Zone
Contact
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Administrative
Contact
The domain name administrator is the person or
role who will have full authority to request
and authorize any necessary decisions and updates, including
contact information and name server information, for the chosen
domain name. The administrator is usually, though not
always, the owner of the domain name.
The registrant of a domain should take
special care in selecting an administrative contact, since a
domain administrator has authority almost equal to that of the
owner on decisions concerning the domain, including transferring
ownership. If there is a dispute, only the owner of the
domain can override the administrator's decisions.
Billing
Contact
The billing contact is the person or role
named to be responsible for paying registration and renewal fees
for a domain name. A billing contact is known only to the registrar
and registrant, and never appears in the
CORE whois. A billing contact has no
authority to make changes or updates to a domain name.
ccTLD
Country
code Top Level Domain. See Top Level Domains
(TLD)
.COM
A top level domain traditionally meant to be used for domains
registered to commercial entities such as corporations, individual
proprietors and businesses. In fact, nearly everyone wanting
to own a domain on the Internet at least
considers registering a name in .com as it has become the largest
and most popular category of top level domains in the world for
every purpose. As it is strongly associated in the minds of
the population with the Internet, .com is considered the most
desirable extension for Internet
branding.
Contact
A contact is any person or role
who represents the registrant in the
administration of a domain name. There are five types of contacts
used in a domain name registration: Owner/Holder,
Administrative, Technical,
Zone and Billing.
Each of these performs a different function and have varying
degrees of authority (in the order listed) with respect to the
administration of the domain name. See also Handle
below.
Contact
Handle
Every registrant is
assigned a contact handle at the time of their first domain name
registration. This is a unique identifying code for the
registrant, and is linked to a file in the registry
that contains all the registrant's required contact information
such as full address, telephone number and email address. By
carefully creating a handle, the same handle may be used over and
over for subsequent domain registrations.
CORE
Internet Council of Registrars. CORE is
a non-profit membership association of independent Internet domain
name registrars. Its purpose is to
maintain a shared registry system (SRS) for the
management of Internet domain names. CASDNS is a member of
CORE. More information can be found at our group CORE
website at http://www.corenic.org.
Dispute
In its most important sense with regard to domain name
registration, a dispute may arise over ownership of a particular
domain if a registrant registers a name
containing someone else's well-known trademark or intellectual
property. In this case there is a comprehensive set of rules
we follow in resolving the dispute. CASDNS adheres to the
unified ICANN/CORE Dispute
Policy.
DNS
Domain Name System. This coordinated Internet-wide system
translates or maps a domain name into its IP
address location using special registered
machines running DNS software. The Internet maps domain names
to their corresponding IP numbers. The
data is then made available electronically to all computers and
users on the Internet. See also the FAQ
on DNS.
Domain
The sum of all the resources
associated with a domain name. This may consist of one or
multiple web sites, email, news servers, DNS
services, etc.
Domain name
The friendly name used to find a site on the
Internet. DNS translates, or maps,
your domain name along with its resources
into all their respective IP address. For more information,
see our FAQ on domain names
and how they work.
Dotcom
Synonym for domain name.
This buzzword has recently gained wide popularity and serves to
emphasize the public's association of the importance of .com (dot
com) with all things Internet.
FQDN
(Fully Qualified Domain Name)
Used often in reference to a DNS server. This
is full and complete domain name, such as that of a registered
host. NS1.CAS-COM.NET is the FQDN of the CASDNS primary
name server.
gTLD
Generic Top Level Domain. See Top Level
Domains (TLD)
Extension
The part of your domain
name following the dot is often called an extension. In
CASDNS.net, the .NET is the extension. It is the equivalent
of and a synonym for the top level domain (TLD).
FAQ
Frequently
Asked Questions. You can visit our searchable menu of
frequently asked questions on domain name registration at our Knowledge
Base home page
Handle
A short code that references and calls up the
contact details of a person, a role or a name
server. A contact handle contains name and complete address
information, a name server handle contains the full name and IP
address of the DNS server, and sometimes contact information of
the server administrator. A person may have many contact
handles. A DNS server may only have one unique handle.
