Information on Domain Names: Multiple domain hosting, Domain
parking, Sub domains, WhoIs Record, Domain Renewal
by: Priyanka Agarwal
It’s been two years since John started his online business. He is very much
satisfied with his current web host whose services he acquired one year ago.
Today John is relaxing in his chair and thinking about the initial days when he
spent many hours on the Internet collecting information related to web hosting.
Like him there are many John’s out there who are in search of information
everyday, visiting this and that website hoping to find the most illuminating
advice. The problem is that common topics of interest can be found on most of
the websites whereas other relevant issues are not dealt with everywhere. This
article is going to touch on one of those areas: various concerns related with
domain names.
What is multiple domain hosting?
Many times you will see that a web host offers multiple domain hosting. In
simpler words it means that on buying an account you will have the ability to
get multiple websites. For instance, if the plan provides you with five domain
names, you can use one domain for your website and you will still have four
domain names leftover to use. The advantage of this scenario is that you can
resell these four domain names to your clients.
What is Domain Parking?
If you are planning to build up a website and have decided on a name for it
you then must purchase that domain name from a domain registrar: i.e. your
domain name gets placed on a name server so that you can use it later on. This
is known as domain parking. Even if your website content is not ready, it’s
better to park your desired domain name. Otherwise, it might be possible that in
future somebody else acquires that particular domain name.
What are sub domains?
Sub domains are ‘third level’ domains in the sense that they are used solely
to organize your website content. They are simply folders under your root
directory, but to access them a special URL is used.
For instance, http://www.m6.net
is a regular URL without a sub domain.
http://features.m6.net is an
URL with the sub domain name: "features".
Here the:
.net: is the first level domain,
m6: is the second level domain,
features: is the third level domain
For how long does a domain name belong to you?
Generally when you register a domain name it is registered for a minimum of
one year. However, you can register it for more years, as there is no hard and
fast rule as such.
What is Domain Renewal?
After one year you need to renew your domain name so that your website
doesn’t get lost. Generally when your domain is about to expire your domain
registrar will send you a reminder mail regarding the domain renewal.
What happens when your domain name expires?
When your domain name expires you can renew it within one month. If you don’t
renew it in this period it goes into a redemption phase. It stays in this
redemption phase for 15 to 30 days before it is then available for purchase
again at a normal price. Getting a domain name out of redemption phase is like
buying fifty domains as it can cost around $200!
How to find out the owner of a domain name?
To find out the owner of a domain name, use the WhoIs search tool on the
Internet .For E.g. Go to
http://centralops.net/co/ and type the domain name under Domain Dossier. It
will show you the name of the registrant/domain’s owner/web host.
What is WhoIs record?
WhoIS record is a domain name search engine/Internet program where users can
enter an Internet entity (e.g. a domain, a network, some hosts) and it will give
detailed information on the domain registrar, the owner of the domain, and
respective DNS records.
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