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rfc:rfc1032

Network Working Group M. Stahl Request for Comments: 1032 SRI International

                                                     November 1987
                    DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE

STATUS OF THIS MEMO

 This memo describes procedures for registering a domain with the
 Network Information Center (NIC) of Defense Data Network (DDN), and
 offers guidelines on the establishment and administration of a domain
 in accordance with the requirements specified in RFC-920.  It is
 intended for use by domain administrators.  This memo should be used
 in conjunction with RFC-920, which is an official policy statement of
 the Internet Activities Board (IAB) and the Defense Advanced Research
 Projects Agency (DARPA).  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

BACKGROUND

 Domains are adminstrative entities that provide decentralized
 management of host naming and addressing.  The domain-naming system
 is distributed and hierarchical.
 The NIC is designated by the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) to
 provide registry services for the domain-naming system on the DDN and
 DARPA portions of the Internet.
 As registrar of top-level and second-level domains, as well as
 administrator of the root domain name servers on behalf of DARPA and
 DDN, the NIC is responsible for maintaining the root server zone
 files and their binary equivalents.  In addition, the NIC is
 responsible for administering the top-level domains of "ARPA," "COM,"
 "EDU," "ORG," "GOV," and "MIL" on behalf of DCA and DARPA until it
 becomes feasible for other appropriate organizations to assume those
 responsibilities.
 It is recommended that the guidelines described in this document be
 used by domain administrators in the establishment and control of
 second-level domains.

THE DOMAIN ADMINISTRATOR

 The role of the domain administrator (DA) is that of coordinator,
 manager, and technician.  If his domain is established at the second
 level or lower in the tree, the DA must register by interacting with
 the management of the domain directly above his, making certain that

Stahl [Page 1] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

 his domain satisfies all the requirements of the administration under
 which his domain would be situated.  To find out who has authority
 over the name space he wishes to join, the DA can ask the NIC
 Hostmaster.  Information on contacts for the top-level and second-
 level domains can also be found on line in the file NETINFO:DOMAIN-
 CONTACTS.TXT, which is available from the NIC via anonymous FTP.
 The DA should be technically competent; he should understand the
 concepts and procedures for operating a domain server, as described
 in RFC-1034, and make sure that the service provided is reliable and
 uninterrupted.  It is his responsibility or that of his delegate to
 ensure that the data will be current at all times.  As a manager, the
 DA must be able to handle complaints about service provided by his
 domain name server.  He must be aware of the behavior of the hosts in
 his domain, and take prompt action on reports of problems, such as
 protocol violations or other serious misbehavior.  The administrator
 of a domain must be a responsible person who has the authority to
 either enforce these actions himself or delegate them to someone
 else.
 Name assignments within a domain are controlled by the DA, who should
 verify that names are unique within his domain and that they conform
 to standard naming conventions.  He furnishes access to names and
 name-related information to users both inside and outside his domain.
 He should work closely with the personnel he has designated as the
 "technical and zone" contacts for his domain, for many administrative
 decisions will be made on the basis of input from these people.

THE DOMAIN TECHNICAL AND ZONE CONTACT

 A zone consists of those contiguous parts of the domain tree for
 which a domain server has complete information and over which it has
 authority.  A domain server may be authoratative for more than one
 zone.  The domain technical/zone contact is the person who tends to
 the technical aspects of maintaining the domain's name server and
 resolver software, and database files.  He keeps the name server
 running, and interacts with technical people in other domains and
 zones to solve problems that affect his zone.

POLICIES

 Domain or host name choices and the allocation of domain name space
 are considered to be local matters.  In the event of conflicts, it is
 the policy of the NIC not to get involved in local disputes or in the
 local decision-making process.  The NIC will not act as referee in
 disputes over such matters as who has the "right" to register a
 particular top-level or second-level domain for an organization.  The
 NIC considers this a private local matter that must be settled among

