When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn The Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) is responsible for Internet protocol (IP) and coordinates global IP addressing, symbols, numbering, media-type and DNS root zone management.
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Based at the University of Southern California (USC), IANA manages a centralized IP database and uses global DNS oversight to assign unique IP addresses to private or public organizations. IANA receives annual subscription fees for these services.
IANA is responsible for:
- Coordinating and providing upper-level domains (e.g., .org and .com) and country codes (e.g., .ca, .pk and .au), which facilitate IP network communication and routing processes
- Providing numeric codes, which are further assigned to certain data types
- Providing Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) and Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4)
IANA is also responsible for providing all specific codes, functions and protocols, including:
- Services (e.g., routing)
- E-mail protocols (e.g., POP3 and SMTP)
- Special broadcasting and private addressing IP classes
- Port numbering
- Other common Ethernet network protocols
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