Internet Engineering Task Force                            S. Hollenbeck
Internet-Draft                                            VeriSign, Inc.
January 15, 2002                                  Expires: July 15, 2002


            Generic Registry-Registrar Protocol Requirements
                 <draft-ietf-provreg-grrp-reqs-05.txt>

Status of this Memo

  This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with all
  provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.

  Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task
  Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups.  Note that other
  groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts.

  Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
  and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
  time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
  material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

  The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
  http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt

  The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
  http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.

Abstract

  This document describes high-level functional and interface
  requirements for a client-server protocol for the registration and
  management of Internet domain names in shared registries. Specific
  technical requirements detailed for protocol design are not presented
  here.  Instead, this document focuses on the basic functions and
  interfaces required of a protocol to support multiple registry and
  registrar operational models.

Conventions Used In This Document

  The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
  "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
  document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119].








Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 1]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


Table of Contents

  1. Introduction .................................................    3
  1.1 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations ....................    3
  2. General Description ..........................................    5
  2.1 System Perspective ..........................................    5
  2.2 System Functions ............................................    5
  2.3 User Characteristics ........................................    5
  2.4 Assumptions .................................................    5
  3. Functional Requirements ......................................    7
  3.1 Session Management ..........................................    7
  3.2 Identification and Authentication ...........................    7
  3.3 Transaction Identification ..................................    7
  3.4 Object Management ...........................................    8
  3.5 Domain Status Indicators ....................................   13
  3.6 Transaction Completion Status ...............................   14
  4. External Interface Requirements ..............................   15
  4.1 User Interfaces .............................................   15
  4.2 Hardware Interfaces .........................................   15
  4.3 Software Interfaces .........................................   15
  4.4 Communications Interfaces ...................................   15
  5. Performance Requirements .....................................   16
  6. Design Constraints ...........................................   16
  6.1 Standards Compliance ........................................   16
  6.2 Hardware Limitations ........................................   16
  7. Service Attributes ...........................................   17
  7.1 Reliability .................................................   17
  7.2 Availability ................................................   17
  7.3 Scalability .................................................   17
  7.4 Maintainability .............................................   18
  7.5 Extensibility ...............................................   18
  7.6 Security ....................................................   18
  8. Other Requirements ...........................................   19
  8.1 Database Requirements .......................................   19
  8.2 Operational Requirements ....................................   19
  8.3 Site Adaptation Requirements ................................   19
  8.4 Data Collection Requirements ................................   19
  9. Internationalization Requirements ............................   20
  10. IANA Considerations .........................................   21
  11. Security Considerations .....................................   21
  12. Acknowledgements ............................................   22
  13. References ..................................................   22
  14. Editor's Address ............................................   23
  A. Revisions From Previous Version ..............................   23
  B. Full Copyright Statement .....................................   24






Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 2]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


1. Introduction

  The advent of shared domain name registration systems illustrates the
  utility of a common, generic protocol for registry-registrar
  interaction.  A standard generic protocol will allow registrars to
  communicate with multiple registries through a common interface,
  reducing operational complexity.  This document describes high level
  functional and interface requirements for a generic provisioning
  protocol suitable for registry-registrar operations.  Detailed
  technical requirements are not addressed in this document.

  This document is being discussed on the "ietf-provreg" mailing list.
  To join the list, send a message to <majordomo@cafax.se> with the
  words "subscribe ietf-provreg" in the body of the message.  There is a
  web site for the list archives at http://www.cafax.se/ietf-provreg.

1.1 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

  ccTLD: Country Code Top Level Domain.  ".us" is an example of a ccTLD.

  CORE: Council of Registrars

  DNS: Domain Name System

  gTLD: Generic Top Level Domain.  ".com" is an example of a gTLD.

  IANA: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

  IETF: Internet Engineering Task Force

  IP Address: Either or both IPv4 or IPv6 address.

  IPv4: Internet Protocol version 4

  IPv6: Internet Protocol version 6

  NSI: Network Solutions, Inc.

  RRP: Registry-Registrar Protocol

  TLD: Top Level Domain.  A generic term used to describe both gTLDs and
  ccTLDs that exist under the top-level root of the domain name
  hierarchy.

