DNS explained.
Web sites are given to humans as a domain name. But the internet works by numbers, not names.
When you type in a domain name a special server uses a table to look up the domain you entered to find the IP address that will then take your web browser (or email) to that web site.
When you subscribe to internet service from an ISP they normally assign their own DNS servers to your account. Those are save on your devices to intercept domain names, convert them to the proper IP addresses and to return the web site you're seeking.
Sometimes an ISP's DNS server can malfunction. It's not common and normally does not last long, however, if the DNS is not working you will not be able to view web sites, or at least not all depending on the nature of their issues.
You can add multiple DNS servers to your PC to provide alternative lookup capability. A DNS is an IP address in the format 000.000.000.000
We recommend you add, in addition to your ISP's DNS these:
Google.
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4
OpenDNS
- 208.67.222.222
- 208.67.220.220
