AT&T Website Solutions User Guide · AT&T Website Solutions User Guide ICANN has created new rules regarding Domain Names. This User Guide will assist you to: Understand the new ICANN

1 ©2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. The information contained herein is not an offer, commitment, representation or warranty by AT&T and is subject to change.

AT&T Website Solutions User Guide

ICANN has created new rules regarding Domain Names. This User Guide will assist you to:

Understand the new ICANN rules

Review the process to validate your registrar information

Identify that the email received is from one of our two Registrants is legitimate: Either Open SRS or MIT Registrar

Please note, at no time will these emails require you to login!

As of January 1, 2014, ICANN requires all accredited registrars to ensure that the information displayed in the WhoIs lookup is accurate and up to date.

The registrant may have been sent the verification notice for various reasons, such as:

A new domain is registered with new Registrant information

A domain is registrar-transferred

Change of Registrant contact information (any part of the Registrant contact)

Change of Ownership

Notification of Inaccuracy (e.g. automated annual WhoIs reminder email sent to

Registrant bounces)


Table of Contents

Timing .................................................................................................................................................... 3

Registrar: OpenSRS ....................................................................................................................................... 4

Which contact type will be verified? .................................................................................................... 4

How will the verification be requested? ............................................................................................... 4

When are the emails from OpenSRS resent? ....................................................................................... 4

How can I tell if the domain was suspended? ...................................................................................... 4

How do I get the domain back after it is suspended? .......................................................................... 4

Screenshots OpenSRS Verification email ............................................................................................. 5

Registrar: Melbourne IT (MIT) ...................................................................................................................... 8

Which contact type will Melbourne IT (MIT)validate? ......................................................................... 8

How will the verification be requested? ............................................................................................... 8

When are the emails resent? ................................................................................................................ 8

How can the user get the domain back after it is suspended? ............................................................. 8

How can I tell if the domain was suspended? ...................................................................................... 8

Screenshot of the MIT POSTAL validation request: .............................................................................. 9

Screenshot of the MIT EMAIL validation request: ................................................................................ 9

WhoIs Verification and Validation for OpenSRS ......................................................................................... 11

FAQS ............................................................................................................................................................ 12

Question: ............................................................................................................................................. 12

Why do I need to verify? ..................................................................................................................... 12

When would I need to verify? ............................................................................................................. 12

What do I need to do to verify? .......................................................................................................... 12

How do I get help? .............................................................................................................................. 12


WhoIs Validation and Verification Explained

1. Validation means ensuring all WhoIs information is in the right format; it

covers the phone number, email address, and postal address. This is similar to

current requirements, e.g. phone number must be in format +1.1234567890.

2. Verification means contacting the domain owner either by phone or email

and getting an affirmative response. This is required when:

o A new domain is registered with new Registrant information

o A domain is registrar-transferred

o Change of Registrant contact information (any part of the Registrant contact)

o Change of Account Holder (if that system is used)

o Notification of Inaccuracy (e.g. automated annual WhoIs reminder email sent

to Registrant bounces)

3. Information that is already verified does not need to be re-verified. For

example, if the Registrant is updated to a Registrant contact set that has already

been verified, it does not need to be verified after the change.

Timing

The domain owner has 15 days to complete the verification; if they do not, the

domain will be suspended and will not resolve. It will still be registered and owned by

the Registrant, the expiry date will not change, and once the verification is completed the

domain will work again. There will be no refunds offered for lost time due to non-

verification.

This should not impact WhoIs privacy protection, because the Validation and Verification are

performed on the real domain contact information, not the masking information that is

displayed when privacy is in place.

This should have no effect on domain renewals, since the renewal process does not

change domain contact information.

With MIT, the only required action is to click on the link in the email; however with

OpenSRS, there may be a checkbox and confirmation button on the website that

the email link takes them to. Please see below for your Registrar process.


Registrar: OpenSRS

Which contact type will be verified?

Any changes made to these fields will prompt the Verification request OpenSRS will be

verifying the Registrant’s:

First name

Last name

Email address

How will the verification be requested?

OpenSRS will send an email to the Registrant requiring them to click on a link in the

email to complete the process. The email goes out right away.

When are the emails from OpenSRS resent?

This email will be re‐sent to the Registrant on day 5, 10 and 13 within the 15‐day

validation window. These reminders are sent out at midnight.

Messages on days 10 and 13 of this process will also be sent to the Admin, Tech and

Billing contacts, but those contacts cannot complete the verification.

A “your domain has been suspended” email will be sent to the registrant on day 16.

How can I tell if the domain was suspended?

A WhoIs lookup will show “ClientHOLD” in the “Status” field

When Hostopia’s Domain Services team views the domain in the OpenSRS interface,

the “Verification Status” will say “Suspended”:

How do I get the domain back after it is suspended?

The Registrant must click the link in the email they have been sent to verify the

domain.

If they don’t have access to that email address, or they lost the email that was sent,

the Registrant can log in and update their Registrant email address again, and this

will prompt a new email to be sent to the Registrant to validate the change.

