Domain names [Link]

In this section, you can view and update the domain names in your portfolio. You can also check domain names not in your portfolio.

Search [Link]

You can search for domain names in your portfolio. Leaving all fields empty and clicking on the search button will give you an alphabetical list of your domain names in blocks of 20. Of course, it would be better to download a report if you want a list of all your domain names.

Searching a domain name in your portfolio [Link]

To search for a domain name in your portfolio:

Click on ‘Domain names’ in the left menu.
You will see the search screen immediately.

If you only remember part of a domain name you should uncheck ‘Exact match’. In that case, the search will be done on U-labels and LDH names. If you use ‘exact match’, you can enter the U-label or the A-label. When your search yields only one result, you will immediately arrive on the details page for that domain name.

If you want to narrow down the search further, you can enter more options by clicking ‘Show more options’.

Invoice month gives you the option to search for domain names expiring in a certain month. If you leave every other field blank, this will have the same result as menu item ‘Finance/provisioning’ where you can also select a month.

Status allows you to distinguish between registered or quarantined domain names. You can also look for domain names that are scheduled for deletion. More information about the possible states of a domain name.

Entering a contact alias will limit the result to domain names that are linked to this contact, based on the alias of that person. Please don’t create several aliases for the same contact person as this will make it difficult to group domain names per customer, as well as pollute the DNS Belgium database.

Entering a name server group will give you a list of all domain names linked to that name server group. Entering a name server will give you a list of all domain names linked to that name server, either directly or via a name server group.

You can search domain names based on a specific key group or key tag. Entering a keytag will limit the results to domain names that are linked (either directly or via a key group) to a DNSKEY with the given key tag value. Please note that key tags are not unique, it is possible you get results for more than one key.

It is also possible to search domain names according to their DNSSEC status. Possible criteria are:

All: search all domain names.
No keys: search domain names without DNSSEC information.
Keys: search all secure domain names.

After clicking ‘Search’, you will get a list of all domain names matching the search criteria.

Result of the search [Link]

The result list displayed has six columns:

Domain name: U-label (A-label) or LDH label.
Registrant: the name or organisation of the registrant of the domain name.
Status: the status of the domain name.
Registered: the date when the domain name was registered.
Deletion Date: this is empty if no deletion date is set for this domain name.
Delegated: this shows if the domain name is delegated or not.

Some column titles are links, it is possible to sort the search results by clicking on the column title. The result of your search can be exported to an Excel or csv file.

You can view the details of a domain name by clicking its name. The next screen shows all information of that domain name and gives you some links relevant to the domain name:

Update: to update the domain name, only if the domain name is active.
Clone: to clone the data of the domain name.
Delete: to delete the domain name from the .be database.
Undelete: to undelete the domain name, only if the domain name is scheduled for deletion.
Reactivate: to reactivate the domain name, only if the domain name is in quarantine.
Variants: search for variants of the domain name.
Keycheck details: only if the domain name has DNSSEC keys.
DNS check: execute a health check of the domain name.
History: to view the history of the domain name.

The function of these buttons is explained below.

In the transfer section, you see whether transfers are allowed for this domain name. The Flags section shows all flags relevant to the domain name. The status of the flags determines the transfer section and the Domain Guard section.

The Domain Guard section shows the Domain Guard status of the domain name:

Updates possible: the domain name is not under Domain Guard.
Delete, transfer and update not possible: the domain name is under Domain Guard (all server-related flags in the section above are on). More information concerning this status is given:
Activated: when Domain Guard was activated
Number of unlock requests: how many unlock requests were done since the last invoicing, 4 unlocks are allowed in a one-year period.
Updates temporarily possible (delete and transfer not possible): Domain Guard has temporarily been disabled to allow an update of a domain name (serverUpdateProhibited is off). More information concerning this status is given:
Updates possible until: enddate.
Activated: when Domain Guard was activated
Number of unlock requests: how many unlock requests were done since the last invoicing, 4 unlocks are allowed in a one-year period.

To view the details of the registrant, click its Alias. The next screen shows all information of that registrant and gives you some relevant links, i.e. update, delete, history and connected domain names. Clicking on ‘Connected domain names’ will show a new search result with only the domain names connected to this registrant.

Examples [Link]

Examples of a non-exact search:

Input	Search result
xn–	All IDN names with the U-label containing “xn–” and all non-IDN names with the LDH label containing “xn–”. Be aware this search can’t be used to find all IDN names in your portfolio.
élève	All IDN names with the U-label containing “élève”.
lve	All IDN names with the U-label containing “lve” and all non-IDN names with the LDH label containing “lve”. Élève will not be in the results even though the A-label contains “lve”!

Availability [Link]

Here you can check whether a domain name is still available in the .be database.

