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Glossary
Technical
terms and jargon got you confused? Below are some
commonly used terms and their definitions in the
domain name registration industry. If you have questions
on additional terms, please email us and we will
add them to the list. |
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Accredit
To identify and set minimum standards for the performance of registration
functions, to recognize persons or entities meeting those standards, and
to enter into an accreditation agreement that sets forth the rules and
procedures applicable to the provision of Registrar Services. Domain Bank
is an accredited registrar, which can be validated through ICANN
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Affiliate
Client who offers domain name registration services via the client's website,
using Domain Bank's registration process.
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Contact Record/Contact ID
Contact Records or Contact IDs (sometimes called Agents) are individuals
or groups who represent a registrant on matters related to the registrant's
domain name(s). There are three types of Contacts: Administrative, Technical,
and Billing. The entity listed as the Administrative, Technical, or Billing
Contact is an individual or 'role' that is contacted in matters relating
to the domain name. They also have the ability to Modify information pertaining
to a domain name. A Contact may be a single person, a company, or organization.
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Country Code Top Level Domain
A top-level domain containing a 2-character abbreviation as defined by
ISO 3166-1 (Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries and Their
Subdivisions). As of November 1999 there were 243 country code top level
domains (ccTLDs) registered. Some examples are .us for the United States,
.ca for Canada, .jp for Japan, .de for Germany, etc. ccTLDs are often contrasted
to generic top level domains (gTLDs). ccTLDs often have more restrictive
registration requirements including regional requirements whereas gTLDs
tend to be open to all registrants around the world.
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DNS
DNS stands for Domain Name System. This System translates a domain name
such as Domain Bank.com into the Internet Protocol (IP) numbers to find
the correct web site - in this case the site for Domain Bank. The network
of computers that constitute the Internet map domain names to their corresponding
IP numbers. The data is then made available to all computers and users
on the Internet.
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Domain Name
A domain name is the core of your company's online identity. It is the
address your customers will use to find information about your products
and services on the web. Your domain name is yours entirely because once
registered, no other party may use that identity online in that Top Level
Domain.
Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. The part on
the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general.
A domain name can simply be thought of as your Internet address. The Internet
uses Internet Protocol (IP) numbers to locate other computers. Internet
users would typically have a hard time remembering these long strings of
numbers to find sites. Domain names were developed to allow users to name
these (IP) addresses with easy to remember names or phrases. Our domain
name - Domain Bank.com - for example is part of the Internet address for
Domain Bank.
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Domain Name Services Agreement
A domain name Services Agreement is a binding contract put forth by a domain
name registrar that must be agreed to by the registrant before the registration
of a domain name can be processed.
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Domain Name System
A distributed database of information that is used to translate domain
names (which are easy for humans to remember and use) into Internet Protocol
(IP) numbers, which are what computers need to find each other on the Internet.
People working on computers around the globe maintain their specific portion
of this database, and the data held in each portion of the database is
made available to all computers and users on the Internet. The DNS comprises
computers, data files, software, and people working together.
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Domain Parking
Registries require the use of name servers or hosts for every domain registered.
In other words, every domain name has to be linked to a name server for
it to be valid. Some people do not have their own name servers, therefore
Domain Bank offers 'domain parking' (name parking) on its servers. It is
a convenient way to hold or 'park' domain name(s) for an extended amount
of time.
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Generic Top Level Domain
A top level domain name that is open to registrants around the world in
contrast to country code top level domains that are often restricted to
registrants located in a particular country or region. .com, .net and .org
are all considered to be generic top level domains.
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Hosting
This term can be used to refer to the housing of a web site, email or a
domain. See Email hosting and Web Site hosting for more details.
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ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a technical
coordination body for the Internet. Specifically, ICANN coordinates the
assignment of the following identifiers that must be globally unique for
the Internet to function:
- Internet
domain names IP address numbers
- Protocol
parameter and port numbers
In addition,
ICANN coordinates the stable operation of the Internet's
root server system.
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Intellectual
Property
Intellectual property is generally some sort of information or data that
is given the same consideration as goods and services in terms of legal
protection against infringement and copyrights.
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IP address
The numeric identification number that refers to a specific machine on
the Internet.
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IP number
IP stands for Internet protocol. A unique number consisting of 4 parts
separated by dots. Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique number,
which correlates to its domain name.
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InterNIC
InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center), is a registered service
mark of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The InterNIC, formerly responsible
for registering and maintaining the .com, .net and .org Top Level Domains
names is currently an informational Web site established to provide the
public with information about domain name registration. The site is accessible
at http://www.internic.net.
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ISP
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. An ISP provides access to the
Internet for others via some connectivity service(s). Examples of ISPs
include Earthlink, Mindspring, and WorldNet to name a few.
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Modify
Modify is a function where contact information or DNS information can be
updated to reflect new changes pertaining to a domain name. Administrative
and Technical Contacts have the ability to modify domain name information.
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Name Servers
A computer that performs the mapping of domain names to IP addresses. Sometimes
referred to as a host server.
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Name Service (Primary or
Secondary)
The domain name-to-Internet Protocol (IP) number resolution is known as
Name Service. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operate name servers
and provide their customers with name service when they register a domain
name. Domain Bank offers both primary and secondary name service for all
domain names registered through us.
