Internet Domains and Web Addressing

Consider the Web address http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/

The prefix, http:// means that the server provides files in hypertext transfer protocol, a form that can be viewed as multimedia combinations by a Web browser application like Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Other protocols include gopher:// a sparingly used protocol that is text-only, and ftp:// or file transfer protocol in which binary and text files are downloaded (they can be applications, images, or other data).

The .edu is the top level domain name. The domains currently in use are:

.edu educational institutions
.gov federal and state government agencies
.mil military
.net network organizations
.com business and commercial concerns
.org not-for-profit organizations
.us states and territories
.int organizations formed by international treaty

The list of top level domains has grown over the last two years with the addition of the following:
.AERO, .BIZ, .COOP, .INT, .MUSEUM, .NAME, and .PRO
This list will likely be continuously expanded.

Countries have two letter top level domain names, for example:

.de Germany (Deutschland)
.no Norway
.ca Canada

When you find yourself brought to a file within a Web site after doing a search or following a link, and you want to determine the name and location of the server the information is stored on, just remove the part of the address after the top level domain and enter that address. Example:

You followed a link to a citrus publication at the Web address:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/citrus/citrus.html

To find the name of the Web server the information is on, delete everything after .edu/ and enter that location:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/

Most Web servers have the name of the sponsoring organization, the person who maintains the server, and the responsible contact person on their first page.

Aggie Horticulture | Texas A&M AgriLife | Texas A&M University | State of Texas