Changing hosts

[gluepack]

Who can you complain to about anything nowadays. Nobody gives a damn.

I became rapidly disillusioned with my current host over the last couple of days, searched out a new provider, set up my website, checked it worked and then approached my registrar to get the domain name servers changed.

I have politely requested this three times now and they are (currently) refusing, insisting that I go through their "partner", my current host, who are "supposed to assist" me.

The only assistance I need is the domain name servers changed to my new host, for the domain that I own and that is registered through these people.

Is there no way I can force them to do it?

[steve]

Do they not provide a 'control panel' that you can log in to, and change the nameservers yourself?

[gluepack]

Wow! I must have read a dozen articles about how to do it and none of them suggested...

"Do they not provide a 'control panel' that you can log in to, and change the nameservers yourself?"

They all said "ask your registrar to do it" (and none of them said your registrar will make you go begging to your host, either).

Thanks for that, 30 seconds and it was done.

Now, an even more naive question. Even though it says it has been done, how do I know that it actually has? How do I know that I am now accessing it on HostPapa as opposed to the old host's systems?

Oh, it's ok, ping the site!

[steve]

It will take a little while for the DNS changes to propagate so that you (and everyone else) is directed to your new host.

In a command window, you can do 'nslookup jerbils.info' to see what IP address that is resolving to, and then you can put that address back into nslookup to do a reverse lookup. I use Google DNS, and that is showing a hostpapa address:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.2.9200]
(c) 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\steve>nslookup jerbils.info
Server: google-public-dns-a.google.com
Address: 8.8.8.8

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: jerbils.info
Address: 69.28.199.10


C:\Users\steve>nslookup 69.28.199.10
Server: google-public-dns-a.google.com
Address: 8.8.8.8

Name: 69.28.199.10.hostpapa.com
Address: 69.28.199.10

[gluepack]

Yes, thanks for that.

I had forgotten about ping.

[gluepack]

There are obviously many things I don't understand about how a website comes into being.

I have been with my previous host for many years and decided to obtain my own domain name over a year ago.

Sure it was "registered through" them but, as far as I can tell there is nothing in the registration details (available through whois) that associates them with it.

I've paid for it. As far as I am concerned I own it. I am the registered owner, etc.

I have done as you "suggested" and used their control panel to re-point the domain name servers.

Unfortunately publicdomainregistry.com had emailed my previous host to ask them to provide me with assistance. I don't want to deal with them and don't see that I should have to.

However, they are now telling me....
"This domain name has not been transferred, and is still registered through" us.
"You have pointed the domain name services to hostpapa.com, but have not transferred the registration."

To me, it is like a car dealership saying I can't do what I want with my own car because they registered it on my behalf at DVLA.

[steve]

Your domain is currently registered with PDR:

Sponsoring Registrar:PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (R159-LRMS)

I can't tell from the name whether that is bravehost or hostpapa (or neither). For your web site to operate, it doesn't matter who is the registrar is, it just matters where the name servers are. You changed your namerservers to hostpapa, and that's all you need to do for your web site to work at hostpapa. If you want to move where your domain is registered - so you pay someone else each year for your domain name - that's a separate, administrative matter and the last time I did that it required the co-operation of both the old and new registrars.

[BCJKiwi]

Sent you a PM

[gluepack]

Thanks for your replies guys but Public Domain Registry have been behaving like idiots and keep referring me to Bravehost, "who will provide" me "with assistance".

I see no reason for dealing with Bravehost as their employees are responsible for me changing hosts in the first place and, apart from acting as a go-between in the registration process, as far as I am concerned, I am the owner and Bravehost have nothing to do with it.

I have now filled in a form and sent my personal and company (fortunately, I have a company, which used to be necessary for EU member state citizens, in order to purchase property in Bulgaria) details to PDR.

I still don't understand, as I am the owner and they are the registrar, why they have this fetish for insisting that I go through some 3rd party but, in a sense, I don't really care as long as my website is up and running, which it has been, since I changed the domain name server settings.

[SpaceWalker]

I still don't understand, as I am the owner and they are the registrar, why they have this fetish for insisting that I go through some 3rd party but, in a sense, I don't really care as long as my website is up and running, which it has been, since I changed the domain name server settings.

There are policies involved which prevent bogus transfer requests.

Here is a link you could look at - the documentation provided is not for nor from your new hosting provider but it might get you the information/knowledge to properly transfer your registered domain: "Transfer your domain registration to us".

[gluepack]

As I said, I had already looked at a dozen articles online with regard to transferring to a different host. None of them said that your registrar, the people who your domain is registered through, would insist that your host, their "partner" as PDR refer to them, do anything, especially "assist" you, which is the last thing I want. In fact, the articles have ostensibly been with regard to doing it without your host knowing.

I have now discovered the, what Bravehost refer to as the, "secret code", but PDR have never asked for this. Unless there is some hidden whois information, there is absolutely nothing in the data to suggest that Bravehost has anything to do with my registration. It would be a different matter, if they were the registrar but they are just a go-between, oh and take the money, of course.

Admittedly, my correspondence with PDR has been with a different email address to that which is recorded in the whois but all it should have taken was an email from them to the recorded address to ask whether that was what I wanted to do.

Anyway, as I said, I have sent my request form and ID to PDR and I will see what happens next. Lol, the personal and company ID's are in Bulgarian so I can guess what their next email will say.

[water01]

As far as I am aware when you transfer a domain from one registrar to another, you have to submit a transfer request, usually online, to your old domain registration code holder and they will supply you with a Transfer code. You then have to make sure the old registration is open for transfer (it should be a setting in the transfer request), and then supply the code to your new domain registrar (normally your new hosting service) by entering it into their transfer service.

Provided you do all of that the transfer should be automatic. The only thing that could stop that is if you have owned the original domain for less than 60 days (or in some cases less than 30 days depending on the domain type) in which case you will have to wait for that period to elapse before you can apply for the transfer.

Done it many times and it usually works flawlessly if you follow the RULES.