Thread: Warning About "Domain Search" tools

Sweet, time to set up an automatic random domain lookup tool, haha!

I always use my registrars domain search/whois

I'm SURE there are many companies snatching domain names according to searches made with that name, in order to try and flip them (or generate fake traffic through link farms)

I've seen this happen even with registrar (creditable ones) whois lookups.

You have to be ready to buy when you are searching. Don't take any chances...

If you have a Linux Machine or an OSX based MAC all you have to do is run this command "whois whatever.com" the whatever.com being the domain name you are looking for. This queries against the Internic root servers directly without having to go through someone's funked up tool that may be snagging what you are looking for. All registered domains are registred with the Internic root servers else they would not work. So if the domain is not registered it stops at Internic an no other servers know the wiser.

There is a thing called Day old Bread domains where you can register a domain and as long as you return the domain name within 3 days with most registrars you don't have to pay for it. Email spammers use this trick all of the time, I know I have been fighting this crap for the last 7 years. IF you check those domain names again in a week or so they may be available because of this day old bread crap.

If you do not have access to the command line whois tool you can use Online Whois Tool I have used this tool without any domain snatching or other problems for many years.

I believe the whois command still hits the registrar's whois database. It does go to internic first, to find out which whois database to use during the lookup. You can see the flow in the output. Registrars are required to maintain their own whois information.

Originally Posted by DocBrown

I believe the whois command still hits the registrar's whois database. It does go to internic first, to find out which whois database to use during the lookup. You can see the flow in the output. Registrars are required to maintain their own whois information.

Yes they do have to maintain information for domains that are already registered. But if the domain is not registered, which is what someone searching for a new domain name is looking for it would not go past Internic because it would have nowhere to go.

I need more coffee! you are correct.. good point!

I have just been doing this stuff for so long about 15 years now I have seen it all and heard it all. My current employer is a Tucows reseller among many other things so I spend a percentage of my time on domain registrar issues, along with CPanel hosting, 65,000 email accounts and all of the stuff that goes along with managing a server farm that supports 22 separate ISP's and CLEC's. Want to know anything about SS7 POTS telephone switching systems? hahah

I want to get out of IT as an employee but happily can use the coding skills and other knowledge that I have gained over the last 15 years to setup my own sites and other projects that I am working on, which I will have progress posts on as soon as I have something solid.

Don't do coffee here, mainly hot Tea, Earl Grey all the way.

Killer name "DocBrown" by the way.

murlin and doc are smart because they post using internet jargon I am unfamiliar with.

Thanks for the advice, and gl murlin creating your fastlane! You seem to have plenty of knowledge to succeed on your own.

so if you want your revenge on them, go and query it with a couple thousand domains like xp03refadsnfn.com and see if they register them... if they do then their system is automated, just rinse and repeat until they are out of business