Difference between revisions of "Domains"

Revision as of 22:10, 3 December 2012

Definition of a Domain

A domain name is a word or set of words followed by a suffix (e.g.: xmission.com) that can be associated with many Internet services. The most popular association is for web pages (e.g.: http://www.xmission.com). Domain names are also used with mail (e.g.: username@xmission.com), ftp (e.g.: ftp.xmission.com) and several other popular services. The way a domain name is linked to a service is through DNS or Domain Name Services. DNS links a name to an IP address (a set of numbers that identifies each individual machine connected to the Internet). Nearly everything on the Internet has an IP address in one form or another. Linking a domain name to an IP address makes it easier for people to remember. For example, if you wanted to go to XMission's home page, you would find it easier to remember www.xmission.com than the IP address, which is 198.60.22.4.

Domain Registration

To register a new domain, you must first have an XMission account. Existing customers can, then, go to the domain registration system to either register a new domain or transfer an existing domain from another registrar.

Pricing

You can register your own domain name for only $10 a year. Should you move or decide to leave XMission, this domain will remain yours for the duration of the time purchased. Domains purchased via XMission are transferable to other registrars.

New Domains

On our registration page, enter the domain name you would like to register in the box beneath Enter Domain Name to Search For. If the domain is available, you will be allowed to continue the registration. Fill in the information as prompted to complete the process. Note that you will be asked to create a username and password for your domain management. This does not have to be the same as your XMission username and password, so be certain that you don't lose it. The domain registration fee will be billed to your XMission account.

Renewing

When your domain is up for renewal, OpenSRS, the registrar we resell through, will send a paper invoice to the billing address on the domain. As an additional reminder, XMission will send an email reminder to the account that the domain was registered to. The charge for an extra year will be charged along with your next month of Internet services. If you do not wish to renew, please contact accounting and notify them that you would like the domain to lapse.

Redemption

One of the mostly costly things to happen to a domain is when they go into a redemption.

Redemption is when a domain has gone through a renewal phase without payment, that phase is usually 40 days from the first warning. It will then sit 30 days in a hold state until its released into the general public. The cost for bringing a domain out of redemption is 80 dollars that includes the 1 year renewal.

Transferring

If you are transferring a domain to XMission from another registrar, go to our registration page and enter that domain name in the box beneath Move Your Domain to Our Servers. You will be guided through the rest of the process as if you were registering a new domain. Another year will be added to your existing term. (E.g. If you registered for a year with another registrar and there is still 6 months left, you will still have that 6 months in addition to your new registration duration with XMission.) Transfer

NOTE: In order to successfully transfer a domain, XMission requires customers to keep their email addresses current.

When a customer decides to transfer a domain, they will receive a series of emails with instructions on the process. However, the following challenges often arise:

1. The email never arrives due to spam filters, etc.

2. The customer may not respond quickly enough to the emails. After 5 days, the customer must start the transfer again.

3. The customer may have the wrong email address associated with the domain.

4. The customer may not have their password for the domains management page, which is separate from their XMission account password.

To successfully transfer a domain, the following conditions must exist:

1. A domain cannot be in a locked or hold status.

2. For reseller to reseller transfers - or registrar to registrar transfers - the domain must have resided with the losing registrar for more than 60 days since it was first registered or transferred there.

3. Transfers add one year to the domain's registration; therefore, the gaining reseller must have a sufficient balance for the renewal in order to complete the transfer request.

4. Domain names that are expired but not deleted (up to 40 days past the expiry date, for most TLDs) can be transferred.

5.The current administrative contact's email address must be valid, to allow for the confirmation of the transfer request.

NOTE: A domain's name servers cannot be changed during a registrar transfer. The nameservers will remain the same during the transfer, and they can be changed once the domain has reached the receiving registrar.

Extra Info

Not all registrars handle transfers/renewals or registrations the same as our reseller. Some places don't want to let domains go so they drag their feet and make it difficult which is annoying but there really is nothing we can do about it.

