rfc1591.txt

bind-3.2.

   the ability to do a equitable, just, honest, and competent job.

   1) The key requirement is that for each domain there be a designated
      manager for supervising that domain's name space.  In the case of
      top-level domains that are country codes this means that there is
      a manager that supervises the domain names and operates the domain
      name system in that country.

      The manager must, of course, be on the Internet.  There must be
      Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity to the nameservers and email
      connectivity to the management and staff of the manager.

      There must be an administrative contact and a technical contact
      for each domain.  For top-level domains that are country codes at
      least the administrative contact must reside in the country
      involved.

   2) These designated authorities are trustees for the delegated
      domain, and have a duty to serve the community.

      The designated manager is the trustee of the top-level domain for
      both the nation, in the case of a country code, and the global
      Internet community.




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RFC 1591      Domain Name System Structure and Delegation     March 1994


      Concerns about "rights" and "ownership" of domains are
      inappropriate.  It is appropriate to be concerned about
      "responsibilities" and "service" to the community.

   3) The designated manager must be equitable to all groups in the
      domain that request domain names.

      This means that the same rules are applied to all requests, all
      requests must be processed in a non-discriminatory fashion, and
      academic and commercial (and other) users are treated on an equal
      basis.  No bias shall be shown regarding requests that may come
      from customers of some other business related to the manager --
      e.g., no preferential service for customers of a particular data
      network provider.  There can be no requirement that a particular
      mail system (or other application), protocol, or product be used.

      There are no requirements on subdomains of top-level domains
      beyond the requirements on higher-level domains themselves.  That
      is, the requirements in this memo are applied recursively.  In
      particular, all subdomains shall be allowed to operate their own
      domain name servers, providing in them whatever information the
      subdomain manager sees fit (as long as it is true and correct).

   4) Significantly interested parties in the domain should agree that
      the designated manager is the appropriate party.

      The IANA tries to have any contending parties reach agreement
      among themselves, and generally takes no action to change things
      unless all the contending parties agree; only in cases where the
      designated manager has substantially mis-behaved would the IANA
      step in.

      However, it is also appropriate for interested parties to have
      some voice in selecting the designated manager.

      There are two cases where the IANA and the central IR may
      establish a new top-level domain and delegate only a portion of
      it: (1) there are contending parties that cannot agree, or (2) the
      applying party may not be able to represent or serve the whole
      country.  The later case sometimes arises when a party outside a
      country is trying to be helpful in getting networking started in a
      country -- this is sometimes called a "proxy" DNS service.

      The Internet DNS Names Review Board (IDNB), a committee
      established by the IANA, will act as a review panel for cases in
      which the parties can not reach agreement among themselves.  The
      IDNB's decisions will be binding.




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RFC 1591      Domain Name System Structure and Delegation     March 1994


   5) The designated manager must do a satisfactory job of operating the
      DNS service for the domain.

      That is, the actual management of the assigning of domain names,
      delegating subdomains and operating nameservers must be done with
      technical competence.  This includes keeping the central IR (in
      the case of top-level domains) or other higher-level domain
      manager advised of the status of the domain, responding to
      requests in a timely manner, and operating the database with
      accuracy, robustness, and resilience.

      There must be a primary and a secondary nameserver that have IP
      connectivity to the Internet and can be easily checked for
      operational status and database accuracy by the IR and the IANA.

      In cases when there are persistent problems with the proper
      operation of a domain, the delegation may be revoked, and possibly
      delegated to another designated manager.

   6) For any transfer of the designated manager trusteeship from one
      organization to another, the higher-level domain manager (the IANA
      in the case of top-level domains) must receive communications from
      both the old organization and the new organization that assure the
      IANA that the transfer in mutually agreed, and that the new
      organization understands its responsibilities.

      It is also very helpful for the IANA to receive communications
      from other parties that may be concerned or affected by the
      transfer.

4. Rights to Names

   1) Names and Trademarks

      In case of a dispute between domain name registrants as to the
      rights to a particular name, the registration authority shall have
      no role or responsibility other than to provide the contact
      information to both parties.

      The registration of a domain name does not have any Trademark
      status.  It is up to the requestor to be sure he is not violating
      anyone else's Trademark.

   2) Country Codes

      The IANA is not in the business of deciding what is and what is
      not a country.




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RFC 1591      Domain Name System Structure and Delegation     March 1994


      The selection of the ISO 3166 list as a basis for country code
      top-level domain names was made with the knowledge that ISO has a
      procedure for determining which entities should be and should not
      be on that list.

5. Security Considerations

   Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

6. Acknowledgements

   Many people have made comments on draft version of these descriptions
   and procedures.  Steve Goldstein and John Klensin have been
   particularly helpful.

7. Author's Address

   Jon Postel
   USC/Information Sciences Institute
   4676 Admiralty Way
   Marina del Rey, CA  90292

   Phone: [phone]
   Fax:   [phone]
   EMail: [e-mail]

7. References

   [1] Cooper, A., and J. Postel, "The US Domain", RFC 1480,
       USC/Information Sciences Institute, June 1993.

   [2] Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2, RFC 1340,
       USC/Information Sciences Institute, July 1992.

   [3] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Concepts and Facilities", STD
       13, RFC 1034, USC/Information Sciences Institute, November 1987.

   [4] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Implementation and
       Specification", STD 13, RFC 1035, USC/Information Sciences
       Institute, November 1987.

   [6] Partridge, C., "Mail Routing and the Domain System", STD 14, RFC
       974, CSNET CIC BBN, January 1986.

   [7] Braden, R., Editor, "Requirements for Internet Hosts --
       Application and Support", STD 3, RFC 1123, Internet Engineering
       Task Force, October 1989.




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