The Connecticut Hosting Network offers a DNS (or domain
redirection) hosting package that allows users to utililize
space on a free server, or their ISPs server, but have their
domain link to this site.
DNS 101
Domain names are easily remembered representations of companies
located on the Internet, like "CTHost.net. Because
the “behind the scenes” processes of the internet
run exclusively on IP address, it would be very difficult
to remember of the IP addresses for the various site users
surf on, on a normal day. DNS servers convert IP address
to easily memorable names such as www.CTHost.net. These
names are kept in a database and these databases talk to
all the other DNS databases around the world. When someone
tells their browser to go to www.CTHost.net, the browser
asks the nearest DNS server where this site is by requesting
its IP address. The DNS server responds in one of two ways;
it either responds with the IP address of the site the user
is trying to go to, or it responds with the address of another
DNS server that contains the address of the site the user
is trying to go to. Because no one DNS server has the address
of every site in the world, it relies on other DNS servers
to help out. In either case, the user’s browser will
get the information it requested and will display the web
site.
A DNS server tells the internet where the websites, email
and other internet services are located. Without the DNS
service, users would not be able to get their email or view
their websites. Because DNS is so important, the Connecticut
Hosting Network is configured with redundant servers.
Redundancy
The Connecticut Hosting Network maintains 4 DNS (Domain
Name Services) servers. These servers are configured behind
firewalls so that the information cannot be modified from
the outside. They are physically located at different locations
and on different circuits so that if a circuit fails there
are other circuits that can handle the information requests.
In the event of a catastrophic failure, such as terrorism
or a fire, there is a completely mirrored secondary site
with its own circuits, servers, battery and generator power
to keep the information available at all times.
