Domain Manager Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to "manage" my domain?
How do I change the contact information for my domain?
Can I manage a domain I already own?
What information can I change in my contact info?
What is a DNS?
Why would I need to change my DNS information?
How do I change the DNS information for my Domain Name?
How long does it take for DNS changes to take effect?
Can I have my domain URL-forwarded or redirected?
What is a CVV2 Number?
Who do I contact for additional assistance?

What does it mean to "manage" my domain?
If you've ever dealt with the management of your domain, you know that with other registrars, it can be a difficult and lengthy process. The smallest change, from changing your email address in your contact information, or altering the nameservers of your host, can require multiple, confusing emails. Now, however, MyDiscountDomains.com gives you the ability to make all of those changes online! You can change your contact information or nameservers in just a few seconds, using our secure system. Access your domain from any web browser 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using your username and password.

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Changing the admin, billing and technical contact information can be accomplished via the Domain Manager.

Each domain has a number of items you can change. You may change the administrative, technical and billing contact information, as well as the nameserver (DNS) info. For more on changing DNS info, please see "How do I change the DNS information for my Domain Name?", below.

You may also change the owner / registrant info. The registrant is the owner of a domain, and as such, requires more security. In order to change a registrant, you do not need to go through the Registrant Transfer procedure.

To begin, click the Domain Manager link found on our home page and at the bottom of the domain registration box on our website www.MyDiscountDomains.com.  Enter your username and password to log on to our secure server.  If you have forgotten your username and password, you can enter the email address you used at the time of registration to receive your username and password via email.

Once you're in the Management system, click on Domains and a list of your domains, as well as the current contact information associated with the domains, will show. Choose the domain you'd like to change information for, and under EDIT, click the 'Contacts" link and then click the Continue button.

A contact handle is a shorthand version of all of your contact information. You can edit any of your contact handles here, or create new ones. Once you have the contact handle information the way you want it, return to the main screen of the Domain Manager.

Choose what information you'd like to update- admin, billing and/or technical, and click the Continue button. You may choose any of the contact handles you have set up in our system.

Click the Continue button to finalize the change. Our system will update immediately, however, it will take 24-48 hours for the information to propagate Internet-wide.

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Can I manage a domain I already own?
Only domains that have been registered with, or transferred to, MyDiscountDomains.com will appear in your Domain Management System. If you have registered a domain with another registrar, you will need to transfer it to MyDiscountDomains.com before you can manage it using our system.

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What information can I change in my contact info?
You can change the following information for your owner, administrative, technical and billing contacts: Name, Email, Company, Address, Phone and Fax. In addition, you can change the Domain Name Server Info (see more below).

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What is a DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) is a system that translates a domain name from letters (www.MyDiscountDomains.com) into a numerical IP address (NS1.MyDiscountDomains.com 63.85.86.14).
Each time you register a domain name you must specify your DNS information. If you register a domain name through MyDiscountDomains.com, you can use our DNS information free of charge! This is known in the industry as "parking" a domain- parking is free using MyDiscountDomains.com's servers. You can also change the DNS information at any time, also free of charge, but be aware, your new DNS host may charge you a parking fee...

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Why would I need to change my DNS information?
If you have a new web site or email account, your web hosting company or ISP will ask you to change your DNS information (typically, they would become the new DNS host) so that your domain name can be connected to your web site and your email account can be setup. 

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How do I change the DNS information for my Domain Name? 
DNS information is provided by your host. It consists of a primary AND a secondary nameserver. You must have BOTH nameservers. The definition of a secondary nameserver is NOT that it gets its information from the primary nameserver, it is its own unique IP address. Both the primary and secondary nameserver "point" the domain that resolves to the IP that the host creates. A name will resolve 50/50- 50% of the time to the primary and 50% of the time to the secondary. Therefore, you cannot specify one of your hosting servers and one of ours. 

The DNS services we offer are: 
1. Free parking- if you don't have a website, but still want a domain, you can "park" it on our servers for free without having to pay someone for hosting.  Make sure you are using our default parking /forwarding name servers ns1.shopco.com and ns2.shopco.com.
2. Free DNS changes- log on to our website at any time and change the primary and secondary DNS info. The simple translation is that you can either use our servers for parking only, or you can use our control panel to set up your domain to resolve at your host's servers. You can't mix and match those two options. You can only use one set of name servers.

If all you have is the IP address of your hosting server, then you must use URL-forwarding. URL-forwarding will resolve any hits on your domain to our forwarding servers, and then call up the IP or web address you specify.

If you are changing DNS information on a domain name you registered with MyDiscountDomains.com, begin by clicking the "Domain Manager" on the home page. You will be asked for the username and password that you designated at the time you set up your domain account. If you have forgotten your username and password, you can have it emailed to the email address you have on your account. Choose the domain you wish to alter from your list of domains. Then, click EDIT 'DNS' . to go to the DNS Info page. Input the primary and secondary (and, if necessary, the tertiary) hostnames. Our system will automatically resolve the IP addresses of a valid name server.

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How long does it take for DNS changes to take effect?
Typically, the DNS changes will be completed within 24 to 72 hours. This is standard Internet propagation time. The central registry databases update automatically, upon your submission of new information.

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Can I have my domain URL-forwarded or redirected?
Some hosting companies will not allow unique domains to point to your site. In that case, you'll need URL-forwarding  URL-forwarding is available as a service from MyDiscountDomains.com, and is a function of the management control panel.

Domain forwarding is a service that is available with your domain registration. It allows you to redirect visitors to another website (that you own) when they type your domain name in the browser address field.

Access the Domain Manager section with your username and password, and select the Domain Forwarding tab for the domain you want to forward. This feature does not include any advertisements like the one offered by Register.com and other registrars.     

To set up domain forwarding

1.Click Manage, and log in to your account.
2.Beside the domain that you want to redirect, click Domain Forwarding.
3.In the URL field, enter the address of the destination website.
You can specify the URL, for example, http://www.yourcompany.com/yourexamplesite.html, or you can specify the IP address, for example, http://12.34.56.789.
4.Click Enabled to implement domain forwarding.
5.If you do not want your website address to appear in the browser address field, select Masked from the drop-down list. When visitors type your domain name in the browser address field, they are sent to your website, but they still see your domain name in the address field. If you do want the website address (the destination) to be displayed in the address field, ensure that Masked is not selected.
6.Optionally, in the Title field, enter the text that you want to appear in the browser title bar.
7.Optionally, in the Description field, enter a short description of your website.
8.Optionally, in the Keywords field, enter some descriptive words that a visitor might use when searching for your website. Separate each word or phrase with a comma.
9.Click Save.
Please allow 24 to 48 hours for your change to propagate throughout the Internet.

Click on Domain Forwarding for more information

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What is a CVV2 Number??

What is CVV2?  CVV2 is a new authentication scheme established by credit card companies to further efforts towards reducing fraud for internet transactions. It is your credit card Security Code.  It consists of requiring a card holder to enter the CVV2 number in at transaction time to verify that the card is on hand.