DNS

The Domain Name System is the system that translates Internet domain names into IP numbers and IP numbers into domain names. A "DNS Server" is a server that performs this kind of translation. When a request is sent for a webpage such as www.copperjacket.com, that request is sent to a DNS server that looks up what the IP number of us are. The request is then sent across the internet to another DNS server that translates that IP number back into a domain name. It is possible to surf using just IP numbers. You would just type an IP number into the address field of you browser and a page would (if there is information located at that IP number) be displayed. By using a IP number to bring up a webpage you are skipping a step in the normal routine and using a direct route.