Overview
The lecture covers the role and responsibilities of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) in managing global Internet resources such as domain names, IP addresses, and protocol assignments.
IANA Overview and Role
- IANA coordinates the global DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources.
- IANA functions are provided by Public Technical Identifiers, an affiliate of ICANN.
Domain Names Management
- IANA manages the DNS Root Zone, including assignments of country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) and generic TLDs (gTLDs).
- Manages specialized zones such as .int and .arpa.
- Maintains the Database of Top Level Domains and the IDN Practices Repository for internationalized domain names.
Number Resources Management
- IANA oversees the global allocation of IP addresses and Autonomous System (AS) numbers.
- Allocations are made to Regional Internet Registries.
- Provides network abuse information relevant to these resources.
Protocol Assignments
- IANA serves as the central repository for protocol name and number registries used in Internet protocols.
- Offers a process to apply for new protocol assignments.
- Maintains the Time Zone Database used by various Internet services.
Key Terms & Definitions
- IANA — Internet Assigned Numbers Authority; manages critical Internet resources like DNS, IP addresses, and protocols.
- ccTLD — Country-code Top Level Domain; TLDs assigned to countries or territories (e.g., .uk, .fr).
- gTLD — Generic Top Level Domain; generic Internet domain extensions (e.g., .com, .org).
- IP Address — Unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a network.
- AS Number — Autonomous System Number; unique identifier for a group of IP networks managed by a single entity.
- Protocol Registry — Database of protocol names and numbers used by Internet standards.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the IANA website for more details on DNS, number resources, and protocol registries.
- Familiarize yourself with the key registries and databases managed by IANA.