A domain name is the label used to identify your Web site, for example UniWeb.be. It usually describes some aspect of your site and is easier for your visitors to remember than the web server's IP address. In order for visitors to access your site on the Internet, you must select a unique domain name and register it with an accredited domain name registrar. UniWeb can assist you with this process. The letters “www” at the beginning of a name are not considered part of the domain name.
Because your domain name will represent your business, you should make sure that the name you choose is memorable, descriptive and that it instills confidence, particularly if you plan on selling goods and services on your site. A domain name is a string of minimum 2 and maximum 64 characters. The permitted characters are all English letters (case insensitive), numbers, and dash "-" which cannot be used at the beginning or at the end of the name. A domain name must end with a domain extension, such as .be, .net, .com, .org,...
The last part of a domain name is the top-level domain or TLD.
For example, in the domain name uninames.com the top-level domain is com
Top Level Domains are used as a kind of classification for domainnames:
- Country code top-level domains (ccTLD) (Examples: be for Belgium, .fr for France, .de for Germany, .tv for Tuvula, ...).
- Generic top-level domains (gTLD) (Examples: com for commercial, net for network, .biz for businesses, ...).
Note that some TLD's require special conditions from the domain name owner. (Example: to regisiter a Spanish domain name (.es) you need to have a company in Spain.
UniWeb can register domain name registration for all existing TLD's. Please call us if the required TLD isn't listed in our overview .
Once a domain name is registered, it belongs to the person or company that registered it. If you are really interested in having a domain name that is already registered to someone else, you can contact the owner of the domain name to find out if the name is for sale or you can wait for the registration to expire.
You can have as many domain names as you like. You can have each domain name point to a different site, or you can have multiple domain names point to the same Web site. Many companies register several domain names and have them all point to the same central Web site. This is known as a “domain alias.” Registering multiple domain names for the same site not only brings the largest draw to your site but it can also prevent competitors from poaching your potential customers. When picking multiple domain names—or aliases—for the same site, consider variations of your name such as common misspellings as well as both singular and plural versions of the name.
You can choose whatever name that is still available. However, there are some technical restrictions (see also RFC1035):
A domain name is a string of minimum 2 and maximum 64 characters. The allowed characters are letters (a-z) (they are case insensitive), numbers (0-9), and hyphen "-"
The hyphen (-) can not be used at the beginning or at the end of the name.
A domain name must end with a TLD domain extension, such as .be, .net, .com, .org,...
Acceptable names : dns, 1st, greetings, abcde, 2gohome, surf2, i-am-happy-in, jean-jacques, enterprise, ...
Disallowed : i.am.happy.in, -go-to, Jean&Fils, Super_enterprises, ...
Although the automated system will allow you to register any acceptable name, you are still subject to the legal system. The trade laws e.g. will not allow you to use the tradename owned by someone else.
Once you have decided on a domain name and have checked that it is available, you will need to register it. UniWeb can assist you with the process of registering your new domain name. See How do I register my domain name.
You have a number of different options. If you think you may want to get your site up and running in the near future, you can go ahead and register your name and sign up for a hosting
plan now. You will receive an "Under Construction" page that all your site's visitors will see until you are ready to publish your site. If you think it may be a while before you are ready to publish your site, or if you want to reserve your name "just in case", you can select a plan that offers only domain name registration. With this plan, your domain is registered so that no one else can use it, but you do not have to pay for a complete Web hosting plan. This is sometimes referred to as "parking" your domain. You can also select a domain name registration plan that provides you with several email accounts. If you decide you want to go ahead and publish a web site later, you can quickly upgrade your plan.
The relevant information from the order form you submit to us will be forwarded immediately to the relevant top-level domain name registrar to register your domain name. The registrar typically completes the registration process within 24 hours of receipt. The propagation process normally requires 48 to 72 hours.
Your registration is automatically renewed by default . An invoice will automatically will be sent to the specified address in the contact datas. If you do not want to renew your domain name you need to switch the renewal status to "No". The domain will then expire at the end of the periode.
In some cases, domain names may be kept by the Registrar (e.g. DNS Belgium, Network Solutions,...) even after it has expired because:
a.) payment for the domain is not current,
b.) the domain name is involved in a trademark dispute, or
c.) the domain is pending server activation.
