How does a computer typically resolve a domain name to find an IP address?

A computer typically resolves a domain name to find an IP address by querying a DNS (Domain Name System) server for the associated IP address. The DNS acts like a phonebook for the internet, translating human-readable domain names (like www.example.com) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1).

When a user types a domain name into their web browser, the computer first checks its local DNS cache to see if it already has the corresponding IP address stored from previous visits. If it's not found, the computer sends a request to the configured DNS server. The DNS server then performs a series of lookups, if necessary, to find the authoritative DNS server for the domain in question and retrieves the correct IP address.

This process allows for efficient resolution of domain names without the need for the computer to search the entire internet or communicate with every nearby computer, which would be impractical and time-consuming. Additionally, the concept of temporarily assigning its own IP to the domain does not align with the DNS resolution process, as it relies on external DNS servers for accuracy.