• Who is CIRA ?
• How do I modify my domain record ?
• How do I retrieve my CanReg.com password and account information ?
• What if I lost my passwords and access to the email contacts for my account ?
• What is URL Forwarding ?
• What is DNS ?
• Why can I not see my website ?
• CanReg.com says my domain is expired but WHOIS says the expiry date has one year remaining ?
• Why doesn't WHOIS show the original expiration date ?
• Does CanReg.com register/renew domains for the entire term I purchase ?
 

 

Who is CIRA ?

CIRA stands for the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. CIRA has been given a mandate by the Government of Canada to provide and operate the .CA domain name registry. CIRA does not sell .CA domains per se. Instead, registrars like CanReg.com are accredited by CIRA to perform the customer related aspects of domain sale, service and support. In other words, CIRA provides and handles the "back-end" of the .CA registry, while certified registrars like CanReg.com provide the "front-end" customer features and support. This allows CIRA to focus on their primary mandate. CIRA is also a non-profit body, and thus anyone can become a member of CIRA, with the voting rights associated with it. To become a CIRA member visit the CIRA Members website.

 

How do I modify my domain record ?

You can modify your domain name record online using our easy-to-use Domain Admin Panel. This is accessible through the User Login link in our menu bar as well.

 

How do I retrieve my CanReg.com password and account information ?

You can do this online here.

 

What if I lost my passwords and access to the email contacts for my account ?

Your account security is important. A manual account update process must be completed when a domain registrant or admin contact has lost access to their account information and email addresses on file. This requires a form to be completed and faxed to us, along with verifiable government issued identification. There are two forms available, one for individuals and another for non-individuals. If you are unsure of how you are currently registered please contact us.

Manual Change of Admin Contact - Individuals

Manual Change of Admin Contact - Non -Individuals

The form is in Adobe PDF format and contains all the instructions you will need. Once the form is completed it must be printed, signed, and faxed back to us toll free at 1.877.731.7375 A free PDF viewer is available here free of charge.

 

What is URL Forwarding ?

URL forwarding is an enhanced service for people who do not like to have their web-hosting-provider control their domain. It can also be used by those who prefer to use the various free webspace services on the Internet. URL forwarding allows you to keep control of where your website goes via our Domain Admin Panel. You will be able to direct visitors to your domain to any website in the world.

For example, you could set up forwarding for anyone visiting www.yourdomain.ca to be redirected to your personal homepage at www.homestead.com/user123, or to your main website at www.yourotherdomain.com. That way, you can tell people an easy-to-remember domain name instead.

Because URL Forwarding is not for everyone, it is not included in the domain registration fee. We provide 3 types of URL Forwarding service:

• Forward Free (tell 5 friends about us and get it free) - an advertising banner is placed at the bottom of the page. This is so that we can recover some of the costs of providing this free service.
• Forward Basic ($19.95 per year) - shows the actual destination URL in the address bar.
• Forward Professional ($29.95 per year)- retains your domain name in the address bar.

All of our URL Forwarding services are HTTP 1.1 and HTML 3.0 compliant.

You can subscribe to any of these services at our Domain Admin Panel.

 

What is DNS ?

DNS is an acronym that stands for Domain Name Service. Each domain is assigned a unique numeric address and DNS takes care of locating and routing information to the domains so that the world can find you. When you fill out your registration form, we give you the option to park your DNS with us or to specify your own DNS or the DNS of your hosting service. If you already have a web site or have found an ISP to host your web site, you should use your ISPs DNS when registering your domain name.

 

Why can I not see my website ?

There are a few possible reasons:

• If you just bought your domain it can take about 6 hours for the DNS to become active.
• If you just changed the DNS server for your domain it can take 6 hours for the DNS to re-propogate. If you have changed your DNS and it has been longer than this try the site from another computer or network. Sometimes web browsers, routers or even internet providers will cache DNS addresses.
• If you are using a third-party ISP or web-hosting company, it could be that they either have not set up your hosting account yet, or have a problem with their servers.

 





CanReg.com says my domain is expired but WHOIS says the expiry date has one year remaining ?

All expiring domain names are auto-renewed for one year by the registry. This auto-renewal keeps the domain registered which, in turn, allows a renewal grace period to be offered. During this grace period a hold status is placed on the domain which prevents it from working. The auto-renew and domain hold system gives registrants a fair chance to renew their domain even after it has expired. CanReg.com will actively cancel any domain that has not been renewed during the grace renew period.

 





Why doesn't WHOIS show the original expiration date ?

As discussed above, the auto-renewal of domains is a true one year renewal which affects the root registry database. To publish anything different would be to contradict what is on file in the authoritative database. If the registrant does not renew the registration with his/her registrar, the registrar may delete the registration in the registry database.

 





Does CanReg.com register/renew domains for the entire term I purchase ?

YES. Some domain registrars will take a multi-year renewal and then renew their clients domain name 1 year at a time. You can tell this by checking the expiry date for your domain using a WHOIS search. We believe this practice is both unethical and has dangerous business implications. CanReg.com always has and always will register/renew your domain immediately for the entire term that you have purchased.