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ccTLD Domain Renewal Nominet
DNS Domain Transfer OpenSRS
Domain Name TLD Registration Service Provider
Domain Registrar ICANN UDRP
Domain Registry InterNIC Web Hosting
Domain Registrant Name Servers WHOIS

DNS(Domain Name System) 

The Internet was built on the notion that any computer on a global network can be identified by its numeric Internet Protocol (IP) address. But since people, and not machines, are the primary users of the Internet, a more people-friendly naming system called the Domain Name System (DNS) was invented. DNS maps a host name like www.weredigital.com to the IP address of the machine that hosts the WereDigital web site. For example, DNS actually maps the host name www.weredigital.com to the IP address 209.15.222.200

DNS is built upon the notion that some server's are 'authoritative' (meaning, knows all there is to know) for certain domains. A distributed name server hierarchy, beginning with the A Root Server and ending at the thousands of name servers active on the Internet, ensures that the naming and directing system works the same from anywhere.

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Domain Name

A domain name is essentially a signpost on the Internet. Almost every website you've ever been to, and every email you've ever composed, has used a domain name in its address. 

People register domain names in order to 'stake a claim' to a particular name -- whether for business or personal reasons. Once a domain name is registered to a person or company, it is that person's to use exclusively as long as they continue to pay the yearly renewal fee and abide by the terms of use.

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Top Level Domain (TLD)

The portion of a traditional domain name that comes after the dot. So, in weredigital.com, the top level domain is .com. The generic top level domains (gTLDs) are .com, .net and .org; there are also country code top level domains (ccTLDs) such as .ca, or .uk. 

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Second Level Domain (SLD)

The portion of a traditional domain name that comes before the dot. So, in weredigital.com, the second level domain is weredigital

Generic Top Level Domain (TLD)

TLD's are top level domains that are not associated with any country. Currently, the only gTLDs in existence are .com, .net and .org. Originally, the top level domain designation was meant to denote whether the domain name was being used for business (.com), charity/non-profit (.org), or for a network (.net). However, with the explosion of the Internet (and specifically, the world wide web) as a new business medium, the lines were blurred, and companies and individuals alike started cross-registering domains (ie. me.com, me.net, me.org) just to protect their interests. Now, .com, .net, and .org names (the generic Top Level Domains) can be used for any purpose. 

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Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD)

Every country (and a few territories) in the world has a reserved, two letter country code domain that is theirs to use as they see fit. Some countries run their own ccTLD registry, others outsource it to a private company, and still others sell rights to their ccTLD to third parties to run as they see fit.Examples of ccTLDs are .ca (Canada), .us (United States), and .to (Tonga). In general, these are registered by businesses with a coincidental link to the TLD in question. For example: .to is used more by Torontonians than Tongans and .tv has more American television content than native Tuvalu culture.See also, DNS 

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Domain Registrar

A "Registrar" (or "Domain Name Registrar") is an organization like OpenSRS or Network Solutions that has control over the granting of domains within certain TLDs (top level domains, like the generic .com/.org/.net or country-specific .ca/.us/.mx etc.).

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Domain Registry

The 'Registry' is the system backend that is maintained by the operators of the TLD. Registrar's write new names to a central registry database, from which the authoritative root (essentially, a table of all domain names) is built. In the case of .com, .net and .org, the InterNIC runs the registry, and qualified registrars have shared access to it. In the case of many ccTLDs, the registry and registrar functions are combined within one entity. 

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Domain Registrant

A registrant is the person or company who registers a domain name. For example, Jessica Smith (registrant) registers the name jessicasmith.com through OpenSRS (registrar) who in turn writes the name to the central database (Registry).

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Domain Renewal

gTLDs: 
Domains are leased on an annual basis, and need to be renewed once the current payment for the lease expires. If a domain is registered on April 15, 2000 and pre-paid for one year, it will be due for renewal on April 15, 2001, at which point the registrant either pays for additional years, or lets the name expire. Domains can also be pre-paid for multiple years, up to a maximum of 10 years. 

ccTLDs:
The *.uk registry, Nominet, has set registration and renewal periods for all .uk names at two years. 

