Newest KB Articles in Domain names/DNS

DiscountASP.NET Domain Name Contact Information Changes

Wed, 23 Nov 2016 22:04:31 GMT

On December 1st, 2016, new ICANN rules go into effect that change the way some domain contact information changes are processed.

What has Changed

The policy that has changed is the Transfer Policy. Previously the policy only covered domain transfers between registrars. So, for example, if you transferred a domain from GoDaddy to Namecheap, the policy would come in to play and start what is called the "trade process," and the necessary confirmation and approval emails would be sent.

The new Transfer Policy now includes the process of changing "ownership" information. Which means that in addition to a domain transfers between registrars, now any change to the FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS or ORGANIZATION of the domain registrant (domain owner) will start the "trade process," even if the domain is not being transferred.

How to Avoid Problems or Delays that Could Be Caused by This Change

Take a few minutes now to make sure your registrant (domain owner) information is up to date, especially the email address.
When you change the FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS or ORGANIZATION for the registrant (domain owner), but are NOT transferring ownership to another person, make sure you approve the change by clicking the link in BOTH emails that you receive.
Additionally, you can avoid any problems or potential delays by granting OpenSRS (our domain registrar) "Designated Agent" status (see below), which gives OpenSRS the right to automatically approve Change of Registrant updates for you. This option will be available on the confirmation page that is linked to in the change approval email(s).

More About How the Process Works

Any changes to FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS or ORGANIZATION fields for the owner of any gTLD domain name will now start the trade process. Country code, or ccTLD domains such as .uk, .tv, .co, etc. are not affected by this change.
The process involves obtaining explicit confirmation from current and new registrants before a change can be completed. If both confirmations are not received within 7 days, the change will fail and the whois will revert back to the previous registrant info. Similarly, if the new registrant approves the request but the old registrant denies the request, the whois will revert back to the previous registrant info.
If you submit a second change of registrant request when one is currently pending, the first request will be canceled.
After a change of registrant has been completed, previous and new registrant will receive a confirmation notice informing them that the change has completed.
After a change of registrant has been completed, the domain is by default locked for transfers to a new registrar for 60 days.

Note that while the "current" and "new" registrant may be the same person, the "trade process" remains the same, meaning two emails are sent, one to the "current" registrant and one to the "new" registrant - even though they are the same person - and both of those emails have to be acknowledged by clicking a link in the email.

See the image below for a flow chart detailing the complete process.

60 Day Transfer Lock

By default any registrant (domain owner) FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS or ORGANIZATION change will impose a 60 day transfer lock on the domain. The registrant (domain owner) can opt out of the 60 day lock on the confirmation page that is linked to in the change confirmation email(s).

If you intend to transfer a domain and change the registrant at the same time, we recommend transferring the domain first, and then the change the registrant. If you change the registrant first, the domain will be locked (if you don't opt-out), and the transfer will fail.

Note that the opt-out of 60 day transfer lock option is only available on the change confirmation page. That means if a registrant (domain owner) has made OpenSRS the "Designated Agent," they will not have the option to opt-out of the 60 day transfer lock (since the change is automatically approved and the registrant never sees the confirmation page).

Designated Agent
"Designated Agent" status gives OpenSRS the right to automatically approve Change of Registrant updates for you. You can contact us to enable Designated Agent status for a domain, or the option is available on the confirmation page that is linked to in the change approval email(s).

The Designated Agent status is applied to the specific FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS and ORGANIZATION combination in the registrant (domain owner) contact. The Designated Agent setting will then apply to all existing or future domains that share that unique combination as a current or new registrant.

All newly registered domains and domains transferred to us from another registrar will automatically give "Designated Agent" status to OpenSRS. If you would like that status changed, please let us know. Also, any domain using Whois Privacy service will automatically give "Designated Agent" status to OpenSRS.

Domain Registration Agreement

There is a new Domain Registration Agreement in place covering this updated Transfer Policy. Please read it, as it replaces any previous domain registration agreements.

Domain Registrant Validation

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 23:39:53 GMT

The domain registry authority ICANN has introduced a policy requiring that domain owners validate the WHOIS information after registering, transferring or modifying information for a domain.

Failure to complete the validation process will lead to the suspension of your domain name. So you should complete the validation process as soon as you receive the email notice.

