How can I add new TLDs to iPanel/iHost?

Question:

Q: How can I add new TLDs to iPanel/iHost?

Answer:

This is a two-step process.

First, to add the actual TLD, edit registrar/tld.txt and add the TLD. Be sure to add only the TLD -- do not add the leading dot (i.e., use com.au instead of .com.au).

Next, you need to configure the WHOIS server for your TLD so that iPanel/iHost can check whether domain names are available. (If you do not know the WHOIS server, contact your registry/registrar.) Edit includes/whois/whois.txt and add a line in the following format:

tld|whoisserver|availablestring

Use the following values:

  • tld: The TLD, without the leading dot (i.e., com or co.uk, NOT .co.uk).
  • whoisserver: The WHOIS server hostname for this TLD (i.e., whois.nic.uk). You MUST use the correct WHOIS server -- you cannot just make one up, or all domain availability checks will fail.
  • availablestring - The text returned by the WHOIS server when a domain name is available. iPanel/iHost will search the WHOIS output for this keyword, and if it's found, it will consider the domain name to be available. Again, you cannot just make this up -- you must check the WHOIS output and find a valid string.

Examples:

ca|whois.cira.ca|AVAIL

This specifies that for all .ca domains, the WHOIS server is whois.cira.ca, and the WHOIS server response will contain the word AVAIL when the domain is available.

com.au|whois.aunic.net|No Data Found

This specifies that for all .com.au domains, the WHOIS server is whois.aunic.net, and the WHOIS server response will contain the words No Data Found when the domain is available.