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Domain Transfer

The term 'transfer' has been used to describe various kinds of domain name transfers. Traditionally, simply changing the nameservers providing name service for a domain was considered a transfer. Nowadays, such a modification is more rightly called a modification, and the term 'transfer' describes the transfer of a domain from one registrar to another.

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ICANN

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the non-profit corporation that was formed to assume responsibility for the IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management, and root server system management functions previously performed under U.S. Government contract by IANA and other entities.

For more information about ICANN, please visit: http://www.icann.org 

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InterNIC

The InterNIC maintains the root domain registry, containing nameserver and registrar information for all .com, .net and .org domains. When an end user registers a domain name through an OpenSRS RSP, OpenSRS updates it's own database with the full WHOIS information, and passes select domain information up to the root registry.

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Name Servers

Nameservers (or Domain Name Servers) are the machines that perform the DNS function, containing zone files listing all the hosts on their network, and their corresponding IP addresses. If a nameserver is unable to determine which IP address a given hostname (i.e. www.opensrs.org) should map to, it will at least be able to point to another nameserver, which will either contain the information, or pass the request on until the correct nameserver is found.

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Nominet

The Nominet is the registry for all .uk domain names, serving a similar function as the NSI registry does for the gTLDs. Tucows is an authorized Nominet agent. 

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OpenSRS (Open Shared Registration System)

OpenSRS is a wholesale domain name registration service that uses Open Source principles to ensure equal participation for as many companies and individuals as possible. Sponsored by Tucows.com, OpenSRS has been accredited as a domain registrar by ICANN and recognized by the United States Government and Network Solutions. 

For more detailed information on OpenSRS, see End User FAQ #4. The  End User FAQ and General FAQ are also good sources for general information about OpenSRS.

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Registration Service Provider (RSP)

Under the OpenSRS model, the Registration Service Provider resells domain names through OpenSRS and sells them to individuals or businesses. RSPs are generally Internet based service providers, either running a domain registration business as a 'value add' to their core business, or in some cases, as their core business. RSPs also provide all technical support to domain registrants. 

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UDRP

The Uniform Dispute Resolution policy is a document which governs how domain name disputes will be resolved within the gTLD namespace. It defines the conditions under which a genuine dispute may arise, and provides guidelines for administrative proceedings to settle the issue, outside of a court where possible. All registrants registering domains through OpenSRS (or any other registrar) are bound by the UDRP. The UDRP can be found at:http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp.htm 

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Web Hosting 

One service often closely associated with domain names is web site hosting. The World Wide Web is a massive collection of web sites, all hosted on computers (called web servers) all over the world. Because of the web's uniquely global nature, a web site should be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Rather than pay to have a 24/7 dedicated Internet connection to an in-house webserver, many people opt to host their sites with a web hosting provider. Web hosting clients simply upload their web sites to a shared (or dedicated) webserver, which the ISP maintains to ensure a constant, fast connection to the Internet. The Primary Business function of WereDigital is such and more information can be obtained here http://www.weredigital.com

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   What is WHOIS?

WHOIS stands for “Who is?” and is a utility used to look up information on domain names.  This includes contact information as well as some technical information such as the domain’s name servers (DNS) used for service, and certain Status information such as if the domain is Locked.

Please see this page to perform a WHOIS Lookup of a domain name

Domain How TO

 

More coming Soon!

Contact Privacy for Domain Name Owners

What is it and why should I enable it on my domain?

video Courtesy of OpenSRS Our Domain Supplier

whois-un-protected

Most people wouldn’t dream of setting up a website that lists their personal email address, home phone number and street address. But this is exactly what happens on a daily basis when a new domain name is registered.

The WHOIS Record is an informational record tied to every domain name that tells the entire Internet about the owner of the domain. You can see an example of a WHOIS record at http://www.tucowsdomains.com.

For large corporations, having their street address, email, and phone number on the Internet might not be a big deal, but what happens when individuals, or home office register a domain name?

