Customized Web Domain Names
Introduction
Register your domain name
Configure the Web server
Charges for Web server configuration
Introduction
Should you wish to, you can request a custom domain name for any Web site stored on an Information Technologies Web server. For example, you could register www.anything.ucalgary.ca , or www.somethingelse .org. There are two steps to complete this process:
Note that there may be one-time and ongoing costs involved in this process. See below for details.
There are commercial domain name redirection services available that provide the same functionality as IT's custom Web domain service, and which may cost less. One example is redirection.net.
If you decide to use IT's custom Web domain service, please make your request using our Custom Web Domain Request Form, to ensure that we receive all the information we need.
If your site is to be hosted on a machine that is not operated by Information Technologies, then the process is different. You still need to register your domain name, but you must then find someone to provide Domain Name Server (DNS) services for that domain. See the DNS Hosting Page for more information.
In addition to web domain hosting, you can also obtain Custom Email Domain Hosting in a separate, chargeable reqest.
Register your domain name
Domain names are organized hierarchically, in reverse order. For example www.it.ucalgary.ca has a 'top level domain' of ca, and a 'second level domain' of ucalgary.ca. All second level domains are registered by a world-wide authority in order to establish ownership. Which authority you register with depends on the top level domain. For example, the authority for domain names ending in .com, .net, and .org is NetworkSolutions. For domain names ending in .ca, the authority is the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).
If the custom domain name you want ends in ucalgary.ca, then you do not need to worry about registering it because ucalgary.ca is already registered. If your domain name ends in anything else, then you must register it.
The first thing to do is determine whether somebody else already owns your second level domain. Check it out using our lookup page.
The next thing to do is to register your domain by going to a registrar's Web site, like www.domainsatcost.ca. You will need to know the names of our primary and secondary DNS servers:
- ucnet.ucalgary.ca (136.159.1.21)
- itnet.ucalgary.ca (136.159.34.201)
Regardless of who sets up the domain, there is an associated fee. This varies depending on the top-level domain name and the registrar you use, but it will generally be about $50 per year.
Configuring the web server
Once your domain name is registered, IT must configure their Web servers to recognize it. Please request the configuration using our Custom Web Domain Request Form.
Please note that if a Custom Web Domain is for a site hosted on the main Web server www.ucalgary.ca, the domain will be configured on Thursday morning.
If your site is located on a faculty or departmental Web server, please contact the appropriate webmaster. If you need DNS hosting services please see IT's DNS Hosting Page
Charges for Web server configuration
For Web sites located on IT's institutional Web server, the following charges apply for Web server configuration:
| Type of Web site | Set-up charge | Annual Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Official Web site for faculties or departments | None | None |
| Other faculty or department Web sites (e.g. programs, conferences) | $200 | None |
| Affiliated organizations | $200 | None |
| Professional organizations hosted by U of C faculty member | $200 | $50 |
| Student clubs hosted by registered U of C student | $200 | $50 |
Note: the above fees include any applicable DNS Hosting charges, but do not include annual fees charged by your domain name registrar.