Understanding DNS Servers, IP Addresses and Host Names
From Support
Definitions
Each system on a network requires two unique values:
- the IP Address and
- the Host Name
The IP address is a computer address that acts as a locator for one IP device to find another and interact with it. It is not intended, however, to act as an identifier that always uniquely identifies a particular device. It is similar to your street address. While you live there, people can locate you and contact you. However, what happens when you move?
A computer's Host Name is more permanent form of identification. Even though it can be changed, it is meant to be a constant unique identifier for the computer. It is the name of the computer itself that follows the computer wherever it may move to.
Once a computer has these two pieces of information, it is the DNS (Domain Name System) server that ties the two together. Think of the DNS server as a constantly updated address book. If you give out static IP addresses, the DNS server records this information. However, if you allow for dynamic IP addresses, the DNS server is the network component that gives these addresses out. It knows where every system is on its network at all times. When you access a system via the host name, you actually connect to the DNS server to obtain the current IP address of that system.
Recommendations
Many applications will allow the choice between using the host name and the IP Address. If your network has been setup to use static IP addresses and provides the ability for growth without the need for restructuring the network and reassigning the IP Addresses, I would highly recommend using the IP address. It offers you the same connection without wasting the time to look-up the IP Address on the DNS server. While the lookup typically only takes a fraction of a second, it can occasionally take a significant amount of time, sometimes to the point of timing out.