  Exclusive Registration System: A domain name registration system in
  which registry services are limited to a single registrar.  Exclusive
  Registration Systems are either loosely coupled (in which case the
  separation between registry and registrar systems is readily evident),



Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 3]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  or tightly coupled (in which case the separation between registry and
  registrar systems is obscure).

  Name Space: The range of values that can be assigned within a
  particular node of the domain name hierarchy.

  Object: A generic term used to describe entities that are created,
  updated, deleted, and otherwise managed by a generic registry-
  registrar protocol.

  Registrant: An entity that registers domain names in a registry
  through the services provided by a registrar.  Registrants include
  individuals, organizations, and corporations.

  Registrar: An entity that provides front-end domain name registration
  services to registrants, providing a public interface to registry
  services.

  Registry: An entity that provides back-end domain name registration
  services to registrars, managing a central repository of information
  associated with domain name delegations.  A registry is typically
  responsible for publication and distribution of zone files used by the
  Domain Name System.

  Shared Registration System: A domain name registration system in which
  registry services are shared among multiple independent registrars.
  Shared Registration Systems require a loose coupling between
  registrars and a registry.

  Thick Registry: A registry in which all of the information associated
  with registered entities, including both technical information
  (information needed to produce zone files) and social information
  (information needed to implement operational, business, or legal
  practices), is stored within the registry repository.

  Thin Registry: A registry in which all elements of the social
  information associated with registered entities is distributed between
  a shared registry and the registrars served by the registry.

  Zone: The complete set of information for a particular "pruned"
  subtree of the domain space.  The zone concept is described fully in
  [RFC1035].









Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 4]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


2. General Description

  A basic understanding of domain name registration systems provides
  focus for the enumeration of functional and interface requirements of
  a protocol to serve those systems.  This section provides a high-level
  description of domain name registration systems to provide context for
  the requirements identified later in this document.

2.1 System Perspective

  A domain name registration system consists of a protocol and
  associated software and hardware that permits registrars to provide
  Internet domain name registration services within the name spaces
  administered by a registry.  A registration system can be shared among
  multiple competing registrars, or it can be served by a single
  registrar that is either tightly or loosely coupled with back-end
  registry services.  The system providing registration services for the
  .com, .net, and .org gTLDs is an example of a shared registration
  system serving multiple competing registrars.  The systems providing
  registration services for some ccTLDs and the .gov and .mil gTLDs are
  examples of registration systems served by a single registrar.

2.2 System Functions

  Registrars access a registry through a protocol to register objects
  and perform object management functions.  Required functions include
  session management; object creation, update, renewal, and deletion;
  object query; and object transfer.

  A registry generates DNS zone files for the name spaces it serves.
  Zone files are created and distributed to a series of name servers
  that provide the foundation for the domain name system.

2.3 User Characteristics

  Protocol users fall into two broad categories: entities that use
  protocol client implementations and entities that use protocol server
  implementations, though an entity can provide both client and server
  services if it provides intermediate services.  A protocol provides a
  loose coupling between these communicating entities.

2.4 Assumptions

  There is one and only one registry that is authoritative for a given
  name space and zone.

  A registry can be authoritative for more than one name space and zone.




Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 5]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  Some registry operations can be billable.  The impact of a billable
  operation can be mitigated through the specification of non-billable
  operations that allow a registrar to make informed decisions before
  executing billable operations.

  A registry can choose to implement a subset of the features provided
  by a generic registry-registrar protocol.  A thin registry, for
  example, might not provide services to register social information.
  Specification of minimal implementation compliance requirements is
  thus an exercise left for a formal protocol definition document that
  addresses the functional requirements specified here.

  A protocol that meets the requirements described here can be called
  something other than "Generic Registry Registrar Protocol".

  The requirements described in this document are not intended to limit
  the set of objects that can be managed by a generic registry-registrar
  protocol.

































Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 6]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


3. Functional Requirements

  This section describes functional requirements for a registry-
  registrar protocol.  Technical requirements that describe how these
  requirements are to be met are out of scope for this document.

