Upon establish an OPEN SRS account is the admin provided with an area to register a domain or MUST you install their software?

The whole point of open srs is that you become your own registrar soto speak with them, so yes, you must install their software on the server to use opensrs.

I think OpenSRS (and I am referring to Tucows service) doesn't necessarily need you to run their software on your site, though that would be ideal for a reseller or webhost in the long run. You could simply buy a pack of 25 domain names by paying U.S. $250 in advance, and control the domain names from an area on their site itself.

Learner

Originally posted by Learner
I think OpenSRS (and I am referring to Tucows service) doesn't necessarily need you to run their software on your site, though that would be ideal for a reseller or webhost in the long run. You could simply buy a pack of 25 domain names by paying U.S. $250 in advance, and control the domain names from an area on their site itself.No, that's not exactly the case. While there is a publicly-accessible "modify your domain" link where anyone with an OpenSRS-registered domain can make changes, there is no such facility for adding a new domain.

You have to become a Registration Service Provider (RSP). Once you do that (and pass the RITE test) you can have access to a web-based interface that they call "QuickStart." The idea behind that is that RSPs can use it until they have implemented the full installation of the "normal" interface (and passed the test specific to that service). To dissuade people from just using QuickStart, OpenSRS requires a prepayment of $500 to use that interface, vs. $250 to use the "normal" interface (that is, you prepay 50 $10 registrations, as opposed to 25).

So, to register a domain through OpenSRS you must 1.) register, 2.) pass a test, 3.) submit a prepayment.

JayC

Thanks for the clarification. When I last visited the Tucows site, I got the impression that by pre-paying $250, you could immediately start booking domain names from their site itself. Guess I was wrong.

You seem to know about their RSP service well. Would you kindly explain a little more about their NORMAL INTERFACE? I mean... is it a simplistic interface their RSP has to run through his website... or an interface that the RSP accesses at the Tucows website itself?

Learner

Hello Learner,

You are correct (almost)

If you sign up with OpenSRS and prepay $500 I believe you can start instantly. Instant is relative, you have to take a minor test on how to use the interface, this takes a couple hours. But it is worth it as you get to register domains for $10/domain.

the point is for your customers to actually make changes and update the domains themselves it would be nice if you installed their software on your server, with a gateway on your web site

But I also think your customers can go to a generic administrative interface hosted by opensrs and make changes there. Although I am sure that is not what opensrs had in mind ;)

later

David