Development of the Domain Name System

This paper asks how the Internet can keep one usable naming system without making every machine download one global host file. Read it to see how DNS cuts a name tree into delegated zones, follows referrals toward the server responsible for one branch, and uses time-limited caching to make repeated lookups local.

Reading focus: Why the centrally maintained HOSTS.TXT file grew into a distribution and administration bottleneck as the Internet added workstations and local networks. How hierarchical names, zone cuts, referrals, and authoritative servers distribute control while preserving one global name space. Why TTL caching removes repeated upstream work, where stale answers enter the tradeoff, and how unexpected failed lookups motivated negative caching.

SIGCOMM 1988. Mockapetris and Dunlap. 30 min read, very easy difficulty.