Network Names & Numbers

Overview

The Network Names and Numbers service provides the resources that enable Penn to exist on the Internet, specifically name resources under the upenn.edu domain name and address resources in PennNet IP space. This service is also responsible for the management of University network protocols that deliver address configuration information (DHCP) and name-to-address lookups (DNS) to network-attached devices. University schools and centers rely on this service to provide a public name for their web and email services (their domain name) and to gain unique identifiers for the devices that allow them to access the Internet.

This service consists of the following components:

  • Assignments - Enable IT staff to register hosts and manage Domain Name System (DNS) data
  • Authoritative DNS (public) - Publish Penn’s DNS data to the Internet and Internet2
  • DNS (campus resolvers) - Perform DNS lookups and cache results on behalf of PennNet hosts
  • Domain Names - Assign third-level domain names in the upenn.edu name space to groups at Penn
  • Dynamic Host Configuration (DHCP) - Automatically assign IP addresses and provide basic network configuration parameters to hosts on PennNet subnets
  • IP Address Management - Plan, coordinate, and provide stewardship of Penn’s publicly routable IPv4 and IPv6 address space, and special use address space including RFC 1918 (non-routable) and multicast
  • Network Timekeeping (NTP) - Synchronize network host clocks to high-precision time sources
  • SafeDNS (campus resolvers) - Perform DNS lookups and cache results on behalf of PennNet hosts, and redirect lookups for known malicious domain names to a safe web server

Benefits

  • Users can connect to the Internet and access resources through network-based services at Penn

Who Can Benefit from This Service

University IT Departments, Penn affiliates, and University guests

Additional Information and Resources