What Does It Mean When a Domain Name Becomes Active?

When a domain name becomes active, it can be accessed by any computer on the Internet.

Domain names are hierarchical, human-readable names used to identify groups of Internet services, such as websites. They must be translated into Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses in order to be machine-readable and routed to the intended destination.

Registration

When a domain name is registered, usually through a third party called a "Registrar," it is reserved for the person or organization registering it, but it is not yet "active." The registration points to the registrar's name servers, and anyone trying to access the domain name, such as through a web browser, will be sent to the registrar's servers. This is sometimes referred to as "parking" the domain name.

Activation

Activate a domain name by changing the authoritative name servers for the domain. This is done through the registrar's web site. The authoritative name servers, usually identified by 2 IP addresses, should be configured to respond to requests for the domain name by supplying the IP address of the servers, such as web and email, associated with the domain. Sometimes these servers are also provided by the registrar, if purchased by the domain name owner.

Root Servers

The Internet functions, in part, by having a small group of "root" DNS servers. These servers are the ultimate authority for DNS names on the Internet. When the name servers for a particular domain name are changed at the registrar, the information is propagated to all of the root servers. Once this information has been completely propagated to all root servers, which can take up to 48 hours, the domain name is considered to be completely "active."

References

• Webopedia: DNS
• Go Website: Unparking (Activating) Your Domain Name