As per Relevance of the word technical, we have this rfc below:
Network Working Group M.
Request for Comments: 1032 SRI
November 1987
DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS
STATUS OF THIS
This memo describes procedures for registering a domain with
Network Information Center (NIC) of Defense Data Network (DDN),
offers guidelines on the establishment and administration of a
in accordance with the requirements specified in RFC-920. It
intended for use by domain administrators. This memo should be
in conjunction with RFC-920, which is an official policy statement
the Internet Activities Board (IAB) and the Defense Advanced
Projects Agency (DARPA). Distribution of this memo is unlimited
Domains are adminstrative entities that provide
management of host naming and addressing. The domain-naming
is distributed and hierarchical
The NIC is designated by the Defense Communications Agency (DCA)
provide registry services for the domain-naming system on the DDN
DARPA portions of the Internet
As registrar of top-level and second-level domains, as well
administrator of the root domain name servers on behalf of DARPA
DDN, the NIC is responsible for maintaining the root server
files and their binary equivalents. In addition, the NIC
responsible for administering the top-level domains of "ARPA," "COM,"
"EDU," "ORG," "GOV," and "MIL" on behalf of DCA and DARPA until
becomes feasible for other appropriate organizations to assume
responsibilities
It is recommended that the guidelines described in this document
used by domain administrators in the establishment and control
second-level domains
THE DOMAIN
The role of the domain administrator (DA) is that of coordinator
manager, and technician. If his domain is established at the
level or lower in the tree, the DA must register by interacting
the management of the domain directly above his, making certain
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
his domain satisfies all the requirements of the administration
which his domain would be situated. To find out who has
over the name space he wishes to join, the DA can ask the
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
concepts and procedures for operating a domain server, as
in RFC-1034, and make sure that the service provided is reliable
uninterrupted. It is his responsibility or that of his delegate
ensure that the data will be current at all times. As a manager,
DA must be able to handle complaints about service provided by
domain name server. He must be aware of the behavior of the hosts
his domain, and take prompt action on reports of problems, such
protocol violations or other serious misbehavior. The
of a domain must be a responsible person who has the authority
either enforce these actions himself or delegate them to
else
Name assignments within a domain are controlled by the DA, who
verify that names are unique within his domain and that they
to standard naming conventions. He furnishes access to names
name-related information to users both inside and outside his domain
He should work closely with the personnel he has designated as
"technical and zone" contacts for his domain, for many
decisions will be made on the basis of input from these people
THE DOMAIN TECHNICAL AND ZONE
A zone consists of those contiguous parts of the domain tree
which a domain server has complete information and over which it
authority. A domain server may be authoratative for more than
zone. The domain technical/zone contact is the person who tends
the technical aspects of maintaining the domain's name server
resolver software, and database files. He keeps the name
running, and interacts with technical people in other domains
zones to solve problems that affect his zone
Domain or host name choices and the allocation of domain name
are considered to be local matters. In the event of conflicts, it
the policy of the NIC not to get involved in local disputes or in
local decision-making process. The NIC will not act as referee
disputes over such matters as who has the "right" to register
particular top-level or second-level domain for an organization.
NIC considers this a private local matter that must be settled
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
the parties involved prior to their commencing the
process with the NIC. Therefore, it is assumed that the
person for a domain will have resolved any local conflicts among
members of his domain before registering that domain with the NIC
The NIC will give guidance, if requested, by answering
technical questions, but will not provide arbitration in disputes
the local level. This policy is also in keeping with the
hierarchical nature of the domain-naming system in that it helps
distribute the tasks of solving problems and handling questions
Naming conventions for hosts should follow the rules specified
RFC-952. From a technical standpoint, domain names can be very long
Each segment of a domain name may contain up to 64 characters,
the NIC strongly advises DAs to choose names that are 12
or fewer, because behind every domain system there is a human
who must keep track of the names, addresses, contacts, and other
in a database. The longer the name, the more likely the
maintainer is to make a mistake. Users also will appreciate
names. Most people agree that short names are easier to remember
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
the top-level domains it administers. One advantage of the
naming system is that administration and data maintenance can
delegated down a hierarchical tree. Registration of hosts at
same level in the tree as a second-level domain would dilute
usefulness of this feature. In addition, the administrator of
domain is responsible for the actions of hosts within his domain.
