Definitions
What is the internet?
The Internet is a network of computers which send and receive information from each other. These computers are located all over the world. The two principal name spaces in the Internet are Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and the Domain Name System (DNS). Both of these are maintained by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
What is an IP address?
IP addresses (also known as Internet Protocol addresses) are the principal communications protocols for the Internet. There are currently two types:
- IPv4 - a combination of four sets of numbers separated by periods (for example, 207.44.214.87)
- IPv6 - represented as eight groups of four hexadecimal numbers separated by colons (for example, 2001:0db8:0000:0042:0000:8a2e:0370:7334)
The latter was introduced because IPv4 has been exhausted due to the rapid growth of the Internet, since each computer connected to the Internet has a unique IP address. An IP address is used as the computer's ID on the Internet so it can send and receive information from other computers on the network. While computers can store, recall, and work with multiple numbers very easily, humans have trouble remembering random series of numbers.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is essentially a name for an IP address of a website. Since IP addresses consist of a combination of numbers, domain names are a way for people to remember where a website can be found without having to memorize combinations of numbers and periods. We offer two type of top-level domains (TLDs), such as the most popular .com and .net
What is a subdomain?
A subdomain is a subset of a domain name. A domain name typically consists of a top-level domain (TLD) also known as a domain extension (such as .COM) and a second-level domain (SLD). For example, our domain name is 2-5.org with "2-5" as our SLD and .COM as our TLD. An example of a subdomain would be example.2-5.org with "example" being the subdomain.
What is a domain transfer?
A domain transfer is a process in which a domain is moved from one domain registrar to another registrar. There are many reasons why users of a domain may choose to transfer their domain to another registrar: price, quality of customer service, and ease of use.
What is a domain renewal?
A domain renewal extends your ownership of your domain name by another year or more. When you register a domain, the registration typically only lasts 1 year (though some domains offer registrations up to 10 years if you choose). This means that you have to renew the domain on a yearly basis if you want to remain the owner of that domain.
What are name servers?
A name server is a server that returns an IP address when given a domain name. This IP address is basically the domain's location on the Internet.
What is DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System (The "S" in DNS can also stand for Service or Server). It specifies how domain names are translated into IP addresses. Since the Internet is based on IP addresses, each time you use a domain name, a DNS server must translate the name into the correct IP address. A DNS server is a computer which takes in a domain name and returns the correct IP address for the domain. This IP address represents the domain's actual location on the Internet.
What is IANA?
IANA is an acronym for the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, one of the Internet's oldest institutions. IANA is responsible for managing the root zone of the Domain Name System (DNS), coordinating global Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation, and managing IP numbering systems. Basically, they take care of maintaining and managing the technical functions that keep the Internet running smoothly. IANA's services are provided by Public Technical Identifiers (PTI), an affiliate of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Learn more about them on their website, iana.org
What is ICANN and what do they do?
ICANN is the acronym for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which is a non-profit organization that is in charge of maintaining and coordinating the Internet, namely the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and the Domain Name System (DNS)
What is a domain registrar?
A domain registrar is a company that has a direct connection with central registries so they can offer domain registrations on various top-level domains (TLDs). For example, in order to offer registrations on .COM, a domain registrar has to be accredited with the central registry of that TLD - in this case, Verisign
What is a top-level domain (TLD)?
A top-level domain (TLD) is the part of a domain name to the right of the dot. For example, our domain name is 2-5.org and .org is our TLD. There are several types of top-level domains: generic, country, sponsored, and geographical. Generic TLDs or gTLDs include .COM, .NET, .ORG, and many more. These types of TLDs are available to everyone.
What is a restricted TLD?
A restricted TLD is a top-level domain (TLD) whose registration is limited to people or entities that satisfy certain criteria. Both generic TLDs (gTLDs) and country codes (ccTLDs) can have restrictions. It is up to the TLD's registry to implement restrictions and decide on the criteria for those restrictions.
What is an IP lookup?
An IP lookup shows the IP status of your domain and will tell you if your changes to the name server settings have been propagated or not. If it says "Pending Zone Update" at the top, that means your new name server settings have not propagated through the system yet. You will have to wait for your website to become visible. If there is a "None" in red in any of the entries for your name servers, that means that name server is online, but does not recognize your domain in its domain list. You need to contact your web host and ask them if your domain has been added to the name servers' domain list. If there is a red "No response" in any of the entries for your name servers, that means the name server is not even accepting web requests and is probably offline. You need to contact your web host and let them know that your name servers are not online.
What are whois contact records?
Contact records are collections of contact information created to be displayed in the public Whois directory.