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Laughing Squid Web Hosting

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Domain Information

What information needs to modified on a domain record in order to host it at Laughing Squid? #

In order for Laughing Squid to host a domain, the primary and secondary name servers associated with the domain record need to be changed to the following (you will need to contact your domain registrar regarding their process for updating your domain record):

Primary Nameserver:

NS1.LAUGHINGSQUID.NET
72.3.155.219 (not always required by registrar)

Secondary Nameserver:

NS2.LAUGHINGSQUID.NET
72.32.93.189 (not always required by registrar)
Do you offer domain registration services? #

Laughing Squid does not offer any kind of domain registration services and we do not own or control any of the domains that are hosted by our customers. Our focus is web hosting only.
Do you recommend any domain registrars? #

We do not recommend any one specific domain registrar. You are free to choose any domain registrar that you would like to use. Here is a list of ICANN Accredited Registrars.

Once you choose a domain registrar and begin your registration process, be sure to update your domain’s primary and secondary name servers.
How can you find out if a domain name is available to register? #

You can look up the availability of a domain name using a WHOIS service. Once you choose the domain registrar you want to use, just use their WHOIS lookup form to see if your domain is available for registration.
Can a domain(s) be parked with Laughing Squid? #

Yes, if you change the name servers associated with your domain record to Laughing Squid’s name servers, then your domain will automatically be parked with us.

NOTE: Parked domains do not have any functionality. If you want to setup a website using your domain, or to use it for email, you will need to actually sign-up for hosting for your domain.
How do you look up a domain record? #

A domain record can be looked-up a using a public WHOIS such as InterNIC and Geektools. Also, all domain registrars have this feature located somewhere on their website (usually on their top menu).

Your domain record will show who the various contacts are for the domain (owner, billing, admin, tech) including their email address, which is used when renewal notices are sent out (it’s very important to keep this email address current or else you may not receive your renewal notices before your domain expires). With your domain record, you can also find out who your domain registrar is and when your domain was created, last updated and when it is due to expire.
Is it possible to request an addition or modification to the DNS entries for my domain? #

Yes, just enter support ticket through the Help Desk to request the setup of an additional A record for a subdomain referencing an outside ip address, a CNAME to redirect to another domain name or to modify your MX record to point to an outside mailserver.

NOTE: For security reasons, any request to modify a domain record must come from the owner of the account.
Is it possible to host a subdomain (name.yourdomain.com) at Laughing Squid? #

Yes, as long as you are hosting your primary domain with us, we can setup a subdomain for your account. The price to host the subdomain will depend on how you want to setup hosting.

If we will be hosting the content of the subdomain on our server, then the pricing and features are exactly the same as your primary domain name based on our existing hosting plans, you would just need to select the hosting plan that you want to use for the subdomain. Since you will already own the primary domain, you would not need to pay a domain registration fee for the subdomain.

If the content of the subdomain will be hosted on an outside server, then you will need to request that we add an A record to your DNS entries. This is no charge for us to do this.

Another option would be to set up a sub-directory, ie. domain.com/directory/. You can setup unlimited sub-directories are there are no extra charges to do this.
How long does it take to setup a new domain? #

Once you register any new domain(s) and fill out our Web Hosting Order Form, your website(s) should be live within 24-48 hours.

Changes to domain records for domains that were previously hosted with another company may take longer to propagate through the internet. Sometimes you’ll need to wait for your ISP and/or the original host of the domain to clear their DNS server caches.
Is it possible to have a domain forwarded to an existing website or directory of a website? #

Yes, you can do that through our Forwarding Squid plan. Domain forwarding automatically redirects traffic to any other domain or sub-directory of a domain. Our Forwarding Squid plan also includes email.
Can Laughing Squid host foreign domains? #

Yes, we can host any top level domain, you just need to update your domain’s primary and secondary name servers as you would with any other domain.
Is it possible to transfer to a different (less expensive/better) registrar? #

Yes, you should be able to transfer your domain to a new domain registrar from your existing registrar. You’ll need to contact both the old and new domain registrars concerning their transfer policies.

NOTE: If your domain renewal is currently due, it is best to renew your domain first before trying to transfer it to another registrar, or else your current domain registrar may put a hold on your account, preventing the transfer.