Check the availability of a domain name [Link]

Click on ‘Domain names’ in the left menu.
Click on ‘Availability’.

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

The result will be an exact match with your query.

If the domain name does not exist, you will be able to register it. If the domain name is transferable you will see a ‘Request code’ button to request for a transfer code. Next to it will be a ‘Transfer’ or ‘Transfer from quarantine’ button, depending on the status of the domain name. If the domain name is locked for transfer, this will be indicated in the result and no buttons will be available.

If you search a domain name from your own portfolio here, you will see the ‘Domain name details’ button, indicating the domain name is already yours.

New [Link]

PRE-REQUISITES: In order to register a domain name, you need to create billing and technical contacts beforehand, and also any name server groups and key groups you wish to use.

Registering a new domain name [Link]

To create a new domain name:

Click on ‘Domain name’ in the left menu.
Click ‘New’.

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

A domain name can consist of up to 63 characters, please refer to the naming rules of a domain name.

It is possible to duplicate all the data of another domain name into a new domain name. This is very convenient if you want to register multiple domain names for the same registrant. You need to know the exact name of the domain you want to duplicate. Click on ‘Clone the properties of another registration onto this one’ and enter the exact domain name. All the entries will be filled in with the same information as the existing domain name. Another way to achieve the same result is by navigating to the domain name that you want to clone and clicking on the ‘Clone’ button. Note: you can only clone domain names from your own portfolio!

In case you want to enter the rest of the information yourself, go on to the next fields.

The next field to fill in is the registrant info. You have two options to enter a registrant:

Click ‘search’ in case you want to re-use an existing registrant. A pop-up will appear where you can enter your search criteria and click ‘search’ again. A list of registrants matching your search criteria will appear. Choose the registrant you want to use by clicking on the Alias, you will return to the ‘Register a new domain name’ transaction with the chosen registrant filled in. If you don’t find the registrant you want, you can still choose ‘Create registrant’ below the search result.
Click ‘New’ in case you want to create a new registrant. A pop-up will appear identical to the ‘Create contact’ transaction. Enter all the required fields. After submitting, you will return to the ‘Register a new domain name’ transaction with the new registrant filled in.

After using one of these options, the selected registrant will be displayed by its name, company name and e-mail address.

The billing contact is already filled in as it will be the same for all your domain names. Only one billing contact is allowed per registrar.

You have to enter at least one onsite or technical contact.

It is possible to leave the Onsite contact blank as a domain does not have to have an onsite contact if it has a technical contact from the registrar linked to it. If you want to add an onsite contact, you can create it by clicking ‘New’. If it already exists, you can find it by using the search link. You can enter up to 5 onsite contacts. To add an extra contact, click again on ‘Search’ or ‘New’. To eliminate a contact, click the ‘X’ in the contact information.

The registrar Technical contact. If you don’t enter an onsite contact, you have to specify at least 1 technical contact from the registrar. You can choose up to 5 registrar technical contacts per domain name. Since the number of technical contacts is limited, these contacts can be selected from a drop-down list. An entry will be added if an extra technical contact is selected from the drop-down list. Removing is done by clicking the ‘X’ in the contact information.

You can enter 1 to 9 Name server groups. The name server groups are optional. You can use them independently or in combination with the individual name servers, or you can leave them completely out. Name server groups need to be created upfront. There is an auto-complete function in this field: when you start typing in this field, a list will appear with all name server groups containing this text. You can use the mouse or the keyboard to select a name server group from the list. The selected name server group will appear in a rectangle below the input field. Repeat these steps to add more name server groups. Removing a name server group is done by clicking the ‘X’ in the corresponding rectangle.

You can enter up to 9 Name servers. You can register a domain name without any name servers, to allow companies or individuals to safeguard their domain name for future use (domain parking). In most cases, a name server does not need an IP address. IP addresses are only needed when the name server is in the same domain as the domain name being registered, in which case glue records are needed in the zone file. E.g. registering domain name <myco.be> and giving a name server address ‘ns2.myco.be’ you have to specify an IP address. Note that IDN names for name servers are allowed.

It is also possible to block transfers for the domain name. If you select this option, the domain name cannot be transferred away from your account.

You can enter up to 4 keys or one key group. The ‘Key group’ field also has an auto-complete function: selecting an existing key group works just like selecting a name server group. You can register a domain name without entering keys or key groups. They are optional but are necessary if you want to use DNSSEC. Please note it is not possible to enter both keys and a key group.

After clicking ‘Register’, the next screen will show a summary of the ‘new domain’ transaction.

The transaction will deduct the current cost (VAT inclusive) for a domain name from the account status. You can see the change immediately in the top right of your screen. Note that the transaction will fail if you have insufficient funds!

In case you have entered DNSSEC information, the keys will appear in the .be zone file immediately.

