Domain Registration and Domain Name Management

Basic Information

• When you request that we register a domain name on your behalf, you will be the owner of the domain name (also called the domain name "Registrant"). We will register the domain in your name.
• How can I find out if a domain name is available for registration?
• Use our domain name search tool by clicking Here
• After registering a domain it typically takes between 24-72 hours for the domain to fully propagate and become accessible on the internet. This is the normal internet propagation time.
• If you had us register a domain name on your behalf, we'll begin sending you renewal notices a month before your domain name is set to expire.

What is a DNS transfer?

A DNS transfer is the pointing of your domain name to different nameservers. If you have us register your domain name on your behalf, we will automatically point the domain name to our nameservers.

If the domain name is already registered, you'll need to point the domain name to our nameservers in order for users to find your site on our servers by visiting the domain name in a browser. The domain must also be pointed to our nameservers before your email accounts on our mail server will function.

How Long Will It Take For My Site To Show?

• If you are registering a new domain name the site will be available immediately after your order is set up.
• If you are pointing the nameservers to us it can take anywhere from 4 to 48 hours for the changes to completely propagate throughout the Internet.
• If you are transferring a domain to us we recommend changing the nameservers before making the transfer. (Domain Registration Transfers can take from 7 to 10 days to complete but nameserver changes will still take effect while your domain is transferring)

What is DNS Propagation?

DNS propagation is the process in which new server information is updated in throughout the Internet. Since Internet Service Providers cache all DNS information and only update it every few days there is a delay when you make changes to the nameservers for your site. When your site has fully propagated it means that the new information has been updated on all DNS servers on the web and your site will be viewable by anyone on the web.

Check to see if Domain Name is Available

Use our domain name search tool by clicking Here

Registrant contact information validation

• Any domain that is registered or transferred to Hostek will need to be validated upon the purchase or transfer of a domain name or if the registrant's first name or last name has been modified. Should any of these occur, our registrar "OpenSRS" will send an email requiring an affirmative response from the registrant (customer). Failing to receive an affirmative response from the registrant within 15 days will result in the suspension of the name. The name will subsequently be placed on 'ClientHold' status, taking the domain (and related services) offline. If a registrant has already validated their contact information, this process will not be initiated.

How to update your Contact Information for your domain registration

1. Log into your billing control panel at https://cp.hostek.com
2. Click on Domains
3. Click on My Domains
4. Click on the Wrench icon to the right of the domain to update
5. Click Contact Information on the left navigation
6. Edit information and click Save Changes button at bottom of screen

How to Register A Domain Name

1. To register a new domain name, you'll first have to log into your billing account at cp.hostek.com.
2. Once logged in, click the Domain tab from the navigation bar at the top of the page.
3. In the drop down, click the Register a New Domain link under the Renew Domain. This will take you to a page where you can enter the domain name you wish to register and check for its availability. If the domain shows it is available, click the Continue button to proceed with the order.
4. At this point you can choose whether or not to add ID protection to your order. If you choose to add ID protection, then your contact information will not displayed when a WHOIS lookup is performed on the domain name. This page also lets you choose what name servers you want the domain to use. By default, the system will fill this in with the correct name servers for your hosting plan. If you manage your DNS elsewhere though, this will let you fill in the appropriate name servers. When you click the "Update Cart" button on this page, you'll be taken to the shopping cart.
5. On the shopping cart page, you'd click the Checkout button and verify your billing information and choose the payment type. After you complete the order, you'll need to pay the Invoice that is generated in the My Invoices section of your account. Once the invoice is paid, our team will register the domain for you and send a confirmation email once complete.

Domain Extensions and Registration, Transfer, and Renewal Fees

• Domain Registration, Transfer and Renewal fees can be found at our site Here

• To see if a domain is available for registration or transfer or use our domain name search tool by clicking Here

Information on .Pro

• The .pro domains must be at least 4 characters long.
• http://registry.pro/pro/eligibility.shtml

1. PRO is an exclusive top-level domain reserved for use exclusively by licensed business and service professionals and entities internationally. All applicants meeting the following qualifications may register a .PRO domain name:

• Provides professional services
• Admitted to or licensed by a government certification body or jurisdictional licensing entity recognized by a governmental body that regularly verifies the accuracy of its data
• In good standing with the licensing authority
• In addition, registrants will be asked to provide the following information related to their professional eligibility:
• Identification
• Contact information
• Profession-specific information such as license number
• To register your .PRO domain name today, please contact one of our authorized registrars
• http://registry.pro/pro/products.shtml (Listed below.)