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Primary Server
On Domain Bank's Domain Name Service Agreement, the section where the registrant
indicates the host name and Internet Protocol (IP) number of the name server
that will contain authoritative information for the domain name and will
be used to resolve that domain name to its corresponding IP number(s).
The designation of "primary" means that this name server will be used first
and will be relied upon before any of the other name servers that may be
listed on the Domain Name Service Agreement. The primary server section
of the Agreement is a required section and the domain name registration
will not be processed unless this section of the Domain Name Service Agreement
is completed properly.
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Propagation
Propagation is the amount of time required for a domain name's registration
and/or changes to DNS Information to be distributed throughout the Domain
Name System. New .com, .net and .org domain name registrations typically
require 24-72 hours to be updated on and propagate throughout the Internet's
13 root servers.
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Registrant
The entity, organization, or individual listed as the owner of the domain
name is also known as the registrant.
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Registrar
Any entity, organization, or individual that acts on behalf of a registrant
regarding domain name requests or modifies is known as a registrar. Some
registries require domain name requests go through a registrar. For .COM,
.NET, and .ORG names, Domain Bank is a registrar.
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Registration Term
The specified yearly increments Domain Bank requires for length of domain
name registration. The registration term may vary in length by TLD. E.G.
A .COM domain name must be registered for 1, 2, 5, or 10 years.
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Registry
The organization responsible for the actual administration and maintenance
of a top-level domain is known as the registry. The registry is where registrants
or registrars go for new or modify domain name requests.
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Registry Fees
Most TLD registries require initial registration fees as well as annual
or bi-annual renewal fees. Prices vary from cost-free to thousands of dollars
per domain depending on the TLD chosen. The most commonly registered names
are in the .COM, .NET, and .ORG domain and cost an initial fee of $70.00
USD, which covers the first two years. Renewal fees are $35.00 annually
after the first two years. Registry fees are outside of any Domain Bank
processing fee(s).
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Resolve
The term used to describe the process by which domain names are matched
with corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) numbers. "Resolution" is accomplished
by a combination of computers and software, referred to as name servers
that use the data in the Domain Name System to determine which IP numbers
correspond to a particular domain name.
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Root
The top of the Domain Name System (DNS) hierarchy. Often referred to as
the "dot."
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Renewal
Registration for most domain names needs to be renewed based on some scheduled
yearly interval. This gives the registrant (you) and the registry (the
administrator of the Top Level Domain) an opportunity to update contact
information and name registration. This usually includes payment of the
registration fee(s).
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Secondary Server
On Domain Bank's Domain Name Service Agreement, the section where the registrant
indicates the hostname and Internet Protocol (IP) number of a name server
that will contain authoritative data for the domain name being registered
and will resolve that domain name to its corresponding IP number(s). The
designation of "secondary" indicates that the name server will be used
in addition to and as a backup for the primary name server that is listed
on the Domain Name Service Agreement.
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Second Level Domain
In the Domain Name System (DNS), the next highest level of the hierarchy
underneath the Top Level Domains. Our domain name - Domain Bank.net - for
example is part of the Internet address for Domain Bank, Inc. The Domain
Bank part is the second level domain. Second level domain names are what
you register by or on behalf of registrants (or owners) in a Top Level
Domain registry.
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SSL
SSL is an acronym for "Secure Socket Layer", a security protocol that provides
communications privacy over the Internet. The protocol allows client/server
applications to communicate in a way that is designed to prevent eavesdropping,
tampering, or message forgery.
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Subdomain
A subdomain is a level of division of the domain name space. Every domain
names that exists on the Internet can be divided up into an infinite number
of subdomains. For example, in the URL name.domainbank.com, "name" is considered
a subdomain.
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Top Level Domain (TLD)
In the Domain Name System (DNS), the highest level of the hierarchy above
second level domains. Our domain name - DomainBank.com - for example is
part of the Internet address for Domain Bank, Inc. The Domain Bank part
is the second level domain while the .com is the Top Level Domain. Second
level domain names are what you register by or on behalf of registrants
(or name holders) in a Top Level Domain registry.
There are two types of Top Level Domains. The most common type is Generic
or gTLDs, such as .COM, .NET, .ORG. New gTLDs such as .NOM, .INFO, or .WEB
may be introduced sometime in the near future. The other type of TLD is
the ccTLD (country code top level domains) which are assigned to all countries
and their dependencies. Every TLD registry - generic or country code -
has its own prices, policies, and procedures that registrants (name holders)
in that registry are subject to. It is important to know and be prepared
to accept these before registering name(s) in a particular registry.
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Transfer (Domain Name transfer)
Domain names can be sold to another organization or sometimes the name
of a company might change. Most registries require a process by which permission
from the old owner to hand over control to the new owner is authorized.
The procedure for change of ownership is known a Transfer. Policies and
procedures on domain name transfer can vary from registry to registry.
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Web Host
The server where your web site's html files, graphics, etc. reside is known
as the web host.
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Whois
Whois is a term referring to a domain name search feature for a database
- typically for Top-Level Domain name registries. Information such as name
availability can be found through a query or search using a whois protocol
(standard). Most Top-Level Domain registries maintain their own whois database
containing domain name contact information.
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Zone file
The group of files that reside on the domain host or name server. The zone
file designates a domain, its sub-domains, and mail server.
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Domain Name Registration, Domain Name Search and New Domains
are offered by Domain Bank, an approved ICANN Registrar. Register a Domain
today!
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