Registering Domains

To add a new domain name to your account:

1. Select Add New Domain in the Domain Settings menu.
2. Choose the type of domain you want to register.

You can choose out of the following options:

• Register a standard domain
• Transfer a domain to Enom or OpenSRS
• Host an existing domain
• Create a domain based on a provider's domain name (third level domain)
• Host a website without a domain name
• Park an external domain
• Create an account without any domain
• Renew a registered domain

Registering Standard (Second Level) Domains

To create a new standard domain (.com, .net, .org, etc.), enter your desired domain name into the field in the first form omitting the www part:

To its right, select the top level domain: com, .org, .net, etc., then enter your contact and billing information. Based on these data, the system generates a domain registration request and submits it to the domain registration company.

in H-Sphere 3.1 and up: go through subsequent steps that allow you to configure new domain as:

• Full-featured web/mail hosting domain
• Web hosting/mail service alias for an existing domain
• Domain without web hosting/mail service to be considered later either for hosting or for aliasing

Transfering Domains

Transfer domain already registered from outside your CP with any registrar to OpenSRS or to Enom (the latter is added in HS 2.5+). This will update domain's info and change its DNS servers in the OpenSRS or Enom databases to the H-Sphere ones.

Transfered domains are registered with OpenSRS or Enom for the period chosen at transfer plus the time remaining from registration with original registrar.

Note: You can't transfer domains that are already in use in the system. Nor can you transfer third level domains if they use a second level domain owned by another user.

in H-Sphere 3.1 and up: go through subsequent steps that allow you to configure new domain as:

• Full-featured web/mail hosting domain
• Web hosting/mail service alias for an existing domain
• Domain without web hosting/mail service to be considered later either for hosting or for aliasing

Hosting of Existing Domains

Choose this option to host a domain registered outside H-Sphere if:

1. you prefer to contact the registrar personally rather than apply changes automatically;
2. you would like to register a non-standard or regional domain, which can't be registered automatically (e.g. your_domain.de);
3. you prefer a different registrar than the one used by your hosting provider.

In either case, you need to make sure that the domain name is valid. Enter it into the box, omitting the www. part.

Following the registration you will get an e-mail notification with the information to send to your domain name registration company. They will make appropriate changes on the root DNS servers, and within a couple of days your domain will be accessible at the new IP address. Right after registering the domain in your user CP, your site will be available by the instant domain alias.

Domain registration is a standard procedure. First, you purchase a domain name from a domain registration company. Second, you register this domain name with your web hosting provider and get your new IP address. It is only then that your site becomes available to all Internet community. This is true for both standard and nonstandard domains. In case of standard domain names, however, the registration process is automated.

in H-Sphere 3.1 and up: go through subsequent steps that allow you to configure new domain as:

• Full-featured web/mail hosting domain
• Web hosting/mail service alias for an existing domain
• Domain without web hosting/mail service to be considered later either for hosting or for aliasing

Creating Domains Based on Your Provider's Domain Names (Third Level Domains)

Third level domains are registered on your provider's DNS server. You don't need to register a third level domain with a domain registration company. If you choose to create a third level domain, it will contain your provider's domain name. E.g. if your provider's domain name is besthosting.com, and the third level domain you are registering is mythirdlevel, the fully qualified domain name would be mythirdlevel.besthosting.com.

Third level domain registration is available only if it is allowed under the selected plan. Functionally, third level domains have same features as second level domains.

To register a third level domain name, enter the desired domain name in the Domain name field. From the box on the right, select provider's domain name where you would like to create the third level domain:

Hosting Sites Without Domain Names

You can also host sites without domain names (the so-called stop-gap domains). When you create a stopgap domain, you get no DNS zone, and you cannot use e-mail service. However, you will be able to access and manage your site using the instant domain alias you get at signup.

Stopgap domains support web site management and FTP services. Also, you can have IP-only access if you get a dedicated IP.

To create a stopgap domain, just click the Submit button in the Stopgap domain registration form:

Parking External Domains

This feature allows you to use H-Sphere DNS server to map IPs to domain names serviced and hosted on other servers (not those of H-Sphere). In this case, a DNS zone is created with a custom DNS A record for the domain name and its IP is entered in the form below:

Creating Accounts Without Domains

At signup, you can create an account without any domain. If you choose this option, your account will have FTP and disk space. But you won't have:

• DNS zone
• Virtual and Anonymous FTP
• Mail service
• ODBC support

You can create a domain to this account later in the future.

Domain Renewal

Domains transfered or registered from your H-Sphere control panel with a domain registrar need to be renewed when the registration period expires. In your account you can choose between manual and automatic renew modes.

Manual Renew Mode

With Manual renew mode, you will be warned about domain expiration in advance, so that you can renew the domain on time. To renew your domain manually:

1. Go to your CP Domain Settings/Domain info menu, and click the domain name link.
2. On the page that appears in section Domain Renew Mode, click the Renew domain link.

   

3. Choose a domain renewal period in the form, you will be taken to.

   

4. Press Submit and agree to charges, if any.

Automatic Renew Mode

If you have opted for an Automatic Renew Mode, the domain will be automatically renewed the number of years, you specified when choosing the Domain Renew Mode. The charges for a renewal will be made according to your plan settings.