FAQs
FAQs
Below are the most common customer support inquires. If you still can't find the answer to your question email us at resellersupport@astragate.net or call us at (480) 505-8822
 


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What do .com, .net and .org stand for?
Confused by the terminology you hear people using? Read below for easy-to-understand explanations of the most commonly-used terms.
I want to modify the prices that I offer for each domain name that can be registered/transferred on my Reseller storefront. Where can I do this?
How do I modify the look and feel of my Reseller storefront?
How do I modify default name server(DNS) information?
What payment methods does AstraGate Resell accept?
How do I change the products I want to offer on my Reseller storefront?
How do I change what domains (TLDs) can be registered/transferred to my site?
How do I login to the administrative side of my reseller site?
I lost my Reseller Control Center password. What do I do?
Who will be listed as the registrar on any domain name registered at my site?
How long until a newly registered domain name can be seen or used?
I want to register a domain name that is about to expire.
Does my customers' information on their domain name have to be public?
How do my customers unpark their domain names?
Can a domain already registered to my customer be sold to someone else?
Can my customers cancel a domain name registration?
When should my customers renew their domain name? Will they be notified?
What happens if I choose not to renew my reseller account? What happens to the domains and other products? Do the customers lose their items, etc?
How do I forward my existing domain to my new reseller storefront?
How can I buy a private domain registration?
How do I know if my tax form is on file with AstraGate Resell?
I cannot login to the Reseller Control Center What do I do?

 
What do .com, .net and .org stand for?
.Com represents companies or for profit organizations, it is also the most common extension for domain names. Most personal web sites also use this extension

.Net generally represents Internet Service Providers and other organizations

.Org represents non-profit organizations or groups

.Info stands for information and is generally for information type sites but not limited to that type

.Biz domains are used for businesses' sites

.US stands for United States and can be used for any type of site

.WS means 'website' and can be used for many different types of websites

Though these are general guidelines, you may use any of these extensions when registering a domain name. If you want to make sure no one else can benefit from your domain name, it's a good idea to register all variations of your domain name.


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Confused by the terminology you hear people using? Read below for easy-to-understand explanations of the most commonly-used terms.
Administrative Contact: The administrative contact is an individual authorized to interact with the registrar on behalf of the domain name registrant. The administrative contact should be able to answer non-technical questions about the domain name's registration and the domain name registrant. It is strongly recommended that the administrative contact be the registrant or someone from the registrant's organization.

Billing Contact: The billing contact is the person designated to receive the invoice for domain name registration and re-registration fees. The billing contact should be in a position to ensure prompt payment of fees.

Browser: A program which allows a person to read hypertext. The browser gives some means of viewing the contents of pages and of navigating from one page to another.

ccTLD: Country code Top Level Domain. Also referred to as non-US ISO country codes. TLDs in domain names which reflect a specific country, such as .co.uk (United Kingdom), .co.jp (Japan), .com.tw (Taiwan), et cetera. If you are interested in such a name, you should check out this list of domain name registries around the world: http://www.norid.no/domreg.html.

DNS: A distributed database of information that is used to translate domain names, which are easy for humans to remember and use, into Internet Protocol (IP) numbers, which are what computers need to find each other on the Internet. People working on computers around the globe maintain their specific portion of this database, and the data held in each portion of the database is made available to all computers and users on the Internet. The DNS comprises computers, data files, software, and people working together.

Domain Name: In short, a domain name is nothing more than an alias for a numeric web address. Each web site on the internet has a numeric address that functions like coordinates on a map. Instead of pointing to a geographic location on earth, these numeric addresses, called IP addresses, point to a geographical location on the Internet. Computers have no problems with locating and remembering numeric addresses. In contrast, most humans have trouble remembering long, complicated sequences of numbers. So, to make surfing the web easier, the domain name system was invented. This system allows people to use easy to remember names for web sites instead of those number sequences.

Fully-qualified domain name: A fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) is that portion of an Internet Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that fully identifies the server program that an Internet request is addressed to. The FQDN includes the top-level domain name, the second-level domain name and any other levels. An FQDN should be sufficient to determine a unique Internet address for any host on the Internet. The prefix "http://" added to the fully-qualified domain name completes the URL.