Suddenly there’s a connection between the work you do, family photos you share, the opinions you express, emails you send and your physical location and your phone number.

If you’re a domain owner already, or if you’re thinking about registering one, you should consider enabling the Contact Privacy feature on your domain’s WHOIS record. Doing so will hide your personal contact information and tell others your personal information is off limits.

Besides personal security, another reason to enable Contact Privacy is to avoid unwanted spam in your inbox. 

whois-protected

WHOIS records contain email addresses that spammers routinely ‘scrape’ so the addresses can be used to send unsolicited email and phishing attacks.

If you are a business, of course you want to be as accessible as possible. But a WHOIS record really isn’t a valuable promotion vehicle. Credible prospects will easily find your contact information on your web site, in your local yellow pages and in other directories that you choose. A WHOIS listing mostly services these spammers and unwanted solicitors.

Securing your contact information online isn’t complicated and Contact Privacy offers important privacy controls for both businesses and individual domain holders.

 

 * Cookies must be enabled on your browser to use this interface

Manage Your Domain
Domain Name:
User Name:
Password:
* User Name and Password are case sensitive
* Do not use www. or http when entering your domain name

If you have forgotten your username/password for your domain you may retrieve it by submitting an email to the Domain Administration Team.

Please including the Domain your inquiring about and that information will be emailed out to the listed domain admin contact.
To do this go to the Domain Administration contact page contact page and select "contact form".
You may also fully manage your domain with in your Member Portal Billing.weredigital.com 

Note: Passwords are ONLY emailed to the listed admin contact* for your domain.

*You may verify who the administrative contact is by using the "whois" at this location: click here.

Various Domain addons are available to increase you usability , security and ease of use. 

  • Domain Management
  • Domain How TO
  • Domain Privacy

 * Cookies must be enabled on your browser to use this interface

Manage Your Domain
Domain Name:
User Name:
Password:
* User Name and Password are case sensitive
* Do not use www. or http when entering your domain name

If you have forgotten your username/password for your domain you may retrieve it by submitting an email to the Domain Administration Team.

Please including the Domain your inquiring about and that information will be emailed out to the listed domain admin contact.
To do this go to the Domain Administration contact page contact page and select "contact form".
You may also fully manage your domain with in your Member Portal Billing.weredigital.com 

Note: Passwords are ONLY emailed to the listed admin contact* for your domain.

*You may verify who the administrative contact is by using the "whois" at this location: click here.

Domain How TO

 

More coming Soon!

Contact Privacy for Domain Name Owners

What is it and why should I enable it on my domain?

video Courtesy of OpenSRS Our Domain Supplier

whois-un-protected

Most people wouldn’t dream of setting up a website that lists their personal email address, home phone number and street address. But this is exactly what happens on a daily basis when a new domain name is registered.

The WHOIS Record is an informational record tied to every domain name that tells the entire Internet about the owner of the domain. You can see an example of a WHOIS record at http://www.tucowsdomains.com.

For large corporations, having their street address, email, and phone number on the Internet might not be a big deal, but what happens when individuals, or home office register a domain name?

Suddenly there’s a connection between the work you do, family photos you share, the opinions you express, emails you send and your physical location and your phone number.

If you’re a domain owner already, or if you’re thinking about registering one, you should consider enabling the Contact Privacy feature on your domain’s WHOIS record. Doing so will hide your personal contact information and tell others your personal information is off limits.

Besides personal security, another reason to enable Contact Privacy is to avoid unwanted spam in your inbox. 

whois-protected

WHOIS records contain email addresses that spammers routinely ‘scrape’ so the addresses can be used to send unsolicited email and phishing attacks.

If you are a business, of course you want to be as accessible as possible. But a WHOIS record really isn’t a valuable promotion vehicle. Credible prospects will easily find your contact information on your web site, in your local yellow pages and in other directories that you choose. A WHOIS listing mostly services these spammers and unwanted solicitors.

Securing your contact information online isn’t complicated and Contact Privacy offers important privacy controls for both businesses and individual domain holders.

 

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