Domain Transfer And Parking And Subdomains

[deermouse]

I have a customer looking for a new host for his business site and I have a few questions.

 

I would like to get him a new host and new domain, which seems straightforward.

 

I also want to transfer and park his existing domain and point it at the new domain, which seems do-able, but the process isn't quite as clear. Can you give me a little more info on how to do this?

 

I'm also interested in your sub-domain policy. All I've seen is a statement saying you can't give someone free hosting as a sub-domain. I saw a post stating that it was OK to host family member's sites as sub-domains. On the other hand I saw a post by someone who said they hosted a site to a friend as a sub-domain for their band, which didn't seem to be a problem. What about a single person involved in more than one related or unrelated business? What about a group or club involved in related hobbies that wants to host a number of sites under a single domain, such as a site about different types of pets?

 

I can understand that you don't want people reselling their host resources without a reseller's account; on the other hand they are purchasing these resources at your price and should be able to use them reasonable. They should also have a clear understanding of how they can use them. Most companies will not want to purchase a sub-domain to save a very few bucks when they can have their own domain, so this policy seems directed at friends looking to fully utilize their resources. In a business there may be more than one person that has reason to put up a site for that business (such as different departments). I've known many companies that encourage employees to host their own personal home page. I understand this is usually with larger self-hosted company sites, but even a small company should be able to do this if they feel it benefits their business. What about a small business where the owner wants to host his own personal or family site under the business domain?

 

The use of sub-domains versus the use of directories seems somewhat subtle. Can you please clarify your policy and intent in regards to sub-domains? I know this sub-domain question is quite involved, but as a tech consultant I need to be able to address my customers needs and have ready answers. I don’t want to direct them into an unworkable solution making me look uninformed and maybe requiring costly redesign and rework.

 

Thanks,

 

paul

webmaster

http://frontrange4u.com

[TCH-Bruce]

You can transfer their existing domain over and also park it on top of the new domain. Both domains will point to the same site. All you need to do is open a help desk ticket and ask them to park the domain.

 

As for subdomains you can have unlimited subs to do as you wish as long as it is legal and within the boundries of the TOS (Terms of Service).

 

You cannot however purchase another domain name and point it to a subdomain of your account.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited March 26, 2004 by TCH-Bruce

[deermouse]

Thanks for the reply. The domain transfer and parking sound straightforward. I'm still not clear on the sub-domains though.

 

The TOS doesn't mention sub-domains at all. The Web Hosting Acceptable Use Policy states: "You may not conduct hostee or offer free web hosting to people based on your sub-domains." Should I understand this (along with your reply: "You cannot however purchase another domain name and point it to a sub-domain of your account.") to mean that I can provide sub-domains for use to others as long as long as I don’t park another domain name and point it to a sub-domain on my account? Other than this restriction, it seems I can anything with a sub-domain that I can do with a "top level" domain, including let other people publish multiple unrelated subjects on it, as long as it remains a recognizable sub-domain URL. I’m not sure I believe this is what TotalChoice intended, but would be happy if this is the case. Please let me know if my understanding is correct. Otherwise please let me know any other restrictions per my previous post.

 

I'm asking because I spoke to someone that seemed to have a problem with this issue on TotalChoice. I'd rather get my information direct instead of second hand though.

 

Thanks,

 

paul

[TCH-Bruce]

You are correct. Say your site is ****

 

You can have joe.****, jerry.****, mary.****, etc...

 

You cannot purchase a domain and point to those but they could be accessed using the names given above. They can be set up with their own ftp, email, etc...

 

Does that clear it up?

[deermouse]

After reading the thread titled *curious* in this forum it seems I'm not the only one confused. It might be less confusing if The Web Hosting Acceptable Use Policy were amended to read something like: "You may not park a domain that is directed to a sub-domain on your account". This seems to be more in line with what you are telling me as it applies regardless of whether you are providing hosting services to "other" people or are just using the sub-domain for yourself.

 

Thanks,

 

paul

[Pony99CA]

You are correct.  Say your site is ****

 

You can have joe.****, jerry.****, mary.****, etc...

