Check WHOIS records for status changes
Recently one of our customers needed to register a domain name in the .EU TLD. The domain name was in QUARANTINE status and our customer was worried that someone may get the name before him when it becomes available. The challenge was to find out exactly when the the domain is released from quarantine and becomes available. We used the WebSitePulse Custom Port monitoring solution set at 1 minute monitoring interval to continuously check the whois server of the .EU TLDA for the status of the domain. When the returned status changed, our customer was immediately notified by SMS and email.
The steps needed to setup such monitoring target are:
1. Login to your account at WebSitePulse.com
2. Go to https://www.websitepulse.com/tools/whois-test.
3. Enter the subject domain name and select a location to perform the request from.
4. Check the results and locate the text string that indicates the domain is not available. In our case of .EU domains, this is "QUARANTINE". However, looking at the exact WHOIS result before setting up the target is important, as the format and texts used may change in the future.
5. Create a new "Custom Port" Server Monitoring Target.
6. On the Basic Settings screen select a monitoring interval - 5 minutes should be fine, but please note that the WHOIS servers impose different restrictions and the requests might start timing out. One monitoring location should be enough for this particular task.
7. On the Advanced Settings screen:
- in the "New host" field, enter "whois.eu" (or the hostname of the whois server responsible for the domain you are trying to register)
- in the "Port" field, enter 43
- in the "Reguest" text area, enter the domain name you are monitoring
- in the "keywords" field, enter the string you found out earlier, in our case - QUARANTINE
8. Set up the rest of the target as usual, but the important thing is to select a notification method which will reach you on time. SMS notification or a phone call is the best choice. To avoid receiving alerts regarding network issues or timeouts you can choose to receive only the Content related alerts
When the whois record for the domain changes, our monitoring agent will immediately notify you. With a little luck, you will be able to register the desired domain name.
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