3.1 Session Management

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to explicitly establish a
  client session with a registry server.

  [2] In a connection-oriented environment, a server MUST respond to
  connection attempts with information that identifies the server and
  the default server protocol version.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services that allow a client to request
  use of a specific protocol version as part of negotiating a session.

  [4] The protocol MUST provide services that allow a server to decline
  use of a specific protocol version as part of negotiating a session.

  [5] A session MUST NOT be established if the client and server are
  unable to reach agreement on the protocol version to be used for the
  requested session.

  [6] The protocol MUST provide services to explicitly end an
  established session.

  [7] The protocol MUST provide services that ensure transactional
  integrity if a session is aborted prematurely.

3.2 Identification and Authentication

  [1] The protocol or another layered protocol MUST provide services to
  identify registrar clients and registry servers before granting access
  to other protocol services.

  [2] The protocol or another layered protocol MUST provide services to
  authenticate registrar clients and registry servers before granting
  access to other protocol services.

  [3] The protocol or another layered protocol MUST provide services to
  negotiate an authentication mechanism acceptable to both client and
  server.

3.3 Transaction Identification

  [1] Registry operations that create, modify, or delete objects MUST be



Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 7]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  associated with a registry-unique identifier.  The protocol MUST allow
  each transaction to be identified in a permanent and globally unique
  manner to facilitate temporal ordering and state management services.

3.4 Object Management

  This section describes requirements for object management, including
  identification, registration, association, update, transfer, renewal,
  deletion, and query.

3.4.1 Object Identification

  Some objects, such as name servers and contacts, have utility in
  multiple registries.  However, maintaining disjoint copies of object
  information in multiple registries can lead to inconsistencies that
  have adverse consequences for the Internet.  For example, changing a
  name server name in one registry, but not in a second registry that
  refers to the server for domain name delegation, can produce
  unexpected DNS query results.

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to associate an object
  identifier with every object.

  [2] Object identifiers MUST be globally unique.

  [3] An object's identifier MUST NOT change during the lifetime of the
  object in a particular repository, even if administrative control of
  the object changes over time.

  [4] An object identifier MUST contain information that unambiguously
  identifies the object.

  [5] Object identifier format specified by the protocol SHOULD be
  easily parsed and understood by humans.

  [6] An object's identifier MUST be generated and stored when an object
  is created.

3.4.2 Object Registration

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to register Internet domain
  names.

  [2] The protocol MUST permit a starting and ending time for a domain
  name registration to be negotiated, thereby allowing a registry to
  implement policies allowing a range of registration validity periods,
  and enabling registrars to select a period for each registration they
  submit from within the valid range based on out-of-band negotiation



Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 8]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  between the registrar and the registrant. Registries SHOULD be allowed
  to accept indefinitely valid registrations if the policy that they are
  implementing permits, and to specify a default validity period if one
  is not selected by a registrar.  Registries MUST be allowed to specify
  minimal validity periods consistent with prevailing or preferred
  practices for fee-for-service recovery.  The protocol MUST provide
  features to ensure that both registry and registrar have a mutual
  understanding of the validity period at the conclusion of a successful
  registration event.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services to register name servers.  Name
  server registration MUST NOT be limited to a specific period of time.
  Name servers MUST be registered with a valid IPv4 or IPv6 address when
  a "glue record" is required for delegation.  A name server MAY be
  registered with multiple IP addresses.  Multiple name servers using
  distinct server names MAY share an IP address.

  [4] The protocol MUST provide services to manage delegation of zone
  authority.  Names of name servers MUST NOT be required to be tied to
  the name of the zone(s) for which the server is authoritative.

  [5] The protocol MUST provide services to register social information
  describing human and organizational entities.  Registration of social
  information MUST NOT be limited to a specific period of time.  Social
  information MAY include a name (individual name, organization name, or
  both), address (including street address, city, state or province (if
  applicable), postal code, and country), voice telephone number, email
  address, and facsimile telephone number.

  [6] Protocol services to register an object MUST be available to all
  authorized registrars.

3.4.3 Object Association

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to associate name servers with
  domain names to delegate authority for zones.  A domain name MAY have
  multiple authoritative name servers.  Name servers MAY be
  authoritative for multiple zones.