would not want to find ourselves in the awkward position of
the actions of individual hosts. Rather, the subdomains
under these top-level domains retain the responsibility for
function
Countries that wish to be registered as top-level domains
required to name themselves after the two-letter country code
in the international standard ISO-3166. In some cases, however,
two-letter ISO country code is identical to a state code used by
U.S. Postal Service. Requests made by countries to use the three
letter form of country code specified in the ISO-3166 standard
be considered in such cases so as to prevent possible conflicts
confusion
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
HOW TO
Obtain a domain questionnaire from the NIC hostmaster, or FTP
file NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT from host SRI-NIC.ARPA
Fill out the questionnaire completely. Return it via electronic
to HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA
The APPENDIX to this memo contains the application form
registering a top-level or second-level domain with the NIC.
supersedes the version of the questionnaire found in RFC-920.
application should be submitted by the person
responsible for the domain, and must be filled out completely
the NIC will authorize establishment of a top-level or second-
domain. The DA is responsible for keeping his domain's data
with the NIC or with the registration agent with which his domain
registered. For example, the CSNET and UUCP managements act
domain filters, processing domain applications for their
organizations. They pass pertinent information along periodically
the NIC for incorporation into the domain database and root
files. The online file NETINFO:ALTERNATE-DOMAIN-PROCEDURE.
outlines this procedure. It is highly recommended that the DA
this information periodically and provide any corrections
additions. Corrections should be submitted via electronic mail
WHICH DOMAIN NAME
The designers of the domain-naming system initiated several
categories of names as top-level domain names, so that each
accommodate a variety of organizations. The current top-
domains registered with the DDN Network Information Center are ARPA
COM, EDU, GOV, MIL, NET, and ORG, plus a number of top-level
domains. To join one of these, a DA needs to be aware of the
for which it was intended
"ARPA" is a temporary domain. It is by default appended to
names of hosts that have not yet joined a domain. When the
was begun in 1984, the names of all hosts in the Official
Internet Host Table maintained by the NIC were changed by
of the label ".ARPA" in order to accelerate a transition to
domain-naming system. Another reason for the blanket name
was to force hosts to become accustomed to using the new
names and to modifiy their network software, if necessary.
was done on a network-wide basis and was directed by DCA in
Management Bulletin No. 22. Hosts that fall into this domain
eventually move to other branches of the domain tree
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
"COM" is meant to incorporate subdomains of companies
businesses
"EDU" was initiated to accommodate subdomains set up
universities and other educational institutions
"GOV" exists to act as parent domain for subdomains set up
government agencies
"MIL" was initiated to act as parent to subdomains that
developed by military organizations
"NET" was introduced as a parent domain for various network-
organizations. Organizations that belong within this top-
domain are generic or network-specific, such as network
centers and consortia. "NET" also encompasses
management-related organizations, such as information centers
operations centers
"ORG" exists as a parent to subdomains that do not clearly
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
host should have only one name regardless of what networks it
connected to. This implies, that, in general, domain names
not include routing information or addresses. For example, a
that has one network connection to the Interent and another to
should use the same name when talking to either network. For
description of the syntax of domain names, please refer to Section 3
of RFC-1034.
VERIFICATION OF
The verification process can be accomplished in several ways. One
these is through the NIC WHOIS server. If he has access to WHOIS
the DA can type the commmand "whois domain ".
The reply from WHOIS will supply the following: the name and
of the organization "owning" the domain; the name of the domain;
administrative, technical, and zone contacts; the host names
network addresses of sites providing name service for the domain
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
Example
@whois domain rice.edu
Rice University (RICE-DOM
Advanced Studies and
Houston, TX 77001
Domain Name: RICE.
Administrative Contact
Kennedy, Ken (KK28) Kennedy@LLL-CRG.ARPA (713) 527-4834
Technical Contact, Zone Contact
Riffle, Vicky R. (VRR) rif@RICE.
