After a computer is uniquely identified on the network, it can let other computers know what services it offers, or it can request services from another computer. There are three service protocols that maintain lists of computers and the services they offer:
|
Protocol Name |
Protocol Type |
|---|---|
|
Service Location Protocol (SLP) |
IP |
|
Service Advertising Protocol (SAP) |
IPX |
|
Domain Name Service (DNS) |
IP |
SLP, an Internet protocol, and SAP, an IPX protocol, are both used to locate and advertise network services.
DNS is an Internet standard service that provides IP address-to-host name resolution. Its primary purpose is to match the name of a computer, such as host1.novell.com, with its IP address. DNS can also map certain Internet server services, such as E-mail and Web, to specific hosts.
Host files can also be used on private networks to accomplish IP address-to-host name resolution.