RFC 1400
Transition and Modernization of the Internet Registration Service
RFC 1400: Transition and Modernization of the Internet Registration Service 💖
Network Working Group · March 1993 🎀
Okay so this one is written by S. Williamson (that's Scott Williamson) at Network Solutions, Inc. 💅
It's informational, not a standard. It exists to give the Internet community info, so it doesn't set any rules ✨ Distribution is unlimited, so share it with your whole group chat 🦋
It doesn't obsolete or update anything (none are listed). 🌸
Status of this Memo 🌈
Bestie, this doc is just here to provide information for the Internet community. It is not an Internet standard, and it's free to distribute with no limits 🫶
Discussion 💅
Okay, so the big news is that the NREN NIS award from the National Science Foundation means non-DDN registration services are about to move from the DDN NIC to the brand new Internet Registration Service, which is part of something called the InterNIC 🔥 Anywhere this doc says "InterNIC," it only means the Registration Services part, not the whole thing 🧚
The Big Transition 🦋
Internet registration is slowly moving over to the InterNIC, and the full transition should be done by April 1, 1993. ✨ During this in-between period, EMail, Fax, and U.S. mail sent to either site still get processed 💖
DDN users keep getting full registration support from the DDN NIC, and honestly it should feel totally seamless for them 🙈 They keep sending requests to hostmast@nic.ddn.mil (IP, .mil domain, inaddr for 26.x.x.x) or registrar@nic.ddn.mil (user registrations or TAC card requests), using the DISA approved forms 🎀
Non-DDN Requests Through March 31, 1993 🍓
Until March 31, 1993, the old DDN NIC templates can be filled out and sent to either hostmaster@internic.net or hostmaster@nic.ddn.mil. The new InterNIC templates don't get accepted until April 1, 1993, not a second earlier 💅
Phone support: 1-800-365-DNIC or 1-703-802-4535 (Washington DC metro area) 📞
Mail questions and templates to:
Government Systems Inc.
Attn: Network Information Center
14200 Park Meadow Dr.
Suite 200
Chantilly, VA 2200Non-DDN Requests From April 1, 1993 💫
Starting April 1, 1993, non-DDN requests get handled like this. New registration requests go to autoreg@internic.net using the new template. Old templates sent to autoreg@internic.net get bounced back with parsing error messages and the new form attached 😭 Old templates mailed to hostmaster@interic.net will still be accepted through June 30, 1993.
After that date, old-format templates get sent back with the new template attached. No exceptions, periodt 💀
Phone support: 1-800-444-4345 or 619-455-4600, plus 1-703-742-4777 (Registration service only) (Washington DC metro area) 🌸
Mail questions and templates to:
Network Solutions, Inc.
Attn: InterNIC Registration Service
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070Staying in the Loop 📬
If you're going to be submitting a ton of registration requests, the team wants you informed during the transition! 💜 Updates go out on the mail list rs-info@internic.net. To subscribe, send a request to:
rs-info-request@internic.netSubscribers get info on where the new autoreg templates live and how to grab them 🧚 The team is also asking for comments 🫶 The new templates were redesigned for automatic processing and they've removed all the DDN-specific references, so it's giving clean and modern ✨
WHOIS Services 🔍
WHOIS will be available from both the DDN NIC and the InterNIC:
whois.nic.ddn.mil (192.112.36.5)
whois.internic.net (198.41.0.5)From April 1, 1993, whois.nic.ddn.mil only has DDN info. whois.internic.net gets all the info on IP addresses, domains, and ASNs 💅 It only has individual user records for people who are a Point of Contact for an active node 🙈
If you want a WHOIS service for individual users, like for Internet hosts or campus networks, the team encourages you to join one of the many distributed WHOIS-like information projects out there 🌈
Root Zone Files and Hosts 🗂️
Root zone files are on both sites through March 31, 1993. After that, you can only grab the root zone file from ftp.rs.internic.net 🦋
After the transition, host.txt is only available from nic.ddn.mil, and hosts.txt will include ONLY MILNET HOSTS 👑 On April 1, 1993, a new root DNS server goes live at ns.internic.net (198.41.0.4) ✨
Bandwidth Drama 💀
The T1 connection to the DDN NIC gets disconnected by June 1, 1993, which leaves only 56K access to the DDN NIC site 😭 Heavy traffic there after that date will cause congestion, so it's super important that all Internet registration data goes to the new InterNIC site 💖 The InterNIC registration services facility is connected to SuraNET via T1 around March 10, 1993.