As long as it is kept by the Registrar, we will not be able to register it for you. You will have to contact the Registrar for more information about the domain.
There are no additional costs. After one year you will have to pay a renewal. All services that UniWeb offers are included in the price, except POP3 e-mail accounts and hosting.
Switch from your existing registrar to UniWeb to receive our great service.
To transfer your domain all of the following must be true:
The current information in your domain record is current and accurate. It is especially important that the email address of the administrative contact is current as verification emails will be sent that email address. Check your existing domain record by doing a whois search.
Your domain must have been registered more than 60 days ago.
Your domain is not expired and will not expire within the next 7 days.
Your current registrar does not have a "registrar lock" on your domain name.
You can reply to verification emails from us and your existing registrar that will be sent to the email address in your domain record within 48 hours.
While waiting for the new nameserver information to propagate throughout the Internet, we recommend maintaining your site at your current host to avoid down time for your site. During this time, you can use the temporary Web address (URL) that we gave you to mirror your Web site on UniWeb's servers until the transfer is complete. If your site is new, you can use your temporary URL to begin publishing your Web site while you wait for the propagation period to complete.
If you have recently set up your account, this probably means that your domain name has not been propagated to all of the possible domain nameservers. Test your domain by typing your temporary Web address in a Web browser. If you can access your site using the temporary Web address (URL), wait a day or two for the propagation period to complete. If after 72 hours the domain name still does not resolve correctly, contact uniweb support at support@uniweb.be. You should also check that you have given your home page a valid file name (such as index.html or default.html) and that you uploaded the files to the correct directory. For more information on these types of problems, see the Publishing Your Web Site FAQ.
Please take extra care during registration to make sure that everything is as it should be. All registrations are final and fees are non-refundable. If you have made a mistake you have three choices:
Keep the domain you have registered and develop it.
Have us delete your ownership from the domain. (No refund)
Register the correct name and have one of them redirected to the other.
Go to the Domain Name Manager and set the renewal status to "No".
When searching the "whois" database sometimes a domain name may show a status of "On Hold" if:
a.) payment for the domain is not current,
b.) the domain name is involved in a trademark dispute, or
c.) the domain is pending server activation.
If you do not renew the registration of your domain name or if you did not pay the invoice in time, the domain name is placed in quarantine for a period of 40 days by DNS Belgium. In this period the previous owner can still reactivate the domain name.
When visitors type your domain name into their Web browsers, their request is referred to a nameserver that indicates the physical location (the IP address) of your domain on the Internet. When your site location changes to a new IP address, or when you deploy a new site with a new domain name, nameservers around the world must be notified of the change. This process of notification is referred to as propagation. Propagation typically takes 48 to 72 hours. During this time, if you are transferring your domain, some nameservers will still refer to your site’s old location while nameservers that have already been notified of the change will refer to the new location. As a result, visitors accessing your site may be directed to either the old or new location, depending upon which nameserver they connect to. If some visitors are still being directed to your old site location after 72 hours have elapsed, you should contact your previous Internet Presence Provider and request that they update their DNS and delete your domain from their servers. Once this has been done, and this change has been completely propagated, the transfer to your new location will be complete. If your site is new, your site may not be recognized by all nameservers until the propagation period has completed. During the propagation period, you will need to use your Temporary URL to upload files and view your site. You can find your temporary URL by logging in to the hosting control panel.
Computers read Internet addresses through a series of numbers called Internet Protocol (IP) numbers. Because these numbers would be difficult for people to remember, user-friendly Internet addresses were developed using combinations of words and numbers. A name server is a computer that has the capability to translate, or resolve, the domain names we see and use in our browser windows into IP numbers.
The 'WhoIs' feature is a search engine connected to a database of domains registered. When you search for a domain name, it will return the domains registration information. The registration information that is listed includes that for the Owner, Administrative, and Technical contacts. Also included is the domain's name servers. To see this in action please visit our whois search.
DNS is an acronym that stands for Domain Name Service. Each domain is assigned a unique numeric address and DNS servers takes care of locating and routing information to the domains so that the world can find you. When you fill out your registration form, we give you the option to park your DNS with us or to specify your own DNS servers or the DNS servers of your hosting service. If you already have a website or have found an ISP to host your website, you should use your ISP's DNS servers when registering your domain name.