 

You cannot purchase a domain and point to those but they could be accessed using the names given above.  They can be set up with their own ftp, email, etc...

 

Does that clear it up?

Almost. I'm thinking of hosting some sites here and wanted to follow-up.

 

Does that mean that you don't provide a mechanism to point a domain name to a sub-domain, or that I'm not allowed to do it at all (via a third-party URL forwarding mechanism)?

 

If the latter, is pointing another domain name at a specific page on your primary domain allowed? If so, is there really much difference between pointing a domain name at subsite.domain.com and pointing it at domain.com/subsite.html?

 

If pointing another domain at a hosted site isn't allowed at all, maybe a reseller account would be better for me. If I have a non-reseller account, and decide I want a reseller account, is there any problem upgrading?

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Steve

[TCH-Bruce]

From the Acceptable Use Policy page

 

You may not conduct hostee or offer free web hosting to people based on your subdomains.

 

There is no problem starting with a simple hosting package and upgrading to a reseller account down the road.

[Pony99CA]

From the Acceptable Use Policy page

 

You may not conduct hostee or offer free web hosting to people based on your subdomains.

OK, so I can't provide hosting for other people, which is certainly reasonable. That would even seem to prohibit what you said above, though:

 

You can have joe.****, jerry.****, mary.****, etc...

 

I know the TOS for the forums says we can't rely on the accuracy of what is said, but sometimes it's all we have. Is that something that the Acceptable Use Policy prohibits just in case people abuse it, but you generally allow?

 

However, I don't have any intention of hosting for other people. I just have three domains that are mine which I'd like to host. Would I have to get three separate hosting accounts (or a reseller account), or could I put them all on the same account?

 

For reference, the domains are Silicon Valley Video Group, Silicon Valley Pocket PC and Alyssa's Anime. The first two are quasi-related domains; the third is my domain, but I let my daughter use it. None of these are really high-traffic sites; the most popular (I think) gets fewer than 300 page views per day (although, obviously, I would like that to improve Thumbs Up).

 

I read the Acceptable Use Policy, and found a clause which said, "You may only host one domain per virtual account; resellers are allowed to host unlimited domains." That would even seem to prohibit having two domain names for the same Web site (like my-domain.com and ****).

 

I'm just trying to determine how many accounts I need (or whether I should get a reseller account). I'm not trying to get around anything; I just want to avoid violating any terms from the beginning while paying as little as legitimately allowed.

 

Steve

[TCH-Bruce]

I am a customer and not an employee of TCH but my understanding is you can have your domain hosted. You could buy additional domains and park them on top of your first domain.

 

You cannot purchase a domain name and point it to a subdomain.

 

A reseller account is what you would probably need.

Edited April 4, 2004 by TCH-Bruce

[TCH-Rob]

Bruce is correct, you will need a reseller account.

[Pony99CA]

Bruce is correct, you will need a reseller account.

As they're all my domains, I don't know why I'd need a reseller account. For my current needs of three domains, wouldn't three starter accounts be cheaper ($12.00 vs. $19.95) and give me more disk space (900 MB vs. 550 MB) and bandwidth (16.5 GB vs. 8 GB)? Are there any benefits of getting a reseller account that I'm missing, other than easier management, perhaps?

 

If I can convince this local travel agency to put up a Web site, a reseller account would be useful, of course.

 

Steve

[TCH-Bruce]

Are there any benefits of getting a reseller account that I'm missing, other than easier management, perhaps?

Say you wanted to get another domain name, and another and yet another. With a reseller account you just purchase the domains and add them. As long as you don't exceed the bandwidth and storage limits of your reseller account.

 

If you had individual accounts, you would have to purchase additional hosting plans.

 

This is just my opinion and not necessarily TCH's. I feel the main reason you cannot point domain names to your subdomains is TCH does not oversell their servers. In doing this everyone has an extremely fast site since the servers are not over taxed with an excessive amount of domains. Second is the cost of these accounts. For $4 or $5 how many domains would someone try to host. This could easily kill a sever if everyone on that server was able to point 10, 20, 100, 1000 domains to their account. Like I said this is my opinion, and I for one an glad that TCH has this policy in effect.

