getting Authoritative Name Servers registered in TLD

Ben Scott dragonhawk at gmail.com
Wed Dec 21 11:11:01 EST 2005


On 12/21/05, Python <python at venix.com> wrote:
> No one had any questions, so I suppose it was clear.

  Your description was clear.  I admit to being confused as to why
either registrar was objecting to doing a very simple task which is
fundamental to their business.  As you now report, it appears they
were just both determined to be as unhelpful as possible.  I might
suggest taking your business elsewhere.

  I can add some clarification of your terminology, but it's mainly
academic, and I expect it  will be review for you.  I include this
mainly for others who likely don't know it and may benefit from
knowing it:

  First, a terminology correction: the TLDs (<com.>, <org.>, and so
on) are not "roots".  There is only one DNS root,  and mere mortals
such as ourselves can look but not touch.  When you used the word
"root" in your OP, the correct term would be "TLD" or "TLD zone".

  From the standpoint of a registrant, you're not really working
directly with DNS.  You work in a sort of pseudo-DNS world that
contains only two objects [1]: Domains and hosts (name servers).  A
host has a name and an address[2].  A domain has a name and a set of
references to host objects.  The collection of all of those objects is
kept in a database.  That database is used to provide the WHOIS
information, and to generate the actual DNS zone.

[1] Well, it also contains contacts (people and organizations of
interest), but the computers don't care about those.

[2] Host objects have an IP address because a delegation to a name
server with a domain name that is a child of the domain being
delegated from also requires an A record for that name server (a "glue
record").

  Hosts are technically independent of domains.  Example: Say you have
a host object with name <ns1.example.com> and IP address <192.0.2.10>,
and also domain objects <example.com>, <company.com>, and
<organization.org>.  You will end up with these DNS records in the
<com.> zone, in no particular order:

example.com.       NS   ns1.example.com.    ; delegation
company.com.       NS   ns1.example.com.    ; delegation
ns1.example.com.   A    192.0.2.10          ; glue

  You also end up with this record in the <org.> zone:

organization.org.  NS   ns1.example.com.    ; delegation

  There are no DNS records for <ns1.example.com.> in the <org.> zone,
because that host is a child of the <com.> domain, and the <org.> zone
does not contain the <com.> domain.  However, the .ORG registry still
needs to have a host object for <ns1.example.com> in their database,
for the <organization.org> domain object to reference.

  This model was inherited from the old NSI single-registrar world,
where it made more sense.  It still allows the registry to keep track
of who "owns" a host object and is thus allowed to modify it's IP
address.

  Not that any of that helps you any.

> So I now have a dummy domain.  All I need to do is write a dummy book.

  And sell it to the registrars...

-- Ben



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