Host
This term can be confusing as it has several
meanings depending on the context. Sometimes host refers to
the hosting service at your ISP,
that is the company you choose to house your web site. Host
can also mean the web host or email host,
or rather, the actual computer(s) that house your web site or
email along with all of their associated files. Host is also
used to refer to a DNS server. To "register a host"
means to register a new DNS server, which in turn is also called a
name server. The term is also used in
adjective and verb form with the same distinctions. Clear
now?
Hosting
/ Hosting Service
Refers to the physical housing of a web site, email or a complete domain,
and the company that provides the service.
HTML
"HyperText Markup Language" The
standard cross-platform coding language used to write web
pages. Cross-platform means that it is universal, and can be
decoded by multiple operating systems (platforms) such as Windows,
MacIntosh and Unix.
HTTP
"HyperText Transfer Protocol" . When this is
placed before a URL on a browser (like Internet
Explorer or Netscape) , it tells the browser that you are calling
for a web site or web service using (what has become) standard
protocol. It is not part of the domain name.
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) is the de-facto governing body and watchdog
for the Internet naming system. ICANN also coordinates the stable
operation of the Internet's root servers. You can find more
information and be impressed with the scope of ICANN's work and
responsibilities at their web site at http://www.icann.org
InterNIC
The InterNIC began as a concept for an integrated network
information center that was developed by several companies in
cooperation with the U.S. Government.
Under an agreement with the U.S. Government, Network Solutions (
NSI ) has transitioned from the use of the word
"InterNIC" in connection with its products and services.
InterNIC is a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of
Commerce.
For more
information on the work of InterNIC, see the NTIA (National
Telecommunications and Information Administration) web site at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/
IP address
IP stands for Internet Protocol. The numeric address that refers
to a specific machine or resource on the
Internet.
IP number
IP stands for Internet Protocol. The IP number is a unique number
consisting of four numbers (1 through 254) separated by dots.
Every server that is on the Internet has a
unique IP number address. Many servers carry multiple IP
numbers which correlate to specific web sites and other resources
housed on that server. Any Internet resource can be accessed
by its IP number alone, without the need for its domain name (but
that's not an easy way to keep things straight). You'll find
CASDNS.net at it's Internet IP address http://208.33.128.50
ISP
Internet Service Provider. An ISP has the
equipment, connectivity, and the technical know-how to act as a
portal for customers to access the Internet, obtain email service,
and host domains.
CASDNS is also an ISP via our in-house affiliate CAS-COM.
Modification
Modification refers to making changes or updating information
associated with a domain name record. Authorized administrators of
a domain registered through CASDNS, as found on the whois, may
change contacts and name server information quickly by using our
modification form at https://www.casdns.net/secure/modification.htm
Owner, administrative
and technical contacts
have varying degrees of authority in the modification of domain
name records.
Name Server
A computer that performs the mapping of domain names to their IP
addresses. Name servers are also known as DNS servers and host
servers. Two name servers are required for registration of a
domain name. If you do not have name servers, you may park
your domain.
Name Service
(DNS Service)
The domain name-to-Internet
Protocol (IP) number resolution is known as a Name Service or
DNS service. Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operate name
servers and have the ability provide their customers with name
service when they host a domain name. CASDNS
offers both primary and secondary name service on for any domain
name registered through us for a nominal fee.
.NET
A top level domain traditionally meant to be used for domain
names registered to a network, and not used for commercial
purposes. That evolved into including names registered to ISPs
(Internet Service Providers). There is currently no
enforcement regarding uses for the .net TLD,
and it has become a popular alternative to .com.
.ORG
A top level domain traditionally meant to be used for domain
names registered to non-profit institutions and organizations.
Recently it has gained popularity as the extension of choice for
personal or family names. At one time an organization had to
prove that it was non-profit in order to register a name in the
.org TLD. This is no longer enforced.
Owner/Holder
The owner contact is the official owner of and
highest authority for a domain name. Usually, the owner is
the same as the administrator,
though in some circumstances, the owner may designate another
individual to be responsible for the maintenance of a name.
Such would be the case of a corporate domain name owned by the
corporation with a designated individual responsible for the
decisions concerning a name.
