Webhosting & eCommerce

Domain Guide

A Domain Name is the addressing of a computer or website on the Internet. A Domain points to a computer(server) on the Internet which has an IP Address. An IP Address is a unique numerical string of numbers assigned to every computer on the Internet. Domain Names are indexed on DNS Servers which are comparable to huge database driven address books for the Internet. When you type in the address of a website into Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer your browser is actually requesting information from a DNS Server normally located at your ISP.

There are thousands of DNS Servers all over the Internet each continually updating its records. These DNS Servers update their information on a daily or sometimes twice daily basis from Authorative Servers for each TLD. When a customer changes the information regarding the domain it is recorded on the Authorative DNS Server.

The Authorative DNS Server will usually handle all the records for one TLD. For example all of the .ca's will be held on one server while all of the .com.au's will be held somewhere else. When it comes time for a DNS Server to do its daily update it will request the information from each of the TLD's Authorative DNS Server and make the necessary changes to its records.

What do I do ?
The following section is divided up into 4 sections New Domains, Existing Domains, Domain Troubleshooting & Glossary of Domain Name Related Terms.

New domains will help you with the process of registering a new domain and setting it up with your Server101 account. If you already have a domain and would like to move it to Server101 follow the guide most applicable to you under Existing Domains.

The Domain Troubleshooting section will provide you with the answers to common issues that many people experience during the process of moving their domain. If you don't understand any of the terms in this guide you can always have a look at the last section Glossary of Domain Name Related Terms.

New Domains

 I want to register a .com/org/.net domain
 I want to register a .com.au domain
 I want to register a domain other than the aforementioned

Existing Domains

 I want to transfer a .com/org/.net domain to my Server101 account from a Service Provider
 I want to transfer a .com.au domain to my Server101 account from a Service Provider
 I want to renew my .com/.org/.net domain through Server101.com
 I want to transfer a domain other than the aforementioned to my Server101 Account
 How do I use multiple domains with my account ?

Domain Troubleshooting

 I have moved (delegated & mapped) my .com domain to my Server101 Account but it doesn't work
 I have moved (delegated & mapped) my .com.au domain to my Server101 Account but it doesn't work
 A web developer or service provider registered my domain and I don't have the username or password
 I am not able to log into the 'Manage Domain Profile' section of the Server101 website
 My domain was working fine but now it does not resolve my website
 How do I set up Hostnames/Cnames & Sub Domains ?
 How do I change my MX(Mail Exchange) records ?
 Some people can not resolve my domain and view my site
 Where do I manage my domain that I have registered through Server101 ?

Glossary of Domain Name Related Terms

 DNS
 TLD
 IP Address
 Name Server / DNS Server
 Hostname
 Registrant
 Registrar
 Zone File
 Delegation
 Propagation
 Map Domain
 Server-Side Setup