `www.ssw.com.au` includes a subdomain (www) of the `ssw.com.au` domain.

- **Browser Connection:** With the IP address now known to your machine, your browser can establish a connection to the web server hosting the domain and load the website.

**Note:** The resolver's queries to root, TLD, and authoritative nameservers are recursive, meaning each server points to the next server in the chain until the IP address is found.
### How DNS Knows `com.au` is a TLD

![Figure: DNS - finding the correct auhtoritative nameserver.](DNS-how-it-works.png)
In essence, DNS doesn't treat `com.au` as a single TLD but rather as a combination of a second-level domain (`com`) under the `.au` TLD. The distinction comes from the DNS hierarchy and the namespace management:

### Comman DNS record types
1. **Root Nameservers:** At the top of the DNS hierarchy are the root nameservers. They have the information necessary to direct queries to the TLD nameservers.

In the context of DNS (Domain Name System), a "type" refers to the kind of DNS record in a DNS server's database, here are some comman ones:
1. **TLD Nameservers:** Each TLD, like `.com`, `.net`, `.org`, or a country-code TLD like `.au`, has its own nameserver(s). When a query reaches this level, the TLD nameserver directs the query to the appropriate second-level domain nameserver, if applicable.

1. **Registry and Registrar:** The registry for a TLD manages the domain names within that TLD. For example, the registry for `.au` manages all domains ending in `.au`, including `com.au`, `org.au`, etc. When someone registers a domain like `ssw.com.au`, they are registering a second-level domain within the `.au` TLD. The registry ensures that each domain name is unique within its namespace.

1. **Authoritative Nameservers:** For a given registered domain, like `ssw.com.au`, there are authoritative nameservers that know the IP addresses for subdomains (like `www.ssw.com.au`).

### Direct Browsing to a Second-Level Domain

You can browse to a second-level domain if it is set up to host content. For example, if `com.au` were registered as a domain with its own website, you could browse to it directly. However, `com.au` is reserved for structuring domain names within Australia and is not used as a standalone website. This is managed through DNS policy and registration rules set by the domain registry responsible for the `.au` domain space.

In summary, DNS distinguishes between different levels of domains through its hierarchical structure, managed by a combination of root, TLD, and authoritative nameservers. The ability to browse to a domain depends on whether it is registered and configured to host content, regardless of whether it's a TLD, a second-level domain, or lower.

### Common DNS record types

In the context of DNS (Domain Name System), a "type" refers to the kind of DNS record in a DNS server's database, here are some common ones:

| Type | Function | Common Example |
|---------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
Expand All @@ -62,5 +103,3 @@ In the context of DNS (Domain Name System), a "type" refers to the kind of DNS r
| **Start of Authority Record (SOA)** | Stores administrative information about a zone. | `example.com` SOA record indicates `ns1.example.com` as primary NS |
| **Service Locator Record (SRV)** | Specifies services available in a domain. | `_sip._tcp.example.com` points to SIP server at `sipserver.example.com` port 5060 |
| **Text Record (TXT)** | Holds text information for external sources to read. | `example.com` uses a TXT record for SPF: `"v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all"` |

DNS is a foundational internet technology, enabling the seamless translation of domain names into IP addresses, making it easier for users to access websites without memorizing complex numerical addresses.
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