FTP: File Transfer Protocol. The Internet engineering standard for transferring files from one computer to another, i.e. from a web creator's computer files to the virtual server or vice versa. Such a transfer is made via a special FTP software program such as WS_FTP or CuteFTP. There are many Internet sites that have established publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained using FTP, by logging in using the account name anonymous, thus these sites are called anonymous ftp servers.

gTLD: Generic Top Level Domain. In the US, gTLDs used to describe organizational and political structures and are usually given three-letter names. Over the past few years, a number of these gTLDs have become "unrestricted", i.e. anyone can register a domain in that gTLD. You do not even have to reside in the US or be a business entity. For domains outside the US, two-letter ISO (International Organization For Standardization) country codes are used.

HTML: Documents on the World Wide Web are written in a simple "markup language" called HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML looks a lot like old-fashioned typesetting code, where you surround a block of text with codes that indicate how it should appear, additionally, in HTML you can specify that a block of text, or a word, is linked to another file on the Internet. HTML files are meant to be viewed using a browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.

HTTP: HyperText Transfer Protocol. The protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet. Requires a HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP server program on the other end. HTTP is the most important protocol used in the World Wide Web (WWW).

Hypertext: Term coined by Ted Nelson around 1965 for a collection of documents containing cross-references or "links" which, with the aid of an interactive browser program, allow the reader to move easily from one document to another.

IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority): The function that currently oversees registration for various Internet Protocol parameters, such as port numbers, protocol and enterprise numbers, options, codes, and types. The IANA function is currently located at the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California in Marina del Rey, CA.

ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN is the new non-profit corporation that is assuming responsibility from the U.S. Government for coordinating certain Internet technical functions, including the management of Internet domain name system. More information about ICANN can be found at their web site, which is posted at: http://www.icann.org.

InterNIC (http://www.internic.net/): The InterNIC is a concept for an integrated network information center that was developed by several companies, including Network Solutions, in cooperation with the U.S. Government. Currently, the term "InterNIC" is being used in conjunction with a neutral, stand alone web page (located at http://www.internic.net) that is established for the purpose of providing the public with information regarding Internet domain name registration. InterNIC is a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

IP Address: Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the Internet. Most machines also have one or more Domain Names that are easier for people to remember IP addresses are numerical, often 32-bit addresses that are expressed as four numbers between 0 and 255, separated by periods, for example: 216.168.224.69 For more information, HowStuffWorks.com has an easy to comprehend article on How IP Addresses Work as a part of its larger article on How Domain Name Servers Work.

ISP (Internet Service Provider): Internet Service Provider. While rather a generic term, ISP generally refers to a person, organization, or company that allows its users access to the Internet. In addition to Internet access, many ISPs provide other services such as web hosting, DNS and other services.

Nameserver: Sometimes called a "host". A computer (server) that has both the software and the data (zone files) needed to resolve domain names to Internet Protocol (IP) numbers. Domain names must be programmed into a minimum of two nameservers hosted on separate networks.

NIC: Generally, any office that handles information for a network. The most famous of these on the Internet is the InterNIC, which is where new domain names are registered.

Parking: When a registered domain is parked, the domain is reserved but remains inactive. A temporary Web page is displayed until the site is unparked — or activated. Domain name parking is often used by registrants who do not yet have a hosting provider or who haven't yet built a site for the domain.

Registrant: The individual or organization that registers a specific domain name. This individual or organization holds the right to use that specific domain name for a specified period of time, provided certain conditions are met and the registration (NIC) fees are paid. This person or organization is the "legal entity" bound by the terms of all applicable domain registration Service Agreements.

Registrar: An entity with a direct contractual relationship with, and special access to, a registry, that inserts records on behalf of others.

Registry: A database associating DNS information with some person, legal entity, operational entity, or other referent.

Restricted top-level domain name (rTLD): A top-level domain, such as .biz, .gov, .museum, .name, and .pro, that is only available to registrants who meet certain criteria.

Root: The top of the Domain Name System hierarchy. Often referred to as the "dot."

Second-Level Domain: In the Domain Name System, the next lower level of the hierarchy underneath the top level domains. In a domain name, that portion of the domain name that appears immediately to the left of the top-level domain. For example, the domainsforbeginners in domainsforbeginners.com. Second-Level Domains are the focus of domain speculators and have been the root of a good portion of internet name disputes on the internet. It's important that your second-level domain does not infringe upon the registered trademark of another entity.

