Domain Names

Some answers to commonly asked questions about domain names, in particular, Australian domain name registration guidelines

• If a com.au domain name is available, can I register it?
• What types of characters can be used in domain names?
• Am I eligible to register .com.au and .net.au domain names?
• Can I reserve a domain name?
• How many domain names can I register?
• If I am not eligible for a com.au or .net.au domain name, what choices do I have?
• Do I have to use my domain name immediately?
• Can I register a domain name but not order email services or web hosting?
• If I register my domain name with you, can I use another web hosting company?
• Are there any additional charges added to your published price ?

Domain Name Policies

The following rules are to be read in conjunction with schedule A of the Domain name eligibility and allocation policy rules for open second level domains (2lds)

• SCHEDULE B: Eligibility and allocation rules for asn.au 
• SCHEDULE C: Eligibility and allocation rules for com.au
• SCHEDULE D: Eligibility and allocation rules for id.au
• SCHEDULE E: Eligibility and allocation rules for net.au
• SCHEDULE F: Eligibility and allocation rules for org.au

Web Hosting (Explanation of terms)

Web hosting can seem complex due to the associated jargon - the following are explanations of some of the terms involved

• What is Web Hosting?
• How visitors reach your web site : DNS - Domain Name System
• Data Storage and Bandwidth
• Web-based Control Panel
• Private CGI-BIN
• Password Protected Directories
• SSI (Server Side Includes)
• PHP Scripting Language
• POP3 Email Accounts
• Email Aliases and Forwarding
• Email Catch-all
• Unlimited 24/7/365 FTP Access

Web Hosting Tutorials

Intuitive and easy to follow video Web Hosting Tutorials. 

Click on the links below to view videos on how to use your control panel, set up your email accounts, and FTP. The tutorials are clear, concise and cover all of the most common questions and tasks.

• Personal Control Panel
• Setting up E-mail
• Publishing a website using FTP

E-mail Support

Everything you needed to know about setting up email services and how to get the most from all our amazing email-related features!

• Using Webmail
• What is POP3 email and how do I create a POP3 email account?
• How do I change the password for a POP3 email account?
• Do you offer a webmail option that I can use to access my email via a web browser?
• What is an email redirect and how do I create one?
• How do I change a POP3 email account to an email redirect?
• How do I change the destination email address for an email redirect?
• How do I change a email redirect to a POP3 email account?
• How can I send all unresolved email to one "catch-all" email address?
• How can I force all unresolved email to bounce back with a specific message?
• What is a mailgroup?
• How do I setup an autoresponder or vacation reply?
• How do I change the mail name (email alias) for an email account?
• Setting up e-mail in Outlook 2002/XP
• Setting up email in Outlook Express, Eudora or Incredimail
• Setting up email in Apple Mail

Website Setup

Information to help you in setting up your Domain Registration Services web hosting acccount

• What do I need to name the default page for my site?
• What is my site's public directory?
• What is a web user and how do I create one?
• How do I password protect a directory or file?
• How do I create a custom error pages?

mySQL Support

Learn more about the power of MySQL databases!

• What is MySQL?
• How do I create a MySQL database?
• How do I maintain an existing MySQL database?
• What host name/server name should I use to call out a MySQL database from a script?
• Is it possible to use one database for multiple applications?

PHP Support

PHP is one of the world's most popular scripting languages. Learn more about working with PHP.

• What is PHP?
• What extension should I use for PHP scripts?
• What version of PHP is on the server?
• My PHP script is not working, can you help me with it?

CGI Support

CGI and PERL scripts have been around for an incredibly long time and are still the choice of many web developers and programmers. Learn more about how to work with PERL and CGI in regard to our web hosting services

• What are CGI scripts?
• What information and server paths do I need to run a CGI script?
• I'm having difficulty setting up CGI scripts, are there any other alternatives?

SSL(Secure Socket Layer) support

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a crucial element for protecting online transactions from prying eyes. SSL support is provided free with our web hosting plans

• What is SSL?
• How do I use SSL with my website?
• How do I use a SSL certificate that is specific to my domain?

FTP(File Transfer Protocol) support

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is an easy way to publish and retrieve files from your web site

• What is FTP?
• Do you recommend any FTP programs?
• What information do I need to enter into my FTP program?
• I uploaded my files, but nothing is showing up when I access my site using a browser?
• My FTP program is some having problems connecting, how can I troubleshoot this?
• When I upload my files to the server, why are they corrupted?