Management: Domain Transfers

Introduction
In this example, http://www.mydomainname.com/ the 'www' is known as the hostname name, the 'mydomainname' is known as the domain and the '.com' is known as the Top Level Domain (or TLD). There are many TLDs now, and more to come. Each country has its own TLD — the U.S.A. is .us, Canada is .ca and so on. Then there is .net, .info, .biz and .org, to name but a few. The complete address 'mydomainname.com' is known as a fully qualified domain and the complete web address 'www.mydomainname.com' is known as the fully qualified host name.

You Need A Domain
The first thing you have to do to get a domain is find one that no-one else has registered. Once you have accomplished that, you must register the domain name with a domain name registrar. There are many companies that provide this service. The costs depend somewhat on the TLD to which your domain belongs and can vary between about $9 per year to about $75.

Look for a registrar on the Internet, or use our pages. You can enter the domain name you want and our service will tell you whether or not it is available.

Once registered, you need to setup a DNS (domain name server). This server acts as a directory to your domain. The top level domains are managed by the registrars and Network Solutions. But, while they keep a database of all of the domains within their top level domains — for example mydomainname.com and yourdomainname.com, they do not keep track of the hosts within each domain. As a domain name owner, that is your responsibility.

Fortunately, there are a number of companies that will provide you with DNS service. So, when your domain name is registered you tell the registrar which server is your 'naming server'. Typically this would be called ns1.mydomainname.com and, for backup, ns2.mydomainname.com. Fortunately for you, again, most hosting companies provide DNS services so all you have to do is tell your registrar the name and / or IP address of your hosting companies DNS.

Oh yes, you will have to pay annually to keep your domain name, otherwise it will become available for someone else to register.

Transferring A Domain
It is important to note that, if your current registrar is still in business but you have found a better place to maintain your domain registration, you must initiate the domain transfer while you have more than 30 days left in your current registration. Furthermore, the domain must have been registered for more than 60 days.

The most common reasons for wanting to transfer to a different registrar are poor service / management tools for your domain and lower cost. Seldom does a registrar 'disappear' or simply stop providing service.

Whois — Huh ?
Whois is a service that will tell you who owns and / or manages a particular domain. This can be useful if you want to buy a domain name from someone that owns but does not appear to be using the one you want. Almost all registrars provide whois services. However, the information provided is restricted for many domains these days in an attempt to reduce spam to the domain owners.

Other Considerations
Domains that are locked or on hold cannot be transferred, only active domains can be moved from one registrar to another, or from one registrant to another.

If you, as the admin of the domain, or the current admin of a domain you are attempting to acquire cannot be contacted via email, you will likely experience delays and aggravation in trying to complete a transfer.

Some domains, like .biz, .org, .info require an authorization code from the 'current' registrar. Getting this authorization should not be a problem.

The Process

  • Submit a transfer request to the current registrar.
  • If you are the current admin you will be required to respond to an authorization request. If you are not the current admin, the current admin, whoever that is, will have to respond to the authorization request.
  • The registrar losing the registration need not authorize the transfer as the domain will be transferred automatically after seven days if they do not specifically deny the transfer.

That's it.

Completion Steps

  • Make sure that the DNS entries are correct
  • Make sure the admin, owner and technical contact information is correct
  • Test to make sure your DNS service and mail to the domain admin is actually working

If your DNS isn't working properly, no-one will be able to connect to your web site.

It is highly probable that if the admin doesn't receive a test email, the email addresses at your domain won't be working either.

If You Have Problems
First contact the registrar from which you are transferring the domain to make sure they have completed the release.

Then contact the new registrar to make sure they have received the domain and setup the DNS correctly.

If you are managing your own email server, you'll have to check this as well. Most hosting providers manage your domain email for you and should be able to assist you with this most onerous task.

There is normally no charge for transferring a domain and, if you are the rightful owner of that domain the registrar cannot refuse transfer. If you have problems, check the InterNIC Registrar Report page on the web for further assistance.