Stahl [Page 2] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

 the parties involved prior to their commencing the registration
 process with the NIC.  Therefore, it is assumed that the responsible
 person for a domain will have resolved any local conflicts among the
 members of his domain before registering that domain with the NIC.
 The NIC will give guidance, if requested, by answering specific
 technical questions, but will not provide arbitration in disputes at
 the local level.  This policy is also in keeping with the distributed
 hierarchical nature of the domain-naming system in that it helps to
 distribute the tasks of solving problems and handling questions.
 Naming conventions for hosts should follow the rules specified in
 RFC-952.  From a technical standpoint, domain names can be very long.
 Each segment of a domain name may contain up to 64 characters, but
 the NIC strongly advises DAs to choose names that are 12 characters
 or fewer, because behind every domain system there is a human being
 who must keep track of the names, addresses, contacts, and other data
 in a database.  The longer the name, the more likely the data
 maintainer is to make a mistake.  Users also will appreciate shorter
 names.  Most people agree that short names are easier to remember and
 type; most domain names registered so far are 12 characters or fewer.
 Domain name assignments are made on a first-come-first-served basis.
 The NIC has chosen not to register individual hosts directly under
 the top-level domains it administers.  One advantage of the domain
 naming system is that administration and data maintenance can be
 delegated down a hierarchical tree.  Registration of hosts at the
 same level in the tree as a second-level domain would dilute the
 usefulness of this feature.  In addition, the administrator of a
 domain is responsible for the actions of hosts within his domain.  We
 would not want to find ourselves in the awkward position of policing
 the actions of individual hosts.  Rather, the subdomains registered
 under these top-level domains retain the responsibility for this
 function.
 Countries that wish to be registered as top-level domains are
 required to name themselves after the two-letter country code listed
 in the international standard ISO-3166.  In some cases, however, the
 two-letter ISO country code is identical to a state code used by the
 U.S. Postal Service.  Requests made by countries to use the three-
 letter form of country code specified in the ISO-3166 standard will
 be considered in such cases so as to prevent possible conflicts and
 confusion.

Stahl [Page 3] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

HOW TO REGISTER

 Obtain a domain questionnaire from the NIC hostmaster, or FTP the
 file NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT from host SRI-NIC.ARPA.
 Fill out the questionnaire completely.  Return it via electronic mail
 to HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA.
 The APPENDIX to this memo contains the application form for
 registering a top-level or second-level domain with the NIC.  It
 supersedes the version of the questionnaire found in RFC-920.  The
 application should be submitted by the person administratively
 responsible for the domain, and must be filled out completely before
 the NIC will authorize establishment of a top-level or second-level
 domain.  The DA is responsible for keeping his domain's data current
 with the NIC or with the registration agent with which his domain is
 registered.  For example, the CSNET and UUCP managements act as
 domain filters, processing domain applications for their own
 organizations.  They pass pertinent information along periodically to
 the NIC for incorporation into the domain database and root server
 files.  The online file NETINFO:ALTERNATE-DOMAIN-PROCEDURE.TXT
 outlines this procedure.  It is highly recommended that the DA review
 this information periodically and provide any corrections or
 additions.  Corrections should be submitted via electronic mail.

WHICH DOMAIN NAME?

 The designers of the domain-naming system initiated several general
 categories of names as top-level domain names, so that each could
 accommodate a variety of organizations.  The current top-level
 domains registered with the DDN Network Information Center are ARPA,
 COM, EDU, GOV, MIL, NET, and ORG, plus a number of top-level country
 domains.  To join one of these, a DA needs to be aware of the purpose
 for which it was intended.
    "ARPA" is a temporary domain.  It is by default appended to the
    names of hosts that have not yet joined a domain.  When the system
    was begun in 1984, the names of all hosts in the Official DoD
    Internet Host Table maintained by the NIC were changed by adding
    of the label ".ARPA" in order to accelerate a transition to the
    domain-naming system.  Another reason for the blanket name changes
    was to force hosts to become accustomed to using the new style
    names and to modifiy their network software, if necessary.  This
    was done on a network-wide basis and was directed by DCA in DDN
    Management Bulletin No. 22.  Hosts that fall into this domain will
    eventually move to other branches of the domain tree.

Stahl [Page 4] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

    "COM" is meant to incorporate subdomains of companies and
    businesses.
    "EDU" was initiated to accommodate subdomains set up by
    universities and other educational institutions.
    "GOV" exists to act as parent domain for subdomains set up by
    government agencies.
    "MIL" was initiated to act as parent to subdomains that are
    developed by military organizations.
    "NET" was introduced as a parent domain for various network-type
    organizations.  Organizations that belong within this top-level
    domain are generic or network-specific, such as network service
    centers and consortia.  "NET" also encompasses network
    management-related organizations, such as information centers and
    operations centers.
    "ORG" exists as a parent to subdomains that do not clearly fall
    within the other top-level domains.  This may include technical-
    support groups, professional societies, or similar organizations.
 One of the guidelines in effect in the domain-naming system is that a
 host should have only one name regardless of what networks it is
 connected to.  This implies, that, in general, domain names should
 not include routing information or addresses.  For example, a host
 that has one network connection to the Interent and another to BITNET
 should use the same name when talking to either network.  For a
 description of the syntax of domain names, please refer to Section 3
 of RFC-1034.

