Domain Name FAQ (Frequently asked questions)

How much do you charge for a domain name?
What services are included in this price?
How can I renew my domain name after one year?
What should I do if I do not wish to renew my domain name after one year?
Is it possible to pay for several years in advance?
Can I reserve a domain name and pay later?
What payment methods can I use?
Will I get confirmation that my domain name has been registered?
How can I be sure that my domain name has been registered?
How can I get an invoice for the domain name purchase?
How long does it take for my domain name to be registered?
If I make any changes, how soon will they be effective?
What are the different contacts for?
How do I change the owner of my domain name?
What is a DNS?
Why is it generally necessary to have a primary and a secondary DNS, or sometimes more?
How do I proceed transfer of sponsorship to MANBIZ?
 

What is domain name?
In the address "http://www.anyname.com", the domain name is "anyname.com". This domain name is made up of two inseparable parts: a name or a word ("anyname") which identifies the site, and an extension (".com" in this example) specific to the registration category concerned "Understanding extensions". If you know the name of a web site and its extension, you will be able to find the site directly. This could be called an "intuitive" search. If you do not have this information, you can search for the site by name and/or key words using the different national and international directories and search engines. This is why it is so important that your web site be properly submitted to the various databases. It is crucial for a company to ensure that its web site can be found as intuitively as possible. Some domain names are more intuitive than others. This depends on the likelihood of the average Internet user typing in the domain name, even if they are not sure that this domain name will lead to the site they are looking for. In other words, before registering your domain name, you should ask yourself whether the name you have chosen really corresponds to your identity and/or image. At the very least, you should register your company name or trade name as well as any brand names or product names. This protects you against "cyberpirates" who may seek to buy these names before you do. A domain name can never be completely protected. However, most companies are victims of "piracy" simply because they have not acted early enough to protect their trade or brand names. In such cases, Internet users go to the "pirate's" site thinking that it is the company's site, which can potentially lead to losses for the company, and sometimes poses more serious threats if the pirate is also forging the company's products.

Understand extensions
Domain names are an extremely simple means of understanding how the different web sites are organized. The Internet is structured like a tree with a common "root", often denoted by "." since it has no name. Various directories branch off from this original root: ".com", ".net", ".gr", ".de" etc. These directories are called TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS, or TLDs, and each one is then divided into a multitude of sub-directories, "anyname.com", "thingamajig.com" for example. Each of these sub-directories can also be divided into sub-domains, such as "finance.anyname.com" or "info.thingamajig.com" etc.

What are the different types of extensions?
There are many different extensions, which can be divided into three main categories:

• reserved" extensions: ".gov" for the US government, ".mil" for the US military, ".int" for international organizations.
• generic" extensions (gTLDs): these are international extensions with no geographic restrictions and no requirements of brand name ownership. There are 4 of them: ".com" for commercial organizations, ".net" for organizations linked to the Internet, ".org" for non-commercial organizations and ".edu" for educational organizations. Present experience and rising demand means that other extensions defining a much broader range of commercial categories must be envisaged. In 1997, the International Ad-Hoc Committee (IAHC), set up with an aim to reviewing this very question, suggested adding 7 new extensions (.firm, .shop, .web, .arts, .rec, .info and .nom) to the existing international extensions. These would be issued by the Registrars. However this has not yet been implemented at the present time.
• geographical" extensions (ccTLDs): there are several hundred of these, since each country has its own extension. ".gr" for Greece, ".de" for Germany etc. These extensions are governed and assigned by specific organizations in each country (the AFNIC in Greece is in charge of .gr), with their own rules and regulations. These types of extension are often restricted in that one must be domiciled in the country in which the extension is assigned and prove ownership of the name being registered (company name, brand, acronym etc).

How to "read" a domain name
A domain name contains certain information easily decipherable with a little knowledge. The extension indicates the purpose or philosophy of the site you are visiting. For example, "princeton.edu" will most likely be the domain name for the University of Princeton's web site, whilst there is a strong chance that "anyname.com" will take you to the official web site of the company "Anyname". With a little practice, you can also identify the site's nationality and the language in which it is likely to be written from the extension. "anyname.com" is generic and will most likely be an English language web site, whilst "anyname.gr" is more likely to be in Greek and "anyname.es" in Spanish.
Once you are used to using domain names and their extensions, and if the company whose site you are looking for has a coherent Internet strategy, then it should be easy for you to find the site you are looking for, even if you do not know the complete address: "anyname.gr" for the Greek subsidiary of the company "Anyname", "anyname.it" for its Italian subsidiary etc.

