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Configuring the Domain Name Service

DNS domain and hostnames

DNS domain names are structured as a listing, from left to right, of the domain name space from the host to the root. For example, in the DNS name volga.your_company.COM., the host, volga, appears in the domain your_company.COM, which is a subdomain of COM, which is a domain under the root. Specifying the root domain is optional; when indicated it is shown as a trailing dot (.).

This naming structure is similar to UNIX filenames in the following ways:


location
Each name gives its location in a tree. For example: the filename /usr/bin/message and the domain name your_company.COM.:



uniqueness
Each name need only be unique within its portion (domain or directory) of the tree. For example: two files named tcl and two hosts named volga:


relativity
Each name can be relative or absolute (fully qualified). A fully qualified domain name ends at the root domain, indicated by a trailing dot (example: volga.your_company.COM.). A domain name minus the dot may be seen as a relative domain name (example: volga.your_company). Again, parallels exist with the UNIX filesystem, in which the file /usr/bin/tcl may be indicated as /usr/bin/tcl (its absolute name) or simply tcl (its relative name).

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© 2003 Caldera International, Inc. All rights reserved.
SCO OpenServer Release 5.0.7 -- 11 February 2003