Domain Name Basics

Domainsa short introduction for newcomers

What is a domain name? It is a unique string within the domain name system (DNS).

The DNS is a tree and its root is a „dot“.

The point at the end of a domain name will be ignored by most programs, like

browsers and email clients, but it is actually there.

DNS resolves names; It is a method to translate domain names to IP addresses, to

make it easier to remember.

The DNS zone file contains mappings between domain names and IP addresses

and other resources.

Subdomain Domain Top-Level Root

www. united-domains. de .

2 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

What is a top-level domain? It is the name of the top tier and it is divided in two groups:

Generic TLDs (gTLDs) like .com, .net and .org

Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs) like .de, .io, .uk and many more.

Actually there are more than 1,000 gTLDs, e.g.:.aero, .asia, .berlin, .bike, .biz, .cat, .club, .com, .coop, .edu, .gov, .guru, .info, .int, .jobs, .mil, .mobi, .museu

m, .name, .net, .ngo, .nyc, .org, .post, .pro, .tel, .travel, .xyz, .xxx

There are over 200 ccTLDs, e.g.:.au, .br, .ca, .cn, .co, .de, .eu, .fr, .hk, .it, .io, .me, .nl, .ru, .tk, .uk, .us, .za

3 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

Launch of new TLDs There are typically 3 phases during the launch of a TLD – Sunrise (SR), Landrush (LR)

and General Availability (GA).

There is a Sunrise period in which trademark owners can get first claim on domains.

In Landrush, prices are generally higher and there are auctions if more than one

person is interested in the same domain.

Sunrise and Landrush lasts ordinarily at least 30 days.

Early Access Phase (EAP) is a special case and it is recently used. EAP replaces the

Landrush and is taking place during the first 7 days of GA. Setup fees vary

depending on which day of EAP a registrant choose to purchase a domain.

Finally, the domain enters General Availability and the domains are available to

register regularly at the domain registrar.

4 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

Life Cycle of a gTLD Domain The typical domain name life cycle looks like this

Source: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/gtld-lifecycle-2012-02-25-en - Effective 03/2016

5 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

1/2 What these periods mean? Add Grace

The add grace period of 5 days is provided after the initial registration of a domain name. If the registrar

deletes the domain name during this period, the registry may provide credit to the registrar for the cost of

the registration.

RegisteredDepending on the TLD a domain name can usually be registered for 1 – 10 years.

Auto-Renew GraceThis grace period is provided after a domain name registration period expires and is extended (renewed)

automatically by the registry. If the registrar deletes the domain name during this period, the registry

provides a credit to the registrar for the cost of the renewal.

Redemption GraceThis status code indicates that a registrar has asked the registry to delete a domain. The domain will be

held in this status for 30 days.

6 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

2/2 What these periods mean? Pending Delete

After 5 calendar days following the end of the Redemption Period, the domain is purged from the registry

database and becomes available for registration.

Pending RestoreThis status code indicates that a registrar has asked the registry to restore a domain that was in

redemption. The registry will hold the domain in this status while waiting for your registrar to provide

required restoration documentation. If the registrar fails to provide documentation to the registry

operator within the set period of time to confirm the restoration request, the domain will revert to

redemption.

Transfer GraceThis grace period is provided after the successful transfer of a domain name from one registrar to another.

If the new registrar deletes the domain name during this period, the registry provides a credit to the

registrar for the cost of the transfer.

7 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

Domain Name Status Codes Client codes are set by Registrars and Server codes by Registries; Server take

precedence over Client codes.

*TransferProhibitedThis status code prevents a domain from being transferred from one registrar to another.

*DeleteProhibitedThis status code prevents a domain from being deleted.

*UpdateProhibitedThis status code locks a domain preventing it from being updated.

*RenewProhibitedThis status code indicates that a domain name will not be renewed.

*HoldThis status code indicates that a domain is not activated in the DNS.

* stands for either server or client; serverTransferProhibited, clientTransferProhibited, etc.

8 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

Restrictions and Special Cases For some gTLDs (.nyc, .travel, …) and many ccTLDs (.ca, .eu, .sa, …) it is common

practice to restrict access to their domains by imposing specific requirements on

applicants that wish to register a domain name.

Local PresenceThe registrant is required to have a physical presence in the respective country or region of the TLD in

order to register a domain.

Additional dataDepending on the TLD, a registrant is required to additionally provide, e.g.: for an individual – ID card

number and date of birth to register .moscow and .hk domains; for an individual or an organization – to

declare NGO entity to register .ngo domains; for an organization – to provide company’s registration

certificate to register .cn domains, etc.

9 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de

Thank you!

Please get in touch if you have any further questions:

https://tobiassattler.com

tobiassattler

10 | Tobias Sattler, CIO www.united-domains.de