[Pony99CA]

Are there any benefits of getting a reseller account that I'm missing, other than easier management, perhaps?

Say you wanted to get another domain name, and another and yet another. With a reseller account you just purchase the domains and add them. As long as you don't exceed the bandwidth and storage limits of your reseller account.

 

If you had individual accounts, you would have to purchase additional hosting plans.

Right, I understand that much. But if I have fewer than five domains, from a cost perspective, I get more disk space and greater combined bandwidth for less money by purchasing separate hosting accounts than by purchasing a reseller account.

 

Once I hit five domains, the basic reseller account will be cheaper (but only by $0.05) as long as I can fit in the lower total disk space and bandwidth. That's assuming that I pay month-by-month; if I pay yearly for a non-reseller account, the break-even point is six domains.

 

So I guess I need to know whether Total Choice would allow combining separate accounts into a reseller account if I decide to do that at some point. Also, can you pay by the year for a reseller account and get the one month free?

 

This is just my opinion and not necessarily TCH's.  I feel the main reason you cannot point domain names to your subdomains is TCH does not oversell their servers.  In doing this everyone has an extremely fast site since the servers are not over taxed with an excessive amount of domains.  Second is the cost of these accounts.  For $4 or $5 how many domains would someone try to host.  This could easily kill a sever if everyone on that server was able to point 10, 20, 100, 1000 domains to their account.  Like I said this is my opinion, and I for one an glad that TCH has this policy in effect.

As long as you don't exceed the disk space or bandwidth allotments, I wouldn't think it would be an issue. Of course, TCH probably makes a reasonable assumption that not everyone maxes out their disk space and bandwidth, and allocates domains to servers based on some average usage, not a worst-case scenario.

 

But if multiple people really can set up Web sites on sub-domains legitimately, as you mentioned, does it really matter if a domain name points to that sub-domain, or if the people list their URL including the sub-domain?

 

For example, I host my personal page at http://steve.svpocketpc.com. From a disk space point of view, it doesn't matter whether or not I get a domain name to point to that sub-domain. From a bandwidth point of view, I doubt it matters much, either. I doubt pointing something like www.stevesdomain.com to steve.svpocketpc.com would generate more traffic.

 

Of course, my reading of the Acceptable Use Policy would prohibit hosting other people's sites or domains on your non-reseller account, regardless of whether or not they pointed a domain name at the sub-domain so it could be a moot point.

 

One reason that I'm asking all these questions is because I'm comparing TCH against another hosting company. I like that TCH is less expensive, of course, and gives more disk space, but I also like a couple of intangibles -- TCH just looks more professional, I like the feedback I've seen about TCH and TCH is based in Michigan (I'm originally from Michigan ). However, one thing LowestCost has going for them is a much higher bandwidth allowance -- 200 GB -- for less than $1.00 per month more.

 

Now, honestly, with my current Web sites, even 50 MB disk space would be more than enough, and 5.5 GB should be enough bandwidth unless my traffic increases more than 5x. However, unless I add forums to my site, I suspect bandwidth will become an issue before disk space. If TCH gave more bandwidth in the current prices, TCH would be the hands-down winner from what I've found. As it is, they still seem to be the best, but it's not as clear-cut.

 

Steve

Edited April 11, 2004 by TCH-Mitch

[TCH-Rob]

Steve,

 

So I guess I need to know whether Total Choice would allow combining separate accounts into a reseller account if I decide to do that at some point. Also, can you pay by the year for a reseller account and get the one month free?

You can combine them if you wish. We do not offer yearly payments with a month free on reseller accounts.

 

But if multiple people really can set up Web sites on sub-domains legitimately, as you mentioned, does it really matter if a domain name points to that sub-domain, or if the people list their URL including the sub-domain?

 

It does because our AUP says so. I have a 4 bedroom house, does it really matter if I rent out the other 3 rooms because I dont need the space myself? To my HOA it does, in my contract I may not sub-lease my space. It is a rule we have to follow here at TCH and at my house.

