How to recover your domain service when Net4 India is down?

A few months back, we published an article on the challenges faced by the customers of Net4India. Our team of experts reviewed various sources and collated the information to guide you on the next steps.

Steps:

1. Auth codes: If you do not have the Auth code with you then you can reach out to our support team for help. https://cloud.foetron.com/support/tickets/new 

2. Initiate the domain transfer: Once you have the auth codes, then you need to initiate the domain transfer request to transfer the domain from Net4India to a reliable registrar such as Godaddy (https://buy.foetron.com/products/domain-transfer)

3. Update DNS records to get your email services or other services. If you purchased the email services or other hosting services from Net 4 then you will have to subscribe for new services such as Office 365. We have a special signup offer of a 30-day free trial for your organization. 

You can raise a ticket to our tech experts and we will help you with these steps to safeguard yourself against any issue owing to such unforeseeable circumstances.

Additional Details:

What happens if a registrar goes out of business?

If your registrar has gone out of business, it is common that they will pass their domain name registrations to another registrar. In some instances, such as when the registrar's accreditation is terminated by ICANN, the registrar or ICANN will identify an alternative registrar to take over management of the domain names of the registrar that has gone out of business. The new registrar will likely contact you. However, you can always determine the current registrar of your domain name by looking up the domain name in the Registration Data Directory Service at https://lookup.icann.org.

1. What is an Auth code?

An Auth-Code (also called an Authorization Code, Auth-Info Code, or transfer code) is a code created by a registrar to help identify the domain name holder (also known as a registrant or registered name holder) of a domain name in a generic top-level domain ( gTLD ) operated under contract with ICANN .

2. My domain name? Oh, you mean my website name! Why do you call it a domain name?

Your domain name registration is not the same thing as a website or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). While some people assume that the registration of a domain name automatically means you have a website, what they do not understand is that a domain name is like a street address for getting postal mail: there must still be a building or post office box at the street address for delivering letters or packages. You must purchase, find, or implement services like web-hosting or email to make your Internet presence known and make your domain name functional and accessible to others.

3. Who owns the domain?

Once a domain name is registered, it is not owned, but 'leased' for a finite amount of time (usually 1 to 10 years). Most of the time, a person or business will set up their domains to auto-renew with their reseller, to avoid having to worry about renewals.

The registrant, also known as the "Registered Name Holder" is the person or entity that holds the rights to a domain name. Check with your registrar to see who the Registrant of record is for your domain name. If you have outsourced a third-party, such as a developer, to help manage your domain name, they may have registered the domain name using their own contact details (even if you have paid them to register and manage the domain name). Therefore, they may be listed as the official Registrant of record for the domain name. You may need to provide proof of your payment to the third-party/developer to prove to your registrar that you are the rightful holder and should be the registrant of the domain name.

Remember, paying to register a domain name is not the same as "buying" it outright or permanently. You do now "own" a domain name. What you are doing is more like leasing the domain name from the registry operator that the domain name is associated with. Registration periods can vary depending on the registry operator. You cannot buy a domain name forever. However, you can continually renew its registration (before the registration period expires) to maintain control over it. While the term "buying a domain name" is also commonly used in relation to purchasing an existing domain name registered to someone else, the purchaser is not buying the domain name, but just acquiring the rights to register it to themselves and continue to manage and re-register it in the future.

4. How long does a registration last? Can it be renewed?

Each registrar has the flexibility to offer initial and renewal registrations in one-year increments, provided that the maximum remaining unexpired term shall not exceed ten years.

5. I just registered a domain name. How do I turn this into a working website?

For a domain name to resolve on the Internet, you will need to secure hosting services for the domain. 

In general terms, you'll need to obtain a static (fixed) IP address for your computer from your ISP (although there are work-arounds for dynamically-assigned IP addresses). You'll need to arrange for two external computers acting as nameservers to point your domain at your IP address. Your registrar can then point your domain at the two nameservers which have been configured with your information.

6. I just registered a domain name. How do I create an email id?

Email service has to purchased separately. We recommend Microsoft 365 for your email service and the MX records have to be updated on the DNS Manager of your domain.

Your Mail Exchanger (MX) record specifies where mail for a domain name should be delivered. The record must be an assigned domain name, which in turn points to an IP address. Contact your registrar to find out about your options for how to change it.

7. If I have domain names with a registrar that has been suspended by ICANN, will I lose my domain names?

No. Your domain names are still sponsored by the suspended registrar and governed by the terms of your registration agreement with the registrar and applicable ICANN Consensus Policies.

8. What happens if a domain name is registered through a reseller of the suspended registrar?

Your rights and obligations as the registered name holder (registrant) are not affected by a suspension. However, you should check the terms of your services agreement with the reseller to make sure you are aware of any additional terms that may affect you.

9. What is DNS?

Domain Name System, or DNS, is the backbone of your online presence. Every domain name uses DNS to control how visitors find your website and how you receive email. You can think of your domain name as a street address, and DNS acts as your GPS.

10. What are the precautions that we should take before buying a domain?

You will find multiple companies offering various types of domain name registration services. Before completing any transaction relating to domain name registration, ICANN offers these general guidelines:

• Know who you are dealing with. ICANN has accredited a number of companies for provision of domain-name registration services. We recommend dealing directly with an ICANN-accredited registrar. The full list of accredited registrars is available here. If you choose to register a domain name with a company that is not an accredited registrar, make sure to read the registration agreement carefully to identify any other parties you may also be contracting with,
• Research the registrar's customer service. Does the registrar offer the types of services you require? What type of support do they offer for their services? Do they have readily accessible contact information? Can they answer the questions you have? When you do an online search, do you come up with a list of complaints against them? Checking this information ahead of time can save you a lot of problems later.
• Read and understand the terms and conditions. When registering a domain name online, you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions of a registration agreement. By completing the domain registration, you are agreeing to these terms. The agreement contains important information about the rights you have in the domain name, the use of your personal data, the fees a registrar may charge you, and under what conditions you may switch service to new providers. While it may be tempting to speed through this step and click "I AGREE," taking the time to read this first can save you from unpleasant surprises later.

11. How do I register a domain name?

Domain names can be registered through many different companies (known as "registrars") that compete with one another. A listing of these companies appears in the Registrar Directory.

The registrar you choose will ask you to provide various contact and technical information that makes up the registration. The registrar will then keep records of the contact information and submit the technical information to a central directory known as the "registry." This registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your web site. You will also be required to enter a registration contract with the registrar, which sets forth the terms under which your registration is accepted and will be maintained. 

There are now also many different top-level domains (TLDs) in which domain names can be registered. For more information, contact your registrar or visit the list of TLDs at http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db..

12. Should you outsource everything to your partner?

Although managing renewals might sound like some work but we highly recommended that your company directly takes the service from registrar to register a domain instead of relying on a partner. 

You can raise a ticket to our tech experts and we will help you with these steps to safeguard yourself against any issue owing to such unforeseeable circumstances.