This glossary was written and prepared by Blair Bergum of  DNSnews.net
For additions or corrections to this glossary, please send email to glossary at dnsnews dot net

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handle

a unique database identifier that is associated with every domain name. It is generated by the registry and consists of the registrants initials followed by a number. Also known as a NIC handle.

hash

a URL fragment or anchor tag within an HTML document that follows the # symbol. e.g. dnsnews.net#top, where #top constitutes the hash portion.

hierarchical routing

the network methodology of routing protocols, where three levels are involved in the Internet, the backbone, midlevel, and the transit or stub level.

hexadecimal

describes a base 16 numbering system. The hexadecimal system uses numbers 0-9 and letters A-F to represent 10-15. The decimal of 16 is written as 10 in hexadecimal. (0 times 16 to the zero power=0 + 1 times 16 to the first power = 16) Hexadecimal is commonly used to represent 8 digit binary strings.

hexadecimal triplet

consists of three groups of hexadecimal values (representing from 0-255 in decimal) commonly used to describe color attributes in webpages.  Each hexadecimal group represents one of the primary colors of Red, Green, and Blue, in that order.  See also rgb.

hijacking

the term used to refer to the acquiring of a SLD name that is similar or identical to a trademarked name for the purpose of disrupting business of the trademark holder or selling the name to the trademark holder for a profit. Also known as registering a domain name in “bad faith”. See also reverse domain hijacking which is different.

HINFO

HOST INFOrmation is a pair of strings identifying the hardware and Operating System of the Host.

HINFO Records

Host Information Resource Records is records that contain host specific data.

hit

the event that occurs each time a webserver receives a request for an object, file, image, or SSI, or anything else that the webserver can provide. See also hits.

hit ratio

ratio of cache hits / cache total requests. i.e. (hit ratio = cache hits/cache total requests)

hits

hits is relative to the subject addressed in context. The following are two common usages. See also the more technical definition under the word hit.

1) the number of times a webserver is accessed.

2) the the number of times a webpage is accessed over the Internet.

hop

1) the name given when data goes through a server.

2) the segment of a route from one router or switch to another.

home page

the opening or first webpage when one gets after entering a domain name or an IP address. Also known as an index page. Usually in the form of index.htm

host

1) a computer system that is accessed by a user at a remote location that contains the data.

2) a network connection to a TCP/IP network such as the Internet where the host (computer) is assigned a specific IP address.

3) the name of the Service Provider that provides the computer network infrastructure (hardware, software, and data lines) and allow the user to user this infrastructure to support a webpage or website, for example. This process is also known as hosting.

host address

see A Record.

host-based IDS

also known as a data integrity monitor, the host-base IDS compares host files to determine if the files or configurations have changed unexpectantly.

host info

information on the resource records of a domain name that is registered as a Name Server, the host in this case, refers to the NS1 or NS2 designation that proceeds the domain name.

hostmaster

the person responsible for the technical operation of a domain or a domain name.

host name

1) the name of a server, or computer attached to a network. See also host.

2) the www. prefix of a domain name.

host provider

service provider that provides website hosting.

host table

this is what preceded the DNS of 1984 and was the name-address mapping system that was maintained by the Stanford Research Institute’s Network Information Center (SRI-NIC). Also known as a hosts file.

host record

see host table

HOSTS file

a text file used by ARPAnet that lists IP addresses followed by the host name of the server. Specifically named hosts.txt. Also known as a host table.

hosts.rev

file that contains the reverse domain files, which specify the in-addr.arpa domain.

hot standby

when there is a standby server which is already online and ready to go the instant there is a failure of the primary server. The hot standby has a failover link connected to the primary so it will know when the primary has failed and can immediatly take over.

href

the full URL of a web page on a network or the Internet.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language, is an embedded code that is used to code webpages so they can be displayed by web browsers. HTML is a subset of SGML.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol is a TCP/IP protocol, and the standard, for accessing WWW documents by transferring data over the World Wide Web to Internet browsers. The protocol portion is written as http://

HTTP redirection

a HTTP protocol based scheme that works similarly to DNS redirection, but rather than the NS or CDN controller sending the actual request to the edge server, HTTP returns an HTTP Redirect (status code 302) to the client requesting that the client re-issue the request to the fastest edge server.

HTTPS

Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol is the secure method of transferring files with 128 bit encryption. Also known as S-HTTP.

hyperlinks

text links that link one webpage to another that may be on the same website, or may be located elsewhere on the network. Also known as hypertext.

hypertext

see hyperlinks.