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Domain Name Help
Domain Name
Basics
Q. What
is a URL?
Q. What
is a domain name?
Q. What
characters and length can I use for my domain
name?
Q. What
do .com, .net, and .org stand
for?
Q. Are
.com, .net, and .org my only
choices?
Q. What
is a name server?
Domain Name
Registration
Q. Who
should register a domain
name?
Q. Could
you explain your registration
pricing?
Q. I
don't have a Web site, can I still register a
domain name?
Q. What
if the domain name I want isn't
available?
Q. Once
I have registered domain name what do I
do?
Q. Who
owns the domain
name?
Q. How
much does it cost to register a domain
name?
Q. Why
does my domain show up as
available?
Q. What
if I misspelled my domain
name?
Account and
Domain Administration
Q. What
if I forget my
password?
Q. How
do I change my account
information?
Q. How
do I change contact, billing or administrative
information?
Q. How
do I renew my domain name
registration?
Q. How
do I change my name
servers?
Q. How
do I register name
servers?
Q. How
do I park my domain
name?
Q. How
do I forward (redirect) my domain
name?
NameSpin, and
WhoIs
Q. What
is NameSpin?
Q. What
is 'WhoIs'?
Q. When
is 'WhoIs'
updated?
Q. What
is the difference between WhoIs and
NameSpin?
Q. What
is a URL?
A. A
URL, which stands for Uniform Resource Locator, is
your complete Internet address. It is the string of
information, such as
http://www.domainsolutions.com, that directs
people to specific locations on the Internet. In
the same way that an address written on an envelope
directs the post-office to deliver a letter
straight to your door, a URL typed into an Internet
browser leads directly to the location of a
specific resource on the Internet.
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Q. What
is a domain name?
A. A
domain name, such as the "domainsolutions" portion
of www.domainsolutions.com, signifies your own
address on the Internet. As no two parties may ever
hold the same domain name and TLD combination at
the same time, it is a truly unique identifier of
you or your company. It is how your customers will
remember you and find you among the millions of
other Web sites on the Internet.
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Q. What
characters and length can I use for my domain
name?
A. Only
a few rules must be followed when registering your
domain name:
- You can have
a name that is 63 characters long not including
the extension. Therefore the root of the word
can be 63 characters.
- Use only
letters, numbers, or dash ("-")
- Cannot begin
or end with a dash
- Domain names
are not case sensitive
- Domain names
cannot include spaces
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Q. What
do .com, .net and .org stand
for?
A. These
three extensions - .com, .net and .org - are
top-level domain names in the hierarchical Domain
Name System. They are probably the most popular and
most widely recognized top-level domain names on
the Internet. With Domain Solutions, you can
register any valid, available domain name you
choose within these three top-level domain
names.
The .ws and .tv
domains are owned by the countries of Western Samoa
and Tuvalu. They sold the rights to use the .ws and
.tv as a top-level domain. .ws and .tv are 100%
globally accessible, and they can be viewed by
anyone accessing the internet from anywhere in the
world. Additionally, everyone, regardless of
location, has the ability to register/administer
.ws and .tv domains.
All
top-level domains and the guidelines by which they
function were created 20-25 years ago. Every
country was granted one top-level domain with the
exception of the US which was also given the .com,
.net, org, .edu, and .mil top-level domains. While
.com is the most popular extension, every top-level
domain has the ability to work in exactly the same
way. The true difference between .com and other
top-level domains is purely marketing and exposure.
.ws
and
.tv
are
alternatives to .com. If you would like more
information, please contact us.
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Q. Are
.com, .net and .org my only choices when
registering a domain name?
A. Domain
Solutions currently registers domain names ending
in .com, .net, .org along with the newly added
.biz, .info, .ws and .tv tld's. As other extensions
become more widely used on the Internet, we will
offer those to our customers as well. We'll keep
you posted through updates on our home page.
If you would like to register Country Code
Top-Level Domains (CCTLDs) please visit the
IANA
CCTLD Database
for more information.
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Q. What
is a name server?
A. Computers
read Internet addresses through a series of numbers
called Internet Protocol (IP) numbers. Because
these numbers would be difficult for people to
remember, user-friendly Internet addresses were
developed using combinations of words and numbers.
