2

I've recently moved my domain to a new host, but the domain renewal is managed by an old host. I checked that the domain is registered by Enom. I would like to know about best practices (if they exist) of maintaining domains.

  1. Is there any point of transferring a domain out of its registrar (in my case Enom). At Enom's web site I can't even manage my domain without becoming a reseller (which costs money AFAIK).

  2. Is there a point of pushing domain within its registrar to a different reseller? And if so, who usually takes care of it? Is it domain owner who has to perform all steps, or he can delegate it to the hosting company?

object
  • 153
  • 4

1 Answers1

2

I wouldn't mess with the reseller stuff for a single domain name. Here's what you should do:

  1. Create an account with a friendly registrar such as GoDaddy.
  2. Ask the old host to unlock the domain and provide you with the transfer authorization code.
  3. Ask them to set the e-mail address on the administrative WHOIS contact to your e-mail address.
  4. Initiate a domain transfer from your GoDaddy account. There will be a small fee for this, but it also renews the domain for another year.
  5. You will receive an e-mail with some instructions and verification information. Follow those instructions.
  6. The old host will get an e-mail from their registrar regarding the transfer and may have to approve it on their end.
  7. Once approved on each side, the domain will move into your GoDaddy account and you can manage it directly.

I mention GoDaddy here because they have free toll-free technical support that can help you through every step of the process. You can choose any other registrar though. I use DirectNIC personally, but they are oriented toward a more technical audience.

While you're waiting for the transfer to complete, go have a look at my related blog post, The Importance of Domains which has some other useful information that may save you some headaches.

As for your new hosting company, you can certainly delegate access to the domain if you trust them, but I generally recommend against having them manage the registration unless 1) you really trust them and 2) you really don't have any idea what you're doing (and that's not necessarily a bad thing; some people just don't know much about this stuff and its fine to delegate management in some cases).

Justin Scott
  • 8,748
  • 1
  • 27
  • 39
  • Justin, Thank you very much for great explanation. I will definitely read your post! – object Jul 07 '10 at 12:57
  • If the domain is not locked (which I think is a sham) you can skip right to step 4. – joeqwerty Jul 07 '10 at 13:16
  • @joeqwerty In nearly every case the domain will be locked, and he would still need the transfer code and his own account before he could initiate the transfer, so I'm not sure what skipping steps would accomplish aside from making things more confusing. – Justin Scott Jul 07 '10 at 13:46
  • @Justin: You may be right but every transfer I've done I've initiated directly from the registrar I was transferring to. I've transferred domains to both NetSol and GoDaddy and have never had to do anyhting more but use their transfer process. – joeqwerty Jul 07 '10 at 13:52
  • I think the domain is locked, but I'll start from registering at GoDaddy and see how it goes. – object Jul 07 '10 at 14:40
  • @object If the domain is locked the transfer will fail. You will need to get the current account holder to unlock the domain at eNom before you will be able to move it. – Justin Scott Jul 08 '10 at 00:45
  • @joeqwerty If that's been recent, then security at the origin registrar is seriously lacking. I should also mention that I'm assuming .com here, the process for other TLDs may be slightly different depending on the registry rules for the TLD. – Justin Scott Jul 08 '10 at 00:47
  • @Justin, you were right. Transfer has failed, and I am waiting for a response from the account holder which is not very responsive. I wonder what I should do if they don't respond at all. – object Jul 08 '10 at 07:11
  • how long does it typically take to go from step 5 to step 7? I'm trying to transfer a .in domain from some crappy registrar to godaddy. I got the verification emails in step 5 from godaddy almost instantly, but haven't heard a peep from my old registrar. My domain expires in 8 days, do I have a chance at this happening before it expires? – nbv4 Jul 30 '10 at 06:34
  • @nbv4 It depends on the registrar that holds the domain at present, so you'd need to check with them. Most will release the domain immediately, but some (such as Network Solutions) will put a hold on the domain for several days (5 days for NetSol). – Justin Scott Aug 01 '10 at 22:05