How to set up a working domain name?

In order to set up your domain you have to do the following:

Log into your account and from the Site Management menu choose Hosted Domains. Then add your domain name by filling in the empty text field and click on Add Domain.

In order to activate the domain, you will now have to set the domain name servers (DNS) to ours. You will find the correct DNS settings in the Hosted Domains section of the Control Panel.

After the DNS settings are changed, it usually takes from 24-48 hours before your domain become active and fully operational. (The DNS propagation time).

I want to host more than one domain in my account. How to do it?

The number of domains you can host in your account depends on how many "Hosted Domains" that are included with your hosting plan. First, check if you have any available domains in the "Domains" row in the Account Usage summary.

To add the domain, just go to the Hosted Domains section of the Control Panel and follow the instructions. (PS: remember to change the DNS'es to ours in order for the domain to work.)

If you don't have any available domains, you can purchase more domains by clicking on the "Add Services" link under Upgrades.

What is a domain transfer?

A domain transfer is when you move the domain name from one registrar to another. You can request a domain transfer from the Domain Manager section of the Control Panel.

In order to transfer a domain name successfully, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• The domain name must not be expired;
• The domain name must be older than 60 days;
• Make sure that the domain name is not locked at the current registrar;
• Make sure that you are able to check regularly the e-mail specified in the Administrative contact section of the domain WHOIS records;
• An EPP authorization key is required to transfer .com/.net/.org/.biz/.info/.us domain names. The EPP key for your domain name can be obtained from your current registrar.

What is DNS and how does it work?

DNS stands for Domain Name System and is the system that computers use to find information on the web. Domain names are registered with a central organization in each country and each domain name is associated with two DNS servers, a primary server and a backup server.

When someone types in a Domain Name into a web browser their Internet Service Provider's (ISPs) DNS computer looks into its cache for an IP (Internet Protocol) address associated with that domain name. If the ISP does not have an entry cached it sends a lookup query which returns the DNS location associated with the domain name back to the ISP. Once the ISP's computer finds the IP address it can access the web site.

The domain name system (DNS) enables each computer connected to the Internet to be identified by a domain name. Every computer on the Internet has a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address, which consists of a string of numbers. Since the IP addresses can be difficult to remember, the DNS allows a familiar string of letters (the 'domain name') to be used instead of the IP address. So instead of typing the cumbersome IP address, you can type, for example, 'www.domain.com.'

For more information, please see this article from Wikipedia.

How to change my domain's DNS records?

When you register a domain name, the domain registrar company usually provides you with an account for managing this domain name. You can use this account in order to change the DNS records, the Whois information, etc. If you do not have such an account, you must contact your domain registrar company with a request for a change of the name servers.

If you have registered the domain through us (ProperHost), you can manage the DNS records for the domain from the Control Panel.

Is it necessary to change my domain's DNS?

Yes. As part of the application process two domain name servers are required to link to your domain name. When you sign up for our hosting service, we file an application on your behalf using our server information. There is no additional charge using our domain servers.

What is SOA?

SOA stands for Start of Authority and indicates basic properties of the domain and the zone that the domain is in.

Which name servers (DNS) should I use?

You will find the correct DNS settings to use for your domain in the Hosted Domains section of the Control Panel.

What is an MX record?

MX records, also called Mail eXchange records are used to specify which server on the Internet that handles e-mail for your domain. If you want to handle routing of the e-mail for your domain to you personally or let your ISP do this, you need to specify the domain name or the IP address of your ISP's mail server.

What is an A record?

An A record, also called an Address record, binds a domain/subdomain name to an IP address. If there is a server on the Internet that is configured to handle traffic for this domain, you can enter the name of the domain (e.g. "domain.com") and the IP address of the server (e.g. "123.123.123.12"), and anyone surfing to that domain connects to the correct host.

How can I modify my A or MX records?

A records and MX records can be modified from the Custom DNS Records section of the Control Panel. Just enter the desired IP address or mail server address in the corresponding field and click Change.

In case you'd like to reset an A record to our server's default IP address or an MX record to our server's default mail server address, just hit the Reset button, corresponding to this record.

What is an EPP Authorization Key?

An EPP Key (sometimes called Code or Authorisation Key etc) is like a password, and is sometimes required to transfer domain names from one registrar to another. To transfer a domain name to ProperHost, you will need to obtain the EPP key for the domain from your current registrar.

Where do I find the EPP key for my domain name?

ProperHost customers will find a tool to obtain the EPP Key for their domain name from within their web hosting Control Panel. In the Domain Manager section of the Control Panel, click on the icon next to the respective domain name to obtain the EPP Key.