You will receive this notice when you:

Register a new domain
Complete a domain transfer to us
Change the first name, last name or email address of the domain owner

You will also receive this notice if:

A WHOIS Data Reminder Policy email bounces (this email is sent 120 days before the anniversary date of the domain registration)
The 30 day or 5 day domain expiration notice emails bounce (this email is sent to the domain owner)

If your domain name was suspended and you meet any of the above criteria, please check for the validation email at the email address associated with your domain (don't forget to check the spam folder).

If you suspect your domain was suspended because you meet any of the above criteria but you cannot find a verification email, make sure you are checking the email address associated with your domain. If you still cannot find the validation email, please contact support and we can help troubleshoot and resend the email to you if necessary.

You can read more about the ICANN validation requirement here.

How to Recover an Expired Domain

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 22:50:07 GMT

Click here to see the timeline for domain expiration.

Grace Period (up to 40 days after expiration)

If your domain is in the Grace Period, you can renew the domain name. If you wish to keep the domain, it is best to renew the domain when in Grace Period. Contact the billing department, if you have any questions.

Redemption Period (40-70 days after expiration)

If your domain is expired and in the Redemption Period, contact the billing department to see if it is possible to renew your domain.

Note: If the domain is in the Redemption Period, you can lose the domain.

If it is possible to renew the domain, then there are additional fees to recover your domain when it is in the Redemption Period. These fees are imposed by the registrar, not by DiscountASP.NET/Everleap.

Past Redemption Period (70+ days after expiration)

It is not possible to renew domains that are past the Redemption Period. If the domain is still available, you can see if it was placed on auction and bid on it. Or, you can wait until the domain is released back to the public and try to re-register the domain. However, note that re-registering this way is not recommended as the probability remains low to get the domain back.

Whois Privacy Service

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:23:58 GMT

When you register a domain name you provide contact information that becomes publicly available in the "whois" database. Whois Privacy changes the publicly available information for your domain name to generic information provided by the registrar (in our case the registrar is OpenSRS). The Whois Privacy option prevents your address, phone number, email, etc. from being publicly available.

Whois Privacy can be ordered either when a domain is initially registered by us or at any time during the life of the domain. We can only provide this service for domains that we register.

The Whois Privacy service will synchronize with the domain renewal schedule, so it will be due when the domain name registration is renewed. The initial fee for Whois Privacy on an existing domain is not prorated, so if you add the service to a domain that has only a portion of the yearly registration remaining, the private registration fee will be billed again upon domain renewal.

Whois Privacy for existing domains can be enabled in the Domain Manager section of Control Panel.

Troubleshooting Domain Problems in a New Account that Uses an Existing Domain Name

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:15:46 GMT

If you have properly updated your DNS information to use DiscountASP.NET's name servers yet the domain does not work or is still pointing to the previous hosting company, you are likely experiencing DNS Caching.

After you make the update with your domain registrar, the Internet will not instantly recognize your new domain name information. All modifications and new registrations need to be synchronized with the central (root) DNS servers. This process typically takes an hour or two, but can take as long as 72 hours. Therefore, if you run a whois lookup on your domain name, it may be properly updated in the whois database offered by your domain registrar, however the root DNS servers may not have been updated yet.

Additionally, all Internet service providers maintain their own local DNS cache. So even if the root DNS servers have been updated with your domain's new name servers, the ISPs local DNS servers can still cache your old information. In which case, users of that ISP will still be taken to your previous location, while users of other ISPs will be taken to your new location.

The DNS caching period is a normal and unavoidable.

Additional Information

Mail servers will also send email to different locations depending on the local DNS cache they are using. So it is possible that you may not get all of your email during this DNS caching period. We recommend that you immediately set up all your email addresses in our Control Panel using the Email Management tool, duplicating the email setup at your previous host.

While your DNS changes are propagating, you can use the alternative FTP address to upload your files and your alternative URL to view your site. Alternative FTP and URL addresses can be found in your account Control Panel, under "Account Info/Edit."

How to Find Out Who Your Domain Registrar Is

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:03:13 GMT

To find out who your domain registrar is, perform a "whois" search on your domain. There are many places on the web to perform a whois search. For example:

InterNIC.net
NetworkSolutions

Timeline for an Expired Domain to be Released for Public Registration

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:41:17 GMT

After a domain expires, the time period before the domain is released to the public varies, depending upon the registrar that manages the domain name and the TLD (top-level domain).

