What does the acronym DNS specifically help with in computer networking?

The acronym DNS stands for Domain Name System, which is essential in computer networking for translating human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses. When a user types a website address (such as www.example.com) into a web browser, DNS is the system that converts that friendly name into an IP address (like 192.0.2.1) that computers use to identify and communicate with each other on the network. This translation process allows users to access websites and online services without needing to remember complex numerical IP addresses, thus simplifying the user experience considerably.

By allowing for this name resolution, DNS plays a crucial role in the functionality of the internet, ensuring that users can easily reach the services they are looking for. The other concepts in the question, such as assigning bandwidth, managing user authentication, and monitoring network performance, involve different aspects of networking but do not relate directly to the primary function of DNS.