1. What information will RegistryPro require from me to activate my domain?

• You will need to provide:
  • Your name
  • Your profession
  • Your jurisdictional country
  • Your licensing authority
  • Your license number
  • A link to your licensing authority's Web site

Information on .IT

• If you live in, or your business is in Italy you must provide the Registrant Fiscal Code
• If you live in, or your business is within a country in the European Union you must enter the Identity Document Number, or the numbers on an official form of identification.

Transferring a .co.uk

• In order to transfer a .UK domain to our registrar, you must first contact your current Registrar and ask them to change the IPS Tag to “TUCOWS-CA“.
• If the current Registrar is unable or unwilling to make the change, please contact Nominet directly (http://www.nominet.org.uk) and they will help make the change.

Transfer Your Domain Name from Another Registrar

1. Unlock the domain at the other registrars.
2. After unlocking the domain, make sure your contact information for the domain is up-to-date and that any WhoIS Privacy/Protection is temporarily turned off.
3. Next you'll need to obtain the EPP (transfer authorization) your current registrar. Most registrars have a way to retrieve the code via your online account, but if you do not see this option then contact them directly.
4. Once you have the EPP code, log in to your Hostek.com billing account at http://cp.hostek.com
5. Enter the domain name you wish to transfer in the text box labeled Check Availability of a New Domain, then hit the green Transfer button.
6. On the next page, click the 'Click to Continue' link
7. Here you will enter the domain's EPP code, and if you wish, select the option for ID Protection. Also, be sure to enter your Hostek.com name servers if you want the domain to point to our servers after the transfer completes.
8. Now you will be shown your order details. Please verify they are correct and click the 'Check Out' button to place the order. When you pay the invoice that is generated, our Sales team will verify the order details and initiate the domain name transfer.
9. After our team initiates the domain name transfer, you will receive a transfer approval email at the email address you specified in the domain's contact details. (The approval email is sent from OpenSRS.com, our registrar)
10. You will need to approve the email from OpenSRS.com and re-enter the EPP code if they ask you to. The domain name transfer will complete within 7-14 days after you approve the transfer.

Transfer Your Domain to a Different Registrar

A registrar transfer is the moving a domain name from one registrar to another. A registrar is the company that actually registers a domain name.

1. You will need to log into your billing control panel at https://cp.hostek.com
2. Click on the domains drop-down menu and click "My Domains".
3. Scroll down to your domain name and click "Manage Domain"
4. Click the "Registrar Lock" tab, then click the "Disable Registrar Lock" button.
5. Click on the "Management Tools" drop-down menu and select "Contact Information"
6. You will need to update the Admin contact email address to an email address that you can receive emails at and click "Save Changes".
7. Click "Managenemt Tools" drop-down and select "Get EPP Code". This will display the EPP code that you will need to provide to the registrar you are transferring to.
8. Once you have initiated the transfer with the registrar and provided the EPP code you will receive a transfer approval email at the email address you specified.

How to update domain nameservers in client account

1. You will need to log into your billing control panel at http://cp.hostek.com.
2. Click on My Domains, in the Domains tab at the menu bar.
3. Click on the Manage Domain tab to the right side of the domain (The wrench icon.).
4. Click on the Register Lock, then the Disable Register Lock tab.
5. Next, click on Nameservers, update the Nameservers and click one the Change Nameservers tab.
6. You will then need to lock the domain back at the "Register Lock location.

• NOTE: The registrar lock must be unchecked to make these changes.

How to use DNS/Domain Management

• IMPORTANT: Domain Management is NOT necessary if you already have a Hosting Plan with us for this Domain. If you do, you'll want to modify your DNS inside of your WCP or cPanel
• To enable Registrar-level DNS Services for a domain, you will need to purchase our $10.00/year DNS Management Addon. You can do this by contacting the Sales or Support Department.