Choosing a domain name?
Choosing a domain name is an important step in terms of sales and marketing since this is how you will set up your web site and represent its content. We recommend that you choose a domain name that perfectly fits the name of your company or organization (company name, acronym, brand name etc), or that fits the generic content of your web site (theme, key word etc). Some technical rules:

• The domain name must be made up of alphabetical characters i.e. letters from "a" to "z". You may also use figures from "0" to "9", and you may use the symbol "-" (dash) to separate words.
• There is no distinction between upper and lower case letters.
• The characters "_" and "/" are not allowed; only the "-" (dash) may be used to separate words in a domain name.
  Accents and spaces are not allowed.

Conclusion
Domain names are a little known but fundamental part of the Internet. As well as the technical aspects that allow access to web sites, they are also important in terms of intellectual property (brand name protection on the Internet), communications and marketing. They allow you to state your company's identity on the Internet, as well as that of your products or services. They also allow you to receive e-mail in your own name (john-smith@anyname.com for example). Today, only a few multinational companies, and very few Greek companies, have totally integrated "domain names" into their Internet development strategies. It is a mistake to neglect this since, as the rules stand, there can be only one owner of "anyname.com" or "anyname.gr" irrespective of the number of companies called Anyname or using it as a brand name…

How much do you charge for a domain name?
Irrespective of your choice of extension, the price for registering your domain name per year are:

• anyname.com - $10
• anyname.net - $10
• anyname.org - $10
• anyname.info - $10
• anyname.biz - $10
• anyname.us - $10
• anyname.name - $10

What services are included in this price?
Our prices include:
Registering your domain name and maintaining it for the duration of the contract (minimum 1 year), and the possibility of making the following modifications as often as you wish:

• free parking
• Domain management tool which allows:
  - modify the DNS name and addresses of your domain name
  - modify the administrative/technical/billing contacts
  - modify information about these contacts
  - see a list of all your registrations
  - change the ownership
  - lock a domain
• URL forwarding
• 24/7-hour technical support
• "Welcome" Web Page (at an extra charge)
• POP mail account with Web Mail access (at an extra charge)

URL Forwarding
If you own a personal web site, MANBIZ can redirect your new domain name to your present address at your request.
MANBIZ offers two different types of forwarding:

• Non transparent forwarding:
  When visiting your site, the user will be unable to see your new domain name on the browser. .
  Only the address supplied by your Web Hosting Provider will be visible.
  e.g. When you connect to the site by typing http://www.mydomain.com, the browser will in fact show http://person.mydomain.com
   
• Transparent forwarding:
  Your new domain name will be seen by all, whatever type of hosting you have chosen.
  When you connect to the site by typing http://www.mydomain.com, the browser will show the address www.myomain.com instead of the address given hosting provider.
   
• N.B.
  Transparent forwarding does not affect your present hosting situation.
  You will continue to be bound by the regulations of your web hosting provider.
  Before using URL forwarding, you should check the conditions of uses with your web hosting provider. For personal web pages, any advertising banners imposed by your web hosting provider will still appear.

E-mail account
When you have an e-mail account with MANBIZ, you have access to the following options:
1 - Create and manage your e-mail account.
2 - Specify forwarding addresses for your e-mail (e-mail forwarding).
The e-mail service will include SMTP and a POP account, Web Based E-mail.
With our Web-based email you’ll be able to manage, compose and organize your email accounts through a web browser.

DNS management
Definition :
"The DNS is a database of shared information which is used to translate domain names into Internet Protocol number (IP). The IP address is used by computers to communicate between each other on the Internet."

If you subscribe to DNS management services, you will be authorized to modify the following information:

• The A identifier (Host IP address)
• The MX (identifier for electronic mail exchange on the zone, generally mail.yourdomainname.com)
• The CNAME identifier (Web alias or mail identification)

You can set up to 10 lines in the DNS.

