IANA
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (q.v.)
(See http://www.iana.org/)

ICANN
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (q.v.)
(See:http://www.icann.org/)

IDN
Internationalized Domain Names (q.v.) 

IETF
Internet Engineering Task Force (q.v.)
(See http://www.ietf.org/)

Internationalized Domain Names.
An Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) contains characters that may potentially be drawn from a repertoire of 96,000-characters, known as the Unicode repertoire.  Prior to the availability of IDN, a domain name could only be displayed using a character set limited to the 26 letters of the basic Latin alphabet (a-z), the 10 digits (0-9), and the hyphen (-), thus limiting the number of languages that could be represented in native form. With IDN, a far larger number of languages may be displayed as their native speakers expect to see them in Internet applications (such as web browsers).

The form in which an IDN is recorded in the DNS is, however, still restricted to the initial letter-digit-hyphen (LDH) repertoire. Domain names in languages that require additional characters must
therefore be specially encoded if they are both to behave correctly in DNS transactions and be properly displayed. This encoding mechanism has been established by the IETF in a suite of protocols termed IDNA (Internationalized Domain Names in Applications), specified in RFCs 3490, 3491, and 3492, with fundamental reference to RFC3454. 

Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is a function performed by ICANN. IANA publishes the Top Level Domain (TLD) information, including Whois and name server data, all of which is referred to as root zone management. Root zone management includes keeping the root zone up to date and maintaining the authoritative Whois database for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). IANA also oversees registration for various Internet Protocol parameters, such as port numbers, protocol and enterprise numbers, options, codes, and types. The IANA function is currently located at the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California in Marina del Rey, CA and functions under the direction of ICANN. (See http://www.iana.org/)

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
An international not-for-profit, private sector organization created to coordinate four key functions for the Internet: the management of the domain name system, the allocation of IP address space, the assignment of protocol parameters, and the management of the root server system. (See http://www.ICANN.org) 

Internet Domain Name
An addressing construct used for identifying and locating computers on the Internet. Domain names provide a system of easy-to-remember Internet addresses, which can be translated by the Domain Name System (DNS) into the numeric addresses (Internet Protocol (IP) numbers) used by the network. A domain name is hierarchical and often conveys information about the type of entity using the domain name. A domain name is simply a label that represents a domain, which is a subset of the total domain name space. Domain names at the same level of the hierarchy must be unique. Thus, for example, there can be only one .COM at the top-level of the hierarchy, and only one example.com at the next level of the hierarchy. 

Internet Engineering Task Force
An international, voluntary body consisting of network designers, engineers, researchers, vendors, and other interested individuals who work together to address and resolve technical and operational problems on the Internet and develop Internet standards and protocols. The IETF meets three times a year; however, the bulk of the collaboration and work takes place on the various mailing lists maintained by its participants. (See http://www.ietf.org/)

InterNIC
Internet Network Information Center. InterNIC is a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of Commerce. InterNIC was the name given to a project that originated in 1993 under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF) enabling Network Solutions, Inc. (now VeriSign, Inc.) to provide domain name registration services in .com, .net, .org, and .edu. The InterNIC name is no longer used by VeriSign for its services. The InterNIC is currently the name of a web site provided by ICANN on behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce  (q.v.) (see http://www.interNIC.net/). 

InterNIC Web Site
This site is currently being hosted by ICANN on behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This website has been established to provide the public information regarding Internet domain name registration services. (See http://www.interNIC.net/)

IP
Internet Protocol (q.v.) 

IP Address (also known as Internet Protocol Number)
A unique, numeric identifier used to specify hosts and networks. IP Addresses, or Internet Protocol (IP) numbers, are part of a global, standardized scheme for identifying machines that are connected to the Internet. There are two forms of IP Addresses: IPv4 (q.v.) and IPv6 (q.v.). IP Addresses are allocated by the Number Resource Organization (q.v.) 

IPv4
Internet Protocol version 4, the legacy Internet Protocol version that is most commonly used.  Migration to IPv6 is just beginning and will undoubtedly take many years to complete.  IPv4 numbers are 32 bit addresses that consist of four octets, and they are expressed as four numbers between 0 and 255, separated by periods, for example: 198.41.0.52. 

IPv6
Internet Protocol version 6, the latest Internet Protocol standard defined in RFC 3513.  The process of migrating to IPv6 from IPv4 is in its very early stages and will undoubtedly take many years to complete.  . IPv6 numbers are 128-bit values that consist of eight 16-bit values expressed as hexadecimal (base 8) numbers between 0 and FFFF (0 and 65,535 in decimal (base 10)), separated by colons.  There are three conventional forms for representing IPv6 addresses as text strings (see section 2 of RFC 3513 for a detailed description of the three forms). 

Lame Delegation
Listing a host (name server) that does not contain a Start of Authority (SOA) record for a domain name when registering a domain name with a registry or registrar. 

Name Server
Also called a host. A computer that has both the software and the data (zone files) needed to resolve domain names to Internet Protocol (IP) numbers. 

Name Service
Providing individuals or organizations with domain name-to-Internet Protocol (IP) number resolution by maintaining and making available the hardware, software, and data needed to perform this function. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operate name servers and provide their customers with name service when they register a domain name. Most individuals are not in a position to operate a name server on their own and will need to make arrangements for name service with an ISP or some other person or organization. 

Names Council
The Names Council (NC) was a part of the Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO), one of three supporting organizations for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), before ICANN reform changed it to the Generic Name Supporting Organization. It consisted of three representatives from each of the six GNSO constituencies plus three from the ccTLD constituency.  The ccTLD constituency is not included in the GNSO and was essentially replaced by the Country Code Name Supporting Organization (ccNSO). 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration
an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Executive Branch's principal voice on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues. NTIA is the agency within DoC that manages the cooperative agreement with Network Solutions and the Memorandum of Understanding with ICANN. (See http://www.ntia.doc.gov/)

NRO
Number Resource Organization (q.v.) 

NTIA
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (q.v.) (See http://www.ntia.doc.gov/)

Number Resource Organization
The umbrella organization for the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) that handle IP Address allocation for different areas of the world. The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) is responsible for North America and a portion of the Caribbean. IP allocation for Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia is currently handled by RIPE (Reseaux IP Europeens). IP allocation for the Asia/Pacific region is currently handled by the Asia-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC).  IP allocation for Latin America and a portion of the Caribbean is handled by the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC).  In the near future, IP allocation for Africa will be provided by the African Network Information Center (AfriNIC). (See http://www.nro.net/)

Operational Test and Evaluation
A process in which registrars licensed by registries develop client systems and software to register and manage domain names and name servers prior to live operation. TLD registries provide an isolated, shared Operational Test and Evaluation server environment that is used for both initial registrar system development and ongoing registrar development and testing. Prior to operation in live systems, registrars must complete a basic functional evaluation in the Operational Test and Evaluation environment to demonstrate full and correct operation of their client systems. The evaluation must be completed without error before registrars are given access to the live system. 

OT&E
Operational Test and Evaluation (q.v.)