Understanding
the rules

Do you already own a domain name? You can use your existing domain name with any of our hosting packages.

Domain bought via Hosting & Web Solutions

If you registered your domain name with Hosting & Web Solutions the nameservers are automaically added to your domain name. You will not need to make any changes.

Domain bought elsewhere

If you have already registered your domain name elsewhere and wish to use it with a Hosting & Web Solutions hosting package simply order any hosting package from us, enter your registered domain name, and continue through the order.

We will then activate your account and you will need to contact your domain registrar or log in to their domain management section and request a nameserver change to redirect your existing domain name to your new service hosted by us.

You should provide your domain registrar with the following nameserver information:

• ns1.hostingandwebsolutions.com or 217.115.112.133
• ns2.hostingandwebsolutions.com or 217.115.115.13

Once you have submitted the nameserver information the DNS delegation process will start which takes no longer than 12 hours, once complete your hosting account will now be accessible by typing your domain name into a browser, you can then upload your website and set up email accounts. Please visit our support section for information on setting up your account.

You can access your domain name control panel via your Client Area page. Once logged in you will have control over the ability to manage your nameservers within your domain name. With this control panel you need to point your nameservers to the correct server settings by your web hosting provider, without this set properly you will not have control over your website.

All domain names registered with Hosting & Web Solutions will have their nameservers automatically set to our correct server settings.

To manage your domain name account, please login via our Client Area page.

It is important to be aware that when you register a domain name you do not "own" that domain name. Instead, the domain name is registered to you for a period of time, after which you will have the opportunity to renew it.

Domain names are subject to renewal to ensure that those that are no longer wanted are removed from the register database and become available for others to use.

Only domain names that are registered with us currently can be renewed with us. You will be contacted in advance of the renewal date to check whether you wish to renew your domain name or not.

If a renewal request is not received within 30 days of expiry, the domain name will be suspended. We will send you two further renewal reminders. Seven days before suspension we will send you a suspension warning. Then 14 days after expiry, when the domain name is suspended we will send you a suspension notice. Throughout this period it is still possible to renew your domain name.

When a domain name is suspended all services that use the domain name will stop working. This means that your website at that domain name will not work and any email using the domain name will not be delivered.

After a 44 day suspension period the domain name will be cancelled and will then be immediately available for re-registration by someone else.

Please follow the steps below to renew your domain name:

Member

If you registered your domain name with us, we will automatically renew your domain name, please make sure your domain name invoice has been paid BEFORE the due date and that your credit card details are up to date. Log into your online billing account manager and request a domain name renewal.

Note: .ie domain names can be renewed between 90 days before its expiry date and 14 days after its expiry date. All other domain names can be renewed at any time.

Not a Member

If you are not a Hosting & Web Solutions customer you will need to transfer your domain name to us before you can renew your domain name. Transfer Domain Name by clicking on the link.

Domain parking is a cheap way to secure a domain for later development, redirection of web traffic, or re-sale of the domain name. We offer domain parking for free with domain registration, as there is no cost involved.

A parked domain includes one simple page. If the domain name is going to be used for development, the page normally shows that it is under construction or coming soon. Domain parking can be renewed annually, and there is no deadline as to when a website is need to be developed for the domain name.

A web hosting service needs to be bought from any web hosting provider, it does not have to be with us. The right web hosting service will provide enough web space (storage space) for your website and any design scripts or services you require. Once you have found the right web hosting provider to host your website your domain name will no longer be parked.

If you already have a website, another use of domain parking is to secure addresses similar to your main website and redirect traffic there. For example, www.mycompany.ie redirects traffic to the main website, www.mycompany.com. The first domain is parked. The parked domain does not have to be hosted by the same web hosting provider as the main website.

Parking a New Domain Name

To park a new domain name, all you need to do is go to the domain registration page and register a new domain name that will automatically be parked unless you order it with a hosting package or use it as a add-on domain in one of your current hosting packages.

Ownership (or more precisely, control) of domain names is granted for a limited period of time, subject to the appropriate registration or renewal fees being paid. Once the owner of a domain name declines to pay the renewal fee to maintain their registration, that domain name will expire - that is, it will eventually be deleted and returned to the "pool" of unregistered names.

While originally domain names were registered for a fixed period of 2 years, most Registrars now offer the option of registering a domain name for a period of 1-10 years, often with substantial discounts for extended registrations.

A domain name that is approaching its renewal date is said to be "expiring soon" and a domain name that has passed its renewal date (also known as its "expiry date" - it's just a matter of perspective!) without the renewal fee being paid is said to have "expired".

Expired domains solicit a lot of interest since essentially they form a new supply of domain names returning to the market, sometimes for the first time in many years...

Once a domain name has expired and been deleted, it is available to be re-registered by anyone. It is at the exact moment of deletion that the real battle begins for the control of the newly-available names - a battle that can only have one winner.

Expired .ie Domain Names

After an .ie domain expires your website and email will stop working, expired .ie domains have a grace period of 14 days, during which time you can reactivate your domain. At the end of this 14 day period, you will not be able to renew your domain name. There will be a period of 1-7 days before the domain name is deleted and it is available to be registered again.

Please login to the Client Area to renew your domain name before the 14 day grace period is over. If you don't renew your domain name you can run the risk of losing the domain name to another company.

All Other Domains

After a domain expires, most registrars have a grace period of 1 - 45 days, during which time you can reactivate your domain.

After the grace period, the domain is deleted from the registrar database and will not appear in your account. It will not be available to register.

Once deleted, the domain is held for 30 days by the Registry. Once the domain is dropped it becomes available for anyone to purchase just like a new name.

To check a status of a domain name go to our Whois utility on our domains page. The status is explained below.

The Whois form will tell you the status of the domain (e.g., Redemption Period). It will also list the expiration date as well. The "updated date" is usually when the 30 day redemption or pending delete period began.

"Redemption Period" is a 30-day timeframe after a registrar has deleted an expired domain such as .com, .net and .biz domains. You can still renew this domain at the current renewal rates.

"Pending Delete" as it applies to .com and .net domains refers to the 5-day timeframe after Redemption during which time VeriSign holds the domain and it cannot be recovered.

"Pending Delete" as it applies to .org domains is the 30-day timeframe after the registrar (PIR) has deleted an expired .org domain.

If you wish to submit a request to retrieve a domain during Redemption

You will need to contact Hosting & Web Solutions via email to renew this for you; there is a €200 charge to retrieve a domain name during redemption. There have been cases where people wait until they expire to try and get the domain name at a low "new registration" fee but this is risky because anyone else can register your domain.

If you are not the previous registrant, you need to wait until the domain is dropped by the registry and made available to anyone for registration. Be quick to register it before anyone else does.