Glossary of Terms

Database
A database is storage for data organized in a searchable manner. A database consists of one or more tables, which contains one or more fields. A database field contains actual data, which can be any of the supported database types and can vary in size. Data stored in a table’s row is considered a record. A database record can contain all, some, or one of a table’s fields. Records can be added, deleted, or otherwise modified within a table. Databases must be able to support thousands of these records.

Dedicated Line
A telecommunications line that lets your computer have a direct, permanent connection to the Internet

DHTML
DHTML, or Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language is a term used for a collection of technologies, used together to create interactive and animated web sites by using a combination of static markup language (such as HTML), a client-side scripting language (such as JavaScript), the presentation definition language (Cascading Style Sheets), and the Document Object Model. It is a kind of dynamic web page.

Dial-Up Account
A basic type of Internet account that allows you to dial up an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) computer with a modem. These types of accounts usually have a UNIX or other command-line interface.

Digest
A manner in which messages to a list server mailing list can be automatically consolidated into one email (the digest) and sent to the list subscribers periodically.

Digital Certificate
A server uses a Digital Certificate to prove its authenticity. The Digital Certificate establishes a legal relationship between a legitimate company and their Web site.

DLL
Dynamic Link Library - A Windows platform file that is actually an executable mini-program itself that is NOT executed directly by a user but by a running program or application

DNS
Domain Name System - A database system that translates an IP address into a domain name. For example, a numeric IP address like 207.219.116.4 is converted into netlingo.com. The DNS maintains this database for figuring out and finding (or resolving) host names and IP addresses. This allows users to specify remote computers by host names rather than numerical IP addresses. Also referred to as Domain Name Service and Domain Name Server.

DNS propagation
DNS servers generally cache data whenever someone requests it. For example, if Linux.com is typed into your browser, my primary nameserver is then contacted to translate the domain name to IP address. If the nameserver hasn't looked up the Linux.com domain before, then it will query the root nameservers until it finds the SOA (Start of Authority) for the domain, and then connects you to the remote site. For efficiency, your primary nameserver will then cache the data received from the SOA, so subsequent queries from others can be executed quickly. However,if your primary nameserver has queried the domain before, you will get the same IP address until the TTL (Time to Live) runs out and the data is flushed from the cache, at which point your primary nameserver is forced to contact the SOA again and get updated DNS records. The TTL is generally set to 24 hours on the DNS server on your end; you control how long remote servers should wait before returning for updates (found in the TTL section in the zone file).

Domain Name
The unique name identifying a Web site, located at the right of the @ sign in an Internet address. Domain names always have two or more parts, separated by dots, as in www.example.com. Domains are tied to name servers, which direct to which IP address the domain should point. Any server can have multiple domain names, but a domain name can only point to one server.

Domain Name Pointer
A domain name pointer is a domain name that simply points to your account. In other words, domain name pointers allow you to have as many domain names point to your Web site as you want. So, you could have example.com and example.net pointing to the same Web site. The domain of both of these virtual domains above display the same Web site. These are not different accounts with two copies of the same Web site, but both domains are pointing to the same hostname/URL.

Domain Registration
Our partnership with InterNIC allows us to register or transfer your domain with them seamlessly. Therefore, we charge no additional fee for InterNIC registration or transfers. However, be aware that you are still responsible for the cost of domain registration with InterNIC, which currently is $70 for two year, $150 for five year, and $250 for 10 year registrations.

DRAM
A memory chip contained on such devices as video and sound cards. DRAM is "dynamic" because the chip contains an electrical charge (as opposed to SRAM, see below). The electrical charge will die out eventually so it must refresh its memory regularly, which it does automatically from your CPU. The only reason you need to know about DRAM is because it is related to access time and video cards, etc.

DSL
DSL or Digital Subscriber Line,a family of technologies that provide digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop, although in recent years, many have adopted digital subscriber line as a more marketing-friendly term for the most popular version of DSL, ADSL over UNE.

DSN
Data Source Name - Data source names are used to access a database. Customers can create DSN's via their administration page.

Dynamic Content
Information on a Web site or Web page that changes often, usually daily and/or each time a user reloads or returns to the page. Content that is also structured based on user input. For example, when you search on some keywords on a search engine, the resulting page you get is a "dynamic" page, meaning the information was created based on the words you typed into the form on the previous page. Dynamic Web sites are usually driven by Web application environments such as Microsoft ASP or Allaire's ColdFusion, and the content is taken from a database each time a page request is made.

Dynamic SQL
Creates queries based on user data, environment variables, and previously returned query results. Dynamic SQL can also increase processing efficiency by executing multiple queries and sending them to multiple databases from a single browser request.