Server: A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is running, e.g. Our mail server is down today, that's why e-mail isn't getting out. A single server machine could have several different server software packages running on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the network.

Technical Contact: The technical contact is the person or organization who maintains the primary domain name server. When you register your domain name with us, we provide our primary nameserver automatically and assume the role of Technical Contact. The technical contact should be able to answer technical questions about the domain name's primary domain name server and work with technically-oriented people in other domains to solve technical problems that affect the domain name.

TLD: Top Level Domain. In the Domain Name System (DNS), the highest level of the hierarchy after the root. In a domain name, that portion of the domain name that appears furthest to the right. For example, the com in domainsforbeginners.com. top

URL: Uniform Resource Locator. An internet "address". A draft standard for specifying the location of an object on the Internet, such as a file or a newsgroup. They are used in HTML documents to specify the target of a hyperlink which is often another HTML document (possibly stored on another computer).

Examples of URLs:
  • http://www.cnn.com
  • http://www.google.com
  • http://Resell.AstraGate.net

The first part of the URL, before the colon (often http), specifies the access method. The part of the URL after the colon is interpreted specific to the access method.

URL Forwarding: URL Redirection or Website Redirection. In short, when the user types in one address (URL) for a web site and is then redirected to a site, often on a different server than the domain. Often the URL name entered will be short, easy to remember URL while the destination page is actually defined by a much longer, harder to remember URL. It occurs when a Web server tells the client browser to obtain a certain requested page from a different location. The new URL may be on the same server or a different one and may itself be subject to redirection. The user is normally unaware of this process except that it may introduce extra delay while the browser sends the new request and the browser will usually (although not always) display the new URL rather than the one the user originally requested.

Virtual host: Also called an IPP. In order to establish a full-time presence on the internet, one needs to have computers that are connected continuously to the Internet. Special hardware and software are needed as well as constant maintenance of a full-time high speed connection to the internet. A virtual host provides services to relieve its hosted customers from the burden of dedicating costly hardware/software and valuable human resources to its web presence effort. Because the electronic frontage (or website) actually resides on the IPP's computers, and not that of the entity, it's virtual. This is where the name "virtual host" comes from.

Web Page: Simply, a block of information running on a world-wide server process identified by a specific URL. Such pages are most often written in HTML. It is also possible for a server to create a dynamic web page via special scripts.

Web Site: Simply put, a block of information running on a world-wide server process. A web site may or may not of a group of pages related to one another, and is identified by its Second-Level Domain.

WhoIs: A searchable database maintained by the registrar, which contains information about networks, networking organizations, domain names, and the contacts associated with them for respective domains. Also, the set of rules that describes the application used to access the database. This site uses fasterWhoIs, an advanced engine that quickly searches all registrars' databases for domain name availability.


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I want to modify the prices that I offer for each domain name that can be registered/transferred on my Reseller storefront. Where can I do this?

  1. Login to your Private Label Admin page from here: http://www.resellercontrolcenter.com/login.aspx
  2. Click on Product Pricing from the Products & Pricing menu.
  3. Click the '+' symbol to open the pricing chart on the domain you wish to modify.
  4. Then modify the prices for new registrations and renewals.
  5. Click APPLY before moving on to the next domain.
  6. Choose the next domain extension (TLD) to modify and make the changes as needed.
  7. The price changes will take effect immediately.


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How do I modify the look and feel of my Reseller storefront?

  1. Here are the directions so you can access the section where customizations are made to your reseller site or storefront.

  2. Login to the reseller admin section at: http://www.resellercontrolcenter.com/login.aspx
  3. Login.
  4. Choose the appropriate selection from the "Design & Layout" menu.
  5. Make any changes and click APPLY.


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How do I modify default name server(DNS) information?

  1. Click on "Product Offerings" from the "Products & Pricing" menu.
  2. First, modify the name servers under the "Hosting Name Server" section.
    - Note: If you are offering our Hosting product then you cannot modify the default hosting servers.
  3. Click "Apply".
  4. Update the "Parking Name Servers".
    - Note: It is recommended that you not modify these as all forwarding, email and custom parked pages use our default name servers.
  5. Click "Apply".
    These changes will only affect domains registered after you have completed the modifications. Any domains already registered will not automatically have their name servers modified. Your customers may change the option for each domain name from the default one you specify.


