Top Level Domains are the very top level of the DNS hierarchy. Sub-domains are installed under each of these. There are servers responsible for the root level resolution of various domains. These top-level domains are the first step in resolution and can be divided up into categories:
COUNTRY CODE DOMAINS ( ccTLDs)
- .ca (Canada)
- .fr (France)
- .it (Italy)
- .gr (Germany)
- .us (United States)
- .tw (Taiwan)
Of course, these are not the only top level country code domains (cc-tld's). Also, in many countries, they use smimilar sub-domain patterns as follows:
- .net.tw
- .com.tw
US RESTRICTED TOP LEVEL DOMAINS
These domains are restricted to certain specific organizations and may not be used by any other entites. The .gov TLD is restricted to the United States Government. The .mil TLD is restricted to various branches of the United States Armed Forces. The last is the .edu organization, which, while not as restricted as .gov and .mil, still requires proof of accreditation as an educational organization to obtain a registration as part of the .edu TLD.
- .gov - US Government
- .mil - US Militiary
- .edu - United States educational organizations
US PUBLIC TOP LEVEL DOMAINS
These are the well-known and popular domain names everyone in the United
States knows and loves. (gee... I own one myself
-- InetD)
The following are the original domains:
- .com
- .edu
- .net
- .org
The following domains were added to the DNS system and are supported by the InterNIC as of November 2001:
- .aero
- .biz
- .coop
- .info
- .name
- .museum
- .ps
But WAIT! There's more...
.pro (proposed, under discussion, not ratified-- but shows up in the root-nic file???)
DOMAIN NAME DISPUTES
Well, if you want to register your company's trademarked name as a domain name and someone else already owns it, you can file a claim to get it even if someone wants 42 bajillion dollars for it. Good luck though. Getting your domain free from the sqatters is like pulling eyeteeth and a hell of a lot more painful.
INTERNIC ROOT ZONE FILE
A copy of the root zone file for all top level domains can be downloaded from the InterNIC: