RFC 1261

Transition of NIC Services 🎀

Okay bestie, let's start with the header 💖

• Series: Network Working Group
• RFC number: 1261
• Title: TRANSITION OF NIC SERVICES
• Authors: S. Williamson and L. Nobile, both at Network Solutions 💅
• Date: September 1991
• Category: Informational. It provides information for the Internet community, and it does not specify an Internet standard 🦋
• Obsoletes / Updates: The header has no Obsoletes or Updates line, so this one doesn't replace or update anything 🌸

Status of This Memo ✨

So this memo is just info for the Internet community 🧚 It does not specify an Internet standard, and it can be shared as much as you want, because distribution is unlimited 💜

Discussion 💅

Okay so the NIC is moving! 🚚 The Network Information Center is leaving SRI International in Menlo Park, CA, and heading over to Government Systems Inc. in Chantilly, VA. The big day is officially 1 October 1991 📅 This covers the services SRI has been giving DDN and Internet users: network/user registration (that's network number and top level domain name assignment 🍓), on-line information services, and Help Desk operations. GSI is also keeping the RFC and Internet-Draft archive and distribution services going, so no drama there ✨

SRI keeps handling all NIC services and answering all user calls and requests until 30 September 1991. Slay 👑

Defense Information System Agency (DISA) and GSI are making every effort to make this a smooth and timely transition 🫶 Network users should be minimally impacted 🌈 With a few minor exceptions, all on-line services SRI currently offers will look the same when you connect to the new (GSI) NIC host. The exceptions come from the switch from the TOPS20 operating system to the SunOS operating system 💻 The new NIC host is a Sun 470 SPARCserver running SunOS 4.1. Everyone on the DDN and the Internet should carefully note these changes:

U.S. Postal Address:      Government Systems, Inc.
                          Attn: Network Information Center
                          14200 Park Meadow Drive
                          Suite 200
                          Chantilly, VA  22021

Help Desk Telephone Numbers:

                          1-800-365-3642 (1-800-365-DNIC)
                          1-703-802-4535

Help Desk Hours of Operation:

                          7:00 am to 7:00 pm Eastern Time

Fax Number:               1-703-802-8376

Network Address:          192.112.36.5 (NIC.DDN.MIL)

Root Domain Server:       192.112.36.4 (NS.NIC.DDN.MIL)

Now the timeline, and this part is important 🙈 From 26 to 30 September 1991 the ID (WHOIS) database is not changed. All registration actions for this five day period are suspended, because the master database has to be moved over to GSI 🚛 Starting 26 September 1991, all U.S. mail and fax requests should go to the GSI address and fax number above. Electronic mail requests should keep going to the HOSTMASTER and REGISTRAR mailboxes at NIC.DDN.MIL. SRI will redirect email to GSI as appropriate. Then on 1 October 1991, all registration activities resume 🎉

🚨 Reminder: the registration freeze runs from 26 to 30 September 1991, so don't expect registration actions to go through during that window.

We really hope the transition doesn't inconvenience network users too much 🥺 Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding 🫶 For general questions, users can call the new NIC Help Desk after September 1, 1991 at 1-800-365-3642/703-802-4535, or send an e-mail to nic@diis.ddn.mil 💌

Security Considerations 💀

🔒 Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

Authors' Addresses 🧚

Scott Williamson
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070

Phone: (703) 802-8405

EMail: scottw@DIIS.DDN.MIL


Leslie Nobile
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070

Phone: (703) 802-8456

leslie@DIIS.DDN.MIL