Domain Naming Services (DNS) FAQs
What is a domain name?
A domain name is an addressing system used for locating specific computers or servers
on the Internet. Normally computers use a numbering system called Internet Protocol (IP)
numbers to locate each other on the Internet. For example, 219.123.43.5 could be a number
used to identify a specific website on the Internet.
However, these numbers are hard to remember therefore domain names were developed to
make it easy for the average computer user to remember addresses. For example, microsoft.com
is used to identify Microsoft's website address, in lieu of the IP address 207.46.197.100.
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How can we protect our city domain from someone securing
a similar domain name in order to post a phony city Web site?
In the section "Top-Level Domains" of the Internet Domain Name Standards it reads:
"State agencies and other state organizations may want to secure additional alias names
for top-level domains in order to allow mistyped names to reach the intended site or to
protect a name from misuse."
This sentence addresses the desire to protect official agency domain names by acquiring
the similar name under other top-level domains, such as ".org" or ".net". The Department
of XYZ is encouraged, if they find it necessary, to obtain the names "xyz.org" and "xyz.net"
and to request of DIS that these names be listed in the state domain name servers.
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Our agency has been delegated the name "xyz.wa.gov". Our URL
has been misprinted in the past and customers often mistype the URL. Can we acquire additional
names under the ".wa.gov", such as "ExYZ.wa.gov", "XWhyZ.wa.gov", and "DXYZ.wa.gov"?
DIS does not permit additional sub-domain names for agencies under Washington's "wa.gov"
or "state.wa.us" domains.
It is a DIS best practice to create only one sub-domain for each agency under Washington's
"wa.gov" or "state.wa.us" domains. We do not consider listing multiple state sub-domains to
be a prudent solution for typing errors or erroneously published URLs, nor do we find multiple
state sub-domains necessary to protect official agency domain names. Multiple aliases for a
given domain, in fact, introduce opportunities for errors by creating end-user confusion and
complicating administrative overhead for DIS and agencies, propagating outwardly and affecting
other systems including e-mail, host, and application naming.
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Our city would like to register the domain "<ourcity>.wa.gov".
Can we do this? We noticed that another city has the name "<anothercity>.wa.gov".
The domain "wa.gov" has been reserved for state agencies (boards, commissions) only.
The rules for the use of ".wa.gov" are described in the
Internet Domain Naming Standards. These standards were formally approved December 6, 2001
and have guided our operating procedures since then.
Before that date, it was understood that "wa.gov" was only to be used for state business.
However, in lieu of written and approved standards, exceptions were sometimes made for a
variety of reasons. Upon adoption of the Domain Naming Standards it was agreed that older names
that were previously granted but not in compliance with the naming standards would be retained,
or "grandfathered in", as not to disrupt the business of the name holders.
We recommend that cities acquire the standard naming convention used in Washington.
For <yourcity> that would be "ci.<yourcity>.wa.us".
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