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What payment methods does AstraGate Resell accept?
Currently, AstraGate Resell only accepts credit cards for any of the services we offer. We have streamlined our billing process so we can give you the lowest prices for our services.
AstraGate Resell accepts these major credit cards:
  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Discover
  • Paypal
  • Online Check payments


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How do I change the products I want to offer on my Reseller storefront?

  1. Login to https://www.resellercontrolcenter.com
  2. Choose Product Offerings from the Products & Pricing menu
  3. From the next screen the products that you can offer will be listed. Place a checkbox next to the products you do wish to offer. Then click on SUBMIT. The products you have chosen will be available immediately.
  4. The next step is to set the prices for these products. Follow the directions below on how to set those prices.
  5. Click on SET OTHER PRODUCT PRICES.
  6. Set the price for each product that you are offering. All of the prices listed are per year for each product except Domain Transfer of Registration which is per domain.
    **Note: You can only set the price between the Minimum Sale Price and the Maximum Sale Price listed for each product.
  7. Click on SUBMIT. The price change will take effect immediately.


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How do I change what domains (TLDs) can be registered/transferred to my site?

  1. http://www.resellercontrolcenter.com/login.aspx
  2. Login
  3. Once you are logged in choose Product Offerings from the Products & Pricing menu.
  4. Click the checkbox next to the domain extensions you want to offer.
  5. Click APPLY.
  6. Set the prices for the domain extensions you have activated under the PRODUCT PRICING.
  7. The changes will take effect immediately after APPLY is clicked.


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How do I login to the administrative side of my reseller site?
Login to the Reseller Control Center at: http://www.resellercontrolcenter.com/login.aspx.
From there you can:
  • View New products and features
  • Manage your web site where you can customize the site, Set prices, product offerings, manage name servers, etc.
  • View reports of the domains registered through your Reseller storefront
  • View Sales statistics by date

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I lost my Reseller Control Center password. What do I do?
Please visit the following page so you may have your Reseller administrative password information sent to you by email: http://www.resellercontrolcenter.com/extranet/password_recover.aspx

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Who will be listed as the registrar on any domain name registered at my site?
We have setup our Reseller service to list your company as the registrar for most WHOIS searches. However, we cannot control the information contained in any WHOIS database, beyond our own, so AstraGate Resell may be listed. We feel that this will not cause a conflict among your customers. The technical difficulty of listing your company in all the WHOIS databases is not feasible at this time.

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How long until a newly registered domain name can be seen or used?
Any new domain name takes up to 48 hours to become registered and fully effective on the internet. You will not be able to publish or view your site, receive e-mails or make use of your domain name until that time frame has passed. That time frame is true for all registers and just how the current domain name system works.
If you make any changes to your domain name such as modify any of the contact information or more importantly, modify the DNS or name servers attached to your domain name it will be 48 hours before you can see the changes on the internet.

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I want to register a domain name that is about to expire.
You may offer the Backordering service to your customers. Once a domain is backordered, our system will check on the status of that domain each day and attempt to register it if that domain does become available. Only one person can back order a domain from any of our reseller accounts. If the domain is not released the backorder credit can be setup for on another domain.

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Does my customers' information on their domain name have to be public?
A customer who registered a domain name with my Reseller storefront can have their information listed on a WHOIS search. Is there anyway to hide that information from public view? The information listed on your domain name has to be made publicly available per our agreement with ICANN, the governing body of domain names. We cannot hide that information from public view at this time. As well false information cannot be entered as that will violate the registration agreement and your domain name registration will be terminated. That is also by agreement with ICANN. However, as a reseller you can certainly offer the Private Registration services through your Reseller site. With this service it is perfectly legal to use the proxy information that we make available for you and your customers.

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How do my customers unpark their domain names?

  1. Navigate to your Reseller storefront.
  2. Choose DOMAIN NAMES from the manage drop-down menu.
  3. Login with the current domain login information.
  4. Choose the domain name to modify
  5. Click on (click here to modify) next to NAME SERVER INFORMATION.
  6. Enter the new name servers to be attached to that domain.
  7. Click on SAVE CHANGES.

