and Glossary Terms
Technical Terms and jargon got you confused? Below are some commonly used terms and their definitions in the domain name registration industry.
- Domain Name
- Registrant
- Registrar
- Registry
- Administrative/Technical/Billing Contacts
- DNS
- Primary and Secondary Name Servers
- Primary and Secondary IP numbers
- Domain Parking
- Modification of your domain names contact information
- Web Hosting. Need a Host for Your New Domain Name?
- ISP
- InterNIC
- WhoIs
- Renewal
- Transfer (Domain Name transfer)
- Top Level Domain (TLD) Name
- Second Level Domain Name
1. Domain Name
A domain name is the core of your online identity. It is the address web surfers use to find your web site. Your domain name is yours entirely because once registered, no other party may use that identity online in that Top Level Domain.
Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by periods/dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general.
Computers on the Internet use IP (Internet Protocol) numbers (e.g., 123.452.06.31) to locate other computers. Internet users would have a difficult time remembering these long strings of numbers to find sites, so Domain names were developed to translate IP numbers into easy to remember domain names.
2. Registrant
The entity, organization, or individual who is the owner/lease holder of a particular domain name is known as the Registrant. When registering a domain name for a Company or Organization be sure that the Company or Organizations name is listed as the Registrant if you wish for the Company to have control over ownership/lease hold.
3. Registrar
An ICANN accredited entity (or an affiliate to such an entity) which acts on behalf of a Registrant regarding domain name registrations or modifications, is known as a Registrar. All domain names ending in the .Com, .Net, and .Org extensions are required to be processed through a Registrar. $ 19.99domainnames.com is an affiliate to Domain Bank, Inc. an ICANN accredited Registrar.
4. Registry
The organization responsible for the actual administration and maintenance of the top-level domain database is known as the Registry. The Registry is where Registrars create new or modify existing domain names for Registrants. For the .Com, Net, and .Org extensions the Registry is a US government contracted database.
5. Administrative/Technical/Billing contacts
Contact Records are individuals or groups who represent a Registrant on matters related to the Registrant's domain name(s). There are three types of Contacts: Administrative, Technical, and Billing. Contacts have the ability to Modify information pertaining to a domain name. A Contact may be a single person, a company, or organization.
6. DNS
DNS stands for Domain Name System. This System translates a domain name such as Domain Bank.com into IP numbers. DNS is basically a piece of translation software which allows humans and computers to easily communicate. The network of computers that constitute the Internet map domain names to their corresponding IP numbers.
The DNS record consists data similar to the following example:
Primary Nameserver: NS.VALUEWEB.NET
Primary IP address: 216.219.253.211
Secondary Nameserver: VALUEWEB.NET
Secondary IP Address: 216.219.254.10
7. Primary and Secondary Name Servers
The Primary and Secondary Name Servers indicate the hostname of a name server that will contain authoritative data for the domain name being registered and will deliver/translate that domain name to its corresponding IP number. The designation of "secondary" indicates that the name server will be used in addition to and as a backup for the primary name server that is listed as Primary.
8. Primary and Secondary IP address/numbers
IP stands for Internet Protocol. A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by periods/dots. Every machine which houses information that is available on the Internet has a unique number, which correlates to its domain name.
9. Domain Parking
Registrars require Primary and Secondary Name Servers and IP Numbers for every domain registered (DNS). Every domain name has to be linked this information for it to be valid (i.e., each domain name needs to have an address attached to it). At the time of registration some people do not yet have Name Server and IP Number information (which is provided by a Web Host), therefore our Registrar offers 'domain parking' (Free of charge) on their servers. It is a convenient and Free way to hold or 'Park' domain name(s) for an extended amount of time if you are not ready to use them.
