Domain names plan and schedule
RFC 881
Document | Type |
RFC - Unknown
(November 1983; No errata)
Updated by RFC 897
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Last updated | 2013-03-02 | ||
Stream | Legacy | ||
Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex | ||
Stream | Legacy state | (None) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
RFC Editor Note | (None) | ||
IESG | IESG state | RFC 881 (Unknown) | |
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group J. Postel Request for Comments: 881 ISI November 1983 The Domain Names Plan and Schedule This RFC outlines a plan and schedule for the implementation of domain style names throughout the DDN/ARPA Internet community. The introduction of domain style names will impact all hosts on the DDN/ARPA Internet. The Plan Introduction Domain style names are being introduced in the Internet to allow a controlled delegation of the authority and responsibility for adding hosts to the system. This also allows a subdivision of the task of maintaining information about hosts. The subdivision will be based on administrative authority or organization boundaries (not necessarily network boundaries). Certain requirements will be placed on organizations wishing to be "top level" domains. Initially, all the hosts in the Internet will be in the domain "ARPA". As soon as is practical a second domain, "DDN", will be introduced. Other domains may be added after that, provided the requirements listed below are met. Domain names will be supported in the long run by a system of special servers called "domain servers" which will be used to translate names to addresses. While this system of domain servers is being created and programs are being converted to use them, the existing host tables will evolve to include domain style names. The domain server design also provides for mapping mailbox addresses to the host name of the mail server for that mailbox. This feature allows mailboxes to be related to an organization rather than to a specific host. This plan will be implemented in the ARPA community. After the domain system is demonstrated in the ARPA community, the DDN Program Management Office (DDN-PMO) will determine the schedule for implementation of the domain system in the DDN community. This approach will cause some extra steps in the ARPA community implementation, and may limit communication between the ARPA and DDN communities in some ways. The details and implications of this two phase approach are discussed more fully below. Postel [Page 1] RFC 881 November 1983 The Domain Names Plan and Schedule A Catch 22 There is a problem in introducing domain style names: a great deal of software has to be changed. Some groups would like to start using domain style names right away, and other groups don't want to see them or use them for a very long time. Communication patterns are very complex and as soon as domain style names are allowed and used by a few groups they will start showing up almost everywhere. This argues that everyone should be prepared for them before they are used at all. However, we know that with people being people and with so many of people involved, the probability of everyone being ready in any reasonable time period is nearly zero. The way out of this situation is to set up a reasonable schedule for experimenting with domain style names and authorizing their use. People that get ready on schedule should have no problems with these names. Evolution of the Table Nearly all the hosts in the Internet now use some form of host table based on the master file "HOSTS.TXT" maintained by the Network Information Center (NIC). One way to introduce domain style names is to add to the entries in this table names in the domain style. In particular, make the first name in each entry the official host name in the ARPA domain. For example, the current entry for USC-ISIF is: HOST : 10.2.0.52 : USC-ISIF,ISIF : DEC-1090T : TOPS20 : TCP/TELNET,TCP/SMTP,TCP/FTP,TCP/FINGER,UDP/TFTP : This could become: HOST : 10.2.0.52 : USC-ISIF.ARPA,USC-ISIF,ISIF : DEC-1090T : TOPS20 : TCP/TELNET,TCP/SMTP,TCP/FTP,TCP/FINGER,UDP/TFTP : For some hosts and programs this could be done today with no disruptions, but for others substantial problems could occur. For example, with over five hundred entries in the table the addition of 500 names could exceed the space allocated to store the table in some programs. (One could argue that these programs are going to blow up soon anyway as new host entries are added to the table.) Another problem is that period (or dot, ".") is not now a legal character in host names and some programs may not be able to parse these new names.Show full document text