1. Login to your Client Area: https://cp.hostek.com/
2. Go to "Domains", and click on "My Domains"
3. Click on the Wrench icon next to your domain.
4. In the left-hand side menu click on "Nameservers":
5. Switch your Nameservers to the following:
   1. ns1.systemdns.com
   2. ns2.systemdns.com
   3. ns3.systemdns.com
6. In the left-hand side menu click on "DNS Management".
7. Here you can Add and Manage your DNS Records and URL Redirections.
8. Click on "Save Changes" once you're done with your modifications.

Here is an example:

Register Nameservers

If you registered your domain name with Hostek and want to register your own nameservers.

1. Create A records pointing to the IP address of the DNS servers you will mirror.
   • Example: ns1.your-domian.com (Name) >> A (Record Type) >> 123.123.123.123 (ip address)
2. Submit a support request for the login details for manually editing your registration information including the control to register Name Servers and reference this article.

Unlocking Domains at other registrars - Video Tutorials

Transferring domain names away from 000domains.com

Transferring domain names away from 123-reg.co.uk

Transferring domain names away from 1and1.com

Transferring domain names away from domainsite.com

Transferring domain names away from dotster.com

Transferring domain names away from dynadot.com

Transferring domain names away from enom.com

Transferring domain names away from godaddy.com

Transferring domain names away from itsyourdomain.com

Transferring domain names away from melbourneit.com.au

Transferring domain names away from namebargain.com

Transferring domain names away from namecheap.com

Transferring domain names away from netfirms.ca

Transferring domain names away from networksolutions.com

Transferring domain names away from opensrs.com

Transferring domain names away from registerfly.com

Transferring domain names away from register.com

Transferring domain names away from stargate.com

Renewing Your Domain Name

1. Log in to your Client Area here: https://cp.hostek.com/

• If you have or want to have Auto Renew Enabled for your domain, follow these steps:
  1. Auto Renew will only work with a PayPal Subscription or a valid Credit Card on file. Auto Renew does not work with the normal PayPal Payment Method. Please see the below instructions on both options:
     • PayPal Subscription:
       1. Please refer to our PayPal Subscription Wiki on how to check or setup this.
       2. Double-check to see if you have Auto Renew Enabled. Here is our Auto Renew Wiki on how to do this.
       3. Wait for your Domain Renewal to be automatically renewed on its own.
       4. Alternatively, you can manually pay for the invoice anyway. The invoice is generated 14 days before the Due Date.
     • Credit Card:
       1. Double-check that you have a valid Credit Card on file. Here is our Add and Edit Credit Card Wiki on how to do this.
       2. Double-check to see if you have Auto Renew Enabled. Here is our Auto Renew Wiki on how to do this.
       3. .#Wait for your Domain Renewal to be automatically renewed on its own.
       4. Alternatively, you can manually pay for the invoice anyway. The invoice is generated 14 days before the Due Date.
• Follow these steps if you want to pay manually for your domain before the normal invoice is generated 14 days before the Due Date:
  1. Click on Domain Registrations
  2. Click on the Wrench icon--or "Manage Domain".
  3. In the left-hand menu, click on "Renew".
  4. Select the amount of years you would like to prepay for and then click "Add to Cart" and "Go to Checkout".
  5. This will create an invoice which you will need to go and pay to have the domain renewed.
  6. Click on "Billing" and select "My Invoices"
  7. Click on the invoice that is regarding your Domain Renewal
  8. Follow the prompts to finish the process.

How to Disable Auto Renew for your Domain Registration

First you'll need to log in to your Client Area(https://cp.hostek.com/) and review the notices below:

