Registration
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What do I
need to do before I can have a Website at Online AccessTM?
First, decide on and register your domain name through
Online AccessTM. Online AccessTM handles
all the technical issues of registering your domain name
and initially setting up your server space. Otherwise,
all you need is Internet access from either a local provider
or a national online service (such as AOL, CompuServe,
etc.). All of these services provide you with access
to the Internet, which includes World Wide Web access
(to see your pages) and FTP, or File Transfer Protocol,
to upload your information to your Website disk space
at Online AccessTM. |
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What does the IP# in my Welcome Email Mean?
If you have already transferred your Website
pages via FTP to your site, you may view your new Online Access site in your Internet browser by using the IP# included in your Welcome Email. Online Access gives you this
address so that you can view your site while registration of your
new or transferred domain name is being completed,
and propagation of the new domain has been updated
across all Internet Domain Name Servers. To view
your site while this registration and propagation is
taking place, simply type the following
into your browser http://IP#.
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What is a
domain name?
A domain name is your address on the Internet. It is
linked to a numerical address called an IP address (e.g.
209.235.31.171). A domain name server is used to translate
a domain name into an IP address. Domain names consist
of two parts: the actual name, and the hierarchy to which
it belongs. The hierarchies available for public use
are .com, .net, and .org. |
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How do I
get my own domain name?
When you sign up for an account at Online AccessTM. You
first decide on the domain name you want, and
check its availability. If the chosen name is available,
you will need to complete a simple online registration
form and submit it tous. If you are parking a domain
name you can use our domain parking wizard to register
and park your domain name. Visit http://www.onlineacc.com/domainparking.html. |
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Can I register
for .org, .net, .ca, & .us domain extensions
as well? What are the restrictions?
Yes, we will process your request for .org and .net in
the same manner as .com domain names. However, there
are certain restrictions regarding other domain extensions,
such as country code Top Level Domains (ccTLD) like .ca,
.us, etc. Country code domains are country-specific. Today
there are 192 countries that accept registrations--each
with very different registration requirements. Some
country-specific domains are restricted where applicants
must meet strict local presence, tax, or trademark guidelines
in order to register. Other country-specifc domains
are unrestricted and allow anyone from anywhere to register
in their domain on a first come, first serve basis. |
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Can I get
a domain such as: anything.domain.com?
This is called a sub-domain. Yes, you can get a sub-domain
for your domain name. If you want the sub domain to point
to the same site as your main domain, see the KB below
regarding domain aliases. |
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I own other
domain names that I want to point toward my Online Access domain. Can I do this?
Absolutely. If you wish to use a domain name simply to
point to your main domain name hosted by Online Access,
you may do so for a nominal fee by contacting Online AccessTM Support at (888) 818-0444.
However, if you require any services for the domain name
other than simply pointing to another domain name, you
must establish a new account for the domain name. |
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What is the
policy on trademarks?
Network Solutions has taken a hands-off approach to handling
prior and pending trademark names when registering new
domain names. Keep in mind that Network Solutions does
not do any research, so it may register a trademarked
name to you. But it will be up to the courts to decide
if your domain name could belong to another company or
user.
In most trademark cases, an infringement can take place
with names that sound alike, words that are spelled in
a slightly different way, etc. Do your own research and
use common sense when picking a name for your site. Clearly,
you don't want to lose your domain name after you have
promoted it.
Any alleged or actual intellectual property infringement
may lead to your site being suspended or terminated;
see the Acceptable Use and Service Guidelines for
more detail. |
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Who owns
the domain name that I register with Online AccessTM?
You do. When you register the domain name through Online AccessTM, you will be designated as the administrative
and billing contact. If anyone tries to move the domain
or change any information on the form, you will be contacted
first by the registrar. Online AccessTM will
be listed as the technical and zone contacts on the domain. |
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How long
will it take to activate my domain name?
Once confirmation that your domain name registration
has been approved, it takes approximately one to three
business days before it is active. All Internet providers
must update their records (DNS tables) to reflect new
site locations. This is called propagation. Total turnaround
on a new domain name is typically 3 -5 days. |
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How long
does it take to move a domain name to Online AccessTM from a
different ISP?
Domain Registrars consider a change in hosting services
a modification. Domain modifications usually take longer
than registering a new domain, due to the fact that the
current administrative or technical contact for the domain
must acknowledge the modification request. Delays can
also occur when your current provider does not approve
the transfer request.
We
will perform the setup functions here at
Online AccessTM,
enter the domain in our name servers, and
have everything ready to go. At that point,
we will contact your former service provider
and politely request to have the domain
transferred. In most cases, the provider
will respond in a timely manner. A good
relationship with your former provider
should also help speed up the process.
If you move your domain to Online AccessTM from
another provider, we recommend taking the opportunity
to register yourself as the administrative and billing
contact if you are not already. Online AccessTM will
be listed as the technical and zone contacts on the
domain. While some providers prefer to control all
of the domain information, Online Access TM recommends
that you have control over information related to your
domain.