A name server is a computer that has the capability
to translate, or resolve, the domain names we see
and use in our browser windows into IP numbers. A
name server translates these letters into the IP
number 216.34.94.168 any time a computer is
directed to our site.
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Q. Who
should register a domain name?
A. Anyone
who wants to establish a presence on the Internet
or wants to secure the name for future use or
resale.
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Q. Could
you explain your registration pricing?
A. Our
standard .com, .net and .org domain name
registrations are $14.95 to register a domain name
for one year, $27.95 for two years, $64.95 for five
years, and $124.95 for ten years.
.info or .biz domain name registrations are $27.95
for 2 years, 5 years for $64.95, and 10 years for
$124.95.
.cc domain name registrations are $60 for 1 year or
$100 for 2 years.
.ws (WebSite) domain name registrations are $70 for
2 years.
.tv domain name registrations are $50 for 1
year.
Register
Now!
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Q. I
don't have a Web site, can I still register a
domain name?
A. Yes.
You can register a domain name at any time and
start your online identity by using our name
servers until you have access to name servers of
your own. The free use of our name servers will
point your domain to a "Future Home" page until you
return to your account and specify otherwise.
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Q. What
if the domain name I want isn't available?
A. If
you search for the availability of a domain and it
is not available, it means that someone else has
already registered that domain name. We can only
register domain names that are available. Each
Registrar is required to keep a searchable whois
database on their site for domains registered by
their customers. To find the correct whois search
you should query for particular information related
to a registered domain. Please visit the
InterNIC
Registry Whois
Search.
If you want to find alternate available domains
please try our NameSpin
feature.
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Q. Once
I have registered a domain name what do I do?
A. The
first thing you are going to have to do is to find
a web host. Following are several webhosting
providers. You can create an account with them for
the domain name that you registered with us.
Next, you upload your web pages to them if you have
any. Third, return to your account with us
and enter your Web host's DNS server primary and
secondary host names. Remove the old ones and
add the new ones. Finally wait up to 72 hours
for all this updating to circulate throughout the
Internet. You should now be able to receive
e-mail and page hits.
www.Jumpline.com
www.ThinkHost.com
www.Verio.com
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Q. Who
owns the domain name?
A. The
owner of the domain name is the registrant
information entered into our database at the time
of the original registration. To find out the
registrant information for a domain name registered
under us, please visit our WhoIs
Search.
For a general WhoIs search please visit the
InterNIC
Registry WhoIs
Search
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Q. How
much does it cost to register a domain name?
A. Please
see our pricing
page for
our competitive rates.
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Q. Why
does my newly registered domain name show up as
available?
A. When
you register with us, your request is immediately
sent to the NSI shared registry. They update their
whois database only once a day, so if your
registered domain misses the current update you
will have to wait up to another 24 hours before
your domain shows up. The DNS information update
process is similar except this happens worldwide
and can take up to 72 hours for completion.
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Q. What
if I misspelled my domain name?
A. Please
take extra care during registration to make sure
that everything is as it should be. All
registrations are final and fees are
non-refundable.
If you have made a mistake you have three
choices:
1. Keep the domain you have registered and
develop it.
2. Have us delete your ownership from the
domain. (No refund)
3. Register the new name and have one of them
redirected to the other
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Q. What
if I forget my password?
A. Please
visit
our Account login
page and
click on "Forgot Your Password"
TOP
Q. How
do I change my account information?
A. Login
to your account.
In this area you will be able to change your
billing information, administrative contact,
technical contact, and name server.
TOP
Q. How
do I change contact, billing or administrative
information?
A. Making
changes to different aspects of your account is a
relatively simple process. Login
to your account
by entering your username, password and domain
name. You will then be able to choose from a number
of possible actions and be given specific
instructions online on how you can complete any
changes you need to make. The only change that you
will not be able to make is changes to the Owner
information. In order for us to change the Owner
information (excluding the Owner/Organization name
which is considered an Ownership Transfer) you will
need to email us from within your account with a
list of the current information and the changes you
would like made.
TOP
Q. How
do I renew my domain name registration?
A. If
you would like to renew your domain, please log
into your account. When you get to the 'Your
Account' Welcome! page, Click on the link 'Domain
Renewal' : Renew or extend the registration period
of your domains. Remove or Add the domains you
would like to renew. Now all you have to do
is follow the steps that the web site gives
you.