(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
SERVICE@SRI-NIC.ARPA. In the subject line of the message header,
DA should type "whois domain ". The
information will be returned via electronic mail. This method
convenient for sites that do not have access to the NIC
service
The initial application for domain authorization should be
via electronic mail, if possible, to HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA.
questionnaire described in the appendix may be used or a
application can be FTPed from host SRI-NIC.ARPA. The
provided by the administrator will be reviewed by
personnel for completeness. There will most likely be a
exchanges of correspondence via electronic mail, the preferred
of communication, prior to authorization of the domain
HOW TO GET MORE
An informational table of the top-level domains and their
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
UDP connection to the NIC Host Name Server, port 101 on SRI-NIC.ARPA
and invoking the command "ALL-DOM".
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
The following online files, all available by FTP from SRI-NIC.ARPA
contain pertinent domain information
- NETINFO:DOMAINS.TXT, a table of all top-level domains and
network addresses of the machines providing domain
service for them. It is updated each time a new top-
domain is approved
- NETINFO:DOMAIN-INFO.TXT contains a concise list of
top-level and second-level domain names registered with
NIC and is updated monthly
- NETINFO:DOMAIN-CONTACTS.TXT also contains a list of all
top level and second-level domains, but includes
administrative, technical and zone contacts for each as well
- NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT contains the questionnaire to
completed before registering a top-level or second-
domain
For either general or specific information on the domain system,
one or more of the following
1. Send electronic mail to HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.
2. Call the toll-free NIC hotline at (800) 235-3155
3. Use FTP to get background RFCs and other files
online at the NIC. Some pertinent RFCs are listed below
the REFERENCES section of this memo
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
The references listed here provide important background
on the domain-naming system. Path names of the online
available via anonymous FTP from the SRI-NIC.ARPA host are noted
brackets
1. Defense Communications Agency DDN Defense
System, DDN Management Bulletin No. 22, Domain
Transition, March 1984.
[ DDN-NEWS:DDN-MGT-BULLETIN-22.TXT ]
2. Defense Communications Agency DDN Defense
System, DDN Management Bulletin No. 32, Phase I of the
Name Implementation, January 1987.
[ DDN-NEWS:DDN-MGT-BULLETIN-32.TXT ]
3. Harrenstien, K., M. Stahl, and E. Feinler, "
Server", RFC-953, DDN Network Information Center,
International, October 1985. [ RFC:RFC953.TXT ]
4. Harrenstien, K., M. Stahl, and E. Feinler, "Official
Internet Host Table Specification", RFC-952, DDN
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
Specification", RFC-1035, USC Information Sciences Institute
October 1987. [ RFC:RFC1035.TXT ]
10. Mockapetris, P., "The Domain Name System", Proceedings of
IFIP 6.5 Working Conference on Computer Message Services
Nottingham, England, May 1984. Also as ISI/RS-84-133,
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
1984. [ Not online ]
11. Mockapetris, P., J. Postel, and P. Kirton, "Name
Design for Distributed Systems", Proceedings of the
International Conference on Computer Communication,
30 to November 3 1984, Sidney, Australia. Also
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 ]
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
The following questionnaire may be FTPed from SRI-NIC.ARPA
NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To establish a domain, the following information must be sent to
NIC Domain Registrar (HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA):
NOTE: The key people must have electronic mailboxes and
"handles," unique NIC database identifiers. If you have access
"WHOIS", please check to see if you are registered and if so,
sure the information is current. Include only your handle and
changes (if any) that need to be made in your entry. If you do
have access to "WHOIS", please provide all the information
and a NIC handle will be assigned
(1) The name of the top-level domain to join
For example:
(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
administrative and policy questions about the domain. In the case
a research project, this should be the principal investigator
For example
Organization The NetWorthy
Name Penelope Q.
Title
Mail Address The NetWorthy
4676 Andrews Way, Suite 100
Santa Clara, CA 94302-1212
Phone Number (415) 123-4567
Net Mailbox Sassafrass@ECHO.TNC.
NIC Handle
(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
problems concerning the domain or zone, as well as for
information about the domain or zone
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
For example
Technical and Zone
Organization The NetWorthy
Name Ansel A.
