.net
Encyclopedia
The domain name net is a generic top-level domain
(gTLD) used in the Domain Name System
of the Internet
. The name is derived from network, indicating its originally intended purpose for organizations involved in networking technologies, such as Internet service provider
s and other infrastructure companies. However, restrictions were never enforced and the domain is now a general purpose name space. It is still popular with network operators, and is often treated as an alternate to com
.
net is one of the original top-level domains (the other five being com
, edu
, gov
, mil
, and org
) despite not being mentioned in RFC 920, having been created in January 1985. As of 2011, it is the third most popular top-level domain, after .com
and .de
.
VeriSign, the operator of net after acquiring Network Solutions
, held an operations contract that expired on June 30, 2005. ICANN
, the organization responsible for domain management, sought proposals from organizations to operate the domain upon expiration of the contract. VeriSign regained the contract bid, and secured its control over the net registry for another six years.
On June 30, 2011, the contract with VeriSign was automatically renewed for another six years. This is because of a resolution approved by the ICANN board, which states that renewal will be automatic as long as VeriSign meets certain ICANN requirements.
Registrations are processed via accredited registrars and internationalized domain name
s are also accepted.
Generic top-level domain
A generic top-level domain is one of the categories of top-level domains maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet....
(gTLD) used in the Domain Name System
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The name is derived from network, indicating its originally intended purpose for organizations involved in networking technologies, such as Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s and other infrastructure companies. However, restrictions were never enforced and the domain is now a general purpose name space. It is still popular with network operators, and is often treated as an alternate to com
.com
The domain name com is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations...
.
net is one of the original top-level domains (the other five being com
.com
The domain name com is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations...
, edu
.edu
The domain name edu is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The "domain is intended for accredited post-secondary educational U.S. institutions" and this intention is strictly enforced....
, gov
.gov
The domain name gov is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from government, indicating its restricted use by government entities in the United States. The gov domain is administered by the General Services Administration , an independent...
, mil
.mil
The domain name mil is the sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet for the United States Department of Defense and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. The name is derived from military. It was one of the first top-level domains, created in January 1985.The...
, and org
.org
The domain name org is a generic top-level domain of the Domain Name System used in the Internet. The name is derived from organization....
) despite not being mentioned in RFC 920, having been created in January 1985. As of 2011, it is the third most popular top-level domain, after .com
.com
The domain name com is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations...
and .de
.de
.de is the country code top-level domain for the Federal Republic of Germany. DENIC does not require specific second-level domains, as it is the case with the .uk domain range which require .co.uk domain for example.The name is based on the first two letters of the German name for Germany...
.
VeriSign, the operator of net after acquiring Network Solutions
Network Solutions
Network Solutions, LLC is a technology company founded in 1979. The domain name registration business has become the most important division of the company. As of January 2009, Network Solutions managed more than 6.6 million domain names.-History:...
, held an operations contract that expired on June 30, 2005. ICANN
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Marina del Rey, California, United States, that was created on September 18, 1998, and incorporated on September 30, 1998 to oversee a number of Internet-related tasks previously performed directly...
, the organization responsible for domain management, sought proposals from organizations to operate the domain upon expiration of the contract. VeriSign regained the contract bid, and secured its control over the net registry for another six years.
On June 30, 2011, the contract with VeriSign was automatically renewed for another six years. This is because of a resolution approved by the ICANN board, which states that renewal will be automatic as long as VeriSign meets certain ICANN requirements.
Registrations are processed via accredited registrars and internationalized domain name
Internationalized domain name
An internationalized domain name is an Internet domain name that contains at least one label that is displayed in software applications, in whole or in part, in a language-specific script or alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi or the Latin alphabet-based characters with diacritics,...
s are also accepted.