  [2] The protocol MUST provide services to associate IP addresses with
  name servers. Name servers MAY have multiple IP addresses.  An IP
  address MAY be associated with multiple name servers.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services to associate social information
  with other objects. Social information associations MUST be identified
  by type.  "Registrant" is an example social information type that
  might be associated with an object such as a domain name.




Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                  [Page 9]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  [4] Some managed objects represent shared resources that might be
  referenced by multiple registrars.  The protocol MUST provide services
  that allow a registrar to associate an existing shared resource object
  with other registered objects sponsored by a second registrar.  For
  example, authority for the example.tld zone (example.tld domain object
  managed by registrar X) and authority for the test.tld zone (test.tld
  domain object managed by registrar Y) might be delegated to server
  ns1.example.tld (managed by registrar X). Registrar X maintains
  administrative control over domain object example.tld and server
  object ns1.example.tld, and registrar Y maintains administrative
  control over domain object test.tld.  Registrar Y does not have
  administrative control over server object ns1.example.tld.

3.4.4 Object Update

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to update information
  associated with registered Internet domain names.

  [2] The protocol MUST provide services to update information
  associated with registered name servers.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services to update social information
  associated with registered human and organizational entities.

  [4] The protocol MUST provide services to limit requests to update a
  registered object to the registrar that currently sponsors the
  registered object.

  [5] The protocol MUST provide services to explicitly reject
  unauthorized attempts to update a registered object.

3.4.5 Object Transfer

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to transfer domain names among
  authorized registrars.  Name servers registered in a domain being
  transferred MUST be transferred along with the domain itself.  For
  example, name servers "ns1.example.tld" and "ns2.example.tld" MUST be
  implicitly transferred when domain "example.tld" is transferred.

  [2] The protocol MUST provide services to describe all objects,
  including associated objects, that are transferred as a result of an
  object transfer.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services to transfer social information
  objects among authorized registrars.

  [4] Protocol transfer requests MUST be initiated by the registrar who
  wishes to become the new administrator of an object.



Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 10]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  [5] The protocol MUST provide services to confirm registrar
  authorization to transfer an object.

  [6] The protocol MUST provide services that allow the requesting
  registrar to cancel a requested object transfer before the request has
  been approved or rejected by the original sponsoring registrar.
  Requests to cancel the transfer of registered objects MUST be limited
  to the registrar that requested transfer of the registered object.
  Unauthorized attempts to cancel the transfer of a registered object
  MUST be explicitly rejected.

  [7] The protocol MUST provide services that allow the original
  sponsoring registrar to approve or reject a requested object transfer.
  Requests to approve or reject the transfer of registered objects MUST
  be limited to the registrar that currently sponsors the registered
  object.  Unauthorized attempts to approve or reject the transfer of a
  registered object MUST be explicitly rejected.

  [8] The protocol MUST provide services that allow both the original
  sponsoring registrar and the potential new registrar to monitor the
  status of both pending and completed transfer requests.

  [9] Transfer of an object MAY extend the object's registration period.
  If an object's registration period will be extended as the result of a
  transfer, the new expiration date and time MUST be returned after
  successful completion of a transfer request.

  [10] Requests to initiate the transfer of a registered object MUST be
  available to all authorized registrars.

3.4.6 Object Renewal/Extension

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to renew or extend the validity
  period of registered domain names.  If applicable, the new expiration
  date and time MUST be returned after successful completion of a
  request to renew or extend the validity period.

  [2] Requests to renew or extend the validity period of a registered
  object MUST be limited to the registrar that currently sponsors the
  registered object.  Unauthorized attempts to renew or extend the
  validity period of a registered object MUST be explicitly rejected.

3.4.7 Object Deletion

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to remove a domain name from
  the registry.

  [2] The protocol MUST provide services to remove a name server from



Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 11]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  the registry.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services to remove a social information
  object from the registry.

  [4] Requests to remove a registered object MUST be limited to the
  registrar that currently sponsors the registered object.  Unauthorized
  attempts to remove a registered object MUST be explicitly rejected.

