Nameservers are the Internet's equivalent to phone books. A nameserver maintains a directory of domain names that match certain IP addresses (computers). The information from all the nameservers across the Internet is gathered in a central registry.
This makes it possible for visitors to access your Web site using a familiar domain name, instead of having to remember a series of numbers.
Nameservers on other networks can access information at the central registry up to 8 hours after registering .COM and .NET domains and up to 48 hours for all other domain extensions. This period is referred to as the propagation period.
The nameservers you use depends on when you set up your hosting account. For information on which nameservers to use for your account, see The My Domains Link in your client area.