Domain Manager allows you to see what domains are linked to your account, as well as a display to look up your domain name information. It also shows which domain name is configured as your Homepage URL and has the tools to change this setting.

What is a domain?
Before we go into all of that, let's first clarify what a domain name is and how it's used. A domain name is a string of characters (such as a name or a group of words) that is associated with a web site's URL (Uniform Resource Locator). All web sites have a URL associated with them. This tells a server where on the Internet a web page, graphic, or file is located. Domain names make the URL easier to remember by associating it with a specifically formatted string of characters. These are in the familiar form of www.eznettools.net or something similar. With a domain name that's easy to remember, customers and visitors are more likely to come to your site. So, once you have your website up and ready to go, Domain Manager shows you what to tell people to type in to go and see your website. We'll talk more about how to get a domain name at the end of the article.

Using Domain Manager
To access Domain Manager, go to the Administrative Tools page in your EZ-NetTools™ account and click on "Domain Manager." You will notice that the screen has two main sections: My Domain Names, and Homepage URL. The first section, My Domain Names, shows all the domain names that are currently pointed to your account. That means that if a visitor typed one the domain names listed into their browser, they would go to your home page (index.html). Note that the domain name listed on the bottom (http://abc.eznettools.net/Dxxxxxx/Xxxxxxx/) is the one that is automatically created by the system. Also, if you are using the subdomain you created when you logged into your account for the first time, that domain name is listed.

If you have purchased one or more domain names, one of the features available in the Domain Manager is the ability to review the domain name's information. This is accessed by clicking the Display link listed next to the domain name and under "More Information." By clicking on this link, another screen opens up which shows such information as the company that registered the domain name (called to domain registrar), the Administrative and Technical Contacts, the name server information, and the expiration date. This type of search for information about a domain name is called a "whois lookup." Most domain registrars also offer this feature, but it's often hard to find it on their sites. Domain Manager provides a handy way to keep track of your domains and make sure they are kept current.

One of the most important features of the "whois lookup" is the expiration date for the domain name. While there is typically a grace period between the expiration date and when the domain name stops working, it's better not to let a domain name expire. The expiration date can also help if there is an e-mail or domain name problem. For example, if you are not able to view your web page by typing in your domain name, one possible problem is that the domain name has expired.

My Homepage URL
As was mentioned before, everything on the Internet (web page, graphic, or file) has a specific URL associated with it. When you create a page in EZ-PageBuilderÔ or add a graphic to that page, the server needs to know exactly where it is located in order to display it properly. Most of the time, pages and graphics are saved in your D3xxxxx/X3xxxxx/home/ directory. That's fine for working within your account, but what about a visitor in, say Seattle, whose server doesn't know where your /home account is stored?

That's where the Homepage URL comes in. Using the Homepage URL, the EZ-NetToolsÔ system automatically converts /D3xxxxx/X3xxxxx/home/index.html to http://www.mydomainname.com/index.html without that visitor in Seattle knowing any difference. That's known as a "fully qualified URL," and it shows every server on the Internet where to find your page. With Domain Manager, you can specify what the http://www.mydomainname.com portion will be.

There are four options available under My Homepage URL: Basic URL, Subdomain Name, My Domain Name, and Other Domain Name. Full descriptions for these options can be found in the Help screen for the Domain Manager, but basically the different options allow you to use the system domain name created by the tools, a subdomain name, you own purchased domain name, or a different domain name. If you have purchased a domain name, it's recommended that you delete the subdomain name from the Subdomain Name area and use My Domain Name as your Homepage URL setting. That way, the tools generate a fully qualified URL that matches your domain name, and bypasses any possible confusion between the subdomain and your domain.

For those of you that have purchased more than one domain name, remember that although you can only choose one domain as your Homepage URL, anybody can visit your site using any of the domains listed in the My Domain Names section.

Getting a Domain Name
Now that you've learned all about how great domain names are, how do you get one? Once again, Domain Manager comes through. At the top and bottom of the Domain Manager are links to the Help Text that describes 5 steps to follow for purchasing and configuring a domain name. Basically, you first decide what domain name you want, and then go to a domain registrar to verify the name is available and purchase it. Next, configure your information with the registrar to match our system requirements, and finally contact Customer Support to have us point the domain name to your account. Again, this process is explained in greater detail in the Help text. It's worth noting that, for a small fee, we can purchase and configure your domain name for you and save you the hassle of registration and maintenance. Just give Customer Support a call.

That wraps up this month's article. Please let us know how you liked it, and what we can focus on in future articles.