Title Executive
Mail Address The NetWorthy
4676 Andrews Way, Suite 100
Santa Clara, CA. 94302-1212
Phone Number (415) 123-6789
Net Mailbox Aardvark@ECHO.TNC.
NIC Handle AAA
(4) The name of the domain (up to 12 characters). This is the
that will be used in tables and lists associating the domain with
domain server addresses. [While, from a technical standpoint,
names can be quite long (programmers beware), shorter names
easier for people to cope with.]
For example:
(5) A description of the servers that provide the domain service
translating names to addresses for hosts in this domain, and the
they will be operational
A good way to answer this question is to say "Our server
supplied by person or company X and does whatever their
issue server does."
For example: Our server is a copy of the one operated
the NIC; it will be installed and made operational
1 November 1987.
(6) Domains must provide at least two independent servers for
domain. Establishing the servers in physically separate
and on different PSNs is strongly recommended. A description of
server machine and its backup,
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
(a) Hardware and software (using keywords from the
Numbers RFC).
(b) Host domain name and network addresses (which host on
network for each connected network).
(c) Any domain-style nicknames (please limit your domain-
nickname request to one
For example
- Hardware and
VAX-11/750 and UNIX,
IBM-PC and MS-DOS,
DEC-1090 and TOPS-20
- Host domain names and network
BAR.FOO.COM 10.9.0.193 on
- Domain-style
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
the server machines, into the new domain's naming space
For example
BAR-FOO2.ARPA (10.8.0.193) -> FOO2.BAR.
BAR-FOO3.ARPA (10.7.0.193) -> FOO3.BAR.
BAR-FOO4.ARPA (10.6.0.193) -> FOO4.BAR.
(8) An estimate of the number of hosts that will be in the domain
(a)
(b) Within one
(c) Two
(d) Five years
For example
(a) Initially = 50
(b) One year = 100
(c) Two years = 200
(d) Five years = 500
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
(9) The date you expect the fully qualified domain name to
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
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
should contact HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA, 800-235-3155,
further instructions
(10) Please describe your organization briefly
For example: The NetWorthy Corporation is a
organization of people working with UNIX and the C language in
electronic networking environment. It sponsors two
conferences annually and distributes a bimonthly newsletter
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This example of a completed application corresponds to the
found in the companion document RFC-1033, "Domain
Operations Guide."
(1) The name of the top-level domain to join
(2) The NIC handle of the administrative contact person
NIC Handle
(3) The NIC handle of the domain's technical and
contact person
NIC Handle DLE
(4) The name of the domain
(5) A description of the servers
Our server is the TOPS20 server JEEVES supplied by ISI;
will be installed and made operational on 1 July 1987.
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RFC 1032 DOMAIN ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE November 1987
(6) A description of the server machine and its backup
(a) Hardware and
DEC-1090T and TOPS20
DEC-2065 and TOPS20
(b) Host domain name and network
KL.SRI.COM 10.1.0.2 on ARPANET, 128.18.10.6 on
STRIPE.SRI.COM 10.4.0.2 on ARPANET, 128.18.10.4 on
(c) Domain-style
(7) Planned mapping of names of any other network hosts, other
the server machines, into the new domain's naming space
SRI-Blackjack.ARPA (128.18.2.1) -> Blackjack.SRI.
SRI-CSL.ARPA (192.12.33.2) -> CSL.SRI.
(8) An estimate of the number of hosts that will be directly
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
the official host name in HOSTS.TXT
31 September 1987
(10) Brief description of organization
SRI International is an independent, nonprofit,
research organization. It performs basic and applied
for government and commercial clients, and contributes
worldwide ecomomic, scientific, industrial, and social
through research and related services
Stahl [Page 14]
if you see any problems within the linking, don't worry be happy,
this is version 0.1 of the Relevance System and you gotta expect some crappy subroutines sometimes,
just be content we did not write this in Java, which would have made this "bigger and better" HAHAHHA.
RFC documents can be found at I.E.T.F.
Relevance System Copyright © 2002 Spectrum WorldResearch
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