 

Of course, my reading of the Acceptable Use Policy would prohibit hosting other people's sites or domains on your non-reseller account, regardless of whether or not they pointed a domain name at the sub-domain so it could be a moot point.

You are right

 

One reason that I'm asking all these questions is because I'm comparing TCH against another hosting company

 

We would love to see you stay with us but we understand and encourage the need to compare other hosts before jumping right in.

 

If TCH gave more bandwidth in the current prices, TCH would be the hands-down winner from what I've found. As it is, they still seem to be the best, but it's not as clear-cut.

 

Our plans are set in the ammounts offered. You have several accounts right? Get a plan here and one at the other host. Compare them, get your money back from the other host and move the account here.

[browsing]

A related question:

 

I have a domain I point to ONE page on my main site. It's there just to act as a redirect, because I haven't developed that domain, I'm just keeping it like that for safe keeping more or less and to redirect the occasional visitor. There's almost no traffic (5-10 hits a month), and most of that is bots checking if the domain is actually up (not up for someone else to snap up).

 

The domain is directed there via one of those services that redirects DNS to anywhere you specify.

 

Could I still do that when/if I move my site to your service? It would be inconvenient to point it somewhere else, but doable, I suppose.

 

The line of questions in this thread leads me to ask this question, NOW rather than after the fact.

[Pony99CA]

A related question:

 

I have a domain I point to ONE page on my main site. It's there just to act as a redirect, because I haven't developed that domain, I'm just keeping it like that for safe keeping more or less and to redirect the occasional visitor. There's almost no traffic (5-10 hits a month), and most of that is bots checking if the domain is actually up (not up for someone else to snap up).

 

The domain is directed there via one of those services that redirects DNS to anywhere you specify.

 

Could I still do that when/if I move my site to your service? It would be inconvenient to point it somewhere else, but doable, I suppose.

 

The line of questions in this thread leads me to ask this question, NOW rather than after the fact.

That's sort of what I was asking about. On my Pocket PC site (http://www.svpocketpc.com), I have a links page (svvgppclinks.html). Currently, I also have a sub-domain for that page (http://links.svpocketpc.com).

 

If I one day decided to get the domain coolpocketpclinks.com, could I point that domain to links.svpocketpc.com. My reading of the AUP says no. However, it doesn't seem to prohibit me from pointing coolpocketpclinks.com to www.svpocketpc.com/svvgppclinks.html, because that's technically not a sub-domain. If the former is not allowed, but the latter is, the rule seems kind of silly.

 

I can understand not wanting people to provide hosting for others without a reseller account, but, if that's what the sub-domain rule is trying to prevent, they should just say something like sub-domains are meant for people in your own family or company and may not be used to host Web sites for non-affiliated parties. If there's some other reason to prohibit using sub-domains like that (maybe sub-domains require more DNS resolution that direct page references don't), I'd like to know that, too.

 

I'm not trying to host somebody else's Web site (so Rob's analogy about sub-leasing doesn't really apply), but I wouldn't want to have to pay for two accounts or a reseller account if I didn't have to.

 

Steve

[Alan]

Hiya Pony99CA,

 

If I one day decided to get the domain coolpocketpclinks.com, could I point that domain to links.svpocketpc.com. My reading of the AUP says no. However, it doesn't seem to prohibit me from pointing coolpocketpclinks.com to www.svpocketpc.com/svvgppclinks.html, because that's technically not a sub-domain. If the former is not allowed, but the latter is, the rule seems kind of silly.

 

______________________________________________________________

->> If I understand it correctly, you may not link a top-level-domain to a

->> subdomain/subfolder, Unless you have a Reseller Account.

->> Why I do not know, you would need to ask Bill.

______________________________________________________________

[TCH-Rob]

To put it simply, it is a rule we have and it needs to be followed. You may not point another domain name to a subdomain or a subfolder on your account. It is part of the AUP, we have rehashed this over many times. To some it may seem silly but the fact is it is a rule we must follow and not something used to get more money out of you.

[browsing]

So in my case I need to point that domain to a one page site somewhere else?

 

Take into consideration that this is a page that got exactly 4 visitors so far this month, 18 total last month (including spiders), and the DNS is served by some freebie DNS service.

[TCH-Rob]

Unless someone steps in and says otherwise, one page or one hundred pages and four visitors or four million matters not. These types of rules are all or nothing. Once you start making exceptions for this or that it starts getting complicated.

 

Browsing,

 

PM me, I have some questions for you.

[MikeJ]

If I one day decided to get the domain coolpocketpclinks.com, could I point that domain to links.svpocketpc.com.  My reading of the AUP says no.  However, it doesn't seem to prohibit me from pointing coolpocketpclinks.com to www.svpocketpc.com/svvgppclinks.html, because that's technically not a sub-domain.  If the former is not allowed, but the latter is, the rule seems kind of silly.

Pointing domains at subfolders could be used to turn a standard account into a reseller account. That's the primary reason for the rule.

 

There is quite a difference between "coolpocketpclinks.com" showing up in the browser when you hit a page, and "www.svpocketpc.com/svvgppclinks.html" showing up when you hit a page. Even if you redirect the former to the latter, the browser will still display "www.svpocketpc.com/svvgppclinks.html" when the user gets to the site, and therefore would be more difficult for someone to resell.

 

It would also be difficult for TCH to confirm that add-on domains (pointing domains to subfolders) was not being used to resell since TCH has no way of confirming what you do on your end.

 

The bottom line, though, is these rules aren't in place to try and make life difficult for the customers. It's just that TCH's prices are pretty darn low already, so the little restrictions put on the extensibility of the accounts is not exactly a major point. $8 or $12 a month is still incredibly cheap for the level of service you gain with TCH over most similarly priced hosting providers.

[Mandox]

Ok, just so I have this straight.

 

If I want to assign domain1.org to my site, and point domain2.org to domain1.org/site2.html, this is allowed, since it is not a subdirectory or subdomain?

 

What about if from the user's perspective, it looks/acts exactly the same (apart from the URL) as the page at domain2.domain1.org?

 

I'm not sure I mind paying for a second site, since your prices are so good, and every comment I've ever read about your company is a glowing review... But I still want to make sure it's neccesary first.

[TCH-Bruce]

I don't think so. That would be the same as pointing to another folder within your web space. Both domain names would point to your root of your domain (INDEX.HTML).

[TCH-Don]

You may only host one domain per virtual account; resellers are allowed to host unlimited domains.

This is very clear!

The ONLY exception is to ask tech support to park another domain name on top of your site.

You may NOT point a domain name to any part of your site,

that includes sub-domain, folder or page.

[Mandox]

Ok, thanks for the help. Looks like I'll be a "member of the family" twice over.

[pcal]

Hello all. I just started playing around with tch today, considering a move from my current host (Pair). So far, I like pretty much everything I see (except for the cryptic, generated username, which I find irritating).

 

However, having stumbled across this thread after trying to set up parking/addons, I have to say I'm a little dumbstruck. I concur with most everything Pony99CA says above. I have been with three other providers over the years and I have never encountered a restriction like this.

 

I mean look, I'm not a reseller. I'm not trying to cheat anyone. I just have two different blogs at two different domains. I want to host both of my domains in one place, under one account. And I want the freedom to organize my directory as I see fit. I'm even happy to pay twice as much for the privilege, but I don't want to have to administer a second accounts (with yet another cryptic user name).

 

The response above that "it's just a rule we have to follow" is decidedly unsatisfying, and if I can expect more of the same here, I think I will probably just stay at Pair and ask for my money back. I have to say I'm quite disappointed, because I really did love everything else I saw here at tch in my short time here.

[pcal]

After reviewing the reseller plans, I see that I could get the cheapest reseller plan for $20/month, which comes with about 10x more bandwidth and had drive space than I need.

 

One of my main reasons for considering a move to tch is cost, but $20/month is no good. Give me a 'reseller' plan that's $10/month and half of the allowances and I'd be happy...again, I'm not a reseller, but I have to have one-stop shopping for managing my domains.

[TCH-Dick]

The response above that "it's just a rule we have to follow" is decidedly unsatisfying, and if I can expect more of the same here, I think I will probably just stay at Pair and ask for my money back.

