Rapid Fire AIT Practice Exam

The purpose of DNS, or Domain Name System, in a computer network is to translate human-readable domain names, such as www.example.com, into machine-readable IP addresses, like 192.0.2.1. This process is crucial because while users find it easy to remember and use domain names, computers and networking equipment communicate using numerical IP addresses.

When a user enters a domain name into a web browser, the DNS acts like a phonebook for the internet. It looks up the domain name, finds the corresponding IP address, and directs the request to the appropriate server that hosts the website. This translation process allows users to navigate the internet efficiently without needing to memorize complex numerical identifiers for every website they want to visit.

The other options do not accurately describe the primary function of DNS. Assigning IP addresses to devices is typically handled by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), while protecting the network from unauthorized access is a function associated with security measures rather than DNS. Optimizing network performance may involve various strategies and technologies, but it is not the main purpose of DNS.