    NOTE: Any changes to a domain name can take up to 48 hours to take effect on the Internet.

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Can a domain already registered to my customer be sold to someone else?

  1. Login to your Domain name management interface
  2. Choose the domain name you wish to transfer
  3. Click on CHANGE OWNER
  4. Click INITIATE NEW CHANGE
  5. Click the YES radio button and hit CONTINUE
  6. Enter the new Registrant INFO and then click CONTINUE
  7. View the Transfer of Ownership application and click CONTINUE
  8. You will receive a confirmation screen on the next step
  9. The new registrant will receive an email with the process to complete the registration change. Once they complete that information the domain will be moved to their account.


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Can my customers cancel a domain name registration?
Yes, they can perform this function from the "Manage Your Domains" section from your Reseller storefront. This is a permanent action and you cannot undo this action. Unfortunately, there are no refunds for domain name registrations that are cancelled for any reason.

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When should my customers renew their domain name? Will they be notified?
Your customers will be notified via email when the domain name is about to expire and can then renew it from the MANAGE MY DOMAINS section of your Reseller storefront. They can always check the status of your domains and when they will expire from this section as well.
Domain renewal emails are sent 90, 30, 15 and 5 days before a domain expires.

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What happens if I choose not to renew my reseller account? What happens to the domains and other products? Do the customers lose their items, etc?
If you do not renew within the reseller program, we move all products and customer accounts from your reseller account to another reseller site we have setup for just such a purpose. Your customers will not lose any time they have left on their domains and other products. As well, those customers will be notified by email of where to login for the future and their current login information will be valid. No further commission will be earned once your reseller site is deactivated.

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How do I forward my existing domain to my new reseller storefront?

  1. Login to the account where the domain is located that you wish to forward.
  2. Click on 'Manage Domains'.
  3. Click on the domain you wish to forward.
  4. Click on the orange 'Forward Domains' button above the domain list.
  5. Paste the address of your reseller storefront in the 'Forward To' box on the right hand side of the page.
  6. Click on the green 'Save Changes button near the bottom of the page.
  7. The forwarding will be setup within 15 minutes of saving the setup. Please note, any new domain can take up to 48 hours to show on the Internet so that may delay the forwarding setup if applicable.


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How can I buy a private domain registration?

  1. Go to your Reseller storefront and select MANAGE MY DOMAINS from the storefront.
  2. Log in using your domain login username and password.
  3. Select Domain Names you wish to add privacy.
    1. Check the domain record you wish to make private.
    2. Click "Add Privacy", you'll be prompted to create a Domains By Proxy Account and proceed through the check out.
  4. In a matter of minutes, your information will now be private and will not be accessible through a WHO-IS lookup.
  5. You can transfer your existing domain name(s) to your Reseller site. When the transfer process is successful you can then convert your public registration to a private one by following the steps above to convert public names into private names.


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How do I know if my tax form is on file with AstraGate Resell?
You can check to see if your tax form is filed from within the reseller control center. Login at: https://www.resellercontrolcenter.com/login.aspx
If your tax form is on file, you will see the following text listed: Your tax information is on file with AstraGate Resell.

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I cannot login to the Reseller Control Center What do I do?
There may be several reasons why you may not be able to login to the reseller control center. You may have the wrong login ID or password. To recover your password, please access the Password Recovery page to have your password sent to the email address on file. You will need to enter your login name and full email address. If you do not have the correct login name, please contact AstraGate Resell directly at: (480) 505-8822 or Email: resellersupport@astragate.net.
If you enter your login information, click the 'Login' button and the screen refreshes back to the login page and erases your information, there may be an issue with the 'cookie' setting on your specific computer. If you are utilizing Internet Explorer 6.0 please follow these directions to set the cookie setting to an appropriate level.
  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. Click on TOOLS.
  3. Click on INTERNET OPTIONS.
  4. Click on PRIVACY.
  5. Change the SETTINGS level to LOW.
  6. Click APPLY and then OK.
  7. Attempt to login again.
    Please check the 'Help' function of the browser you are using if you are not utilizing Internet Explorer 6. If you still cannot login, please contact us directly at the number or email address listed above.

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