Clone [Link]

It is possible to create a new domain name with the exact same data as an existing domain name. The best way to do this is to search for the domain name you want to clone. Clicking the domain name in the search result will show you the details of the domain name. Clicking the ‘Clone’ button at the bottom will take you to the new domain transaction with all fields already filled in. All you have to do is enter the new domain name and submit.

Update [Link]

As with all other update transactions, we start by searching the object we want to change. Click on the menu item ‘search’ under the heading ‘Domain names’ to search through the domain names for which you are the registrar.

Click on the domain name to navigate to the details of the domain name.

To change the attributes of the domain name, click on ‘Update’. The update transaction looks exactly like the new domain transaction. The difference is that all fields are filled in with the current information.

After submitting the request, the following screen will confirm the successful execution of the transaction.

It is possible to use this transaction to change the registrant of the domain name. However, restrictions have been built-in to ensure that the identity of the registrant remains intact (i.e. organisation and/or name).

Delete [Link]

Important

Before deleting a domain name, you should know more about DELETIONS and QUARANTINE in general

Navigate to the domain name details for the name you want to delete. This can be done via the ‘Search’ item in the ‘Domain names’ menu. Click on the ‘Delete’ button at the bottom of the page showing the domain name details.

The deletion date is the date on which the deletion will be executed. This can be used e.g. if a client does not want to renew the right of use for this name but still wants to use it until the end of the current registration period.

After submitting the transaction, the domain name will be scheduled for deletion. The deletion will become effective during the day specified.

Undelete [Link]

Deletion requests can be undone, as long as the deletion date has not arrived. When searching for a domain name, choose ‘more options’ and select scheduled for deletion from the status drop down box. You will see the domain names scheduled for deletion in the search result. In the details screen for such a domain name, an ‘Undelete’ button will be available.

Click on the button and confirm the transaction in the next screen to undelete the domain name.

Reactivate [Link]

When a domain name is deleted, it will get a new status: ‘quarantine’. To reactivate a domain name in quarantine, you need to visualise it first. Click on ‘Search’ under the heading ‘Domain names’. Choose ‘more options’ and select status ‘In quarantine’ in the drop-down box.

After submitting, you will receive a list of domain names in quarantine.

Clicking on the domain name will give you the domain name details. Here you can see that the domain name is indeed in quarantine.

Clicking on the ‘Reactivate’ button will allow you to reactivate the domain name.

After confirming the transaction, the domain name will revert back to status ‘Registered’. The corresponding transaction cost will be deducted from your account. Note that the transaction will fail if you have insufficient funds!

Variants [Link]

DNS Belgium offers the possibility to search for variants of .be domain names. To demonstrate the level of similarity, DNS Belgium uses an algorithm based on the ‘Levenshtein Distance’. This algorithm generates a list of domain names that are given a score based on their similarity. Because this process involves a mathematical algorithm, there is always the possibility that the results may differ widely.

Some restrictions apply:

You can do 50 variant searches per day for domain names in your own portfolio.
If you try to do more searches, you will get an error message, but we won’t give a hitpoint.
You will receive maximum 50 variants for a domain name (not counting the domain names in your portfolio).

Navigate to the domain name details for the name you want to research. This can be done via the ‘Search’ item in the ‘Domain names’ menu. Click on the ‘Variants’ button at the bottom of the page showing the domain name details.

Variants results [Link]

You will be redirected to the ‘Results variants’ item in the ‘Domain names’ menu, where you can see that the request is scheduled. As soon as the request is processed, this page will be updated, and the domain name will become clickable. Clicking on the domain name shows the list of domain names that have similarities with the requested domain name and also provides the link to the WHOIS results for these .be domain names. This list can also be exported to an Excel or csv file.

DNS check [Link]

It is possible to run a health check on the DNS of your domain name in real-time.

Navigate to the domain name details for the name you want to check. This can be done via the ‘Search’ item in the ‘Domain names’ menu. Click on the ‘DNS check’ button at the bottom of the page showing the domain name details. The check will be executed immediately, and you will see the results on the next page.

DNS check results [Link]

In the resulting screen, you see the result of the checks. It also gives some extra links relevant to this page:

Recheck: execute the checks again. If there was an error in the check, DNS Belgium recommends that you update the domain name before rechecking it.
Update: update the domain name.

Enable Domain shield [Link]

Important

All Domain shield actions are limited to users with this permission. DNS Belgium manages these users. Read more about Domain shield.

Navigate to the domain name details for the name you want to lock. This can be done via the ‘Search’ item in the ‘Domain names’ menu. Click on the ‘Enable Domain Shield’ button at the bottom of the page showing the domain name details.

From now on, the domain name can’t be updated, deleted or transferred.

Note

This button is not available if the domain name is scheduled for deletion or in quarantine.

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