VERIFICATION OF DATA

 The verification process can be accomplished in several ways.  One of
 these is through the NIC WHOIS server.  If he has access to WHOIS,
 the DA can type the commmand "whois domain <domain name><return>".
 The reply from WHOIS will supply the following: the name and address
 of the organization "owning" the domain; the name of the domain; its
 administrative, technical, and zone contacts; the host names and
 network addresses of sites providing name service for the domain.

Stahl [Page 5] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

       Example:
       @whois domain rice.edu<Return>
          Rice University (RICE-DOM)
          Advanced Studies and Research
          Houston, TX 77001
          Domain Name: RICE.EDU
             Administrative Contact:
             Kennedy, Ken  (KK28)  Kennedy@LLL-CRG.ARPA (713) 527-4834
             Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
             Riffle, Vicky R.  (VRR)  rif@RICE.EDU
             (713) 527-8101 ext 3844
          Domain servers:
          RICE.EDU                     128.42.5.1
          PENDRAGON.CS.PURDUE.EDU      128.10.2.5
 Alternatively, the DA can send an electronic mail message to
 SERVICE@SRI-NIC.ARPA.  In the subject line of the message header, the
 DA should type "whois domain <domain name>".  The requested
 information will be returned via electronic mail.  This method is
 convenient for sites that do not have access to the NIC WHOIS
 service.
 The initial application for domain authorization should be submitted
 via electronic mail, if possible, to HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA.  The
 questionnaire described in the appendix may be used or a separate
 application can be FTPed from host SRI-NIC.ARPA.  The information
 provided by the administrator will be reviewed by hostmaster
 personnel for completeness.  There will most likely be a few
 exchanges of correspondence via electronic mail, the preferred method
 of communication, prior to authorization of the domain.

HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION

 An informational table of the top-level domains and their root
 servers is contained in the file NETINFO:DOMAINS.TXT online at SRI-
 NIC.ARPA. This table can be obtained by FTPing the file.
 Alternatively, the information can be acquired by opening a TCP or
 UDP connection to the NIC Host Name Server, port 101 on SRI-NIC.ARPA,
 and invoking the command "ALL-DOM".

Stahl [Page 6] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

 The following online files, all available by FTP from SRI-NIC.ARPA,
 contain pertinent domain information:
  1. NETINFO:DOMAINS.TXT, a table of all top-level domains and the

network addresses of the machines providing domain name

      service for them.  It is updated each time a new top-level
      domain is approved.
  1. NETINFO:DOMAIN-INFO.TXT contains a concise list of all

top-level and second-level domain names registered with the

      NIC and is updated monthly.
  1. NETINFO:DOMAIN-CONTACTS.TXT also contains a list of all the

top level and second-level domains, but includes the

      administrative, technical and zone contacts for each as well.
  1. NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT contains the questionnaire to be

completed before registering a top-level or second-level

      domain.
 For either general or specific information on the domain system, do
 one or more of the following:
    1. Send electronic mail to HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA
    2. Call the toll-free NIC hotline at (800) 235-3155
    3. Use FTP to get background RFCs and other files maintained
       online at the NIC.  Some pertinent RFCs are listed below in
       the REFERENCES section of this memo.

Stahl [Page 7] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

REFERENCES

 The references listed here provide important background information
 on the domain-naming system.  Path names of the online files
 available via anonymous FTP from the SRI-NIC.ARPA host are noted in
 brackets.
    1. Defense Communications Agency DDN Defense Communications
       System, DDN Management Bulletin No. 22, Domain Names
       Transition, March 1984.
       [ DDN-NEWS:DDN-MGT-BULLETIN-22.TXT ]
    2. Defense Communications Agency DDN Defense Communications
       System, DDN Management Bulletin No. 32, Phase I of the Domain
       Name Implementation, January 1987.
       [ DDN-NEWS:DDN-MGT-BULLETIN-32.TXT ]
    3. Harrenstien, K., M. Stahl, and E. Feinler, "Hostname
       Server", RFC-953, DDN Network Information Center, SRI
       International, October 1985.  [ RFC:RFC953.TXT ]
    4. Harrenstien, K., M. Stahl, and E. Feinler, "Official DoD
       Internet Host Table Specification", RFC-952, DDN Network
       Information Center, SRI International, October 1985.
       [ RFC:RFC952.TXT ]
    5. ISO, "Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries",
       ISO-3166, International Standards Organization, May 1981.
       [ Not online ]
    6. Lazear, W.D., "MILNET Name Domain Transition", RFC-1031,
       Mitre Corporation, October 1987.  [ RDC:RFC1031.TXT ]
    7. Lottor, M.K., "Domain Administrators Operations Guide",
       RFC-1033, DDN Network Information Center, SRI International,
       July 1987.  [ RFC:RFC1033.TXT ]
    8. Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Concepts and Facilities",
       RFC-1034, USC Information Sciences Institute, October 1987.
       [ RFC:RFC1034.TXT ]
    9. Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Implementation and
       Specification", RFC-1035, USC Information Sciences Institute,
       October 1987.  [ RFC:RFC1035.TXT ]
   10. Mockapetris, P., "The Domain Name System", Proceedings of the
       IFIP 6.5 Working Conference on Computer Message Services,
       Nottingham, England, May 1984.  Also as ISI/RS-84-133, June