3.4.8 Object Existence Query

  This section describes requirements for a lightweight query mechanism
  whose sole purpose is to determine if an object exists in a registry.

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to determine if a domain name
  exists in the registry.  Domain names MUST be searchable by fully
  qualified name.

  [2] The protocol MUST provide services to determine if a name server
  exists in the registry.  Name servers MUST be searchable by fully
  qualified name.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services to determine if a social
  information object exists in the registry.  Social information MUST be
  searchable by a registry-unique identifier.

  [4] A query to determine if an object exists in the registry MUST
  return only a positive or negative response so that server software
  that responds to this query can be optimized for speed.

  [5] Requests to determine the existence of a registered object MUST be
  available to all authorized registrars.

3.4.9 Object Information Query

  This section describes requirements for a query mechanism whose
  purpose is to provide detailed information describing objects that
  exist in a registry.

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services to retrieve information
  describing a domain name from the registry.  Returned information MUST
  include the identifier of the current sponsoring registrar, the
  identifier of the registrar that originally registered the domain, the
  creation date and time, the expiration date and time (if any), the
  date and time of the last successful update (if any), the identifier
  of the registrar that performed the last update, the date and time of
  last completed transfer (if any), the current status of the domain,
  authorization information, identifiers describing social information



Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 12]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  associated with the domain, and the subordinate name servers
  registered in the domain.  Authorization information MUST only be
  returned to the current sponsoring registrar.

  [2] The protocol MUST provide services to retrieve information
  describing a name server from the registry.  Returned information MUST
  include the identifier of the current sponsoring registrar, the
  identifier of the registrar that originally registered the name
  server, the creation date and time, the date and time of the last
  successful update (if any), the identifier of the registrar that
  performed the last update, the date and time of last completed
  transfer (if any), and the IP addresses currently associated with the
  name server.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide services to retrieve social information
  from the registry.  Returned information MUST include identification
  attributes (which MAY include name, address, telephone numbers, and
  email address), the identifier of the registrar that originally
  registered the information, the creation date and time, the date and
  time of the last successful update (if any), the identifier of the
  registrar that performed the last update, the date and time of last
  completed transfer (if any), and authorization information.
  Authorization information MUST only be returned to the current
  sponsoring registrar.

  [4] The protocol MUST provide services to identify all associated
  object references, such as name servers associated with domains
  (including delegations and hierarchical relationships) and contacts
  associated with domains.  This information MUST be visible if the
  object associations have an impact on the success or failure of
  protocol operations.

  [5] Requests to retrieve information describing a registered object
  MAY be granted by the registrar that currently sponsors the registered
  object.  Unauthorized attempts to retrieve information describing a
  registered object MUST be explicitly rejected.

3.5 Domain Status Indicators

  [1] The protocol MUST provide status indicators that identify the
  operational state of a domain name.  Indicators MAY be provided to
  identify a newly created state (the domain has been registered but has
  not yet appeared in a zone), a nominal active state (the domain can be
  modified and is published in a zone), an inactive state (the domain
  can be modified but is not published in a zone because it has no
  authoritative name servers), a hold state (the domain can not be
  modified and is not published in a zone), a lock state (the domain can
  not be modified and is published in a zone), a pending transfer state,



Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 13]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


  and a pending removal state.

  [2] If provided, protocol indicators for hold and lock status MUST
  allow independent setting by both registry and registrar.

  [3] A domain MAY have multiple statuses at any given time.  Some
  statuses MAY be mutually exclusive.

3.6 Transaction Completion Status

  [1] The protocol MUST provide services that unambiguously note the
  success or failure of every transaction.  Individual success and error
  conditions MUST be noted distinctly.






































Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 14]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


4. External Interface Requirements

  External interfaces define the interaction points between a system and
  entities that communicate with the system.  Specific areas of interest
  include user interfaces, hardware interfaces, software interfaces, and
  communications interfaces.

4.1 User Interfaces

  [1] The protocol MUST NOT define any features that introduce user
  interface limitations.

4.2 Hardware Interfaces

  [1] The protocol MUST NOT define any features that introduce hardware
  interface limitations.

