Domain Name RegistrationYour online presence starts here

A domain name facilitates access to a website and replace an IP address (for example, 184.107.111.97) or a complex site address (for example, http://myhostingprovider.com/mysite). The use of a domain name allows an easier access for your customers and users to your website.

We currently offer the following top-level domains (TLD): .com, .ca, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .be, .in, .co.uk, .eu, .quebec, .bz, .cc, .me, .tv, .ws, .co, .com.co, .net.co, .nom.co, .com.mx and .mx! We will progressively expand the number of available TLDs we can provide in time.

Transferring a domain from another registrar will require the following:

• Your domain is active (not expired)
• Your domain is unlocked
• You have access to the domain's administrative contact email address (if you do not, make sure you change that email before submitting a transfer request)
• You have the authentication code (EPP) of the domain

Please note that a transfer process can take up to 7 days to be completed once.

Start your domain name transfert now!

Domain information is public through whois requests. This is usually not a problem for companies that want their information made public over the web. But if you are an individual that has a website for personal use and whose only address is home, you might not want personal information to be displayed. Want to secure it? The Privacy Protection feature was made for this.

Let's face it. Many of the simple, easy to remember domain names have already been taken. So what do you do? The only thing you can really do is: be imaginative! If yourdomain.com is not available, how about .net? or .ca? Sometimes, you could use plural or review your approach and choose an original domain name extension.

When a domain name reaches its expiry date, it goes through a series of statuses before it is liberated entirely. As the owner of a domain that reaches its expiry, you can retrieve the domain easily in the first 40 days. Then there are certain modalities to go through, depending how interesting your domain might be. More details below.

Day 0 to day -40: Domain has expired, but is within Grace Period

If a domain name has expired, but is still within the 40 day Grace Period, the top of the web page may display a renewal reminder message three days after the expiry date. During the Grace Period, the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant, and the WHOIS information continues to display the registrant's information (or WHOIS Privacy, if applicable).

It is still available for renewal by the current domain owner for 40 days.

Day -40 to day -70: Domain not renewed during Grace Period, but is within Redemption Period

After the 40 day Grace Period, if the domain name has not been renewed, it may be queued for deletion and eventually dropped or auctioned off.

During this period, if the domain name is not in the Live Auction (meaning no one has shown interest in the domain), the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant. The WHOIS information displays a Contact Privacy address.

The fees to recuperate a domain in the redemption period are 120$ for all domains, except .CA domains that are 35$. These prices include the domain renewal.

Important: Once the domain name is queued to enter the Live Auction, it cannot be redeemed by the original registrant. This means that the only way to recuperate the domain is to bid on the domain in the Live Auction.

Day -70 to day -75: Domain is dropped

After the Redemption Period, if the domain name has not been auctioned off and acquired by another party, it is dropped and made available for re-registration by the general public. Anyone who wants to buy the domain name after that must contact the new registrant.

If you wish to have your own ns1.yourdomain.com / ns2.yourdomain.com, you can! This is useful for resellers that do not want to specify their own web hosting provider's evident DNS (such as ns1.panelbox.net). This will make your clientele feel that your are in control of all their hosting needs. You will need to complete the following tasks:

• Go to your DNS Zonefile and create the subdomains of your choice. Usually, the standard is ns1 and ns2. You will have to know to what IP address you are supposed to be pointing to for your Name Servers. If you are hosted on our Panelbox Servers, for example, you would have the following entries:
  • ns1 IN A 72.55.186.20
  • ns2 IN A 184.107.100.20
• Go to the domain client interface, and find the Personalized Name Servers section. Fill in the same information

You can now use your own personalized Name Servers for your domains

DNS stands for Domain Name System. They are what will translate a domain name into an IP. Because domain names are alphabetic, they are easier to remember. The Internet however, is really based on IP addresses. Every time you use a domain name, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.funio.com translates to 184.107.111.97

A DNS zone refers to a certain portion or administrative space within the global Domain Name System (DNS). All entries within a domain's zone, such as subdomains (sub.domain.com), or an MX record (which specifies the server location of emails) are within this zone. Where is this located? It depends what DNS you are using. We offer certain alternatives ourselves: our own hosting space or our managed DNS at the registry level. The zones are accessible through the hosting platform's management interface, or through the domain management interface accordingly. Here is a visual example of a DNS Zone file:

.com

The name is derived from the word commercial and was meant for commercial use. However registration restrictions were never enforced and the domain is now a general purpose name space. Although there are no official restrictions, the registrant and admin contact must contain a business name for which the .com is registered for.

.ca

.ca is the internet country code for Canada. The registrant must have a Canadian presence to register a .ca domain name.

.biz

The .biz domain space is a phonetical abbreviation of the word business, and is meant to be registered for businesses. No prior restriction on registration, but registrations can be challenged if the registrant is not a bona-fide commercial entity.

.be

.be is the internet country code for Belgium. However, .be is an open registry; you do not have to be a Belgium resident or business operator to register this domain. Can only be registered for 1 year at a time.

.eu

.eu is the internet country code for the European Union. Registrants must be located within the EEA.