Scenario:

Say I would like to register www.genericworks.com at a domain registrar and use a hosting company that allows subdomains, such as graphics.genericworks.com.

I would also like to register www.genericgraphics.com and www.genericvideo.com, preferable all with the same registrarl.

I would like www.genericgraphics.com to point to/ forward to graphics.genericworks.com and www.genericvideo.com to point to video.genericworks.com.

The question:

I've searched the many threads that mention web forwarding, and I get the impression that many registrars say they offer web forwarding, but only to domains with their name servers. Take the following quote:

"...(free web forwarding & email forwarding) and you have to use their nameservers unless you have a personal site that uses free web hosting account..."

So...how can you redirect/point/forward from one domain to another if you have to use their name servers? Don't you point the main domain to your host by inputing the hosting company's name servers?

Thanks for reading all this. Despite searching the forums, I think there is a connection I'm missing somewhere.

We can only speak for what we use, but on our PLESK web servers you simply set up frame forwarding on the domains you want forwarded and point them to the domain with the content. However, you also still have all the other domain options such as mail servers, etc available even on the frame forwarded domain.

I am sure this is how it works with other server admin software.

It's actually quite simple, and it would be up to the hosting company to determine if you need to have all of the domains hosted on their servers. Some hosting companies will not set up frame forwarding for a domain which points to sites not on their servers.

Get a reseller account - most the one's I've seen allow you to brand your own nameservers. Then it's a simple case of updating the WHOIS info either at or after registration.

Then it's simply a case of waiting a couple of days for the domain name to propagate to your nameservers.

Thank you for the responses.

It's hard to ask a question when you're not sure what you're trying to get at.

I think I've pieced together an answer:

For the primary domain name (in my hypothetical: www.genericworks.com), the name servers are those specified by the hosting company.

For the alternate domains (www.genericgraphics.com, www.genericvideo.com), the name servers have to be those of the registrar. My confusion arose from several FAQs stating that to make use of their web forwarding services you had to use their name servers. I thought this meant the primary domain, also.

Hope this helps somebody caught in a similar confusion.

How come the alternate domains nameservers "have to be those of the registrar"?

Uhm... well, if you find a host that doesn't use out-of-the-box ensim/plesk/etc administration systems and has full control over there systems this is quite easy.

If you wanted something like this from us this is how I would set it up:

Order your three domains, set all the name servers to ours.
Order hosting for genericworks.com.
Ask an admin to setup a forwarded for genericgraphics.com to forward to graphics.genericworks.com and genericvideo.com to forward to video.genericworks.com. This would use a total of four Value Options with our services - two for the subdomains, and two for the forwarders. You would still be left with some extra options for email addresses at no extra costs.