Domain Registration InformationDomain Name Services (DNS) are provided to Merit Members in conjunction with other services such as high-speed connections.
The contracted bandwidth fee for high-speed connections includes domain name service for up to three domains per organization, which includes both primary and secondary DNS services.
Merit's Domain Name Services include the following:
- Configuration of the Merit name servers as authorities for Member domains.
- Maintenance of the master dbfiles for Member domains on the Merit name servers.
Individual organizations are responsible for the actual domain registration, however, as all registrars require payment at the time of registration and each registrar has a unique web interface. It is essential that each registration record is controlled by the organization owning the domain.
Merit Members are responsible for domain name services provided to their constituents or clients.
Merit name servers are available for configuration as authorities for domains, with master dbfiles maintained if necessary.
Merit Network is the Domain Registrar for several Michigan third-level domains ending in ".mi.us". Information on how to register domain names in these domains can be found at
Contact your Member Services support team with questions regarding Merit's Domain Name Services.
Domain Name Services BackgroundIP addresses uniquely identify every computer on the Internet. However, most people have difficulty memorizing long numeric strings. In addition, computers are frequently assigned new IP addresses as they are relocated on a network. Thus, IP addresses cannot be used reliably to locate computers over time.
To make it easier for users to access and remember the names of hosts on the Internet, a system was developed to allow networks and hosts to be addressed using common-language names as well as IP addresses. This system is called the Domain Name Service (DNS).
Through DNS, each computer actually has two addresses--a numeric IP address and a host name. Either address can be used to connect to or send information to the specified computer, though users most prefer to use the easier-to-remember host name.
It is important to remember that DNS is simply a convenience for humans; computers still must route packets of information by using the IP address, not the host name. So for the system to work, there must be a way for the computers routing packets on the Internet to translate the host names entered by human users into the IP addresses needed by computers on the Internet.
DNS performs this translation using a database of host information--computer files that match IP addresses to the proper host names.
Under this system, each site is considered a domain, organized under a hierarchy that groups similar domains together. Each domain provides individually for name and addressing information about the hosts within the domain.
Other DNS resource:
Domain Registration Information.EDU Domain Registration
Eligibility for registering a domain in the .EDU top-level domain is limited to regionally-accredited, degree-granting institutions of higher education, including two-year community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. .EDU domains registered before 29 October 2001 will be grandfathered into .EDU, regardless of compliance.
EDUCAUSE is the sole registrar for names in the .EDU domain. Requests for new names in the .EDU domain are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis from eligible institutions which do not have any other previously registered .EDU domain names. At this time, there are no registration fees associated with valid registrations in the .EDU top-level domain.
.COM, .NET, .ORG, Others
Information on Top Level Domains (TLDs) and registries may be found at
- Domain Names, Registrars, and Registration
- Accredited Registrar Directory
- New Top-Level Domains
- ICANN New TLD Program
- .US Domain Name Registry for the United States of America
- .MI.US Domains