Sorry to hear that you find it "unsatisfying", but TCH has decide that this is a rule to be followed and therefore layed it out in the AUP. The use of subdomains and the "cryptic" password have been discussed several times and as I understand it Bill has no intentions of changing them.

[TCH-Rob]

I'm not a reseller, but I have to have one-stop shopping for managing my domains.

 

I have 9 domains here, I have a resellers account. It is cheaper than 9 hosting accounts and I can have my one stop shopping. Could I fit all of my domains on one basic account? Yes but our AUP states I am violating the rules to do so. I hate to be blunt but I do not know how many more times we can say it. If you have more than one domain and want them to point to different parts of an account then you need a resellers account.

 

Sometimes we get something and we later find it does not fit the bill, this is when a money back gurantee comes in to play. I dont want to see you go but the rule is not going to change. An extra 4 dollars a month isnt that much.

[pcal]

Sometimes we get something and we later find it does not fit the bill, this is when a money back gurantee comes in to play.  I dont want to see you go but the rule is not going to change.  An extra 4 dollars a month isnt that much.

 

If it were only an extra $4/month, I would gladly pay it. But it's actually an extra $15: a reseller account is $20, but the $5/month account is more than sufficient for my modest requirements. I'd be more than happy to pay $10 for the same allowances if it would simply let me host an additional domain. At $20/month though, it's not really a better deal than what I have now at Pair.

 

I'm really not trying to be difficult about this - as I say, I'm just frustrated. I was so excited to stumble across your service, yet I can't go forward with it because of a pricing structure that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It ignores the fact there are a lot of people out there who are not resellers yet who want to manage two or three domains.

 

Of course you are free to set whatever rules you want, and I certainly understand the money back guarantee. I'm just letting you know why I'm going to have to take advantage of that guarantee.

 

Thanks for your responses.

[willbueche]

I believe I understand:

 

If I owned a website called www.fruits.com, and one of the pages was about apples -- www.fruits.com/apples or apples.fruits.com or even www.fruits.com/apples.html -- the terms of TCH prohibit me from registering a url of "www.apples.com" which would forward to "www.fruits.com/apples".

 

This is dissapointing, but as they noted, as long as you only have two or three of these situations, TCH's rates are still competitive -- to have fruits.com, apples.com, and oranges.com would only cost $12!

 

If you had more domain names than that, say also www.avacados.com and www.lemons.com as well -- but not so many as an actual reseller would want -- then they're not so competitive any more.... you'd be getting tons and tons of server space that you'd never need.

 

We have to accept TCH's decision about this matter.

 

But it is dissapointing for folks who want to have a site that caters different content to different visitors. More likely than the "fruit" scenario above would be folks who want one site with both their personal content and their professional content, but want to make sure their personal contacts and professional contacts are arriving at different entry points. Domains names are so inexpensive now in 2004, that the appeal of subdomains "apples.fruits.com" is, in my opinion, zilch. Subdomains *were* a popular idea back when registering a domain name cost a $100. But today, when a domain name costs less than $10, I believe people want the right to have several of their own domain names point to several of their own pages.

 

It will be a tough call for me. I may switch to TCH, but knowing I'd have to break my current site into two sites to do that is not appealing. I may do it. What makes me most afraid is that I may at some date grow my site into needing a third domain name, at which point, moving would no longer be competitive.

[TCH-Bruce]

The rules are the rules. If you need (or want) additional domains that point to something other than the index of your site you will need to purchase additional accounts or a reseller account.

[willbueche]

Yep. Well, every silver lining has a cloud, as they say.

 

TCH is great, except for that Achilles heel. Or as Seinfeld's dad would say "that's how they getcha!"

[TCH-Don]

This thread is going nowhere.

It has been said over and over.

 

You may only host one domain per virtual account; resellers are allowed to host unlimited domains.

This is very clear!

The ONLY exception is to ask tech support to park another domain name on top of your site.

You may NOT point a domain name to any part of your site,

that includes sub-domain, folder or page.

 

 

This thread is closed.