| Bill Jonas on Mon, 18 Feb 2002 21:50:22 +0100 |
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On Mon, Feb 18, 2002 at 02:56:01PM -0500, Doug Crompton wrote: > What if you go with one of the 'low bidders' that 'appear' good and they > go belly up? Is there a provision to handle that? I don't have a link handy, but I recall reading somewhere that the various domain names get transferred to other registrars under some method/process. You're not left hanging in the breeze. > What exactly do these guys do? Basically, you're paying an annual fee for a spot in a database. > Do they submit root info once until it changes? Yes. Then if something changes, they submit the info again. Basically, the master root servers get updated just about every day. (I think it might be up to 72 hours, but from what I've noticed, the root gets updated every day or two.) The information the root servers store is limited to the name of the domain, its master nameservers, and the name of the registrar's whois server. When you look up a hostname, the root servers tell you which nameservers to ask. When you do a whois lookup, they tell you which whois server contains the contact information for the domain. An annual fee for a DB record. ;-) > It would seem like a monumental task to coordinate all these guys! I'm sure the logistics are scary, but from my end, it seems to work rather smoothly. Oh, and I just realized I fibbed earlier. My first domain was originally registered with AllDNS, but I transferred it to Gandi. The domains I've registered since then have all been with Gandi. > I just don't understand how and why verisign is so out of line on prices > and how they can compete that way and stay in business. I guess there must > be a whole lot of others as stupid as me! Well, it's not individuals -- it's businesses. NSI was the first registrar, and the *only* registrar, for a long time, ever since the name registry business was privatized way back in the mid 90's. It's only been in the last couple years or so that there have been competing registrars, so the businesses tend to keep using NSI, based on familiarity, perceived competence (hey, they've been doing it longer than anybody else), FUD, or what-have-you. Also, they offer other services which not many others do, such as paper invoices and payment by check (that can be a *big* thing; most other registrars only accept credit cards and will only give you an electronic receipt). Think of Windows XP Home and Corporate editions, which are $200 and $300, respectively. Or SuSE Pro and Personal, $70 and $40. NSI aren't really targeting you and I (although they would be perfectly happy with our business); they're targeting business customers. My $0.02. -- Bill Jonas * bill@billjonas.com * http://www.billjonas.com/ Developer/SysAdmin for hire! See http://www.billjonas.com/resume.html Attachment:
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