4.3 Software Interfaces

  [1] The protocol MUST NOT define any features that introduce software
  interface limitations.

4.4 Communications Interfaces

  [1] Registries, registrars, and registrants interact using a wide
  spectrum of communications interfaces built upon multiple protocols,
  including transport layer protocols such as TCP and application layer
  protocols such as SMTP.  The protocol MUST only be run over IETF
  approved protocols that feature congestion control, such as TCP and
  SCTP.





















Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 15]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


5. Performance Requirements

  [1] Run-time performance is an absolutely critical aspect of protocol
  usability. While performance is very heavily dependent on the hardware
  and software architecture that implements a protocol, protocol
  features can have a direct impact on the ability of the underlying
  architecture to provide optimal performance.  The protocol MUST be
  usable in both high volume and low volume operating environments.

6. Design Constraints

  Protocol designers need to be aware of issues beyond functional and
  interface requirements when balancing protocol design decisions.  This
  section describes additional factors that might have an impact on
  protocol design, including standards compliance and hardware
  limitations.

6.1 Standards Compliance

  [1] The protocol MUST conform to current IETF standards.  Standards
  for domain and host name syntax, IP address syntax, security, and
  transport are particularly relevant.  Emerging standards for the
  Domain Name System MUST be considered as they approach maturity.

  [2] The protocol MUST NOT reinvent services offered by lower layer
  protocol standards.  For example, the use of a transport that provides
  reliability is to be chosen over use of a non-reliable transport with
  the protocol itself using retransmission to achieve reliability.

6.2 Hardware Limitations

  [1] The protocol MUST NOT define any features that preclude hardware
  independence.


















Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 16]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


7. Service Attributes

  Elements of service beyond functional and interface requirements are
  essential factors to consider as part of a protocol design effort.
  This section describes several important service elements to be
  addressed by protocol designers, including reliability, availability,
  scalability, maintainability, extensibility, and security.

7.1 Reliability

  [1] Reliability is a measure of the extent to which a protocol
  provides a consistent, dependable level of service.  Reliability is an
  important attribute for a domain name management protocol.  An
  unreliable protocol increases the risk of data exchange errors, which
  at one extreme can have a direct impact on protocol usability and at
  the other extreme can introduce discontinuity between registry and
  registrar data stores.  The protocol MUST include features that
  maximize reliability at the application protocol layer. Services
  provided by underlying transport, session, and presentation protocols
  SHOULD also be considered when addressing application protocol
  reliability.

  [2] The protocol MUST be run over the most reliable transport option
  available in a given environment.  The protocol MUST NOT implement a
  service that is otherwise available in an applicable standard
  transport.

  [3] Default protocol actions for when a request or event times out
  MUST be well defined.

7.2 Availability

  [1] Availability is a measure of the extent to which the services
  provided by a protocol are accessible for an intended use.
  Availability of an application layer protocol is primarily dependent
  on the software and hardware systems that implement the protocol.  The
  protocol MUST NOT include any features that impinge on the underlying
  availability of the software and hardware systems needed to service
  the protocol.

7.3 Scalability

  [1] Scalability is a measure of the extent to which a protocol can
  accommodate use growth while preserving acceptable operational
  characteristics.  The protocol MUST be capable of operating at an
  acceptable level as the load on registry and registrar systems
  increases.




Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 17]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


7.4 Maintainability

  [1] Maintainability is a measure of the extent to which a protocol can
  be adapted or modified to address unforeseen operational needs or
  defects.  The protocol SHOULD be developed under the nominal working
  group processes of the IETF to provide a well-known mechanism for
  ongoing maintenance.

7.5 Extensibility

  [1] Extensibility is a measure of the extent to which a protocol can
  be adapted for future uses that were not readily evident when the
  protocol was originally designed.  The protocol SHOULD provide
  features that at a minimum allow for the management of new object
  types without requiring revisions to the protocol itself.

  [2] The requirements described in this document are not intended to
  limit the set of objects that might be managed by the protocol.  The
  protocol MUST include features that allow extension to object types
  that are not described in this document.