Automated Registration (autoreg) 🤖
The InterNIC registration host is getting automated Internet registration services 🎀 This new system means more accurate and timely processing for everybody. Here's how the new autoreg process goes:
- The requestor sends a completed new template to
autoreg@internic.net. - The mailserver/parser on the InterNIC registration host parses the template and does a quick check of everything it can verify, like domain name conflicts. Then it sends an email verification or rejection, with an error message, back to the requestor 💅
- Once the requestor gets the verification form, they need to check that the parser understood everything correctly. If it's all right, they send the verify form to
verify@internic.net. If something's wrong, they fix it before sending it back. If they got a rejection, they make the adjustments and resend the registration request toautoreg@internic.net🧚 - When the corrected verification form comes back from the original requestor, the data gets rechecked and a new verification form gets sent out. Once a good verification comes through, Registration Services releases the request for final processing by the InterNIC registration staff 🌸
NOTE: If the requestor doesn't return the verification form to the InterNIC within seven days after it's mailed, the original registration request expires, and you have to resubmit it. 😭🙈
Checking Your Ticket Status 🎫
You can check the status of every registration request in two ways. The first is the finger utility, using the "trouble ticket" (tt) number that came with your verification or confirmation message 💖
Example:
finger tt-930303.1034@rs.internic.netThe second way is to telnet to rs.internic.net and run the status <ticket number> command 🦋 Here's what the status output looks like:
[BEGIN SCRIPT]__________________________________________________________
> finger tt-930303.1034@rs.internic.net
[rs.internic.net]
Retrieving information on Ticket 930303.1034. Please wait...
Ticket Number: 930303.1034 Ticket Status: pending
Ticket Type: reg/domain Ticket Source: email
Ticket Scope: Site/Line:
Ticket Owner: autoreg Problem Fixer: duanes
Ticket Opened: 03/03/93 14:47
Problem Description:
register internic.net
Problem Solution:
For more information, please contact the InterNIC Registration
Center at hostmaster@internic.net or (703) 742-4777. Thanks!
[END SCRIPT]____________________________________________________________Other Services on rs.internic.net 🧚
Other services are also available by telnet to rs.internic.net. It's kind of like the telnet service the DDN-NIC has, but the commands are a little different, so watch out 👀 The services you can use over telnet are: WHOIS, Gopher, wais, finger, and status.
Here's a short scripted session on the new InterNIC Registration host:
[BEGIN SCRIPT]__________________________________________________________
% telnet rs.internic.net
Trying 198.41.0.5 ...
Connected to rs.internic.net.
Escape character is '^]'.
SunOS UNIX (rs) (ttyp4)
************************************************************************
* -- InterNIC Network Registration Center --
*
* For gopher, type: GOPHER <return>
* For wais, type: WAIS <return>
* For the *original* whois type: WHOIS <return>
* For the X.500 whois DUA, type: X500WHOIS <return>
*
* For user assistance call (800) 444-4345 or (703) 742-4777
* Please report system problems to ACTION@rs.internic.net
************************************************************************
Cmdinter Ver 1.3 Wed Mar 10 11:23:05 1993 EST
InterNIC > ?
Command, one of the following
DATE FINGER HELP KERMIT LOGIN
LOGOUT STATUS WHOIS GOPHER WAIS
X500WHOIS
InterNIC > date
Wed Mar 10 11:23:09 EST 1993
InterNIC > whois
Connecting to the rs Database . . . . . .
Connected to the rs Database
InterNIC WHOIS Version: 1.0 Wed, 10 Mar 93 11:23:19
Whois: !internic-dom
Network Solutions, Inc. (INTERNIC-DOM)
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070
Domain Name: INTERNIC.NET
Administrative Contact:
Zalubski, John (JZ7) zalubskj@INTERNIC.NET
(703) 802-8462
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Kosters, Mark A. (MAK21) markk@INTERNIC.NET
(703) 802-8484
Record last updated on 10-Feb-93.
Domain servers in listed order:
REG.INTERNIC.NET 192.153.247.80
NOC.CERF.NET 192.153.156.22
Whois: quit
InterNIC > quit
Wed Mar 10 11:24:54 1993 EST
Connection closed by foreign host.
%
[END SCRIPT]____________________________________________________________Quick Reference Cheat Sheet 📋
Here's the summary of all the InterNIC registration info, so you can screenshot it and never lose it again 🫶
rs.internic.net 198.41.0.5
ns.internic.net 198.41.0.4
General telephone support: 1-800-444-4365
Registration support: 703-742-4777
Mail address:
Network Solutions Inc.
ATTN: InterNIC Registration Services
505 Huntmar Park Dr.
Herndon, VA 22070
rs-info@internic.net Registration information mail list
rs-info-request@internic.net
hostmaster@internic.net Registration questions and Manual
registration
autoreg@internic.net Automatic registration mailbox
finger tt-XXXXXX.XXXX@rs.internic.net To check status of registration
requestSecurity Considerations 🔐
Security issues are not discussed in this memo. 🙈 Please don't take that as a green light, bestie. Go in with your eyes open and get your own security advice 🚨
Author's Address 💌
Scott Williamson, of Network Solutions, Inc., can be reached at:
Scott Williamson
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070
Phone: (703) 742-4820
EMail: scottw@internic.net📦 where this page comes from
- ietf: rfc1400 1993-03
- 💖 girlified by claude-haiku-5-5 on : a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms