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Internet resources including computers, networks, servers, and websites are given unique IP addresses for identification purposes. Human users of these resources, however, rely on domain names for locating, contacting, and using the same. The large number of resources has made it necessary for domain search to become efficient and speedy. An understanding of the hierarchy from root domains to second and third level domains is useful. The domain names assigned to resources are maintained in databases at registries. DNS or domain name system is subdivided into registry and registration services, and the domain search methods are devised to look up the registries independent of registration. It is important to differentiate between the registry operator and the registrar of domain names. Domain name registrars are responsible for allocating and assigning domain names while domain registry operators maintain the databases of domain names which are to be accessed for domain search operations. Different options are available for accessing domain name information from registry databases, and domain name servers are integral to the success of domain search requests. The internet is considered free, and as such all services pertaining to information retrieval of internet resources including domain search are free. However, private and proprietary solutions are also available in the vast internet market. Te WHOIS protocol or system is the backbone of domain search activities on the internet. An efficient query and response protocol is used for querying the databases that contain the information pertaining to domain name assignments. In addition, WHOIS is also used for other purposes such as accessing information about IP addresses and identifying specific computers, functioning independently, on the internet. Both domain name and IP address are maintained by the DNS or domain name system servers for making internetworking possible. A network of name servers implementing the DNS ensure that all domain search queries are answered accurately and in a speedy manner. A combination of WHOIS system and domain name servers make it possible for the domain name registries to provide information about assigned and allocated domain names in response to domain search queries. Users who register specific domain names with registration services also must make their domain names available on the domain name servers to effectively be on the internet. People seeking to access resources or register new domain names have to first ensure the availability of the same, and domain search helps confirm this.
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