UIS provides advice and technical support for registering DNS domain names.
The process for registering a domain name depends on the name.
Subdomains within institutions
Responsibility for names of the form example.botolphs.cam.ac.uk or one.two.three.dept.cam.ac.uk is delegated to computing staff in the relevant institutions. (Arbitrary nested subdomains are allowed.) Please contact your local IT support if you need a domain name for use within your institution.
Top-level domains under cam.ac.uk
The allocation and management of names within the cam.ac.uk domain is governed by strict guidelines overseen by the Information Services Committee (ISC) and set out in the Domain name policy. Applications for new top-level names under cam.ac.uk should be made using an online form. Further details and a link to the form are available in our Guidelines for requesting domain names within cam.ac.uk.
Institutions with excessively short domain names can request a long-form alias for friendlier email addresses and URLs.
In most instances, domains under cam.ac.uk are administered through the IP Register database.
Other domains under ac.uk
In some cases, it may be appropriate to directly under .ac.uk, particularly for cross-institution initiatives. Where these are not "central" University ones (such as cam.ac.uk itelf, or similar names like cambridge.ac.uk) these should be purchased by the corresponding group through a third-party supplier such as Mythic Beasts and will incur an annual charge and must meet eligibiilty criteria.
Domains outside ac.uk
Domains outide the Cambridge namespace should be purchased through a third-party supplier such as Mythic Beasts and paid for directly by the relevant group or institution.
Domains attached to services provided by the UIS
If a domain is used directly by a service provided by the UIS (such as a website www.conferencesatstbotolphs.com, mail domain or other, where the UIS is handling the website) then it may be appropriate for the UIS to purchase and manage the DNS itself, as part of the service. This makes it easier for the UIS to manage this technically (e.g. to adjust DNS records when something about the provision of the services changes). The costs of this can be recovered through the same mechanism by which the other services are funded.
In this situation, it is recommended that the institution or group speak to the contacts providing their services and discuss this, in advance of making any purchases.