Communications at OpenSRS

OpenSRS sits at the centre of a three-party relationship: the registrar (Tucows Inc./OpenSRS), the reseller (you), and the registrant (your customer). This guide explains the communication channels OpenSRS uses to reach you and your customers, the tools you control, and what to do when a registrant cannot reach their reseller.

Key terms in the OpenSRS ecosystem

• Registrant — The domain owner. The reseller's customer.
• Reseller — Customer of the registrar. Sells domains and related services to registrants.
• Registrar — Tucows Inc./OpenSRS. Holds the ICANN accreditation that makes domain sales possible.

OpenSRS is the wholesale service division of Tucows Inc. Resellers use the OpenSRS platform — web interface, third-party apps, or API — to sell and manage domains without needing direct accreditation at each registry. Resellers own the customer relationship and the support obligation, as outlined in Section 18 of the Master Services Agreement.

The OpenSRS Messaging Tool

The OpenSRS Messaging Tool sends email notifications about every billing and management event for OpenSRS services — expirations, validations, transfers, and more — while keeping your brand front and centre.

The tool can send messages to:

• Yourself
• Your subresellers
• Your registrants

All messages are fully customizable through the template editor or raw HTML and CSS. For full details, see the OpenSRS Messaging Tool guide.

The role of the Tech Contact email address

Messages to registrants are sent from the reseller's brand email address, not from an @opensrs.com or @tucows.com address. The address used is the Tech Contact email specified when you registered your reseller account.

This email address carries critical information about your customers' services. Keeping it operational and properly authenticated is essential.

View or update the Tech Contact email

1. Sign in to manage.opensrs.com.
2. Hover over your username in the top-right corner.
3. Select Classic Reseller Interface.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
5. Select the Tech Contact link.

Email authentication and the Tech Contact

Any mail server can technically send messages on behalf of any email address. Domain owners use authentication standards — SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — to specify which servers are authorized senders for their domain.

Your setup falls into one of two cases:

• Unprotected Tech Contact domain. OpenSRS can send messages on your behalf, but so can anyone else. Tucows strongly recommends adding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to your DNS zone.
• Protected Tech Contact domain. You must authorize the OpenSRS mail servers to send on your behalf. See Adding OpenSRS mailservers to SPF.

Warning: OpenSRS Support cannot configure SPF, DKIM, or DMARC for your domain. This is your responsibility as the domain owner.

Common Tech Contact misconfigurations

An improperly configured Tech Contact address causes registrant messages to bounce or fail. Two common scenarios:

Scenario A — Free email provider as Tech Contact

If the Tech Contact uses a free provider such as @gmail.com, @hotmail.com, or @ymail.com, registrant messages bounce. These providers restrict which servers may send mail for their domains, and OpenSRS mail servers are not on the approved list.

Solution: Switch the Tech Contact to an email address on a domain you control, and authorize the OpenSRS mail servers to send on its behalf.

Scenario B — Private domain still bouncing

Your Tech Contact uses a domain and mailbox you manage, but messages still fail. Two possible causes:

1. OpenSRS is not in your authorized senders list. Add the OpenSRS messaging host to the authorized senders for the domain.
2. The recipient is rejecting the message. The recipient may be blocking your Tech Contact domain, blocking the OpenSRS messaging host, or the recipient mailbox may not exist. Contact OpenSRS Support to retrieve the recipient server response from the time of the bounce.

For registrants: finding your reseller

If you own a domain registered through Tucows but did not sign up with Tucows directly, you purchased through one of our resellers. Tucows is a wholesale registrar, not a direct retail service.

Confirm Tucows is the registrar

Use the ICANN WHOIS lookup and check the Registrar field on the results page.

Find your reseller

Use the Find Reseller tool and enter your domain name. The tool returns contact information for the reseller responsible for your domain.

If Find Reseller cannot locate your reseller

If Tucows is the registrar but the Find Reseller tool returns no result, the domain has most likely entered the Redemption Grace Period. Contact OpenSRS Support to get your reseller's contact information. OpenSRS Support can provide reseller contact details only — they cannot help with other domain questions.

When your reseller is unresponsive

If you are the domain owner and your reseller is not responding, email the Tucows Compliance team at compliance@tucows.com.

Send the message from the registrant email address on the WHOIS record, and include:

• The domain name in question
• Your full name
• Context of the situation
• A brief summary of your most recent communication with your reseller
• A scanned copy of your full-colour government-issued photo ID and/or a notarized affidavit

Note: You will receive an automated confirmation that your request is queued. A Compliance officer will follow up within 24 to 96 business hours. The Compliance team does not have a public phone line.

Next steps

• Audit your Tech Contact address. Confirm it uses a domain you control and that OpenSRS mail servers are authorized in your SPF record.
• Customize your messaging templates. Use the OpenSRS Messaging Tool to brand registrant notifications and match your support voice.
• Document your registrant support path. Make sure your customers can find your support contact information without having to use the Find Reseller tool.

Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.