The Internet uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to translate computer and domain names into IP addresses. A DNS server maintains a database that maps domain names to IP addresses as specified by network administrators. The DNS organizes the names of hosts in a hierarchical fashion, similar to a file system. For more information, see Chapter 12, "Network Technical Discussion."
Before you can use TCP/IP to connect to the Internet, you need to configure a computer to recognize DNS information. Some Internet access providers dynamically assign IP addresses for DNS servers, but most do not. Most PPP Internet access providers do dynamically assign IP addresses. If an access provider does not dynamically assign either a DNS IP address or your IP address, you should set these in the TCP/IP Settings dialog box in Dial-Up Networking for each connection you create.
If, however, you have a static, direct LAN connection to the Internet or other TCP/IP network, then you should set the DNS IP address and your IP address in TCP/IP properties in the Network option in Control Panel. You do not need to set this information if your LAN's Internet access server dynamically assigns these to you; for example, if you are using a server with Dynamic Host Configure Protocol (DHCP) capabilities, such as a Windows NT 3.5 server, it will dynamically assign IP address information.
Note
The following procedures assume that your computer has Microsoft TCP/IP installed as a network protocol. If your site uses another vendor's version of TCP/IP, you must configure the protocol as recommended by the protocol vendor.
If your network has more than one DNS server, type each DNS server and then click Add. DNS settings are currently global across all instances of TCP/IP. This allows you to rely on a secondary DNS server if the primary DNS server is down. The first server listed is the first one searched.
Important Because IP addresses identify nodes on an interconnected network, each host on the internetwork must be assigned a unique IP address, valid for its particular network.