CoCCA
MANUAL
Definitions
API -
An application programming interface is a set of routines, data structures, object classes and/or protocols provided by libraries and/or operating system services in order to support the building of applications.
DB –
Database. A domain registry is a database of records. DNS –
Domain Name System.
EPP –
Extensible Provisioning Protocol, the “gold standard” for registry systems. FQDN – Fully Qualified Domain Name. A fully qualified domain name consists of a host and domain name, including top-level domain. For example, www.mindsandmachines.com is a fully qualified domain name. www is the host, mindsandmachines is the second-level domain, and .com is the top level domain.
A FQDN always starts with a host name and continues all the way up to the top-level domain name, so www.cocca.mindsandmachines.com is also a FQDN.
GUI –
Graphical User Interface, the web portal to the registry software.
Host —
a computer connected to the Internet. A network host can host information as well as client and/or server software. Every Internet host has a unique IP address, including a host address part. ISP –
Internet Service Provider
NS –
Name Server consists of a program or computer server that implements a name-service protocol. It will normally map (i.e. connect) a human-recognizable identifier to a system-internal, often numeric, identification or addressing component, i.e. ns1.mydomain.com = 64.94.117.193
RFC –
Request for Comment, a white paper produced by the IETF outlining suggested protocol. Registry –
The registry stores the domain information in a repository (database).
Registrar –
A company authorized to register domain names.
Registrant —
The person or organization that registers a domain name and that holds the right to use it for a defined period of time.
TLD –
Top Level Domain.
Zone -
a portion of the global DNS namespace for which administrative responsibility has been delegated.What can a registrar do?
Register, Renew and Edit domains and associated host and contact records via the GUI (register and renew only If they have available credit).
Modify NS records.
Set locks on domains or contact records. Retrieve detailed domain history.
Delegate a domain to the registry PowerDNS servers and configure A / MX / TXT / CNAME records, if an admin has allowed PDNS delegation.
Perform outbound domain transfers (to another registrar), and request inbound transfers. Configure automated renewal on expiry and inbound transfers.
Download transaction receipts or CSV data.
Settle account or buy credits online (if an admin has not prohibited). Edit their Client information and login credentials.
Set WHOIS disclosures for specific contacts. White list their IP range for exclusive GUI access.
Registry System Manual
This manual is meant to be a navigation guide for learning and utilizing the CoCCA Registry software. Please log into your Client Account and refer to the manual as you navigate the CoCCA web interface.
https://registry.nic.mg 1.0 Home Page
Client ID is the unique username needed to access the GUI.
Password is a unique identifier, 8 alphanumeric digits, one Capital letter required.
Token is an extra level of security powered by MyPW . MyPW tokens can
be associated with any user account for maximum security. The token values can also be sent via SMS (text message) in the event a token is lost or broken. Multiple tokens may be associated with one client ID but it is not possible to use the same token on more than one account.
1.1 Menu Bar
The menu bar contains the navigation tabs within the CoCCA software.
Understanding the submenus of each tab gives a clear picture of the functionality of the software. The following sections cover the menu items in detail:
2.0 - Domains Tab
The data stored in the DNS is identified by domain names that are organized as a tree according to organizational or administrative boundaries. Each node of the tree, called a domain, is given a label. The Domains tab allows you to manage domains for the zones/TLDs you are assigned.
2.1 Search Domains
Name Search the database
for domain names by the full or partial names. Registrar Search for
domains by registrar name. Host Search for a domain
that has the following DNS server.
Registered
After/Registered Before
Search by the date the domain name was entered in the database.
Expires After/Expires Before Search by date for
expired domains. Status Search for domains by their status.
o Excluded – a domain with the status “Excluded” means when the Zone generation script is run, they domain will be not be included in the zone.
o Suspended – a domain with a status “Suspended” has the NS servers changed by the Zone generation script. They are not changed in the DB but are changed in the Zone to the server you have designated in the Site Configuration. A suspended domain will end up at a helpdesk website or "suspended / parking" site or page.
o Shadowed – name servers are set to the designated shadow servers. o Held – Locks the name server.
o Inactive – a domain with the status “Inactive” has not been delegated to any name servers. o Active – a domain with the status “Active” is in the zone with the NS delegated
Locked Search for domains that are either locked by client and/or server. Registered Domains Search for domains that are listed in the active database. Deleted Domains Search for domains that have been deleted but are archived. Advance Option Search for multiple domains by inserting a list of domains.
2.2 Deleted Domains
Deleted Domains – Search for domains that are
removed from the active database. This feature can be used for auditing. We strongly recommend initial suspension of a domain then later deletion of the domain. Deleted domains are kept in the registry in case the owner wants to re-activate it or there is some other related request. These domains are archived, so you can always search for details / history on a domain/contact/host even if it has been “deleted.”
2.3 Registering and Creating Domains Registering Domains
Registering a domain is like purchasing most things on the internet.
Search for a particular domain by selecting the appropriate zone or typing the full domain name. (beach.fun) If the domain is available it must be added to the cart to continue registration. It is possible to register many domains at once, in multiple zones. Once the domains are selected, click ‘check out’.
The check out process requires a collection of information about the domain administrator. One must provide the length of registration, the registrant’s contact information, the hosts (name servers) and the administrative contact information. Billing and Technical contacts are optional fields that may be added now or later. Once the registration is processed, the domain is removed from the pool of available names. It is now reserved for the exclusive use of the registrant.
The domain will expire according to the term of registration selected at checkout. The domain must be renewed before it is deleted from the database, or it will be put back into the pool of available names, and the original registrant will lose the right to administer that name.
Create Domain
On Behalf of Registrar that
bills the registrant.
