Domain Names—What Should I Know?

Domain Names—What Should I Know?

In trying to understand how domain names work with your Web site and e-mail system, it’s important to first understand where your domain name is registered. You pay a third party company to hold the registration of your domain name (like a lease). This company is the ultimate point of control for your domain name.

If you need to locate your domain name registration company, you can access a Web site like http://registrar.verisign-grs.com/whois/ and run a “Whois” search. Type your domain name in the Search text box and click Search Whois for, and you will see a result similar to the one below.

Domain Name: FINDLAW.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS2.WESTGROUP.NET
Name Server: NS1.WESTGROUP.NET
Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK
EPP Status: clientUpdateProhibited
EPP Status: clientTransferProhibited
EPP Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Updated Date: 30-Sep-2004
Creation Date: 12-Dec-1995
Expiration Date: 11-Dec-2013

The Referral URL in a Whois search result is the Web address for the ultimate parent registration company for your domain name. Bear in mind that your registration may have been completed through a reseller for the parent listed. Either way, this information will send you down the right road if you do not know where to start.

The second step in understanding how your domain will work with your Web site and
e-mail system is to understand who hosts the domain name. Your domain name host controls the traffic that is trying to get to your Web site and e-mail in-box. Sometimes the Name Server listings in the Whois search result (shown in bold below) give you a clue as to who hosts a domain name. When registering your domain name, the registration company asks you to designate who you would like to control traffic for your domain name. If you do not know your domain name host, you can usually contact your domain name registration company for assistance.

Domain Name: FINDLAW.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS2.WESTGROUP.NET
Name Server: NS1.WESTGROUP.NET
Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK
Updated Date: 30-Sep-2004
Creation Date: 12-Dec-1995
Expiration Date: 11-Dec-2013

How does my domain name allow people to view my Web site when they type my Web site’s URL in the address bar? The domain name host (i.e., traffic cop) has a file with directions for anyone trying to access your Web site using your domain name. The company that hosts your Web site files, making them available to be viewed on the Internet, is your Web site host. The domain name host’s file contains specific directions that say, “If someone is trying to view the URL, www.yourdomain.com, view the files at the Web site host’s location”. If your Web site is, in fact, in the location specified in the file, the user will see your Web site on his or her screen.

How do e-mail messages get to my in-box when a user types my e-mail address in the To field and clicks Send? The domain name host has a file with directions for anyone trying to send you e-mail that say, “If someone is trying to send an e-mail to anything@yourdomain.com, try to deliver it to the e-mail host”. The e-mail host is the company or server that stores all your e-mail messages when they arrive. If you have an e-mail box in the location specified in the file, your e-mail will be delivered. If you are using an e-mail program, the program will then copy that e-mail from the e-mail host’s server to your computer.