Domain Name System - (DNS)
A domain name to IP address translation mechanism for the Internet.
In PracticeA distributed system composed of Name Servers hosting the translation software and a database (zone files) of IP numbers.
From the Internic site : The Internet domain name system (DNS) consists of a directory, organized hierarchically, of all the domain names and their corresponding computers registered to particular companies and persons using the Internet.
Small PrintA request for www.host-tribune.com is converted (resolved) by the name server to the IP number 216.147.55.251.