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Introduction
to Transferring Domains
Now that you've signed up, you'll need to update your domain name
so it points to your new account with us. This is done at the
registrar - the place where you purchased your domain name. No
matter who your registrar is, to point your Domain Name to our
servers you will need to notify them of the new information.
All
registrars have their own system for making modifications, and
we've tried to cover as many as possible below. If your registrar
is not listed on this page, go to their site and look for links
to "modify domain", "change DNS" or something
similar. Or, you can email most registrars for instructions on
updating your records.
Why
do I have to do this?
Ordering hosting sets up our end of things, but in order for
your domain name to link up with your hosting account, the domain
name record must reflect our nameserver information. (Nameservers
are specialized servers that direct all requests for a particular
website to the right account). As the owner (registrant) of your
domain name, you have the control and responsibility over how
it is recorded in the InterNIC database.
Can't you do this for me?
When you register your domain, chances are you received a
username/password from the registrar. We don't have this information,
nor can we retrieve it. That's for your protection. Without this
information, no one can move your domain from one host to another.
Only the domain owner (registrant) should have this information.
Since your domain name is so important, it's in your best interest
not to share this information with anyone else if you can help
it.
So
how do I do this?
See below for a list of registrars,
and links/instructions on how you can modify your domain record.
In almost every case, it's a simple process that will only take
a few minutes.
I
transferred my domain name but it still doesn't point to my account!
You must allow from 18-72 hours for changes to take effect. This
process is called propagation (see section below).
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List
of Registrars
Clicking on a registrar logo below will open up a popup window with
instructions and links to help make your domain transfer as easy
as possible. Registrars are listed alphabetically, and our
listing of these registrars does not constitute or imply an endorsement
of the listed companies and/or services. This list is provided as
a convenience on an as-is basis. Please report any bad links to
the webmaster.
Don't
see your registrar listed? Click
here to see some generic instructions and advice for transferring
your domain.
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Don't
know who your registrar is?
Click
here to run a WHOIS report - your registrar will be listed
on the second line of the output.
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What
is Propagation?
Once your domain name has been registered or a change is made
to the registration*, it usually takes from 12 to 72 hours before
this is recognized by all the Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
in the world. All ISPs must update their records (DNS tables)
frequently to reflect new domain registrations and changes to
existing ones. This process is called propagation, and does not
happen evenly because all ISPs do this at different intervals.
During
propagation, your site might be accessible from one ISP and not
from another. You might find that your neighbor can see your site
while you cannot, assuming you use different ISPs to access the
Internet. This is quite normal. By the end of 48 hours or so (sometimes
72) the vast majority of ISPs will have the new information and
be passing it on to their users.
While
you wait for propagation, you may use your account with us by
going to the IP address we provided to you when you signed on.
You can access your Control Center, upload, and even browse to
this numerical address. Mail functions, however, require resolution
of the domain name and will not work until propagation has completed.
If
you have questions regarding propagation, feel free to contact
us at the Assistance
Center. Last but not least, while you wait for your domain
name to propagate please remember that patience is a virtue! 8-)
*
SPECIAL NOTE: The new TLDS including .biz, .info, and .name do
not have the same method of propagation as the first generation
of domain names do. These new TLDs were designed from the ground
up to have near-real-time access to the central databases - without
distributed DNS tables at the ISPs. In English, this means that
if your site ends in one of the new suffixes, propagation time
is generally measured in minutes, not hours. Changes made should
be available very soon after entering them. Domains that end in
.com, .net, or a country codes still use the 'old system' and
propagation would apply as per above.
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