Domain Name Faq
Frequently Asked Questions about Domain
Names
What is a domain name?
What are the components of a domain name?
How
long can a domain name be and what are the restrictions?
What's an IP address?
What is a DNS?
What is a registry?
What is a URL?
How long does it take to register a domain name?
Once a domain is registered, who "owns" the domain name?
Do I have to use .com?
Do you register
.co.uk, .com and .net domains?
What if the name I want to
use is already taken?
What is InterNIC/Network
Solutions?
What is Nominet?
Cost -
What is the charge for domain name?
How do I pay to
register my domain name?
What happens if I don't
pay?
If I do not choose a hosting company, can I "park"
my domain name on your servers?
How do I use my new
domain?
Why are some domain names "On Hold"?
Once a domain is registered, do I own the domain name?
What is Web hosting?
What does
HTML stand for?
What is an extranet?
What is a domain name?
A domain name is an Internet address (i.e. it is
similar to a customised license plate or a permanent phone number or address.
It is used to identify the location of a website on the Internet. Here are some
domain names you might be already familiar with:
- dynamic-webs.co.uk - Dynamic
Webs Ltd
- yahoo.com - Yahoo, the
popular website directory
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What are the components of a domain name?
A domain name consists of two or more words
separated by a period. The last word (the far right) is called a "top-level
domain". Here are some common top-level domains and their use:
- .com
Used for
commercial entities. It is the most popular top-level domain. Anyone can
register a .com domain.
- .net
Originally
used for networking organizations such as Internet Service Providers and
backbone providers. Today, anyone can register a .net domain.
- .org
Designed
for miscellaneous organizations, including non-profit groups. Today, anyone can
register a .org domain.
- .edu
Four-year,
accredited colleges and universities.
- Country Codes
Other top-level domains include those
for countries (.UK for the United Kingdom, .CA for Canada, .HK for Hong Kong,
etc.), which are based on the International Standards Organization's 3166
standard for country abbreviations.
To the left of the top-level
domain is what is called the "second-level domain." In dynamic-webs.co.uk,
"dynamic-webs" represents a second-level domain within the top-level domain of
.com.
It is also possible to have a
domain name in the form of something.dynamicwebs.co.uk. In this case the
"something" is called a "host" name or a "sub-domain". It is not necessary to
register a host or sub-domain with a registry before being able to use it.
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How long can a domain name be and what are the restrictions?
A domain can have a maximum of 26
characters including the extensions (.com, .net, etc). A domain name can
contain numbers, letters or a dashes. A domain can not start or end with a
dash.
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What's an IP
address?
Computers don't care
about fancy names; they need numbers. And every domain name actually refers -
in the bowels of the InterNIC computers - to an Internet protocol (IP) address.
The IP address is a string of four 8-bit numbers, called a dotted octet, which
looks like this: 212.67.202.17. Every computer on the Internet has a numeric
address called IP Address that is used to identify the location of the
computer. When you get a domain name assigned, you also get an IP address.
However, it's easier to type in the domain namehttp://www.dynamic-webs.co.uk than to
remember all those numbers. Having a domain name eliminates the need to
remember them.
The IP address actually comes from your service
provider once your domain name has been registered. InterNIC allocates groups
of those numbers to the various providers. Keep in mind, though, that the
domain name you register with InterNIC is yours and can be moved to another
service provider. So if you use only one IP address, why do you need two to
register with InterNIC? It's simply a way for InterNIC to check your
reliability; if you supply two valid IP addresses, you become credible in
InterNIC's eyes.
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What is a DNS?
DNS
stands for "Domain Name Server". It translates domain names into IP addresses
that computers understand. For example, if someone wants to access the Dynamic
Webs' website (www.dynamic-webs.co.uk), the DNS will translate the domain into
the IP address 212.67.202.17, which will allow the computer to locate Dynamic
Web's web server.
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What is a registry?
A
registry is an organization similar to DomainPeople who register domain names
into central computers, which are accessed by individual DNS servers. Registry
companies report name registrations to the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers ("ICANN") who is responsible for the domains .com, .net,
.org, .edu and .gov. ICANN accredited companies like DomainPeople charge an
annual fee (which doesn't benefit Dynamic Webs) . Other common registries
include Nominet for .co.uk.
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What is a URL?
It
stands for Universal Resource Locator. Some people refer to it as a web address
(although URL is not limited to the web). An example of a URL is
http://www.dynamic-webs.co.uk. Please note that a URL is a unique identifier.
No two websites can have the same URL. This is the reason why you should
register your domain name before someone else does.
