Transfer Configuration
One of the things that we are very proud to make available is the ability to pre-configure your domain transfers prior to the transfer even being completed. This allows you to rest assured that your domain will have minimal downtime and will be set up exactly how you would like the second the transfer completes. If your domain is using third-party nameservers, the downtime expected is zero.
Why is this useful?
When transferring domain names, you should keep in mind any services that you are relying on your current registrar to provide. For example, many registrars provide services such as domain forwarding, DNS management, privacy and more. When you leave your registrar, you will very likely also lose any services that they were providing. It is our goal to give you the tools to ensure that you don't miss a beat during the process.
How do I know if I need to configure my domains?
This is not a simple question, and, if you don't know the answer, you should likely consult with an expert that you trust. That being said, and the best rule of thumb to determine if a domain transfer may result in possible downtime is to see if you are using your current registrar's name servers for your domain. If you are, there is a good chance that they are providing services for your domain. The obvious exception to this rule is if your current registrar is also your web host in which case you will likely continue to use their name servers even after the transfer is completed.
What transfer configuration options are available to me?
We make the following options available to you during the transfer process of your domain (you can access these options by clicking the "gear" icon in the "Configuration" column on the Transfer Manager page):
- Make No Changes: This is the default setting for all transfers. Using this selection and no changes will be made to your domain upon transfer completion. This means that the name servers will stay the same.
- Setup Custom DNS Records: * This option should be selected if you use your current registrar for DNS and will no longer do so following transfer completion. As part of the transfer process, our system will do its best to determine if your domain does utilize your current registrar for DNS. In the event our system believes this is the case, you will be notified during the transfer process. We will also identify and pre-configure all of the DNS records we can detect to help give you a head-start on configuring the records on our system. Read the section below on "DNS prior to transfer completion" for more information.
- Setup Domain Forwarding: * You can use this option to select and configure your domain to use our free domain forwarding service upon transfer completion.
- Domain Parking * You can use this option to select and configure your domain to use our free domain parking service upon transfer completion.
*Selecting any of these options will result in the name servers for your domain changing to our defaults upon transfer completion.
Other configuration options
- WHOIS Privacy: You can select whether or not to utilize our free WHOIS privacy service upon transfer completion. This is a very helpful option if you are concerned about your information being made available via WHOIS at any time. Select this option and your domain will be made private the second the transfer completes.
- Domain Contacts: By default, any domains that you transfer into your account will inherit your default contact profile for their associated WHOIS records. This may or may not be the same as the current WHOIS records in use prior to the completion of this transfer order. You can elect to apply a different contact profile for any of the roles associated with the domain upon transfer completion. When placing your transfer order, you can also assign an order profile to be used that contains the contact record(s) you would like to apply upon transfer completion. In the event you apply an order profile, the contact records used by the order profile will be applied. However, you can still update the contact records to use at any time prior to the transfer completing.
DNS prior to transfer completion
We allow our customers to utilize our platform for DNS prior to transfer completion. To use this option, simply follow the steps listed in the "Setup Custom DNS Records" above. Once you have things set how you like, set the name servers for your domain at your current registrar to our defaults (NS1.DNSOWL.COM, NS2.DNSOWL.COM, NS3.DNSOWL.COM). Once that has been done and we are providing DNS for your domain even before the transfer completes.
**Special instructions for ensuring reduced down-time when using us for DNS:You cannot change your name servers at your current registrar once the transfer request has been submitted to the registry. Therefore, to mitigate down-time, you will need to follow these steps in order:
- Wait for our system to send the administrative contact email authorization message. Before clicking the link to approve the transfer:
- Configure your DNS records in our system per the instructions above.
- Change the name servers at your current registrar to our defaults as listed above.
- We are now running DNS for you so you are free to click the approval link in the administrative contact verification email.