IANA. (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority)

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is chartered by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the Federal Network Council (FNC) to act as the clearinghouse for assigning and coordinating the use of numerous Internet protocol parameters. It is the central authority for assigning names and addresses on the Internet.

URLs:

Introduction to TCP/IP Discussion of the process of assigning Internet addresses.

IANA home page

comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains FAQ

Frequently asked questions of the newsgroup devoted to discussion of issues relating to the Domain Name System (DNS).

W3E References:

domain name

address

Detail:

IANA assures that domain names, Internet Protocol network numbers, and associated parameters such as port numbers do not conflict. It establishes the linkage between the numerical IP address and alphabetic addresses, and maintains a registry of the currently assigned values . The IANA is located at and operated by the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) of the University of Southern California (USC).