DNS server IP Address has nothing to do
 with the process of email message delivery.
It merely serves to turn the IP address into... 

IP address and email domains
 

What is an IP address or email domain address?
IP address are numeric numbers (example: 151.196.75.10 and not mydomain.com) that represents a location on the internet, most web site has a domain name (ie: mydomain.com) linked to an IP address that emails can be sent to.

IP addresses are allocated to companies and ISPs in blocks. Anyone can find out who administers a block of addresses or the owner of a domain address by using an IP Block whois tool to query the Internic database.
See: IP, DNS Address

Nslookup is used to find what your server IP address is. Use windows DOS "Command Prompt" (click Start/Programs/Accessories), when the DOS screen opens, at the prompt enter nslookup followed by the name of the domain. Example - if your domain is mailsbroadcast.com enter; Nslookup mailsbroadcast.com [enter] to display your domain IP address. More info about nslookup

To get a DOS prompt in Windows 2000 or XP, go to Start/Run, type in "CMD" and click OK.

DNS (Domain Name System) is a distributed domain based naming system database that can be query to identify administers of IP address--a string of numbers, example: 207.151.159.3 are translated into a string of "letters" called Domain Name  - example:
207.151.159.3 = Domain Name www.internic.net

Normally when we send an email or browse/surf the internet we uses character string to specify a destination, like; www.mailsbroadcast.com or service @mailsbroadcast.com but the machine on the internet does not understand this name (character string).

The machine uses a protocol called IP (internet protocol) and numbers like these; 132.0.33.54 to represent a destination, which is not very user friendly, therefore, a special internet service called DNS (Domain Name Service) to help convert character string (name) into numbers.

  
 
 


Every email domain or website URL has their own individual destination number that is different from another.

Therefore, when we surf or send an email to your local ISPs mail server, they will also have a local DNS (Domain Name Service) server (sort of like a mirror DNS site) that can be queried, identify and locate the actual destination of a character string (name).

Anyone can use a DNS Program query tool (freeware from samspade.org) to access a DNS Name Server on the Internet and gather data in its DNS database.
 

Example of queries on a DNS Server to identify
and get relevant data and records for: gatech.edu

gatech.edu = 130.207.244.244

  • Domain Name (primary search key)
     

  • Time to Live (in seconds, up to one day)
     

  • Type (of info in the value field)
    A - IP address
    NS - Name Server for this domain
    MX - Mail Exchange, where to send mail
    CName an alias for receiving mail
     

  • Class - IN for Internet info
     

  • Value - data that depends on Type (A->IP Addr.)

$ nslookup 199.77.146.56
Server: eagle.gcatt.gatech.edu
Address: 199.77.146.19
Name: johnmac.gcatt.gatech.edu
Address: 199.77.146.56

$ nslookup johnmac.gcatt.gatech.edu
Server: eagle.gcatt.gatech.edu
Address: 199.77.146.19
Name: johnmac.gcatt.gatech.edu
Address: 199.77.146.56

$ nslookup gcatt.gatech.edu
Server: eagle.gcatt.gatech.edu
Address: 199.77.146.19
Name: gcatt.gatech.edu
Address: 199.77.146.19

$ nslookup -q=MX ee.gatech.edu

Server: eagle.gcatt.gatech.edu (My Name Server)
Address: 199.77.146.19

ee.gatech.edu preference = 10, mail exchanger =
mail.ee.gatech.edu
ee.gatech.edu nameserver=eeserv.ee.gatech.edu
ee.gatech.edu nameserver=duchess.ee.gatech.edu
ee.gatech.edu nameserver=didier.ee.gatech.edu
mail.ee.gatech.edu internet address=130.207.230.10
eeserv.ee.gatech.edu internet address=130.207.230.5
duchess.ee.gatech.edu internet address=130.207.230.13
didier.ee.gatech.edu internet address=130.207.230.10

 

  
Notes:
 The DNS server IP Address has nothing to do with the process of email message delivery. It merely serves to turn the IP address--a series of four 8 bit numbers, ie: 151.196.75.10 into www.mysite.com - (a domain name) that's all.
 
 
Notes:
 nslookup a DNS whois tool that perform forward and reverse DNS queries for the current domain address (to get an IP address of a hostname and hostname of the IP address).

Mail Server a dedicated mail delivery machine that serves other mail server machine by receiving and storing emails for transmission to other computers.

 
  Free eBook Sun Tzu
 Art of War - "Leaders who takes on the role of the commander, without understanding the strategy of warfare, invite defeat."
 


100% effective.
I recommend it.

   The easies way to stop email spam, virus getting
into your PC
 Free
2-Try
 

Can't find what you need?
 Try Google....

Google
  .
©Copyright June 2002  Permission to re-print,
please click here


Any feed-back
or suggestions?
Please drop us a note :o)