Domain Name Services

Highlights

VITA has been assigned the authority and responsibility for the Internet domains "state.va.us" and "virginia.gov." Any state or local entity that subscribes to VITA Telecommunications (Telco) facilities, and uses either VITA-assigned IP addresses, or has their own IP address block, can be a part of the "state.va.us" and/or "virginia.gov" domains. Examples include "tax.state.va.us," "scc.state.va.us," "dmv.state.va.us" and "vita.virginia.gov."

VITA Domain Name Service can be requested by contacting VITA's Help Desk at 866-637-8482 and registering an "incident" requesting Internet DNS assistance. State agencies are encouraged to use the "state.va.us"/"virginia.gov" domains since the registration already exists, and no fees are currently charged.

VITA does not guarantee reverse-ARPA addressing (IP to domain name) for state or local entities that have their own IP address block or that have IP addresses assigned by a private Internet service provider (ISP). Usually, whoever owns the overall address block is responsible for reverse addressing. VITA may choose to maintain a reverse table for a particular block; however, the reverse table will only be valid for local references. VITA-owned IP address blocks (providing forward/reverse addressing) include:

Both of these servers are designated as primary DNS servers and operate with mirror-image zone files. However, they operate independently of one another, for fail-over contingencies (if the CNSA Name Server is inoperative, the CNSB Name Server will be available, and vice-versa). VITA maintenance policies are specifically geared to avoid simultaneous downtime for these servers. This is in compliance with RFC # 2182 "Selection and Operation of Secondary DNS Servers." To avoid Domain Name Service interruptions, VITA strongly recommends that all state and local entities using our DNS services enter both of VITA's Domain Name Servers, represented above, in their servers and Internet access appliances.

VITA will provide Domain Name Services for state or local entities that desire another Domain Name (va.us, .com, .org,, .net, .lib), as long as the following criteria are met:

• The entity must subscribe to VITA's Telco facilities, and
• The entity must list VITA as the technical provider (DNS services) in all applications to NIC Registration services.

City and county administrations are encouraged to register under the "va.us" domain structure (for example, "co.patrick.va.us" and "ci.lexington.va.us"). Please be aware that domain name registration may incur a fee, depending upon the NIC registration service used.

If you are registering your own domain and want VITA to run Domain Name Service for you, please include the technical provider information below in your NIC Registration material:

Registration information for the va.us domain: http://www.nic.us.

Registration information for .com, .org, .net domains: http://www.networksolutions.com.

Cost

There are currently no DNS service fees charged for any state or local entity that subscribes to VITA Telecommunications (Telco) facilities.

How to order

Effective 12/15/18, this service can be ordered from the VITA Service Catalog in the new VITA Service Portal. To submit your request:

• Customers who have Commonwealth of Virginia (COV) accounts (including executive branch agencies) should access the VITA Service Catalog via the VITA Service Portal to place service requests using the automated form provided in the catalog.
• Customers who do not have COV accounts (including some local government customers) or customers who are unable to gain access to the portal may order the service by sending an e-mail to the VITA Customer Care Center (VCCC) services desk at vccc@vita.virginia.gov. Please include the following information:
  • The words "Service request" in the "Subject" line
  • The name of the service being ordered
  • The quantity desired (if applicable)
  • Any other information you deem relevant

If you are uncertain as to whether you have a COV account, start by trying to access the VITA Service Portal. If you are unable to do so, then use the email-to-the-VCCC method.

If you need additional assistance you may check with your agency information technology resource (AITR) or call the VCCC at 866-637-8482.

You will be contacted to confirm that your request has been received and to obtain any additional required information.

Related links/resources

Review the "Virginia Government Internet Domain Naming" section of the Enterprise Architecture Standard (page 81, 5.5-7) for naming conventions and exception form.