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A domain name registrar is a company that
sells domain names, and provides information on the domain
names it has sold to ISP's and other forms of Internet
connectivity providers.
You can find out whom you registered your domain name to
by looking up your WHOIS information.
To look up the WHOIS information for a given domain
name, you will need to visit one to two Web sites.
First go to
http://resellers.tucows.com/whois/index_html and enter
in the domain name you want to look up; then click on the
Lookup button.
Then enter in the code they ask you to enter, and click
on the Verify Password button.
You will then be brought to a page that shows you
information on the domain name.
In this particular example, we are told outright the
domain name registrar is Network Solutions.
The other information presented shows the domain name
will expire on June 15, 2005; and that the name servers
(the servers which direct where mail, Web browsing, and
other activities are pointed) are NS1 and
NS2.DNI-NAMESERVERS.COM.
Here's another domain name example from the OpenSRS
WHOIS Page:
Notice this one states Dynamic Net is the registrar; and
name and address information is also provided.
Let's see what a lookup at Network Solutions looks like.
First go to
http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/whois/index.jhtml
in your browser. Then enter in the domain name, and click
on the Search button.
Put in the code you are told to enter, and click on the
Verify Code button.
Then Network Solutions will show you the WHOIS record
for the domain you entered (presuming it is a domain name
in use -- purchased).
The first thing you should notice is what you do not see
-- "Registrar" or "Registration Service Provider."
That's because Network Solutions is the registrar.
You should also notice that additional information is
shown this time; that being the contact information.
You are asking an extremely good question. We live
in a time period where some companies try to make their
living through unscrupulous means.
It is all too common for domain name registrar and
hosting companies to send you what looks like a bill
telling you that your domain name is about to expire; and
that you should pay now to keep it.
You send a check thinking you are renewing; and end up
transfer your domain name to their services. Or
worse, you transfer your hosting, and now your site is down
because the new hosting provider doesn't have your Web site
files.
The nasty side effect of these activities it is all to
easy to just not pay anyone; and, before you know it your
domain name is gone or taken by someone else!
Please see Who is my Registrar?
to determine whom you should pay.
In the example below:
Network Solutions is the only valid bill to pay.
In this example, Dynamic Net, Inc. would be the company
to pay:
More and more people are being leery about paying domain
name registration bills.
It is common for hosting customers to think domain name
registration fees are a part of their hosting bill or to
play too safe and just not pay anyone.
Then what happens is the domain name is put on hold by
the Registrar; AND by putting the domain name
on hold, the ISP's around the world no longer have access
to the information necessary to point to the domain for
Web, Email, FTP, and similar services.
Here's what a record looks like for a domain name on
hold (the date this picture was taken was February 14,
2004):
Your domain name servers are typically listed towards
the bottom of a WHOIS record, but right above any legalese.
When some one goes to send you email at your domain name
or goes to browse your site, the ISP of that some one does
a lookup on the name servers (as listed in the WHOIS record
for a domain name) to find out what IP address should be
used. |
