Today’s blog post focuses on 2 of the most popular and useful pages on our afilias.com.au website. We provide an overview of the content/tools available on these pages and look at how this information may be beneficial for existing and prospective .au registrants. 

WHOIS Status Codes 

The highest ranked and perhaps one of the most explanatory pages on our website is the WHOIS Status Codes page. This is not the WHOIS Lookup tool itself, but rather a page that shares details on the various status codes that appear in the WHOIS Lookup results. Status codes are defined in the EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol), a global standard for internet domain name registries. Being technical terms, they appear as, for example “serverHold” instead of plain English. 

As we explain in this blog post, the WHOIS Status Code page helps a user understand the technical terms seen in a WHOIS Lookup. It includes a breakdown of 12 server status codes that are set at a registry level and 5 codes that are set at a registrar level. An example of the registry level code “addPeriod” indicates that the domain is currently in a 3 day grace period provided after initial domain name registration (a domain “add” to the registry). An example of a code set at registrar level is “clientRenewProhibited”, which indicates that a domain name is not eligible for renewal. These codes may be difficult to comprehend for the average internet user, which is why users find this page so helpful in understanding a .au domain name’s status.

Domain Drop Lists

The .au Drop List provides information on domain names that are eligible to be purged, or deleted.

A common reason for a domain name to be deleted, as explained by .au Domain Administration (auDA), is when registrant information has not been kept up to date. The article explains what happens when your domain name license expires, including being removed from the DNS and becoming available on the .au Drop List after 30 days.

There are services to assist with catching sought after names such as those offered by drop.com.au and Netfleet, through a process called “Drop catching” which allows users to bid on the domain names that are being deleted or “dropped”. If you are the highest bidder in the .au “drop catch” service you have chosen, you will be able to register the domain name if it is caught by the service. The drop list is a valuable tool in keeping an eye on in-demand .au domain names that are due to become available for registration.

So there you have it, the 2 most visited pages on our website and an overview of what makes them useful. We are pleased that our website provides a helpful resource for users who continue to be engaged and show an interest in promoting their business/service by registering a .au domain name.

Have a question, comment or idea for a future blog post? Email us at blog@afilias.com.au today.