How can I renew my domain name after one year?
Before your contract expires, just go to our web site where you may pay by credit card to renew your domain name.
2 months prior to the expiry date, you will receive an e-mail notifying you of the need to renew. If we do not hear from you, we will send a final notice by e-mail to the administrative contact marked IMPORTANT.
It is essential that the e-mail addresses you provide are valid and lasting.

What should I do if I do not wish to renew my domain name after one year?
In this case, do not pay to renew your domain name.

Is it possible to pay for several years in advance?
You can pay for up to ten years in advance. Just indicate the number of years you wish to pay for in the appropriate field.

Can I reserve a domain name and pay later?
No. You must pay for registration and renewal when you set up the domain name. Payment by credit card via our SSL secure payment server.

What payment methods can I use?
Credit card is the only accepted payment method (except for resellers who have opened a pre-paid account). Check and bank transfers are not accepted, even at a higher price, due to the manual processing that this would require.

Will I get confirmation that my domain name has been set up?
Yes. You will receive e-mail confirmation (sent to the administrative contact ID that you provide us with) containing all the information regarding the domain you have set up and your access codes for making any modifications to this.
We will also e-mail the invoice for your purchase to your billing contact.

How can I be sure that my domain name has been registered?
As soon as the payment server informs you that the transaction has been successfully completed, your domain name is registered. A confirmation e-mail is automatically sent to the administrative contact and the billing contact. If you have made your payment but do not receive e-mail confirmation, and if your domain name does not appear when you check our "Whois" database, telephone us on (302) 510 834 600

How can I get an invoice for the domain name purchase?
At the end of the registration procedure, you will automatically receive an invoice for your purchase (e-mailed to the billing contact). You will not receive an invoice by regular mail. You may print out a duplicate invoice at any time via our interface "Administer your domain name".

How long does it take for my domain name to be registered?
Your domain name is registered and belongs to you as soon as you make your payment. Registration is immediately recorded in our central naming database in the United States.

If I make any modifications, how soon will they be effective?
Modifications take the same amount of time as domain name registration, with the exception of DNS modifications. These are immediately updated at MANBIZ, but are only accessible after 24 to 72 hours, the time it takes for the international database servers (in the United States) to process and broadcast the information around the world.

What are the different contacts for?
Each contact is authorized to play a certain role, according to their position. Administrative contact: a person, company or organization authorized to act and make legally binding responses regarding the domain name. In general, this will be either the registrant personally or a member of the registrant company. Technical contact: a person, company or organization in charge of handling all the technical issues relating to a domain name. Billing contact: a person, company or organization responsible for receiving and paying registration and renewal invoices.

How do I change the owner of my domain name?
You may transfer your domain name to another owner as long as your contract with MANBIZ has not expired, and subject to your paying all amounts due. For security reasons, we process this manually, and therefore you will be billed for this. You and the new owner must complete, date and sign a registrant name change agreement form (which you may download from our web site), which you should mail to us, together with the documents requested. The new owner must have a Contact ID (unless he or she is already a MANBIZ client), which may be set up in our "Advance Services" section under "create a contact". The new owner must also complete a technical information form (downloadable), to be e-mailed to us so that we can make the ownership changes. The original owner transferring the site must modify the contacts, replacing them by those of the new owner.

What is a DNS?
DNS stands for "Domain Name System" or "Domain Name Server", which are two different things.
The Domain Name System is the global system for identifying a computer on the network to which it is connected. The system operates through a worldwide distributed database; the names are managed by a global organization, the interNIC and by regional or local organizations such as RIPE, NIC Greece, NIC UK etc.
- A DNS server is one of the computers that make up this network and which map domain names to IP addresses. There are different types of name servers: primary servers, secondary servers etc.

Why is it generally necessary to have both a primary and a secondary DNS, or sometimes more?
The primary server is the authorized server in its zone (a kind of master server). It is responsible for updating a file called a "zone file", which maps domain names to IP addresses in its zone. Each domain has one primary server and one only. Via "zone transfer", the secondary server regularly receives files from the DNS database related to that zone. It is capable of responding to requests for IP names (load sharing) and backing up the primary server if it is down. There is no limit to the number of secondary servers per zone.