1. If Auto Renew is disabled for a domain, you will need to manually renew the domain each time it is up for renewal, here is how:
   1. In your Client Area you will click on "Domains Registrations"
   2. Click on "My Domains"
   3. Click on the Wrench icon or "Manage Domain"
   4. In the left-hand menu, click on "Renew".
   5. Select the amount of years you would like to prepay for and then click "Add to Cart" and "Go to Checkout".
   6. This will create an invoice which you will need to go and pay to have the domain renewed.
   7. Click on "Billing" and select "My Invoices"
   8. Click on the invoice that is regarding your Domain Renewal
   9. Follow the prompts to finish the process.
2. Once Auto Renew is Disabled an invoice will not generate for the domain and it will Expire.
3. If you have disabled Auto Renew within 14 days of the Due Date and you would like to Renew the domain name, please follow the instructions below:
   • Re-Enabling Auto Renew won't take care of the domain in this situation, but you might consider turning it back on to help in the future. To do this, please see our Auto Renew Wiki.
   1. In your Client Area you will click on "Domains Registrations"
   2. Click on "My Domains"
   3. Click on the Wrench icon or "Manage Domain"
   4. In the left-hand menu, click on "Renew".
   5. Select the amount of years you would like to prepay for and then click "Add to Cart" and "Go to Checkout".
   6. This will create an invoice which you will need to go and pay to have the domain renewed.
   7. Click on "Billing" and select "My Invoices"
   8. Click on the invoice that is regarding your Domain Renewal
   9. Follow the prompts to finish the process.

• If you've read all of the notices and would still like to disable Auto Renew for your Domain Registration, please see our Auto Renew Wiki to do this.

Domain Redemption Period

1. If a domain expires it may still be maintained in the registration database for 40 days, which is known as the Grace Period. The domain can be renewed in the Grace Period at the normal renewal price for your TLD.
   • During this time all services related to this domain (such as hosting or email) will not be available due to the domain being unavailable.
2. After the Grace Period it will be deactivated and placed into the 30-day Redemption Period.
   • If your domain is in the Redemption Period and you need to have it renewed. The price to get a Domain Name out of the redemption phase is $110.00 USD.
   • Here is our Shopping Link to pay for your domain's redemption cost: https://cp.hostek.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=444
3. 1-5 days after the Redemption Period ends, the domain should be available for Registration by the public.

Domain Registration Information vs. Domain Hosting Information

• Note: This mostly applies to those who have ordered their Registration through Hostek.com.

1. Domain Registration Information and your Domain's Hosting Information are completely separate; and must be maintained two different ways.
   • Registration Information is kept at the Registrar level. Depending on your privacy settings, it is set up much like a Phone Book entry, in that it is Public Ownership Information. Available to lookup around the internet.
   • Your Hosting Information with Hostek.com is kept within our own secure Billing System.
2. Here are the respective processes to update each:
   • Registration Information
     
   • Hosting Information
     

Push Domains

• This option means that domains registered in one Opensrs reseller account can be transferred over to another Opensrs reseller without being renewed for another year.
• In order for another reseller to push domains to our account, we need to authorize that reseller by adding their username to our allow list. Without this, any attempt to push domains to your account will fail.
• If you are transferring 1 - 10 domains from the reseller you are under to ours we can handle this for you. All we need is your resellers username and you will need ours. Please request and provide this information in a ticket by sending a email to support@hostek.com
• If you are transferring over 10 domains to us you will need to order each one from your client control panel at https://cp.hostek.com/clientarea.php. (If there is more then 10 you will have to order each domain separately and each one will be charged as a renewal and renewed for another year.)
• If you have a reseller account please contact us about our sub-reseller program.

How to get the EPP code

An EPP code is the authorization code that will allow you to initiate a transfer of your domain name from another registrar. Each registrar handles these slightly different. Here is the general process:

• Login to your current registrar that your domain is currently registered at
• Find the domain management section
• Make sure your domain name is unlocked
• Make sure that the admin contact email address is set to something that you have access too
• Now request EPP code (authorization code). You should have a button or a link in the domain management section to do so
• The registrar will email the EPP code to the admin contact email address that is set for your domain.
• If you have problems obtaining it, please contact your registrar.

How to order multiple years of Domain Registration

• Note: If you currently have a due invoice for the Domain's Registration, please contact support to get this cancelled. (https://support.hostek.com/ or email support@hostek.com)

1. Firstly, you'll want to log in to your Client Area (here: https://cp.hostek.com/)
2. Click on Domains.
3. Select Renew Domains.
4. And then select the amount of years you wish to pay for from the drop-down menu on the right-side of the Domain Name.
5. Click the Order Now button.

Order Requirements

• In order to have a product with us, the domain name's structure must be completely lowercase.