Can you keep your domain name yet switch servers?

02/27/2006 01:02:14 AM · #1

I was considering switching from Photosite to Smugmug when my yearly fee comes due.

Is there a way to keep my domain name jralstonphotography.com that I got through Photosite if I switch to Smugmug?

Thanks :)

yanko

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

02/27/2006 01:11:38 AM · #2

You should be able to just change the DNS servers listed under your domain registration, where ever you registered it from.

PhantomEWO

02/27/2006 01:30:35 AM · #3

Problem my be that when you purchase a "domain name" from a site like Smugmub or Photosite it is a sub-domain of their site and is not a separate registered domain. I doubt you can take it with you. Now if you go buy a domain name that is internet and international recognized you can use it anywhere that you can find that will be your server. That's a problem using the individual sites versus getting your own domain and setting up a server for it. Good luck.

dleach

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

02/27/2006 01:32:48 AM · #4

doing a whois:

Domain Name: JRALSTONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Registrar: TUCOWS INC.
Whois Server: whois.opensrs.net
Referral URL: //domainhelp.tucows.com
Name Server: NS1.MDNSSERVICE.COM
Name Server: NS2.MDNSSERVICE.COM
Name Server: NS3.MDNSSERVICE.COM
Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK
Updated Date: 13-oct-2005
Creation Date: 19-oct-2004
Expiration Date: 19-oct-2006

So the question is who owns the domain name? It may be that the name is owned by the photosite folks. You may need to check into this to figure out if you can own the domain name or if the domain name is yours or not.

I have three domain names that I have registered. Two of them show up with my name as the owner under whois. The third has a proxy owner. But all of them are mine (and currently being hosted by a machine at my feet).

yanko

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

02/27/2006 02:02:20 AM · #5

I did a whois at another site and I was able to get more information although I won't post it here. Looks like she is the registrant of the domain and also listed as the administrative contact. There seems to be no other enitity/company listed in this domain to suggest it's owned by someone else. Looks like she owns it and should be able to move the domain to another host.

JRalston

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

02/27/2006 02:25:01 AM · #6

Interesting. Thank you guys for researching this. I really don't know much about how domain names work.

notonline

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

02/27/2006 08:35:51 AM · #7

why not leave it with tucows??? I'm with them and think they are an excelent company.

Message edited by author 2006-02-27 08:36:00.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

02/27/2006 08:50:39 AM · #8

Originally posted by yanko:

You should be able to just change the DNS servers listed under your domain registration, where ever you registered it from.

Here's your answer. Easy peasy.

nards656

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Tamron SP AF 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6 AD Aspherical IF for Canon

02/27/2006 09:07:52 AM · #9

Originally posted by PhantomEWO:

Actually, if you purchase the domain name, you own it, and it POINTS to a sub-domain name. The domain name she has is a "top level" domain name, which means it IS a separate registered domain. Sometimes it's a little tricky to get the right "access" due to the extra level in the purchasing process, but she owns the domain, no question. She can have it point wherever she wants to.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

02/27/2006 09:33:49 AM · #10

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

Originally posted by yanko:
You should be able to just change the DNS servers listed under your domain registration, where ever you registered it from.

Here's your answer. Easy peasy.

Yep, I did it just last night and am now playing with my fancy new website :)

Message edited by author 2006-02-27 09:36:37.

dleach

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

02/27/2006 10:48:00 AM · #11

Originally posted by yanko:

hmmm... what other site did you use for the whois query?

zanfar

Olympus E-3

Olympus 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Zuiko

02/27/2006 01:25:23 PM · #12

As a general note about domains, some companies that provide domain registration as a package deal with other services (and sometimes, but rarely, as a standalone service) do not acutally sell you the domain. They purchase the domain in their name and lease it to you. This is obviously something to avoid.

I have not found a sure-fire way to identify these companies, so I simply refer people to one of three companies:

1) Network Solutions is the 'big daddy' of domain registration. They are the biggest, first, and most professional. They are also the most expensive. They, however, can absolutely be trusted. This is the company I recommend to all my corporate customers.
//networksolutions.com/ : About US$35/year

2) GoDaddy is a recent addition to this list. They are easily the cheapest of the three. I, however, have had limited personal experience. I have heard from many and reliable sources that their domain registration service is recomended. I would not endorse any other of their services, however.
//godaddy.com/ : About US$9.50/year

3) I've used BuyDomains for years, and have had no complaints whatsoever.
//buydomains.com/ : About US$16/year, with a two-year minimum.

Keep in mind that all of these companies will try to sell you additional services at additional charges.

Originally posted by dleach:

hmmm... what other site did you use for the whois query?

Whois information is the contact and technical information attached to a domain. To quickly and accurately look up this information for any domain:

1) Visit Internic's Whois page at //www.internic.net/whois.html
2) perform a domain search.
3) The resulting page has some information about the domain, but what you are really interested in is the 'Registrar', 'Referral URL', and 'Whois Server'
4) first try typing the Whois server address into another browser window. About 40% of the time this leads directly to the registrar-specific whois search. This search is the most accurate.
5) If the Whois server does not work, try the Referral URL.
6) If you still have no luck, try a Google search for the registrar plus the word 'whois'.

Essentially, your goal is to find the whois search operated by the registrar, since they are in charge of the information, they are the most accurate source.

yanko

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

02/27/2006 07:52:50 PM · #13

Originally posted by dleach:

Originally posted by yanko:
I did a whois at another site and I was able to get more information although I won't post it here. Looks like she is the registrant of the domain and also listed as the administrative contact. There seems to be no other enitity/company listed in this domain to suggest it's owned by someone else. Looks like she owns it and should be able to move the domain to another host.

hmmm... what other site did you use for the whois query?

Well, I was getting the same info you got so I believe I also did the whois lookup at godaddy.com and saw she was listed by name as the registrant and admin contact with her personal info. However when I do the lookup now it's showing the same thing you posted. It's showing today's date on it so she probably just updated it and made her contact info private, which is a good thing to do in general.

Message edited by author 2006-02-27 19:55:17.

rex

Canon PowerShot SD780

02/27/2006 08:01:03 PM · #14

Thanks for that info Matthew. I am looking at puchasing my own domain name.

JRalston