Hostopia’s Domain Services can re-send the email by using the link in the new

OpenSRS interface.

Yourdomain.com


Additional Information:

You are welcome to read an FAQ from OpenSRS. This FAQ also provides has some useful

information: http://opensrs.zendesk.com/entries/30078196-Registrant-Validation-FAQs Screenshots OpenSRS Verification email will look something like this:

Once the Registrant has clicked the link in the email, they are taken to a website where the

domain name is displayed, and they must check the box for Terms and Conditions and then

click “Submit”:

http://opensrs.zendesk.com/entries/30078196-Registrant-Validation-FAQs


[email protected]

Yourdomain.com

Test Account

Domain name

Domain name.com

Domain name(s)

Domain name.com


The verification process is not finished until all steps are completed.


Registrar: Melbourne IT (MIT)

Which contact type will Melbourne IT (MIT) validate?

Melbourne IT will be validating:

o Postal addresses against a database they keep

o Registrant email addresses

If the postal address does not validate, Melbourne IT will email the registrant and

require they update their details by accessing a generic webpage managed by MIT.

o Completing the postal address validation will also count towards the email

address verification, the Registrant will not get two separate requests.

If the email address listed as the Registrant contact has not already been verified,

MIT will send an email to the Registrant asking them to click on a link within the

message to complete the verification.

How will the verification be requested?

MIT will email the Registrant asking them to click on a link within the email

When are the emails resent?

The email will be sent on day 0, 5, 10, 14

On day 15 if the domain is suspended a notice is sent

How can the user get the domain back after it is suspended?

They should find the most recent verification email and follow the link to complete

the verification

If they need a fresh verification email, the domain owner can make a small change

to the Registrant contact information, which will prompt a new verification

How can I tell if the domain was suspended?

MIT will post a page on the website with an explanation of why it was suspended.


Screenshot of the MIT POSTAL validation request:

Screenshot of the MIT EMAIL validation request:

Domain name.com


Upon clicking the link in the email, the domain owner is taken to a page which displays a success

confirmation, no further action is required:

Domain name.com

Domain name.com

Domain name.com


WhoIs Verification and Validation for OpenSRS

This is an example of the verification email:

The Registrant is required to complete the verification within 15 days of the change that

triggered the verification and validation process. Reminder emails are sent out on days 5,

10 and 15 directing them to complete the process or make contact if issues persist. On day

16 the website is suspended and will not resolve on the internet. Another email will be sent

out to notify the Registrant that their site has been suspended and that they need to

complete the verification and validation process.

There may be several reasons why the registrant did not receive the WhoIs verification

notice.

It was sent to the spam folder.

If they’re using one of the free email providers the verification emails may be

blocked. (eg Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Live)

They no longer use the same email in which they registered their domain with.

They simply forgot and time ran out.

The registrant can enable their domain by clicking on the verification link in the most recent

email they received, or the Domain Services team can resend the re-send the verification

email.

Domain


FAQS Question: I received an email Notification to verify my domain information. Is this legitimate?

Answer: Yes this is in accordance with the new regulations from the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN). This new ICANN Verification Notice Change began January 2014. Verification means contacting the domain owner either by phone or email and getting an

affirmative response.

Why do I need to verify?

Examples of when you need to verify your contact details:

purchase a domain for the first time

update your domain account details

transfer a domain

Registrar is aware of inaccuracy from WhoIs data

When would I need to verify?

When a new domain is registered, the registrar will immediately send an email to the email address specified for the domain. The verification email will be also sent if an edit is made to either of the following Registrant contact fields:

Registrant First Name

Registrant Last name

Registrant Email Address

Registrant Postal Address

Depending on the Registrar, to confirm your information, most customers will simply click the Confirm button within the email. However, some customers will click on a link and must check the checkbox for Terms of Service and then click “submit.” Verification is not complete until the appropriate steps based on the Registrar are done. However, once you respond, the domain is verified! As soon as you are able, please ensure that your domain name is associated with a valid email address.

What do I need to do to verify?

You must verify the email address by clicking on the link within 15 calendar days which starts the day of Registration or WHOIS Update. You will receive additional notifications from the Registrar, but it is best to verify your information as soon as possible. If you do not verify within 15 calendar days, the domain will be put on a hold status.

How do I get help?

Website Solutions has no control of this new process, but we are here to help. If you did not verify your domain information within the 15 day timeframe and your domain is now in a suspended status, please contact Customer Service at 1-888-WEB-HOST (888.932.4678). It is


specifically stated and required that only the registrant can verify the contact details associated with their domain name so we cannot verify your information on your behalf. However, we can send you another email so you can verify your information.

*ICANN stands for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. They coordinate the unique identifiers

that create a URL across the world. ICANN also operates the InterNIC website to provide the public with information

regarding Internet domain name registration services. Their public directory of all domain names and registrants is

known as the *WHOIS database.

Documents

AT&T Website Solutions User Guide · AT&T Website Solutions User Guide ICANN has created new rules regarding Domain Names. This User Guide will assist you to: Understand the new ICANN