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Q. How
do I change my name servers?
A. 1.
Log into your account.
2. Click "Manage your domains
3. In the drop down box, choose the domain you want
the name server information to change for.
4. Click the button "Manage..."
5. On the left side of the screen you will see some
links, click the one that says "Name Servers."
6. At the bottom of the page it will list your
current name servers. "Remove" the old ones in
turn.
7. "Add" the new name servers in turn. Enter the
name server names NOT the IP address. Name server
names will be something like ns1.nameserver.com
8. Click update.
9. Now wait up to 72 hours for the change to take
place.
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Q. How
do I register name servers?
A. You
first need to two IP addresses usually provided by
your ISP.
1. You need to log into your account and click on
the link to manage domains.
2. Select your domain from the text box with the
drop down arrow.
3. At the bottom portion of the screen there is a
link "Name Server Registration", click on that
link.
4. You are then prompted to add the first part of
the name server extension. I strongly suggest that
you use the ns1 and ns2 beginning extension. The
rest of the name server appears by default as your
domain name. Whatever you do DO NOT enter www for
the beginning extension for your name server.
5. Enter the IP address in the text boxes directly
below the name server name, EXACTLY as the ISP has
given them to you.
6. Then click on the word "Continue" with the arrow
through it and your name server is registered. You
can then register the second name server.
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Q. How
do I park my domain name?
A. You
are also able to park your domain on our future
home web server. This service is free and you
can park the domain for as long as you like. Simply
change your name servers to 'ns1.dotsterinc.com'
and 'ns2.dotsterinc.com' from within your
account.
If you need help changing your name servers please
see "How
do I change my name
servers?"
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Q. How
do I forward (redirect) my domain name?
A. You
have two options for URL forwarding. Your
first option offers free forwarding with a banner
ad. Your second option offers redirection for
only $5 a year and no banner ad.
You can forward your domain by:
1. Log into your account.
2. Click Manage your Domains
3. Select a domain.
4. Under 'Other Options'... Click URL
Forwarding.
5. Read the directions and enter the URL or IP
address that you want your domain to forward
to.
Don't forget the http://www. when entering your
URL. In 24 hours, your domain will be pointed to
your web site or IP Address.
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Q. What
is NameSpin?
A. We
know it's a frustrating experience finding out that
your first name choice isn't available. That's why
we offer you NameSpin,
an easy way to search for an alternate domain name.
NameSpin's thesaurus feature allows you to find
creative synonyms to your original name choice. And
if you really want to find a creative name, just
enter three words into the appropriate spaces on
the screen. NameSpin will go to work concocting
different combinations of the entered words and
whip up all kinds of unique name combinations for
you to consider. Another special feature that
NameSpin offers is the capability to search up to
300 possible domain names simultaneously. Enter
your names into the appropriate field (to save time
you may want to paste a name list from a text
document), wait a few seconds, and NameSpin will
tell you which names are available of all the names
you checked.
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Q. What
is 'WhoIs'?
A. The
'WhoIs' feature is a search engine connected to a
database of domains registered through us. When you
search for a domain name, it will return the
domains registration information if the domain was
registered through us. The registration information
that is listed includes that for the Owner,
Administrative, and Technical contacts. Also
included is the domain's name servers. To see this
in action please visit our WhoIs
search.
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Q. When
is 'WhoIs' updated?
A. When
you register with us, your request is immediately
sent to the NSI shared registry. They update their
WhoIs database once a day, so its possible for your
domain to just missed the current update. If this
happens you will have to wait up to another 24
hours before your domain shows up. Domain name
searches at all registrar sites are updated
IMMEDIATELY after registration so that no domain
name can be registered more than once. WhoIs
lookups take between 24-48 hours to update. You
still might not find your records at some sites
because each registrar is only required to maintain
WhoIs records for domain names that they register.
They are not required to maintain WhoIs records for
domain names registered with other registrars.
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Q. What
is the difference between WhoIs and NameSpin?
A. A
WhoIs search allows you to enter any domain name
registered by Domain Solutions to find out, for
informational purposes only, the registration
records for a particular domain name. NameSpin, as
described above, searches for domain name
availability and helps you create alternate domain
names if the one you want is already taken.
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