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What if you
are transferring a domain which has already been
registered from another Web hosting provider?
- Online Access will submit a domain name modification
request to Network Solutions for you at no cost,
requesting to transfer your existing domain from
your current provider to Online Access.
- Network Solutions will then notify the administrative
and technical contacts listed in the domain name
record by e-mail of the request to transfer to Online Access.
- In order for the domain to be transferred successfully
to Online Access, either the administrative or technical
contact must reply (from the email address listed
in your current domain name record) with a "YES" in
section "0-a" of the modification request form. Usually,
the technical contact is your current Web hosting
provider.
Once you reply from the correct e-mail address, it
will take approximately 24 to 72 hours for the transfer
to take effect. If your domain has not been transferred
within the time frame stated above, you can contact
the our technical support to look further into the
matter for you at 888-818-0444.
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Billing
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How much
will I be charged for processing and maintaining
domain names?
Online Access offers domain name registration depending
upon the term as low as $15 per year but the average
is $25 per year for one or two year domain registrations. Volume
discounts due apply! |
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What does
this fee cover?
The registration fee covers the cost of processing the
initial registration and maintaining the domain name
record for one year. After the initial one-year period,
the domain name is subject to renewal (re-registration)
and the renewal (re-registration) fees will be due on
an annual basis if the registrant wishes to renew the
domain name's registration. |
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How will
I be billed for the Domain Name?
Online Access will bill the person listed for the domain
as Billing Contact by E-Mail (and/or regular mail), unless
otherwise specified. |
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Who can I contact for billing questions?
Questions regarding invoicing and payment procedures
should be referred to Online Access Support. You can
reach them by calling 1-888-818-0444. |
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Domain Name Problems
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I've registered
my site, but I can't reach my site using the domain
name.
If you have followed the steps for domain name registration,
but your new site does not appear to be hosted, you are
probably encountering a propagation lag. The World Wide
Web is set up with many thousands of name servers. Most
are configured to receive updates only at a certain time
each day. It can take from 24 hours to two weeks for
your domain name to propagate across all of the possible
domain name servers. You can test this yourself by typing
in your IP address and trying to bring up your web page.
If you can bring it up by IP address but not by domain
name, it is probably a propagation issue. Give it a few
days to resolve. |
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Why can't
I bring up my domain name in my browser?
Double-check to make sure you are typing the domain name
in correctly and that all of your client software is
installed properly. Also confirm that your domain name
has been properly registered. Assuming all of those areas
are in line, try typing your IP address into your browser.
That should bring up your site even if you are having
domain registration problems. If you cannot bring up
your Website by your IP address, call Online AccessTM Technical
Support at 888-818-0444 for assistance. |
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I think my site might be down. How can
I fix it?
If you have tried to bring up your domain by name and
IP address, and neither works, there may be a network
problem. Try a ping and a traceroute.
There are also some Web trouble-shooting questions in
these Knowledge Base pages. Review the relevant questions
and answers, and if you still cannot get to your site,
call Online AccessTM Technical
Support at 888-818-0444. |
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My parked domain is not functioning properly.
What can I do?
If your parked domain is not resolving at all, please
see the question: Why can't I bring up
my domain name in my browser? |
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How can I transfer domain names other than
global/generic domains (.com, .net, .org) to Online Access?
In order to have your domain name changed/transferred
to the Online Access name servers, please contact your
registrar of your need to modify your domain name. You
should be able to log into your registrar's website and
make changes to your Name Server and Technical Contact
fields.
The fields you will be changing are:
- Primary server hostname and netaddress
- Secondary server hostname and netaddress
- Technical contact handle
The necessary information for these fields will be provided
to you in your Online Access welcome email. |
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Domain Aliases
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What is a
domain alias?
A domain alias is an additional domain name that points
to your Online Access hosting account. This means that,
for example, mydomain.com my-domain.com and mydomain.net
can all point to the same Web location. |
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How much
does a domain alias cost?
For new domain names, you are responsible for is the
domain registration fee for one year and $5 per domain
per month for the domain alias. If you already
have a domain registered the only charge is the $5 monthly
fee. Volume Discounts are avaliable for people
with multiple aliases. |
How
can I get a domain alias set up?
The domain needs to be registered using the Online Access name servers. You can sign up the domain at http://www.onlineacc.com/domainparking.html to
register your new domain.
If you are transferring the domain from another hosting
company, we can help facilitate the transfer for you.
Contact technical support at 1-888-818-0444 to request
a transfer of your domain from your old provider to Online Access.
Once
the domain is pointing to our name servers,
contact Online Access to have the alias
activated.
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How
long does it take to have the alias set up?
We will fulfill the request for the pointer within 24
hours of your request. It will take 24-48 hours from
the time that it is set up for the new domain to propagate
throughout the Internet. |
Can the domain alias point to a subdirectory
of my account?
No, the pointer domain will point to the same location
as your primary domain, bringing up the same web page. |
Can I get e-mail with my domain alias?
Yes, e-mail is included in the service. The pointer alias
works the same as the main domain you can use them interchangeably. |
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