Propagation

The process of disseminating information throughout a system. Example 1 - After you register a new Internet domain name, the information is propagated across the Internet when local DNS servers update their databases from a central file. Note: Not all local DNS databases are updated with the same frequency (hourly, daily, every other day, etc.). Example 2 - Password changes often must be made on several different servers and will not complete propagation until all affected servers update their databases. Updating (rehashing) a given server's database is usually an automated process that is performed at specific intervals.