  [3] The protocol MUST provide an optional field within all commands
  whose format and use will be controlled by individual registry policy.

7.6 Security

  [1] Transactional privacy and integrity services MUST be available at
  some protocol layer.

  [2] This document describes requirements for basic user identification
  and authentication services.  A generic protocol MAY include
  additional security services to protect against the attacks described
  here.  A generic protocol MUST depend on other-layered protocols to
  provide security services that are not provided in the generic
  protocol itself.  A generic protocol that relies on security services
  from other-layered protocols MUST specify the protocol layers needed
  to provide security services.














Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 18]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


8. Other Requirements

  Certain aspects of anticipated operational environments have to be
  considered when designing a generic registry-registrar protocol.
  Areas of concern include database operations, operations, site
  adaptation, and data collection.

8.1 Database Requirements

  [1] The protocol MUST NOT have any database dependencies.  However,
  efficient use of database operations and resources has to be
  considered as part of the protocol design effort.  The protocol SHOULD
  provide atomic features that can be efficiently implemented to
  minimize database load.

8.2 Operational Requirements

  [1] Registry-registrar interactions at the protocol level SHOULD
  operate without human intervention.  However, intermediate services
  that preserve the integrity of the protocol MAY be provided.  For
  example, an intermediate service that determines if a registrant is
  authorized to register a name in a name space can be provided.

  [2] The protocol MUST provide services that allow clients and servers
  to maintain a consistent understanding of the current date and time to
  effectively manage objects with temporal properties.

8.3 Site Adaptation Requirements

  [1] Registries and registrars have varying business and operational
  requirements.  Several factors, including governance standards, local
  laws, customs, and business practices all play roles in determining
  how registries and registrars are operated.  The protocol MUST be
  flexible enough to operate in diverse registry-registrar environments.

8.4 Data Collection Requirements

  [1] Some of the data exchanged between a registrar and registry might
  be considered personal, private, or otherwise sensitive.  Disclosure
  of such information might be restricted by laws and/or business
  practices.  The protocol MUST provide services to identify data
  collection policies.

  [2] Some of the social information exchanged between a registrar and
  registry might be required to create, manage, or operate Internet or
  DNS infrastructure facilities, such as zone files.  Such information
  is subject to public disclosure per relevant IETF standards.




Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 19]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


9. Internationalization Requirements

  [1] [RFC1035] describes Internet host and domain names using
  characters traditionally found in a subset of the 7-bit US-ASCII
  character set. More recent standards, such as [RFC2130] and [RFC2277],
  describe the need to develop protocols for an international Internet.
  These and other standards MUST be considered during the protocol
  design process to ensure world-wide usability of a generic registry
  registrar protocol.

  [2] The protocol MUST allow exchange of data in formats consistent
  with current international agreements for the representation of such
  objects.  In particular, this means that addresses MUST include
  country, that telephone numbers MUST start with the international
  prefix "+", and that appropriate thought be given to the usability of
  information in both local and international contexts.  This means that
  some elements (like names and addresses) might need to be represented
  multiple times, or formatted for different contexts (for instance
  English/French in Canada, or Latin/ideographic in Japan).

  [3] All date and time values specified in a generic registry-registrar
  protocol MUST be expressed in Universal Coordinated Time.  Dates and
  times MUST include information to represent a four-digit calendar
  year, a calendar month, a calendar day, hours, minutes, seconds,
  fractional seconds, and the time zone for Universal Coordinated Time.
  Calendars apart from the Gregorian calendar MUST NOT be used

























Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 20]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


10. IANA Considerations

  IANA has assigned several TCP and UDP ports for use within shared
  registration systems.  The assignments can be identified in two broad
  categories: those assigned for use with the CORE Shared Registry
  System Protocol (SRSP) and those assigned for use with the NSI
  Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP).

  The CORE SRSP assignments are as follows:

  srssend         362/tcp    SRS Send
  srssend         362/udp    SRS Send
  srsp            2682/tcp   SRSP
  srsp            2682/udp   SRSP

  The NSI RRP assignments are as follows:

  rrp             648/tcp    Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP)
  rrp             648/udp    Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP)


  These assignments should be preserved as long as the corresponding
  systems are operational.  Additional IANA services might be required
  to support testing and deployment of protocol implementations.

