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Subdomain FAQ What is a sub-domain? How much does it cost? Can I use a sub-domain with Geocities/Xoom/Fortune City web space? Can I have more than one sub-domain? How does it really work? Can you redirect to an IP address? Do I need to notify my web space provider about this? Do the sub-domains work on all browsers? Can a sub-domain point to an FTP site? What is the address of my web site with the new sub-domain? Do I have to change anything in my HTML code to get it to work? If I move provider, can I take my sub-domain with me? Is there a policy on who gets the sub-domains and who doesn't? What characters can I use in my sub-domain? Is it case-sensative? How long can the sub-domain be? Do you really check my site for content? What are your terms and conditions? Q What is a sub-domain? A atari.org is a domain name, games.atari.org however is a sub-domain. A sub-domain is a domain that is part of the primary domain. They are commonly used by Internet Service Providers and Web Hosting companies when people don't want to have to pay the NIC fee's for their own domain name (for example, your own .com address would cost you $70). Q How much does it cost? A Nothing. Zippo. Nadda. It's free. You create your Atari web site out of a love for the systems, we offer the sub-domains for the same reason. That is also why our sub-domains are only available to people creating web sites with Atari related content. We will never charge you for a sub-domain on atari.org. Q Can I use a sub-domain with Geocities/Xoom/Fortune City webspace? A Yes! All you need to do is specify the directory on the application form. If your site covers lots of subjects but only one part of it is Atari related, then when you apply for the sub-domain, specify that directory as the one you want to the sub-domain to point to. Q Can I have more than one sub-domain? A Yes. We don't usually let two sub-domains point to the exact same page but in some rare circumstances we will. Remember that we can point sub-domains to different directories or pages on your web site. Here is an example: sub-domain real URL =================================================== ukclub.atari.org -> http://users.someisp.net/ukclub/ ukcpdl.atari.org -> http://users.someisp.net/ukclub/pdlibrary/ Q How does it really work? A We run our own DNS server and are Primary for the atari.org domain name. This allows us to create sub-domains instantly. We use the CNAME option in the DNS servers configuration to point the sub-domain to the atari.org server. Running on the server is Apache 1.3.4, we use the VirtualHosts header feature of Apache to redirect the request to the correct web site on the Internet. Q Can you redirect to an IP address? A Yes. This is only really useful if you are assigned a static IP address by your ISP or Web Hosting company. We prefer not to assign sub-domains to IP addresses that aren't online 24 hours a day (i.e. that are only online when you dial-up). Q Do I need to notify my web space provider about this? A No. The service we provide has no effect on their network or their servers. Q Do the sub-domains work on all browsers? A Actually, no they don't. They rely on Host Headers which some (very) old browsers don't recognise. If you are using CAB and having trouble then update your OVL overlay file immediately, it will cure the problem! All versions of IE and Netscape from 2.0 up work fine (on all operating systems). The only browsers that don't work are those that do not support HTTP 1.1. There are no plans at this moment in time to change this. Q Can a sub-domain point to an FTP site? A Yes. Just specify ftp:// in the application form instead of http:// - we will still need to be able to connect to your FTP site in order to validate the content though, bear this in mind. Q What is the address of my web site with the new sub-domain? A It is http://sub.atari.org - where sub is your sub-domain. Please note that there is no www. infront of the sub and that it won't actually work if you include it. Q Do I have to change anything in my HTML code to get it to work? A Not at all. You use the same links just as before. Q If I move provider, can I take my sub-domain with me? A Certainly, just email support@atari.org with your old and new details. Q Is there a policy on who gets the sub-domains and who doesn't? A It is a first-come, first-served affair. However we are wary about assigning generic sub-domains, so you couldn't apply for dungeonmaster.atari.org for example as we know there are at least 8 fan sites devoted to this game, so to provide a sub-domain that generic would be unfair. Q What characters can I use in my sub-domain? A Alpha numeric only and also the hypen character (-). You may not use underscores, exclamation marks or any other non-alphanumeric character. Just 0-9 and A-Z. Q Is it case-sensative? A No, but as a good course of practise you should always use your sub-domain in lower-case. Q How long can the sub-domain be? A Although our DNS server will support more, we will only allow up to 50 characters for a sub-domain. This is more than enough. People don't want to have to type in a novel before they get to your site! Q Do you really check my site for content? A You'd better believe it! We actually reject more sub-domains than we accept. If your site doesn't contain any Atari related content on the FIRST page we see - we'll reject it. Bear that in mind before requesting a sub-domain please. Q What are your terms and conditions? A Like every organisation that offers a service, we have to protect ourselves (and our users) with terms and conditions. By signing up for a subdomain you are automatically agreeing to them, they can be read in full here.