If you do not yet have a web site built or have not yet found a Web Host you will want to "Park" your domain name (a Free service). This is easy - just choose $ 19.99domainnames.com DNS when prompted to choose between "Use $ 19.99domainnames.com DNS Hostname and IP Address" and "Provide information (valid hosts are required)." You can change your DNS information Free at any time (i.e., when you have found a web host and aquired Primary and Secondary Name Server and IP nUmber information from them). The web host will provide you with their Primary and Secondary Name Server and IP #'s. You must request this information from your Web Host.
10. Modification of your domain names contact information
"Modification" is a function where a domain names information is updated to reflect new contact or DNS information. Administrative and Technical Contacts have the ability to modify domain name information. There is a fee to change the Registrant of a domain name. All other modifications to Administrative, Technical, Billing, and DNS are Free.
Contact support@domainbank.net with modification requests.
11. Web Host
A Web Hosting company provides you space on their computer (Web Server) for the Web Pages you build. They allow anyone on the Internet to view your web site. Web Hosts charge on a monthly basis and provide differing levels of service. Our Partner ehostdomains offers Basic Hosting as well as robust Hosting packages. They also provide e-mail service for your domain names as part of the Web Hosting package. Choose the package that best fits your Hosting needs.
If you choose to use ehostDomains as the Host then you can either enter their DNS during the Domain Name Registration process or modify your DNS after you have registered a domain name. To modify your domain names DNS after initial registration "Log In" to $ 19.99domainNames from the home page. After "Log In" in you will click on the "Domain Manager," then click on the "Modify DNS Record" and choose the domain name you wish to update. You will only need to input the Nameservers, the IP #'s are generated from the nameserver information you input.
Our Web Hosts DNS: NS.VALUEWEB.NET
Primary IP address: 216.219.253.211
Secondary Nameserver: VALUEWEB.NET
Secondary IP Address: 216.219.254.10
12. ISP (Internet Service Provider)
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. An ISP provides access to the Internet for others via some connectivity service(s). Examples of ISPs include Earthlink, Mindspring, and WorldNet to name a few.
13. InterNIC
InterNIC was an U.S. government agency that has been effectively replaced by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). ICANN now oversees the domain names industry concerning the TLD's .Com, .Net, and .Org . ICANN is technically an international organization, which holds meetings at different international locations throughout each year.
14. WhoIs
WhoIs is a term referring to a domain name search feature for the .Com, .Net, and .Org database. The WhoIs can be used to search for the owner/lease holder of any domain name which has already been registered. This is valuable information if you wish to contact the owner of a domain name that may or may not be attached to a functioning web site.
15. Renewal
Registration for domain names needs to be renewed based on some scheduled yearly interval. This gives the Registrant (you) and the Registry an opportunity to update contact information and settle on the payment of the registration fee(s).
16. Transfer - Registrant (Domain Name Owner/Lease Holder transfer)
The procedure for change of ownership is known a Registrant Transfer. Domain names can be given or sold to a different party, or the name of a company might change. The Registrar requires a process by which permission from the old owner to hand over control to the new owner is obtained and authorized by notary public documentation. There is a $50.00 US fee for registrant Transfers. Contact the Registar you originaly used to register a domain to request a Registrant Transfer.
17. Top Level Domain (TLD)
In the example YourCompany.net the ?.net? is the Top Level Domain. There are two types of Top Level Domains. The most common type is gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains) , such as .Com, .Net, .Org. The other type of TLD is the ccTLD (country code Top Level Domains) which are assigned to all countries and their dependencies (e.g., Germany is .de). Every TLD Registry - generic or country code - has its own prices, policies, and procedures that Registrants (name holders) in that Registry are subject to. It is important to know and be prepared to accept these terms before registering name(s) in a particular Registry. The most commonly registered names are in the .Com, .Net, and .Org gTLD's.
18. Second Level Domain
In the Domain Name System (DNS), the next highest level of the hierarchy underneath the Top Level Domains. In the example of the domain name YourCompany.net - the ?YourCompany? part is the second level domain. Second level domain names are the what Registrants decide upon and register.