If your domain was registered by DiscountASP.NET/Everleap, our registrar partner is Tucows/OpenSRS. After a domain expires, registrars will provide a grace period where the registrant can reclaim the domain. Past the grace period, the registrant may or may not be able to reclaim the domain. Most registrars, including Tucows/OpenSRS, reserves the right to retain some expired names for their own portfolios, may place advertising on parked pages for the domains or list them in auctions. There are no specific rules or guidelines regarding which domains are retained and which are queued for deletion, nor for how long Tucows/OpenSRS will keep a domain active before it is deleted.

For these reasons, we do not recommend waiting for a domain to be deleted and available to the public before attempting to re-register the domain.

Expired domains may still be retrievable, but depending on how much time has passed since expiration, additional Redemption Period fees may need to be paid. These fees are not imposed by DiscountASP.NET/Everleap, but by the registrar. Please contact us if you wish to retrieve an expired domain, and we can advise you of any available options.

NOTE: Tucows/OpenSRS cannot address your requests or questions about claiming an expired domain directly. Please contact DiscountASP.NET/Everleap for any information regarding domain names that we registered on your behalf.

Phases of Expiration

Day 0: Domain Expires

When a domain expires, the domain will stop resolving to DiscountASP.NET/Everleap.

Day 3: Parked Page

Tucows/OpenSRS may update the DNS and point the domain to a parked page that contains advertisement to monetize the domain. Tucows/OpenSrS also reserves the right to start accepting backorders for the domain from any interested party.

Day 0-40: Grace Period

During the Grace Period, the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant, and the Whois information continues to display the registrant's information or Whois Privacy, if applicable.

Reclaiming the domain during the Grace Period

During the Grace Period, the registrant can reclaim the domain name by simply renewing it. If the registrant renews the domain name during this Grace Period, the original nameservers will be restored. The domain cost is the standard domain renewal rates that are normally charged by DiscountASP.NET/Everleap.

During the Grace Period, Tucows/OpenSRS reserves the right to list the domain for auction. However, if the original registrant renews the domain name, the domain will be removed from the auction listings. If a third party desires to buy this domain name, they will need to contact the registrant

Day 40-70: Redemption Period

After the 40 day Grace Period, the domain enters the Redemption Period where the domain may be queued for deletion and eventually dropped, auctioned off, or Tucows/OpenSRS may choose to add the domain to their own portfolio. If the domain is added to Tucows/OpenSRS portfolio, the domain name then enters a 30-day Redemption Period.

If Domain Not Auctioned

If the domain name is not in the live auction, the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant. The Whois information will display a Contact Privacy address. If a third party desires to buy the domain name, they will need to contact the registrant. However, the domain name cannot change ownership during the Redemption Period. The original registrant will first need to reclaim the domain name, and then they can sell the domain, if they choose do so.

If Domain in Live Auction

If the domain name is queued to enter the live auction, the domain cannot be reclaimed by the original registrant. Live auctions typically run from Day 41-45.

Reclaiming Domain in Redemption Period

If the domain name was not sent to the live auction, the registrant can reclaim their domain name during the 30-day Redemption Period; however, the cost is higher than a simple renewal as there are additional Redemption fees on top of the usual domain renewal costs.

Day 70+

Dropped domains

After the Redemption Period, if the domain name has not been auctioned off and acquired by another party, it is dropped and made available for re-registration by the general public.

Tucows/OpenSRS portfolio

If the Tucows/OpenSRS Portfolio business unit, decides to renew the domain name during the Redemption Period, it is added to their Portfolio and the expired domain displays a customized page that contains contextual ads.

Depending on the domain name''s value, Tucows.OpenSRS may decide to retain the domain name or to sell it. Whether the domain name is made available for sale is at the discretion of the Portfolio Manager.

Note: Tucows/OpenSRS reserves the right not to sell the domain name at any price.

General DiscountASP.NET DNS Server Information

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:33:00 GMT

The following information should be used when updating your domain's name server entries to point to DiscountASP.NET:

ns1.discountasp.net
ns2.discountasp.net
ns3.discountasp.net