Internet Innovators

 

These are the Internet Innovators that have had a direct and profound impact on our daily lives.

The internet has come a long way since it spun its first Web.

We highlight an internet innovator that has perhaps received less recognition than they deserve: the unsung hero of the Domain Name System.

Dr Paul V. Mockapetris

 

Dr Paul V. Mockapetris is the man who wrote the internet address book. The Domain Name system was invented in 1983 at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute.

The innovation was borne out of a shortcoming of a very early Internet (ARPAnet) and the Domain Name System was seen as a way around this limitation.

 

What is a DNS?

The DNS can be considered the nuts and bolts of the internet.

DNS stands for Domain Name System, in simple terms it translates a hostname e.g. www.stonerocket.net into an IP address.

 

Each IP (Internet Protocol) address serves as a unique identifier and acts as a locator for one device to communicate with another. An IP address is made up of a string of numbers which all follow a similar format; four numbers, each ranging from 0 to 255 and separated by decimal points.

 

Today, we commonly refer to the Domain Name as a URL. A Domain Name is easier to remember than a string of numbers. Can you imagine trying to tell someone the name of a really cool website but instead having to recite an IP address? The URL eliminates this hassle, being memorable and a lot simpler to remember.

In order for a website to succeed the necessity for a good Domain Name is crucial. The Domain Name you use can have a huge impact in the way that both people and search engine spiders view your site.

 

Throughout his career Mockapetris has made many contributions to the research community, before the days of Ethernet he conducted some work with early LAN (Local Area Network) technology. He is also credited as assisting in the creation of the first SMTP e-mail server alongside Jonathan Postel in 1982.

 

Did you know that the first DNS implementation was nicknamed ‘Jeeves’.

 

Paul Mockapetris would later become the Director of ISI’s High Performance Computing and Communications Division. and is currently Chief Scientist and Chairman of the Board at Nominum, Inc.

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