What common protocol is used to resolve names to IP addresses.

The common protocol used to resolve names to IP addresses is called the Domain Name System (DNS). Here are the steps it follows:

1. When you type a URL into your web browser, your computer sends a request to the local DNS server.

2. If the local DNS server has the IP address associated with the domain name in its cache, it returns the IP address to your computer.

3. If the local DNS server doesn't have the IP address, it sends a query to the root DNS servers.

4. The root DNS servers direct the local DNS server to the Top Level Domain (TLD) DNS servers (such as .com, .org, .net).

5. The TLD DNS servers then direct the local DNS server to the authoritative DNS servers for the specific domain name.

6. The authoritative DNS server has the specific IP address for the domain name. It returns this IP address to the local DNS server.

7. The local DNS server then returns the IP address to your computer.

8. Your computer sends a request to the IP address, which is received by the server hosting the website. The server sends back the website content to your computer.

This entire process is how the DNS protocol resolves names to IP addresses.