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How long does it take to register a domain name?
If the information provided is correct, it should
take less than 24 hrs.
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Once a domain is registered, who "owns" the domain name?
The domain name is owned by the
organization that is listed on the whois database. You can view this
information by searching for the name on Dynamic Webs' website and then
clicking on the name in the results box.
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Do I have to
use .com?
No. In addition to the
.com you can also choose .co.uk. You can also choose .org - to be used by
not-for-profit organisations & .net - to be used by companies involved in
Internet infrastructure.
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Do you
register .co.uk, .com and .net domains?
Yes, as well as hosting (virtual server) and dial
accounts we also have a secure server and special business and corporate
accounts.
Click
here to see our price list...
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What if the
name I want to use is already taken?
It means that someone on the Internet has already
secured that name for his or her own site/company and that name is probably
gone. You may try a slight variation on that name or think up a new one, or
check again for another name. Or if you feel that you have a right to that
domain name you can refer to the appropriate organisation managing that sector
of the internet for their domain dispute policy and try to regain your domain
name.
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What is
InterNIC/Network Solutions?
InterNIC/Network Solutions is the organisation that registers the domain names
.com, .net and .org across the Internet.
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What is
Nominet?
Nominet is the UK-based
organisation that controls UK-based domain names such as .co.uk, .org.uk,
.ltd.uk, etc. If you are a company that wishes to register a UK-based domain
name, then either your service provider (on your behalf) or yourself will need
to contact Nominet to register the desired domain name.
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Cost - What is
the charge for domain name?
The
cost for registering a new domain name in .co.uk, .com, .org, and .net is
£100. This fee covers the initial registration and updates to the domain
name's database record for a period of two years.
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How do I pay
to register my domain name?
You can
pay Dynamic Webs by credit card online, or with a cheque or by money order. All
charges are payable in UK funds (£) only, and Dynamic Webs will bill you
directly.
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What happens
if I don't pay?
Under normal
conditions, if payment is not received by the due date, the domain name is
subject to deactivation and deletion.
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If I do not
choose a hosting company, can I "park" my domain name on your
servers?
Yes, if you register a
domain name with Dynamic Webs your domain will reside on our
servers for as long as you pay the hosting service (cost subject to account status).
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How do I use
my new domain?
Once you have
completed the registration process, the next step is choosing a hosting
service. There are several hosting services available, however, if you need a
hosting service please
click
here.
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Once a domain
is registered, do I own the domain name?
If you register and pay for the domain name, you
own that name. The domain name holder is the person or organisation listed at
the top of the WHOIS record. The WHOIS record is the report of the internet
database.
The administrative, technical and billing contacts are
individuals who your organisation assigns and trusts to handle issues involving
the domain name record. In many cases, the technical contact is a
representative of the Internet service provider and the administrative contact
is a representative of the domain name holder.
In fact, this is the
model the InterNIC/Network Solutions recommends. But regardless of who is the
listed administrative and technical contact, the domain name holder is the
organisation who is listed on the Domain Name Registration Agreement. It is
important to note that the organisation name cannot be modified or changed. If
a domain is being transferred to another organisation, it must be deleted and
re-registered as a new domain.
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Why are some
domain names "On Hold"?
The WHOIS
database will show a status of "On Hold" if a) payment for the domain is not
current, b) the domain name is involved in a trademark dispute, or c) pending
server activation.
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What is Web
hosting?
Every Web site
(including this one!) is stored on a special computer called a Web server,
connected to the Internet twenty four hours a day. This is known as "hosting" a
Web site. The function of A Web server: to broadcast the Web pages it stores to
Web users looking for that particular site.
The faster the Web server
is, and the more bandwidth it has available, the faster it can broadcast those
Web pages. Bandwidth is like lanes on the motorway - the more you have, the
more traffic can pass through it. Our Web server computers are amongst the best
you can buy and we have more available bandwidth than we ever need - making
sure that our customers' Web sites are available, and delivered quickly to
their visitors.
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What does HTML
stand for?
HTML stands for Hyper
Text Markup Language, and is the primary code that web pages are written in.
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What is an
extranet?
1) "a
business-to-business intranet that allows limited, controlled, secure access
between a company's intranet and designated, authenticated users from remote
locations".
2) "an intranet that allows controlled access by authenticated
parties".
Commentary: the terms intranet and extranet are roughly
web-based analogs of LAN [Local Area Network] and WAN [Wide Area
Network].
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For further details please use the
enquiry form or click
here to find out about our prices.
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