Stahl [Page 8] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

       1984.  [ Not online ]
   11. Mockapetris, P., J. Postel, and P. Kirton, "Name Server
       Design for Distributed Systems", Proceedings of the Seventh
       International Conference on Computer Communication, October
       30 to November 3 1984, Sidney, Australia.  Also as
       ISI/RS-84-132, June 1984.  [ Not online ]
   12. Partridge, C., "Mail Routing and the Domain System", RFC-974,
       CSNET-CIC, BBN Laboratories, January 1986.
       [ RFC:RFC974.TXT ]
   13. Postel, J., "The Domain Names Plan and Schedule", RFC-881,
       USC Information Sciences Institute, November 1983.
       [ RFC:RFC881.TXT ]
   14. Reynolds, J., and Postel, J., "Assigned Numbers", RFC-1010
       USC Information Sciences Institute, May 1986.
       [ RFC:RFC1010.TXT ]
   15. Romano, S., and Stahl, M., "Internet Numbers", RFC-1020,
       SRI, November 1987.
       [ RFC:RFC1020.TXT ]

Stahl [Page 9] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

APPENDIX

 The following questionnaire may be FTPed from SRI-NIC.ARPA as
 NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT.
  1. ——————————————————————–
 To establish a domain, the following information must be sent to the
 NIC Domain Registrar (HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA):
 NOTE: The key people must have electronic mailboxes and NIC
 "handles," unique NIC database identifiers.  If you have access to
 "WHOIS", please check to see if you are registered and if so, make
 sure the information is current.  Include only your handle and any
 changes (if any) that need to be made in your entry.  If you do not
 have access to "WHOIS", please provide all the information indicated
 and a NIC handle will be assigned.
 (1)  The name of the top-level domain to join.
       For example:  COM
 (2) The NIC handle of the administrative head of the organization.
 Alternately, the person's name, title, mailing address, phone number,
 organization, and network mailbox.  This is the contact point for
 administrative and policy questions about the domain.  In the case of
 a research project, this should be the principal investigator.
       For example:
          Administrator
             Organization  The NetWorthy Corporation
             Name          Penelope Q. Sassafrass
             Title         President
             Mail Address  The NetWorthy Corporation
                           4676 Andrews Way, Suite 100
                           Santa Clara, CA 94302-1212
             Phone Number  (415) 123-4567
             Net Mailbox   Sassafrass@ECHO.TNC.COM
             NIC Handle    PQS
 (3)  The NIC handle of the technical contact for the domain.
 Alternately, the person's name, title, mailing address, phone number,
 organization, and network mailbox.  This is the contact point for
 problems concerning the domain or zone, as well as for updating
 information about the domain or zone.

Stahl [Page 10] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

       For example:
          Technical and Zone Contact
             Organization  The NetWorthy Corporation
             Name          Ansel A. Aardvark
             Title         Executive Director
             Mail Address  The NetWorthy Corporation
                           4676 Andrews Way, Suite 100
                           Santa Clara, CA. 94302-1212
             Phone Number  (415) 123-6789
             Net Mailbox   Aardvark@ECHO.TNC.COM
             NIC Handle    AAA2
 (4)  The name of the domain (up to 12 characters).  This is the name
 that will be used in tables and lists associating the domain with the
 domain server addresses.  [While, from a technical standpoint, domain
 names can be quite long (programmers beware), shorter names are
 easier for people to cope with.]
       For example:  TNC
 (5)  A description of the servers that provide the domain service for
 translating names to addresses for hosts in this domain, and the date
 they will be operational.
       A good way to answer this question is to say "Our server is
       supplied by person or company X and does whatever their standard
       issue server does."
          For example:  Our server is a copy of the one operated by
          the NIC; it will be installed and made operational on
          1 November 1987.
 (6) Domains must provide at least two independent servers for the
 domain.  Establishing the servers in physically separate locations
 and on different PSNs is strongly recommended.  A description of the
 server machine and its backup, including

