What is a primary role of DNS in networking?

The primary role of DNS, or Domain Name System, in networking is to convert human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses. This function is crucial because while users prefer to use easy-to-remember names (like www.example.com), computers and networking equipment require numerical IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1) to communicate with each other.

When a user enters a domain name into their browser, DNS servers perform the necessary lookup to find the corresponding IP address. This process enables web browsers and other networked applications to access resources on the internet effectively. Without DNS, users would have to remember complex numerical addresses, leading to significant difficulties in navigating the web.

The other options do touch on important aspects of networking but are not the primary role of DNS. For instance, while network bandwidth is crucial for performance, DNS does not directly improve it. Additionally, DNS itself is not designed for securing communications or filtering data packets; these functions are typically handled by other networking technologies and protocols.