Parking a domain name ensures that the name you want now will be available when you wish to add content in the future. A parked domain name is registered to the owner but no actual web space is set aside.
The right-most label in a domain name is referred to as its 'top-level
domain' (TLD). TLDs with two letters have been established for over 240
countries and external territories and are referred to as 'country-code TLDs' or
'ccTLDs'. TLDs with three or more characters are referred to as 'generic TLDs',
or 'gTLDs'.
Full list of gTLDS:
.com, .edu, .gov, .int, .mil,
.net, and .org .biz, .info, .name, and .pro .aero, .coop, and
.museum
Full list of ccTLDS:
.ac - Ascension
Island .ad - Andorra .ae - United Arab
Emirates .af - Afghanistan .ag - Antigua and
Barbuda .ai - Anguilla .al - Albania .am
- Armenia .an - Netherlands Antilles .ao -
Angola .aq - Antarctica .ar -
Argentina .as - American Samoa .at -
Austria .au - Australia .aw - Aruba .ax
- Aland Islands .az - Azerbaijan .ba -
Bosnia and Herzegovina .bb - Barbados .bd -
Bangladesh .be - Belgium .bf - Burkina
Faso .bg - Bulgaria .bh - Bahrain .bi
- Burundi .bj - Benin .bm -
Bermuda .bn - Brunei Darussalam .bo -
Bolivia .br - Brazil .bs - Bahamas .bt
- Bhutan .bv - Bouvet Island .bw -
Botswana .by - Belarus .bz - Belize .ca
- Canada .cc - Cocos (Keeling) Islands .cd -
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the .cf - Central African
Republic .cg - Congo, Republic of .ch -
Switzerland .ci - Cote d'Ivoire .ck - Cook
Islands .cl - Chile .cm - Cameroon .cn
- China .co - Colombia .cr - Costa
Rica .cs - Serbia and Montenegro .cu -
Cuba .cv - Cape Verde .cx - Christmas
Island .cy - Cyprus .cz - Czech
Republic .de - Germany .dj - Djibouti .dk
- Denmark .dm - Dominica .do - Dominican
Republic .dz - Algeria .ec - Ecuador .ee
- Estonia .eg - Egypt .eh - Western
Sahara .er - Eritrea .es - Spain .et
- Ethiopia .eu - European Community .fi -
Finland .fj - Fiji .fk - Falkland Islands
(Malvinas) .fm - Micronesia, Federal State of .fo
- Faroe Islands .fr - France .ga -
Gabon .gb - United Kingdom .gd -
Grenada .ge - Georgia .gf - French
Guiana .gg - Guernsey .gh - Ghana .gi
- Gibraltar .gl - Greenland .gm -
Gambia .gn - Guinea .gp - Guadeloupe .gq
- Equatorial Guinea .gr - Greece .gs - South
Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands .gt -
Guatemala .gu - Guam .gw -
Guinea-Bissau .gy - Guyana .hk - Hong
Kong .hm - Heard and McDonald Islands .hn -
Honduras .hr - Croatia/Hrvatska .ht -
Haiti .hu - Hungary .id - Indonesia .ie
- Ireland .il - Israel .im - Isle of
Man .in - India .io - British Indian Ocean
Territory .iq - Iraq .ir - Iran, Islamic Republic
of .is - Iceland .it - Italy .je -
Jersey .jm - Jamaica .jo - Jordan .jp
- Japan .ke - Kenya .kg -
Kyrgyzstan .kh - Cambodia .ki -
Kiribati .km - Comoros .kn - Saint Kitts and
Nevis .kp - Korea, Democratic People's Republic .kr
- Korea, Republic of .kw - Kuwait .ky -
Cayman Islands .kz - Kazakhstan .la - Lao People's
Democratic Republic .lb - Lebanon .lc - Saint
Lucia .li - Liechtenstein .lk - Sri
Lanka .lr - Liberia .ls - Lesotho .lt
- Lithuania .lu - Luxembourg .lv -
Latvia .ly - Libyan Arab Jamahiriya .ma -
Morocco .mc - Monaco .md - Moldova, Republic
of .mg - Madagascar .mh - Marshall
Islands .mk - Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic
of .ml - Mali .mm - Myanmar .mn -
Mongolia .mo - Macau .mp - Northern Mariana
Islands .mq - Martinique .mr -
Mauritania .ms - Montserrat .mt -
Malta .mu - Mauritius .mv - Maldives .mw
- Malawi .mx - Mexico .my -
Malaysia .mz - Mozambique .na -
