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Network Solutions Changes WHOIS
Jeckle noted that NSI has massively revamped whois. Gone is the contact information, unless of course you use whois.networksolutions.com. (thanks to chrisd for pointing that out). The other servers only contain sketchy information. Less spam, but more control means I guess NSI was just kidding dropping that whole monopoly thing.
As part of the NSI's agreement with the ICANN (http://www.icann.org/ns i/nsi-registry-agreement-04nov99.htm), registry information like this is being split up.
Instead of having everything lumped into one database, you have one centralized database (which this has turned into) containing only information about the domain itself and the responsible registrar that introduced it.
If you want details about the domain, you then need to query the appropriate registrar's WHOIS server to retrieve it (this is why querying whois.networksolutions.com gets you the information you're used to getting). This is the most efficient way of handling information like this. Each registrar is responsible for keeping its own database of contact information and the "main" centralized database is responsible only for the domain and the registrar that set it up.
Let's please THINK a bit about a topic and wonder if there might be a perfectly logical explanation for something instead of immediately insisting that someone is being evil and intends to destroy our lives or our Internet.
A little bit of research won't kill you.
The Data in Network Solutions' WHOIS database is provided by Network Solutions for information purposes, and to assist persons in obtaining information about or related to a domain name registration record.
Network Solutions does not guarantee its accuracy. By submitting a WHOIS query, you agree that you will use this Data only for lawful purposes and that, under no circumstances will you use this Data to:
(1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission of mass unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations via e-mail (spam); or (2) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes that apply to Network Solutions (or its systems). Network Solutions reserves the right to modify these terms at any time. By submitting this query, you agree to abide by this policy.
WHAT AN EXTRA-ORDINARY CONCEPT
I cannot believe that NSI is try to posit that anyone submitting a Whois query is in fact agreeing to the above contract, whose terms may be changed by NSI at any time! Man, I wish I had this kind of imagination. Just think - under the above they could change the terms and claim a retroactive charge of $1 per Whois query!
Let's see if I can extend this to my own purposes.. hmmm
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The whois server at internic.net will tell you which registrar serves that name, and the address of that registrar's whois server for more information.
-
<SIG>
"I am not trying to prove that I am right... I am only trying to find out whether." -Bertolt Brecht
<sig>Guvf vf abg n frperg zrffntr
> So we'll have to do this until we hack whois to support it:
I heard about a very very handy whois server:
geektools.com
whois -h geektools.com dommain
gives info on whatever domain, even if it's a countrycode TLD.
(try whois -h geektools.com tudelft.nl)
<grub> Reading
Doing a whois to rs.internic.net will no longer give
you the info about a domain on Dec 1st. It will just
tell you who that domain is registered with.
So we'll have to do this until we hack whois to
support it:
alias whois 'whois \!*@`/usr/bin/whois \!*@whois.nsiregistry.net |grep Whois\ Server: |
cut -f2- -d:`'
note: This syntax is specific to fwhois which is what is on Redhat boxen
by default(whois is a symlink to fwhois.)
fwhois user@host instead of whois -h host user
p.s. Is there any kind of group/mailing list that is somewhere
between flux(user level) and nanog(backbone level). I guess I
should look for some kind of ISP operator's list.
Posted on NANOG:
"Newell, Tom" wrote:
>
> An FYI of an operational nature.......
>
> --Tom
> Director of gTLD Programs
> NSI Registry
>
> ##########################################
>
> Redirecting Port 43 Whois
>
> The following change is being made to comply with the recently
> negotiated and signed agreements between the U.S. Department of
> Commerce, ICANN, and NSI.
>
> Effective December 1, 1999 Network Solutions will be redirecting
> port 43 (rs.internic.net) Whois from the NSI Registrar Whois to
> the NSI Registry Whois. The NSI Registry Whois can currently be
> found at whois.nsiregistry.net. After this occurs, port 43 Whois
> will show the following information: domain name, registrar, Whois
> server, registrar referral URL and the names of the name servers
> associated with the domain. To obtain registrant and domain name
> contact information, users will need to refer to the Whois service
> provided by the registrar for the domain name.
