Questions and answers about Domains

No. A registered domain cannot be exchanged or renamed. The central registry does not provide a procedure for this.

You can cancel a domain you no longer need and register a new domain name.

A domain is an easy-to-remember address on the internet. It helps people find your website and contact you. Examples include edis.at, wikipedia.org and youtube.com.

Computers and servers use IP addresses to communicate. The Domain Name System (DNS) links domain names to technical information such as IP addresses, so you do not have to remember a long string of numbers.

How is a domain structured?

In edis.at, “edis” is the name at the second level, known as the second-level domain. “.at” is the top-level domain or domain extension.

The full web address in your browser’s address bar is called a URL, for example https://www.edis.at.

Registration and renewal

Registration gives you the exclusive right to use the domain name for the agreed term. It does not make you the permanent owner of the name.

A registration often runs for one or two years and can be renewed. Many providers renew domains automatically to prevent accidental loss.

Domain holders can transfer their usage rights, change registrar or cancel the domain under the agreed terms. After deletion, the name may become available for someone else to register.

There are several ways to redirect a website. In the following examples, https://www.meine.domain is the destination. Replace this example address with your intended destination.

1. Redirect with meta refresh

Create a file named index.html with the following content. The redirect takes place after five seconds.

<html>
  <head>
    <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5; URL=https://www.meine.domain">
    <title>My website</title>
  </head>
  <body></body>
</html>

2. Redirect with .htaccess

Create a .htaccess file with the following content:

Redirect 301 / https://www.meine.domain

3. Redirect in the EDIS customer area

EDIS can detach the domain from the vHost. You can then set the destination in the customer area under Redirects > Add.

This deletes existing email addresses for the domain. Discuss this change with our support team beforehand.

If your domain is not visible in this section, please contact the EDIS support team.

When you register a domain, registrars or registries may require you to verify your contact details, including the domain holder’s email address.

You receive a message with a personal verification link. This confirms that your email address is valid and that you can access it.

Such a message may come from reminder@registrant-verification.com. Check that it relates to your domain registration. If you are unsure, contact EDIS at hosting@edis.at or call +43 1 909 4111 before opening a link.

Complete any required verification on time. Unverified contact details can result in suspension or deletion of a domain.

Further information: ICANN on verification of contact information.

No. A registered domain cannot be exchanged or renamed. The central registry does not provide a procedure for this.

You can cancel a domain you no longer need and register a new domain name.

Under the process described here, the nameservers for the .at zone are updated every hour, on the hour.

For example, a nameserver change made at 14:15 may already appear in the registration data. It is published in the .at zone at the next reload, at 15:00.

Cached DNS responses can also delay when a change becomes visible. Contact the EDIS support team if you would like help checking a particular change.

You can connect a domain registered with EDIS to Jimdo without transferring it to Jimdo. This allows you to keep using your email services at EDIS.

At Jimdo

1. Open the domain settings for your Jimdo website.
2. Choose the option to connect a domain you already own.
3. Note the DNS settings Jimdo provides for your website.

At EDIS

1. In the customer area, open the DNS editor for your domain under Domains.
2. Enter the DNS values provided by Jimdo. A CNAME for the www address might look like this: www.deinedomain.at CNAME DeinBenutzername.jimdo.com. Use the actual target shown in your Jimdo account.
3. Keep the records required for EDIS email unchanged if your email is to remain with EDIS.

1. Add your domain at Microsoft

Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center. Open Settings > Domains, add your domain and choose manual DNS configuration.

2. Verify your domain with a TXT record

Copy the TXT value Microsoft displays for your domain. In the EDIS customer area, open the DNS editor under Domains. Add the required TXT record with that value. A value such as MS=ms987654321 is only an example.

3. Complete verification

Start verification at Microsoft. If the record is not found yet, wait and try again.

4. Configure services

Copy the DNS records for your chosen services exactly from the Microsoft wizard. Do not use someone else’s example IP addresses. Set up all required Microsoft mailboxes before changing the MX record. The MX change moves incoming email to Microsoft.

Microsoft’s current step-by-step guide

Email sent through EDIS may pass through different servers and IP addresses, depending on where the message originates. The current list is held in the DNS record spf.edis.at.

Look up the current IP addresses for spf.edis.at

In the customer area, open your domain’s DNS editor under Domains > List. Add or edit the SPF record as a TXT record.

This example authorises EDIS to send email and rejects other senders:

KundenDomain IN TXT "v=spf1 a:spf.edis.at -all"

Use this example only if it matches your sending services. Add any other authorised services, such as newsletter providers or your own mail servers. Publish only one SPF record per domain.

Reference spf.edis.at for the EDIS sending servers instead of copying their individual IP addresses. The list can change. The ending -all means Fail; ~all means Softfail.

Contact our support team if you need help. Technical details are available in RFC 7208.

Yes. EDIS automatically renews your domain registration at the end of its term until you, as the domain holder, explicitly cancel it.

Renewal takes place on the relevant renewal date for at least one year. The exact term depends on the domain extension.

Sign in to the customer area with your customer number and password.

Open Redirects in the left-hand menu and update your domain’s redirect settings.

No. Domains registered with EDIS do not automatically stop working after one year. They are renewed automatically on their renewal date.

Automatic renewal ends only after cancellation. Depending on the cancellation option selected, the domain may also be deleted immediately.

The name of a registered domain cannot be changed. Its spelling cannot be amended after registration either.

If you want to use a different name, register the new domain you want. You can cancel the domain you no longer need.

The contracting party is registered as the domain holder. They may instead nominate another individual or legal entity.

Accurate holder and contact details are required for registration. Which details are publicly available depends on the domain extension and applicable data protection rules. Personal data may be redacted in public directories.

As the domain holder, you have the rights and responsibilities associated with the domain. Before registering, check whether the name infringes third-party rights, such as trademarks.

Sign in to the customer area with your customer number and password.

Open Domains > List and select the domain. In the DNS editor, you can add or change records such as A, MX and TXT records.

EDIS publishes changes directly. However, cached DNS responses remain valid until their TTL expires, so a change may take time to become visible everywhere.

When changing MX records: Replacing mail.edis.at with another mail server removes EDIS mail-server handling for the domain.

Once you have chosen a domain name, register it as soon as possible. Registration secures the name for you and makes the applicable annual fee payable.

Domain registries do not offer advance reservations for a particular holder or a lower-cost reservation option.