Parking
Registries require the use of name servers or hosts for every
domain registered. In other words, every domain name has to be
linked to a name server for it to be valid. Some people have not
yet selected their hosting company or their name servers, so they
"park" the name, or put it on hold until they are ready
to use it.. CASDNS will gladly park your domain name at no
cost by supplying our own DNS servers.
Primary DNS
Server
The name server to be called upon first as the authoritative server
in the mapping of a domain name to its IP address. The
primary DNS server normally transmits
information at regular intervals to the secondary
server or servers. When you register a domain, the name
server information is uploaded to the central root
servers, which in turn refer all Internet requests for access
to your domain to your specified primary name server.
Registrant
The person, organization or company that
registers a domain name for their own use. The owner of the
domain name.
Registrar
The company or individual that acts on behalf of a registrant
to promptly and competently effect a registration request for a
domain name, and to manage authorized updates and changes to that
name record thereafter. CASDNS is an ICANN
accredited registrar
Registration
The formal and official recording of a domain
name along with its authorized contacts
and DNS server information.
Through registration, the registrant
becomes the de-facto "owner" of the name, with full
rights and authority concerning its uses so long as all
obligations, such as registration and renewal fees, are met.
Registration
Fee
Most Top Level Domain registries
require an initial registration fee as well as renewal fees.
Prices vary depending on the TLD from cost-free
to thousands of dollars per domain. The most commonly registered
and highly valued names are those registered in the .COM, .NET,
and .ORG top level domains. The registration fee is $25 USD per year. It is
recommended that your initial registration be for a period of two
years or more, however, you may select to register for any period
between one and 10 years. Renewal fees are $25 annually beginning at the
time the initial registration period comes to an end. These fees
are inclusive for all processing and maintenance of your domain
name throughout your registration period. You will receive
no additional billing from anyone. Period.
You must
provide a credit card number or other reasonable assurance of
payment at the time you register your domain name. This
requirement enhances the availability of domain names by
preventing them from being tied up by persons not intending to pay
for registration.
Part of
your registration goes to your registrar to pay the costs of
maintaining your domain name and providing you service and support
through your registration period, the rest goes to the registry
itself, and pays for the maintenance of the central databases and
root servers.
If
registration or renewal fees are not paid in a timely manner, your
requested name will revert to the pool of available names.
Registry
The central database and administration for the centralized
authoritative records of every domain name vis--vis ownership,
contact and DNS information. Before July, 1999, the U.S. Top
Level Domain Registry for (.com .net and .org) was the
responsibility of a single company by contract with the U.S.
Department of Commerce. Beginning in July 1999, a Shared
Registry System has been in place. CASDNS has been
actively registering domain names since July 1999.
Renewal
Registration for most domain names needs to be renewed based on
some scheduled yearly interval. This gives the registrant
and the registry an opportunity to update
contact information and name registration. This includes
payment of an annual renewal fee.
In the .com .net .org registry you may renew at any time for a
total period of up to ten years.
Resource
For our purposes, we mean an additional designation applied to a
domain name at the DNS level to allow a single
domain name to perform multiple functions and to be mapped to
multiple sites and IP addresses. If
you've used the Internet at all, you have already encountered
resource identifiers such as www., mail., ftp. and others used in
conjunction with a domain name. Most of these are simply
conventions, albeit well established ones. These are
not part of your domain name per se, and are not asked for
when you register a name. You can specify any identifier you
want (like sales., or home., or members.) and sometimes these are
called subdomains. The following resources are universally
understood:
www. |
to
identify a world wide web site |
mail. |
to
identify an e-mail server |
ftp. |
an
ftp (file transfer) site |
ns.
or dns. |
to
identify a name server |
This is
what is meant by resource in "Universal Resource
Locator" (URL)
Role
A contact may be a single
specified person, a company, organization, or a job function or
position within a company or organization. These latter are
called roles. For example, you may choose as your technical
contact the Technical Services Department at your hosting ISP,
rather than a specific individual.
Root
Server
There are 13 file servers
located around the world called root servers. Each contains
the authoritative information on every domain name within every
top level domain. Of these, the
"A" server in Herndon, VA, contains the master list, and
replicates its information daily to the other twelve root servers.
The root servers are administered by various organizations and
agencies, nearly half associated with the US government. The
root servers ensure the universal name consistency and name
routing that is necessary for the Internet to function.