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Domain Name System

The Internet Domain Name System (DNS) is a critical component of the Internet infrastructure. The DNS associates user-friendly domain names (e.g., www.ntia.doc.gov) with the numeric network addresses (e.g., 170.110.225.155) required to deliver information on the Internet, making the Internet easier for the public to navigate.

NTIA is the Executive Branch expert on issues relating to the DNS and supports a multi-stakeholder approach to the coordination of the DNS to ensure the long-term viability of the Internet as a force for innovation and economic growth.
 

Related content


NTIA Seeks Input as it Develops Initiatives to Increase IPv6 Adoption

August 18, 2016

We are on the verge of an explosion in the number of Internet-connected devices, from smartwatches to connected refrigerators, furniture and thermostats. Some experts predict that there will be as many as 200 billion connected devices around the world by 2020, or about 25 devices per person.

Many of those devices will need an IP address to connect to the Internet, but the legacy Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) supports only about 4.3 billion IP addresses. Current demand has all-but-exhausted the global supply of IPv4 addresses. Luckily, the Internet technical community has been developing the next-generation Internet Protocol for nearly two decades. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) offers 2128 IP addresses – that’s more than 340 undecillion addresses, or 340 followed by 36 digits.

The pace of IPv6 adoption has picked up recently, but only about a third of the Internet services in the United States are IPv6 capable. As IPv4 addresses become more scarce, companies and other organizations that have yet to transition to IPv6 may find it difficult to expand their Internet presence.

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