Namibia .nc - New Caledonia .ne -
Niger .nf - Norfolk Island .ng -
Nigeria .ni - Nicaragua .nl -
Netherlands .no - Norway .np - Nepal .nr
- Nauru .nu - Niue .nz - New
Zealand .om - Oman .pa - Panama .pe
- Peru .pf - French Polynesia .pg - Papua
New Guinea .ph - Philippines .pk -
Pakistan .pl - Poland .pm - Saint Pierre and
Miquelon .pn - Pitcairn Island .pr - Puerto
Rico .ps - Palestinian Territory, Occupied .pt -
Portugal .pw - Palau .py - Paraguay .qa
- Qatar .re - Reunion Island .ro -
Romania .ru - Russian Federation .rw -
Rwanda .sa - Saudi Arabia .sb - Solomon
Islands .sc - Seychelles .sd - Sudan .se
- Sweden .sg - Singapore .sh - Saint
Helena .si - Slovenia .sj - Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Islands .sk - Slovak Republic .sl - Sierra
Leone .sm - San Marino .sn - Senegal .so
- Somalia .sr - Suriname .st - Sao Tome and
Principe .sv - El Salvador .sy - Syrian Arab
Republic .sz - Swaziland .tc - Turks and Caicos
Islands .td - Chad .tf - French Southern
Territories .tg - Togo .th - Thailand .tj
- Tajikistan .tk - Tokelau .tl -
Timor-Leste .tm - Turkmenistan .tn -
Tunisia .to - Tonga .tp - East Timor .tr
- Turkey .tt - Trinidad and Tobago .tv -
Tuvalu .tw - Taiwan .tz - Tanzania .ua
- Ukraine .ug - Uganda .uk - United
Kingdom .um - United States Minor Outlying Islands .us
- United States .uy - Uruguay .uz -
Uzbekistan .va - Holy See (Vatican City State) .vc
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines .ve -
Venezuela .vg - Virgin Islands, British .vi -
Virgin Islands, U.S. .vn - Vietnam .vu -
Vanuatu .wf - Wallis and Futuna Islands .ws -
Western Samoa .ye - Yemen .yt -
Mayotte .yu - Yugoslavia .za - South
Africa .zm - Zambia .zw -
Zimbabwe
There may be a brief delay between the time your domain name registration or transfer is completed and the time when your domain is active and can be accessed by everyone over the Internet. This is due to the propagation process. ( Between 48 to 72 hours )
Yes we can do this. This is called URL Forwarding. This is a free service offered togheter with a domain name registration. This service basically allows you to redirect traffic for your domain name (www.yourdomain.com) to another web page address without having to setup a new web-hosting account for your domain name. You will be able to sign up for URL Forwarding through our client site, which you will have access to after you register your domain.
You may change the DNS information for your domain name by accessing the client site at our homepage. If you have forgotten your password, just click on the Send Password link, fill in your email address and your password will be emailed to you immediately.
There are several possibilites to use your domain name.
1. Parking: you can 'park' your domain name for future use for no additonal cost.
2. URL Forwarding: you can forward your domain name to a URL or a directory e.g. http://www.yourdomain.be or http://www.yourdomain.be/~me.
3. You can link multiple domain names to one domain (not to a directory, unlike forwarding). This is often used to draw as much people as possible to your site.
4. Hosting plan: UniWeb offers several hosting plans (including webspace and e-mail), tailored to any need you may have. Check to find out which hosting plan is best for you.
5. You can also choose an e-mail only plan, which provides you with e-mail functionality and disk space to receive e-mails, but not with webspace. This plan can easily be updated to a hosting plan, when the need arises. To view all our e-mail only plan, click here.