Name Servers A minimum of
two name servers or hosts required (please refer to RFC1035). The IP Address is only required for in-zone (ns1.beach.fun) hosts.
Registrant Person or company
Technical Contact Person responsible for
technical issues such as changing hosts or name server address.
You can either type in the contact information or use the Find option to quickly add the registrant’s details during registration. If it is a new registrant, the registrant may be added to the contact database by clicking on Create. Please refer to sub-section Create a Contact under Contacts section for more details.
2.4 Managing a Domain
Click on the domain name after locating it to enable domain editing.
Administrative Actions allows an admin to transfer a domain from one registrar to another registrar, delete the
domain from the database or renew the subscription for the domain.
Subordinate Host shows hosts’ FQDN that reside in the same domain. E.g.
ns1.beach.fun is the host for beach.fun
2.5 Transferring Domains
This feature allows the gaining registrar to make an inbound domain transfer request, for instance when a registrant wants to change providers.
Input the domain and auth code (visible to the registrant and losing registrar; the registrant would provide the auth code to the gaining registrar). The function then sends an EPP transfer request. The EPP server sends email notifications to the losing registrar, registrant, TLD administrator, and gaining registrar. Poll messages are also added.
If a valid auth code is specified then the transfer goes straight through. If not the existing registrar must approve or reject the request. The requests have 2 weeks to be resolved, otherwise they are dropped from the system.
2.6 Export & Bulk Operations
Export:
Use the Export function to Save a Basic CSV (comma
seperated variables) file to a spreadsheet program like Excel for report making.
Bulk Operations:
Within the Domains Tab, it is possible to perform bulk operations on several domains at once. This saves repetitive manual input of data.
Bulk Delete:
The system default is to not automatically expire domains. Instead, the system administrator may manually delete domains, preventing accidental removal of important domains. Run a domains query that contains your zone name, e.g ".fun."
Set the “Expires before” parameter to search for domains that expire before the given date. “Expires after” can be used in conjunction to limit the date to a range.
Bulk Status Update:
To change the status to “suspended” on multiple domains, search on a list and tick “All”. Input the new status and add a note about the action. All status changes are archived in the domain history.
Suspended domains resolve to a page noting the suspended status.
Bulk Transfer, Bulk Renew, Bulk Name Server Update work similarly.
3.0 - Hosts Tab
Each zone is served by at least one authoritative name server, which contains the complete data for the zone. When a registrar registers a domain, the domain is delegated to authoritative name servers. The authoritative name server will consist of a zone file for the delegated domain.
The Hosts database contains the authoritative name servers for the domains in the root zone files. The domain will be delegated via NS resource records viewable in the Domain Tab.
Search the database for a Host/Name Server: Name allows for hosts to be searched by either
its Full or partial name.
Registrar that registered the host.
Created before or after a date, when used in
combination it can search a date range.
Status
Valid – Has no links to a domain, but its valid for future usage. Linked – Linked to domains
List Results by either Ascending or Descending order.
3.1 Managing a Host
Search for a host; click on the host to manage the host.
View Host for a summary of the host information, and the host audit
report.
Edit Host allows client update the IP address and to prohibit changes to
the host.
Transfer Host allows the transferring of a host from one client to another
client.
Hosted Domains show all domains that are dependant on the host. 3.2 Create/Edit Host
To add a host to the system or to edit an existing host.
Name The FQDN for the host, e.g. ns1.beach.fun
Registrar Initial Registrar associated with that host. Hosts
may be shared amongst registrars.
IPv4 / Ipv6 Inputting the IP Address of the host is only
necessary if host FQDN ends with the same TLD.
Status The administrator may lock changes to the host by
using the Server Prohibits Delete/Update
The registrar may lock changes to the host with Client
4.0 – Contacts Tab
The contact tab allows management of the Registrant, Admin, Billing, and Technical contacts associated with a domain.
4.1 Search Contact
The search page allows you to search and order registrants and other contacts by both their credentials and/or order by ID or created date. The system archives deleted contacts for later reference, allowing search for deleted contacts. Clicking on a contact will allow you to edit the contact.
4.2 Export and Bulk Contact Update
Save CSV sends the entire contact record to a CSV file that can be opened
in a spreadsheet for review.
It is possible to Bulk modify the Local Addresses, International
Addresses, Details, Disclosures (the information displayed at the WHOIS
for that contact record) and Locks for a large number of contacts using this menu set.
4.4 Create Contact
To create a contact, click on Create Contact on the menu. Identifier is the ID that allows access to the record over
EPP.
Authorization Key is a password that is used for the ID.
Name is the contact’s full name.
Organization the company or organization the contact is
associated with.
Disclosure is credentials of the contact details to be
disclosed at the WHOIS.
Lock can be Client (locked from changes via a Registrar),
Server (locked from changes via the Registry), or none.
5.0 - Account Tab
The Account information is particular to the client logged in. When viewing information under “Account” you will see only details set for your Client Account. Please refer to the detailed explanation and screen shots in Section 5 Client Tab for more information about each of the menu items. The description below only applies to Registrar Accounts (no Administrative privileges)
5.1 View Client
The View Option allows viewing a Summary of client information, the Pricing set for the client per TLD, client audit reports, detailed Credit Statements and the account Login History.
5.2 Edit Client
Edit client allows changing of client information, Password and security functions, Automation for renewal of account holders’ domains, and Purchase Credit for the client account using a credit card.
5.3 Export
Exports the client relations categories to a .csv file and downloads to your computer for review or reporting.
5.4 Client Relations
Client Relation shows all Domains, Expired Domains, Contacts and Hosts (name servers)
affiliated with the client.
6.0 Sign out Tab
Sign out is equivalent to logging out the software. Please ensure you sign out after every completed session for security reasons. The system will automatically sign you out after a period of no activity.