11. Security Considerations

  Security services, including confidentiality, authentication, access
  control, integrity, and non-repudiation SHOULD be applied to protect
  interactions between registries and registrars as appropriate.
  Confidentiality services protect sensitive exchanged information from
  inadvertent disclosure.  Authentication services confirm the claimed
  identity of registries and registrars before engaging in online
  transactions.  Access control services control access to data and
  services based on identity.  Integrity services guarantee that
  exchanged data has not been altered between the registry and the
  registrar.  Non-repudiation services provide assurance that the sender
  of a transaction can not deny being the source of the transaction, and
  that the recipient cannot deny being the receiver of the transaction.












Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 21]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


12. Acknowledgements

  This document was originally written as an individual submission
  Internet-Draft.  The provreg working group later adopted it as a
  working group document and provided many invaluable comments and
  suggested improvements.  The author wishes to acknowledge the efforts
  of WG chairs Edward Lewis and Jaap Akkerhuis for their process and
  editorial contributions.

  Specific comments that helped guide development of this document were
  provided by Christopher Ambler, Karl Auerbach, Jorg Bauer, George
  Belotsky, Eric Brunner-Williams, Jordyn Buchanan, Randy Bush, Bruce
  Campbell, Dan Cohen, Andre Cormier, Kent Crispin, Dave Crocker, Ayesha
  Damaraju, Lucio De Re, Mats Dufberg, Peter Eisenhauer, Sheer El-Showk,
  Urs Eppenberger, Patrik Faltstrom, Paul George, Patrick Greenwell,
  Jarle Greipsland, Olivier Guillard, Alf Hansen, Paul Hoffman, Paul
  Kane, Shane Kerr, Elmar Knipp, Mike Lampson, Matt Larson, Ping Lu,
  Klaus Malorny, Bill Manning, Michael Mealling, Patrick Mevzek, Peter
  Mott, Catherine Murphy, Martin Oldfield, Geva Patz, Elisabeth
  Porteneuve, Ross Wm. Rader, Budi Rahardjo, Annie Renard, Scott Rose,
  Takeshi Saigoh, Marcos Sanz, Marcel Schneider, J. William Semich,
  James Seng, Richard Shockey, Brian Spolarich, William Tan, Stig
  Venaas, Herbert Vitzthum, and Rick Wesson.

13. References

  Normative References:

  [RFC2119] S. Bradner: "Key Words for Use in RFCs to Indicate
  Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

  Informative References:

  [RFC1035] P. Mockapetris: "DOMAIN NAMES - IMPLEMENTATION AND
  SPECIFICATION", RFC 1035, November 1987.

  [RFC2130] C. Weider et al.: "The Report of the IAB Character Set
  Workshop", RFC 2130, April 1997.

  [RFC2277] H. Alvestrand: "IETF Policy on Character Sets and
  Languages", BCP 18, RFC 2277, January 1998.










Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 22]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


14. Editor's Address

  Scott Hollenbeck
  VeriSign Global Registry Services
  21345 Ridgetop Circle
  Dulles, VA 20166-6503
  USA
  shollenbeck@verisign.com


A. Revisions From Previous Version

  (Note to RFC editor: please remove this section completely before
  publication as an RFC.)

  -04 to -05: Additional IESG review updates relating to lower layer
  protocols.

  Added 6.1-[2].

  Added a new 7.1-[2] and renumbered the former -[2] to -[3].

  Modified 7.6-[2].




























Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 23]


Internet-Draft          Generic RRP Requirements        January 15, 2002


B. Full Copyright Statement

  Copyright (C) The Internet Society 2002.  All Rights Reserved.

  This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
  others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
  or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and
  distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind,
  provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
  included on all such copies and derivative works.  However, this
  document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
  the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
  Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing
  Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined
  in the Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to
  translate it into languages other than English.

  The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
  revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.

  This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
  "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
  TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT
  NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN
  WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
  MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Acknowledgement

  Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
  Internet Society.




















Hollenbeck               Expires July 15, 2002                 [Page 24]