Web Hosting

Web Hosting is when XMission hosts your web site, and serves your pages by way of your domain name. Please see our Web Hosting details page for pricing and a list of features for each package.

Value Hosting

This is a minimal service hosting package. XMission recommends this package for individuals that wish to have a web services associated with a domain name.

Select Hosting

Select hosting is a full-featured IP hosting package. XMission recommends this package for small businesses that would like fast and professional web services associated with their domain name.

Pro-Hosting

Pro-Hosting is a high-end, full-featured web hosting package built specifically with large businesses in mind. It allows for less accounts per server, more storage and more transfer.

Hosting Services

Web

Web hosting is the most used and most wanted hosting service. This allows web pages to be served via your domain name instead of www.xmission.com/~username.

Email

Please see our Email Hosting details page for pricing and a list of features for each package.

Hosted Email

XMission's Zimbra Email Hosting is an excellent, next-generation email solution designed to handle the diverse needs of today's business customers. Zimbra allows you to manage the email for your domain through an easy-to-use web interface. From this interface you can add and remove mail accounts, aliases, forwards, and more.

Virtual Email

Email hosting, of "Virtual Email", allows you to associate your domain name with email addresses (e.g. me@mydomain.com). By default, this is done by sending all mail to a particular domain, regardless of the specific address, to the main email address for the hosting account. Specific addresses can be set up by request and at no charge. This is done by way of an alias. For example: I want bob@mydomain.com (the alias) to go to username@xmission.com (the actual email box/account). To check for email going to bob@mydomain.com, I'd check the email box/account for username@xmission.com. You can set these aliases to send mail to any actual email account, in any domain. (E.g. bob@mydomain.com going to username@yahoo.com). Basic Hosting accounts can not set up additional aliases. All mail to that domain will go to the main account that the hosting services are associated with.

FTP

Associating FTP with your domain name is only available for Select and Pro-Hosting accounts. This Virtual FTP service allows visitors to go to ftp.yourdomain.com to upload files, receive software updates, or send and receive documents. The FTP files that are associated with your domain name are located in your XMission FTP directory. If needed, we can associate it with a different directory or you can set up and maintain your own FTP server. Please contact Support or Sales to have this service setup on your account.

DNS Services

XMission offers additional DNS services, which many hosting packages already include. You may want to use these in addition to a hosting package. They're also available for those who only require one of these services and not an entire hosting package. Please see our Pricing for a complete price list.

Primary DNS

The authoritative primary source for domain service direction. (E.g. Tells the whole world at which IP address to find where to send mail for mydomain.com or what IP address is associated with bob.mydomain.com.)

Secondary DNS

Back-up source for domain service direction. This is only necessary if the primary source does not answer.

Parking

Holding a registered domain with no associated services.

Alias

A domain name that resolves to another domain name. (E.g. http://www.mydomain.com/webpage.html would open the same file as http://www.my-domain.com/webpage.html) An alias will keep the domain the visitor entered in the address bar of their browser.

Redirect

A domain name that's directed to another part of your web site. (E.g. http://support.mydomain.com would open the files under /home/users/a/acctname/support, or another chosen directory.)

Domain Locking

When locking is enabled for a domain, any requests to transfer the domain to another registrar or hosting company will automatically fail. This can be used to prevent fraudulent transfers of the domain, while locking is enabled. Domain locking is handled through the OpenSRS Domain Management Portal.

WHOIS Privacy

WHOIS Privacy hides the identity of a domain Registrant when someone does a WHOIS lookup on that Registrant’s domain. The benefit of having WHOIS Privacy is that the Registrant’s identity, including address, phone number, and email address, is shielded from spammers, identity thieves, scammers, and other undesirables. WHOIS privacy is handled through the OpenSRS Domain Management Portal. Once logged in, select Domain Extras, then Enable Whois Privacy, and lastly hit save.