How do I proceed transfer a Domain sponsorship to MANBIZ?
Before starting Domain Name transfer process please read following notes:

• Transferring your Domain Name to MANBIZ will add 1 Year to your Domain Name.
• If you wish to transfer a .BIZ or a .INFO Domain name to MANBIZ you will have to enter the Domain Transfer Secret below. The Domain Transfer Secret can be obtained from the current Registrar of the Domain Name.
• Your Domain Name must be at least 60 days old. You cannot transfer a Domain Name if it has been registered in the last 60 days. Please check your Domain Name Creation date by performing a WHOIS on your domain name and make sure it is at least 60 days old.
• Transferring your Domain Name will add one year to its current expiry date. You will be charged 1 year fees for it.
• IMPORTANT: If your domain expired with your old Registrar, and you renewed it with them, then do not Transfer it within 45 days of the previous expiry date since it will not add 1 more year to your domain name, and you will lose out on the Renewal fees paid to the older Registrar.
• Once you have completed the transfer process may take up to 7 business days for your new information to be fully recognized across the Internet.

How DNS and Domain Registration Services Work

The purpose of this document is to describe how domain registration services work and how Domain Name Servers (DNS) work. Until recently, domain registration was fairly straightforward in that there was only one registrar. Now, with multiple registrars there is some healthy competition in the industry, but registering and transferring domain names has become a bit more complex. The first section will be devoted to domain registration and registrars, and the second section will discuss DNS and how names like www.something.com get resolved into addresses that computers can understand.

Domain Registration and Domain Registrars
The Internet domain name system consists of top level domains (TLDs) such as .com, .org, .net and secondary level domains (SLDs) -- the part you register, such as "mycompany" (under a particular top level domain) making it "mycompany.com". These domain names are stored in a group of geographically distributed "root servers" that contain a database of domain names and define who is "authoritative" for each domain (more on that later).

The master database is maintained by the NSI Registry, which is operated by Network Solutions under contract from ICANN the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. To make a long story short, it works like this:

When you reserve a domain name through an accredited registrar, the registrar checks the master NSI Registry database to see if the name is available. If it is, you may purchase the domain name for whatever price the registrar has set. The registrar then sends a message to the NSI Registry telling it that the domain is to be registered, and NSI bills the registrar at a "wholesale" rate. The domain name is now in the database, but is not yet usable on the Internet. The last step takes place every 24 hours when the root name servers are updated to include all newly registered domain names.

This process gets the domain name "published" so others can find it, but unless the "authoritative" name servers for your domain are configured to answer requests, no one will be able to send you email or reach your website. The authoritative name servers are often provided by your registrar as part of their service. They might also be provided by your ISP or web hosting company.

The next figure shows what happens when someone enters "www.mycompany.com" in their web browser.

First, your browser asks the operating system (Windows) to resolve a name into an "IP" or Internet Protocol address, which is a series of four numbers separated by dots (such as 192.168.100.101). Each and every device connected to the Internet has a unique number or machine address associated with it.

When Windows receives this request, it asks its primary name server (which is defined in the Control Panel under "Networking") or is provided automatically by your ISP when you dial up. In this example we'll assume that you're on a dial-up connection and your primary name server is provided by your Internet Service Provider. The ISP's name server first checks to see if the name you've requested has already been requested by someone else, and if it is, it uses the address in its cache. If it isn't found, it asks one of the root name servers. The root server will return the name of the authoritative name server NOT the actual address of www.mycompany.com. This is called delegation. The root server doesn't know all the addresses but it does know the name of the server that knows the answer.

Now your ISP's name server knows the name of the authoritative server for mycompany.com, so it makes another request of that server, to resolve the "www." part into the address of the server.

The authoritative name server has a table of addresses for things like "www" and "mail". Each address can point to a different server or they might all point to the same server, depending on how your site and email are hosted. In this example, www has the address 192.168.100.101. The ISP's name server will receive this address and cache or store it for future reference, and it'll also pass it along to your PC.

Now that your PC knows that www.mycompany.com refers to 192.168.100.101, it can open a connection to that address and request a web page.

If the primary authoritative name server is down or unreachable, the request will timeout, and the ISP's name server will try to contact the secondary name server. This is why all domain names must have at least a primary and a secondary (there can be multiple secondaries for greater redundancy).