Some sixty Domain Name System (DNS) Administrators drawn from Internet Service Providers (ISP) and Internet Access Providers (IAP) have been imbued with skills that will help them resolve DNS configuration related problems in their networks and thus enhance Internet quality in Cameroon.
The administrators gained the skills at a one week (27 – 31 May 2024) workshop in Douala organised by ANTIC and piloted by an expert of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Mr. Mohamed Yazid Akanho.
The workshop, which took place under the theme: “Strengthening the capacity of human resources to guarantee access to quality Internet in Cameroon” provided an opportunity for the participants to be equipped with in-depth knowledge on how the DNS functions, DNS data security and credential as well as best practices for effectively deploying, configuring and managing DNS servers.
In a keynote address at the workshop, ANTIC’s Director General, Prof. Ebot Ebot Enaw, said the Agency organised the forum following a study which indicated that “difficulties encountered by Cameroonian users in accessing certain web content were caused by improper deployments and configurations of DNS servers.” These dysfunctions, though often invisible to the public, he noted, do negatively affect users online experience and in some cases, hinder their access to valuable resources such as education, health or e-government services.
The DNS is the universal directory of the Internet, which enables users worldwide to access millions of websites, online services and applications that shape our daily lives. DNS is that invisible, yet essential system which translates human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses.
It is thanks to DNS that a domain name, for instance, “www.antic.cm,” - which is plain text, entered by a user on a web browser is converted into an IP address 154.126.129.10 that a computer uses to locate that website.
Without the DNS, navigating the web would be a veritable nightmare that compels us to memorize and enter long strings of numbers to reach our online destinations.
Beyond this essential function, the DNS also plays a crucial role in the stability of the Internet.
