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Domains Please let us know if there is any additional information you'd like to see on our FAQ or questions in general.
Domain name systems and name serversWhile it is possible for Internet clients to access a server by using its IP address, it becomes a burden remembering a string of numbers for each of your favorite sites. This invites the usefulness of the Domain Name System (DNS), which broadcasts more “friendly” names that correspond to IP addresses on the Internet. With DNS, anyone can type in a domain name (e.g. mydomain.com) which then gets resolved (translated) to a numerical address (e.g. 207.159.130.233). As an example, you can see that in most web browsers you are able to watch as a domain name is being resolved. This occurs at the bottom of the browser window. When you type in a web address the status bar of your browser may say:Connecting to site 207.159.153.130... This indicates that your machine was able to match the IP address to the domain name you entered. In order to do this, your computer needs to have some sort of reference in which to look up domain names and match them to their corresponding IP addresses, much like how you would use a telephone book to correspond a friend’s name to their number. DNS, commonly referred to as your Name Server, is the computer’s phone book for the Internet. When you initially set up your computer to connect to the Internet you were required to give it at least one name server so it would know where to look up the IP addresses of the domain names you access. Most people use two name servers: primary and secondary. This provides a redundant system so that in case one fails there is a backup. In the above example, you could have simply typed in the IP address of the server and the connection would have been made without needing to consult a name server. However, most people on the Internet, without knowing it, rely heavily upon DNS, so that they don’t have to worry about keeping track of all those IP addresses. A name server’s only function is to maintain a table of domain names and matching IP addresses, called a DNS Table. Each domain name on the Internet has specific DNS servers that are responsible for keeping their information in their table and that DNS server is then responsible for broadcasting that information across the Internet. Most likely, you chose a domain name for your account when you first signed up. Even if you didn’t choose one, often we can assign you a temporary IP. In either case, your domain already has an entry in the DNS tables of our name servers. This entry is an important part of what makes it possible for people to access your site on the Internet.
Back to TopDNS Registration RecordsThere is a bit more involved in matching a domain name to an IP address than just having this information in a DNS table on a name server. Since there may be times when you want to add a domain name to your account, or change the way your existing domain name is handled, it is important to have some understanding of how DNS works.There are organizations responsible for distributing domain names for those who wish to use them. Many countries have their own organization, often called an NIC agency. For most U.S. domain names, including those ending in .com, .net, .org, and .edu , this organization is called InterNIC. InterNIC is currently owned by a company called Network Solutions and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. In order to use a specific domain name with your account, you must register the domain name with the NIC agency responsible for that domain. The registration process differs slightly depending on the NIC agency. A domain name registration shows the contact, technical and billing information for the domain, and defines a specific name server or group of name servers that will contain the information about where that domain name should point. The name servers that appear in a domain’s registration record are called authoritative, because they contain the most current and correct name server information about the domain. For example, the domain registration for the domain Wapers.com appears as follows: _____________________________________________________________ Registrant: _____________________________________________________________ You can see from this record that the Registrant, or the organization that owns the domain, is Virtual Servers, LLC. The Administrative Contact, who is in charge of how this domain name is managed, is listed as “DNS Administrator.” A domain registration record also shows the name servers that are authoritative for the IP addresses to which the domain should point. The two name servers in this record are: NIS.DACOM.CO.KR Registration information such as this is kept by the NIC agencies responsible for different types of domain names all over the world. It is important to note that domain registration records do not contain the IP addresses where a domain name should point, but merely the name and IP address of the name server that contain this information. You can view the domain registration record for any existing domain name by trying out our Domain search facility.
Back to TopDNS Zone FilesOnce a NIC agency has a domain name registered and has information about which name servers are authoritative for a domain, the authoritative name servers need to have the information about the IP addresses that correspond to the domain loaded into its DNS tables. This information is called a DNS Record or zone file.Although you will never be required to edit a DNS record directly, you may be interested in seeing what one looks like. The following is a sample DNS record, showing the two IP addresses associated with your account (Web server and mail server), as well as the IP address for your site statistics and Control Panel. _____________________________________________________________ IN NS ns1.nameserve.net. IN NS ns2.nameserve.net. IN NS ns3.nameserve.net. IN MX 10 mail.mydomain.com. IN A 216.122.37.XX localhost IN A 127.0.0.1 smtp IN CNAME mail pop IN CNAME mail www IN A 216.122.37.XX ftp IN CNAME www mail IN A 216.122.34.XXX stats IN A 216.122.37.2 plesk IN A 209.203.247.XXX _____________________________________________________________ The first three lines show that three name servers are responsible for being authoritative. Please note that the information you enter into the name tables of the authoritative name server is not necessarily immediately available to your provider’s name servers. Because your local provider controls how often they update the name tables on their name servers, these changes may not show for several hours, or even several days. Even if a domain name is properly registered with your NIC agency, it may take Internet provider some time to receive that new information and to store it in their DNS tables. The fourth line is called the MX record, and tells all mail coming to mydomain.com to point to your mail server. The remaining lines contain A records and cnames (short for canonical names). You can think of these as prefixes that can be used with your domain name, such as www.yourdomain.com, ftp.yourdomain.com or mail.yourdomain.com.
Back to TopUses of a Domain NameA domain name and its various uses can be a confusing subject for anyone starting their own business on the Internet. This section will clarify the types and uses for a domain name including cnames, pointer domains, and virtual hosts.There are two types of domain names that are commonly used on the Internet: Domain Name: A domain name is an easy to remember URL which directs to your physical address (IP address) on the Internet. It is a 'friendly name' for your site, like www.yourname.com. Canonical Domain Name: A canonical domain, also referenced as cname, includes a prefix name before the actual domain. It is the process of adding a name in front of the domain. A Canonical Domain can also add an element of 'size' to your site, as more than one URL is used. This is illustrated below: http://sales.yourdomain.com Note: Our servers are configured so that your domain acts as a wildcard to any name placed before it. As such, all canonical domains placed before your domain will resolve to your primary Web site, until you specify otherwise with Technical Support. Each of the above names can be used in the following ways: Primary Account Domain: You can use your domain to represent your primary Web account, or administrative account, with us. Pointer Domain: A pointer domain, also referenced as an additional domain name, is a domain that simply points to or directs to another domain or Web site. It does not have its own unique Web content, hence the name pointer. Virtual Host: A virtual host, also referenced as an additional domain for virtual hosting, is a domain name which has its own unique content. It will direct to a subdirectory on your account. A Virtual Host can be thought of as a sub-lot of land. Pricing and configuration vary for each of the above uses.
Back to TopRegistering a New Domain NameA domain name is the first thing that a person notices about your website and e-mail. You have the ability to purchase any name.com (name.net, name.us etc...) that is available. Domain names maybe registered for up to a 10 year period and renewed not to exceed 10 years in duration. Once you register a domain name it is yours. You cannot register a name that is the property of some other entity such as netlogistiks.com or microsoft.com. To check if a domain name is available visit www.internic.net the registry for domain names. If the name you desire is unavailable we can help with effective alternative names. Also see Support. Back to TopTransferring a Domain NameThe organization that you originally purchased your domain name through has to transfer your name to our IP address from theirs. We can assist you in transferring your domain name and existing site to our servers. Also see Support. Back to Top |