Stahl [Page 11] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

       (a) Hardware and software (using keywords from the Assigned
       Numbers RFC).
       (b) Host domain name and network addresses (which host on which
       network for each connected network).
       (c) Any domain-style nicknames (please limit your domain-style
       nickname request to one)
       For example:
  1. Hardware and software
             VAX-11/750  and  UNIX,    or
             IBM-PC      and  MS-DOS,  or
             DEC-1090    and  TOPS-20
  1. Host domain names and network addresses
             BAR.FOO.COM 10.9.0.193 on ARPANET
  1. Domain-style nickname
             BR.FOO.COM (same as BAR.FOO.COM 10.9.0.13 on ARPANET)
 (7)  Planned mapping of names of any other network hosts, other than
 the server machines, into the new domain's naming space.
       For example:
          BAR-FOO2.ARPA (10.8.0.193) -> FOO2.BAR.COM
          BAR-FOO3.ARPA (10.7.0.193) -> FOO3.BAR.COM
          BAR-FOO4.ARPA (10.6.0.193) -> FOO4.BAR.COM
 (8)  An estimate of the number of hosts that will be in the domain.
       (a) Initially
       (b) Within one year
       (c) Two years
       (d) Five years.
       For example:
          (a) Initially  =   50
          (b) One year   =  100
          (c) Two years  =  200
          (d) Five years =  500

Stahl [Page 12] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

 (9)  The date you expect the fully qualified domain name to become
 the official host name in HOSTS.TXT.
       Please note: If changing to a fully qualified domain name (e.g.,
       FOO.BAR.COM) causes a change in the official host name of an
       ARPANET or MILNET host, DCA approval must be obtained beforehand.
       Allow 10 working days for your requested changes to be processed.
       ARPANET sites should contact ARPANETMGR@DDN1.ARPA.  MILNET sites
       should contact HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA, 800-235-3155, for
       further instructions.
 (10) Please describe your organization briefly.
       For example: The NetWorthy Corporation is a consulting
       organization of people working with UNIX and the C language in an
       electronic networking environment.  It sponsors two technical
       conferences annually and distributes a bimonthly newsletter.
  1. ——————————————————————–
 This example of a completed application corresponds to the examples
 found in the companion document RFC-1033, "Domain Administrators
 Operations Guide."
 (1)  The name of the top-level domain to join.
          COM
 (2)  The NIC handle of the administrative contact person.
          NIC Handle    JAKE
 (3)  The NIC handle of the domain's technical and zone
       contact person.
          NIC Handle    DLE6
 (4)  The name of the domain.
          SRI
 (5)  A description of the servers.
          Our server is the TOPS20 server JEEVES supplied by ISI; it
          will be installed and made operational on 1 July 1987.

Stahl [Page 13] RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987

 (6)  A description of the server machine and its backup:
          (a) Hardware and software
             DEC-1090T   and  TOPS20
             DEC-2065    and  TOPS20
          (b) Host domain name and network address
             KL.SRI.COM  10.1.0.2 on ARPANET, 128.18.10.6 on SRINET
             STRIPE.SRI.COM  10.4.0.2 on ARPANET, 128.18.10.4 on SRINET
          (c) Domain-style nickname
             None
 (7)  Planned mapping of names of any other network hosts, other than
 the server machines, into the new domain's naming space.
          SRI-Blackjack.ARPA (128.18.2.1) -> Blackjack.SRI.COM
          SRI-CSL.ARPA (192.12.33.2) -> CSL.SRI.COM
 (8)  An estimate of the number of hosts that will be directly within
 this domain.
          (a) Initially  =   50
          (b) One year   =  100
          (c) Two years  =  200
          (d) Five years =  500
 (9)  A date when you expect the fully qualified domain name to become
 the official host name in HOSTS.TXT.
          31 September 1987
 (10)  Brief description of organization.
          SRI International is an independent, nonprofit, scientific
          research organization.  It performs basic and applied research
          for government and commercial clients, and contributes to
          worldwide ecomomic, scientific, industrial, and social progress
          through research and related services.

Stahl [Page 14]

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