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Frequently asked questions

  • I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?

    The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.

    On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.

  • I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?

    To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.

  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?

    To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.

  • Why is my domain name in quarantine?

    When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.

    One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.

  • Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?

    Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.

  • What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?

    Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.

More frequently asked questions

IPv6-only cuts monthly server rent by several euros

"Abuse on IPv4 is a cost item that we'd like to be rid of"

  • Thursday 3 September 2020

Internet service provider PCextreme has added an IPv6-only Virtual Private Server (VPS) to its offering. The rent for this virtual machine -- which features a 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM and 25 GB SSD storage -- is 1 euro a month for the first year, rising to 2 euros thereafter. That compares with 5 euros a month for the same virtual server set up for both IPv4 and IPv6 (dual stack). "The difference isn't simply down to the cost of the IPv4 address," says CTO Wido den Hollander. "There's a marketing element to it as well: we want to appeal to people who fancy giving IPv6 a try. We profile ourselves as technical service providers, so someone who tries out a server like this may well find what we offer commercially attractive."

Abuse is a cost item

Nevertheless, Den Hollander confirms, the actual cost of the IPv6-only option is lower. "With IPv6, the type of port scanning you get with IPv4 simply isn't possible. So abuse is much less of an issue. If a customer's server gets hacked and starts scanning the entire IPv4 address space, you've got a big job on your hands. Hackers can do that with IPv4, because the address space is only four billion addresses. With IPv6, your internal address space alone is much bigger than that. So a hacker hasn't got a hope of scanning the whole internet." "So IPv6-only servers have the big advantage of being quiet. With traditional set-ups, abuse is a major cost item – mainly because of the manual response that's required – and we'd like to be rid of that cost."

Testing and monitoring

However, Den Hollander emphasises that the saving his firm can offer with a small server doesn't scale up. "If you had a server with twice the memory, the discount we could give for an IPv6-only system wouldn't be twice as big. So, for the time being, the offer applies only to the smallest server." "It's mainly small businesses that are interested in these discounted servers, and the host names suggest that the servers are typically used for testing and monitoring systems. I'm not ruling out offering an IPv6-only option with the bigger servers at some point, but it's not going to make much difference to the rent. We'd maybe offer them for 58 euros instead of 60. That kind of discount isn't an important consideration for the average customer."

"It's our responsibility, as technical service providers, to make sure that the internet works, not only now, but next year and in ten years' time."

Here to stay

"At the moment, this is definitely something for the lower end of the market," clarifies Den Hollander. "But it's proving successful in that segment: demand for these small IPv6-only servers has been going up much faster than for any of our other virtual servers. We've also seen healthy social media interest and a steady flow of enquiries to the helpdesk. IPv6 is here to stay, but of course this offer is also about sounding out the market response."

IPv6-only as part of a sustainable business model

It's worth emphasising that, when PCextreme say 'IPv6-only' they mean just that. Unlike Swiss service provider Ungleich and British counterpart Mythic Beasts, whose IPv6-only systems are deployed in combination with various proxy services, PCextreme's service has no IPv4 support option. A PCextreme customer who wants to be reachable for IPv4 users needs a dual-stack server.

New boost for IPv6 implementation in the Netherlands

Getting nowhere

A pertinent question in this context is, how long will it be before you can use an IPv6-only server to provide internet services that anyone can access? "I do worry about that," acknowledges Den Hollander. "90 per cent of the traffic that I generate at home is IPv6. But, if I'm obliged to use IPv4 for something, I often run into problems. And, if I then call my access provider's helpdesk, the only solution they can suggest is putting me back on IPv4-only. As long as access providers carry on like that, we'll never get anywhere. It's the same with big online services, such as GitHub and Slack, which are still accessible only via IPv4."

Don't disable IPv6! CGNAT frustrates all IP address-based technologies

"In forums, I've read about workplace managers in big organisations disabling IPv6. They think that they're solving their problems, but of course they're not. There are too many people who just don't see the need for change, because end users have no trouble reaching Facebook and Google using CGNAT."

Responsibility

According to Den Hollander, lack of progress with IPv6 migration can be traced right back to the way ICT is taught in schools and colleges. "It's normal to rely on Cisco textbooks that explain how to configure an IPv4 network. Even though all the hardware has supported IPv6 perfectly well for years. It comes down to ignorance. Too many operators are nervous about getting involved with IPv6." "We keep hearing from the big access providers that there's no business case for going over to IPv6. But I don't think we should be waiting until customers start asking for IPv6. It's our responsibility, as technical service providers, to make sure that the internet works, not only now, but next year and in ten years' time."