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It's getting more and more difficult to find a good domain name anymore. It seems like all the good ones are taken and most of the bad ones too! Of course, in technical support we can't help you pick a good domain name, but we can teach you what to do to point that domain name to your site once it is registered.
As a reseller you must know the following:
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- What is a domain name?
- How do I register a domain name?
- How do I point a Domain name to a particular site?
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What is a Domain Name?
Domain Names are simply a name or an alias that people can use instead of a web site's numeric "IP" address, (i.e. 209.210.234.10) which is very difficult to remember. Getting a domain name is an essential part of owning a web site. It is your identity to all who visit your web site.
The most common domain name extensions are .com, .net, .org, and .edu. These designate sites that are commercial, Internet oriented, run by an organization, or educational in nature. However, .edu and .gov (government) are the only domain name extensions that are actually restricted from general public use.
Recently, other top-level domain names have emerged such as .cc, .tv, .fm and many more. This class of extensions may cost more and often need to be purchased directly from their respective companies. Stay on the lookout for the pending launch of .pro, .info, .biz, .name, .museum, .aero, and .coop as the next wave of domain name extensions.
How Do I Register a Domain Name?
The first step is to find a domain name registrar. Network Solutions and Register.com are the biggest. 000domains.com has also become popular as of late due to their dramatically reduced pricing.
Network Solutions is unique among registrars and requires special considerations when registering or changing registration information. For specific written instructions to help you register with Network Solutions, please visit the tech support web site.
Virtually all the other registrars work in a manner similar to Register.com and 000domains.com. The instructions below are for registrars of this latter variety. These instructions are not specific to any registrar, but are applicable to most of them. Note, however, that variations and inconsistencies with the process will occur from registrar to registrar, so please don't hesitate to contact Technical Support with any questions.
1. Find a Name
First, find an available domain name that suits your needs and continue to the registration page.
2. User Profile
If this is your first time registering a domain name with this registrar, it will require you to create a new profile. Generally, this consists of entering your name, a unique user name, and a password. Remember these! You will use this information for future changes, renewals, and to register additional names.
3. Contact/Organization Information
If this is going to be your domain name, enter your company information. If this is your client's domain name, you will want to enter their company name, phone number, address, etc. Also, you will probably want to make sure that your client is listed as the billing contact, so you don't get their bills. Use a valid, permanent email address, as the registrar will often contact you via email. DO NOT use the domain name that you are currently registering as the suffix of the email address.
4. Close the Deal
At this point, the next step is payment. This is not the last step, however. You will most likely need to specify the DNS information and Technical Contact information AFTER you have completed the registration and payment for the domain name. To learn those steps, see the following section.
How do I point a Domain name to a particular site?
Whether you have just registered a domain name, are transferring a domain name from another server, or are just activating a domain name that was registered some time ago, you will need to follow these steps to point that domain name to your EZ-NetTools™ site.
The first step is to enter the correct contact information in the registration. There are three key contacts that should be listed on your domain name's registration information.
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Administrative Contact - generally the company in charge of the web site.
Billing Contact - The person who should get the bills for the domain name.
Technical Contact - This should be ICServ. Having ICServ as your technical contact allows us to make future changes to the domain name registration as they become necessary.
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Set ICServ as the Domain Name's Technical Contact
1. From the registrar's home page, enter the domain name management page. Type in the appropriate User ID and Password to gain access to the registration information.
2. Select the option to change the Technical Contact information.
3. Enter the following information for the Technical Contact
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First Name: DNS
Last Name: Administrator
Organization: ICServ, Inc.
Address: 310 N. 2nd E. Suite 108
City: Rexburg
State: Idaho
Zip Code: 83440
Phone: 208-356-8361
Fax: 208-356-4969
Email: dns@icserv.net
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4. Once that information has been submitted, the registrar will most likely send an email confirmation to the email address entered at the time of registration. The domain name should show up on the registrars database in 24-48 hours.
Enter ICServ's DNS Information
For an EZ-NetTools™ site to come up when the domain name is typed in, the DNS (Domain Name Server) information for ICServ's servers must be entered in the registration information.
1. From the registrar's home page, enter the domain name management page. Type in the appropriate User ID and Password to gain access to the registration information.
2. Select the option to change the Domain Name Server information.
3. Before adding ICServ's DNS information, you will have to remove the existing servers.
4. Once the existing servers have been removed, enter the following as the DNS Information.
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Primary Server
NS1.ICSERV.NET
209.210.234.10*
Secondary Server
NS2.ICSERV.NET
12.23.66.24*
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*Note: These are IP addresses. The registrar may or may not require these (editor's insert, May 7th, 2003: these IP addresses have now changed. Please visit the support website to locate the current IP addresses).
5. Once that information has been submitted, the registrar will most likely send an email confirmation to the email address entered at the time of registration. The name should show up in their database within 24-48 hours.
The Last Vital Step
After successfully entering the technical contact and DNS information, you will need to contact Technical Support. This allows us to do the final steps required on our side to make your domain name point to the appropriate EZ-NetTools™ account. After your domain name shows up on the registrars database or you receive a confirmation email, we must know the domain name that you registered, your reseller number (ex. D200123), and the account number (ex. X275201) of the web site that the domain name will point to. This information is in the confirmation letter you received (if you received one) and this letter can be emailed to support@eznettools.net or you can call us at 208-356-6887 NOTE: We cannot point your domain name to your account until we receive the confirmation letter or until the Domain Name shows up on the registrars database. Once we receive this information, the domain name will point to the specified web site within 2-3 business days. We will send you a confirmation email to let you know things are done on our end.
Don't forget! Should you have any questions on this or any other technical topic dealing with EZ-NetTools™, please contact Technical Support for assistance. 208-356-6887 or support@eznettools.net.
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