>
> Send questions or comments to whois@nsiregistry.net.
--
This is the whois server that was formerly available only at whois.nsiregistry.net. For the past few months, I had always appended either -h whois.nisregistry.net (or @whois.nsiregistry.net depending on the flavor of whois) to my whois queries. I used the shared registry, because it would also give information on domains registered with the new registrars (register.com, joker, etc...).
I'm glad to see that the "default" whois.internic.net has now been switched over.
I doubt Network Solutions did this on their own without some pressure. Does anyone know what particular event caused this change?
Sorry, but no. We *need* every domain to have real, live, active contact addresses and phone numbers. It's a responsibility and accountability thing, just like postmaster@example.com. (Not having a working postmaster@ is an RBL'able offense, in some cases.)
The solution is to stop the spammers, not to hide contact information which is *NECESSARY* to keep the system running.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
Also, be sure to also check out the newly updated, mostly NSI-less InterNIC Web Site.
Rob, you should probably watch the sarcasm here. The only 'real' power that NSI has over domains now is the fact they run the central repository, the one that actually keeps the root servers inline.
No matter what registrar registers a name (even NSI), NSI gets just $6 out of them, and it's the registrar's responsibility to run the WHOIS server for the domains of their customers.
Can you come up with a better way to make whois work with multiple servers without totally revamping the utility and breaking everything out ther? The way things are now, (rs.internic.net just telling what WHOIS server to query for more information) is a fine solution, and it does little to 'prop up' NSI's perceived monopoly status.
No matter what, someone's got to be in charge, and since NSI has had the most experience running (or screwing) things, this is probably the best way for things to be.
Only on slashdot can a posting be rated "Score -1, Insightful".
domains, even those registered by competing
registrars are now visible in whois. if you use
the -h option followed by the appropriate
whois server you get the same details as before.
Of course this should all be integrated into one
whois lookup but it's a good step in the right
direction.
You can put away the guns now, no data has been
hidden.
Whois on rs.internic.net is now "registry whois" (previously on whois.crsnic.net), which includes an entry for what server to use for "registrar whois", where one can find contact information. The change is part of the transition away from using "interNIC" (a US Government trademark) to refer to NSI's registrar business.
OK, I can't stand NSI. However, as another poster pointed out, this is indeed a proper action on NSI's part - the "basic" whois information is available on a central server, and you querry the responsible registrar company for the particulars.
HOWEVER, this whole boondoggle is stupid in the extreme. Honestly, I don't know who got it in their thick skull that multiple registrar agencies was a good idea. It's HORRIBLE. The DNS/Registrar system is a fundamental infrastructure requirement for the Internet to work. And, unlike virtually all other infrastructure of the Internet, it's already easily and logically divided along national boundaries. That is, DNS is segmented so that it's easy to figure out which nation (should) control which TLD.
I hope this whole multiple Registrar thing turns into a massive mess, and the gov't has to step in. Now, I know everyone here doesn't like gov't regulation and is much more libertarian, but here me out:
The US should form a quasi-governmental, NON-PROFIT organization along the lines of the USPS. It should be required to be self-sustaining (ie costs = revenue), but a non-profit. Call this org the USDR (US Domain Registrar).
OK, once the USDR is in place, guess what problems go away:
And, who knows, with a USDR, we might even get somebody to actually ENFORCE the TLD partitioning the way it should be (no more companies in .org!) and maybe even stop people from domain hording (you own the .com, .net, AND .org for your company???) Of course, this is dependent on having the USDR set up properly, with public input.
Honestly, I think there are certain things that the government can do FAR better than private industry. The DNS system is one of them. I'm tired of being exploited by the for-profit Registrar system, which only gives me MORE spam, BAD service, MORE paperwork, MORE lawsuits, and invades my privacy.
I'd trade the current system for a single gov't registrar in a heartbeat. Even if they doubled the domain fees, and made me wait twice as long to register something. My privacy is worth it, and so is the ease-of-use and efficiencies of a central authority.
For those who don't agree, think about this: ARIN assigns IP address blocks. It works (very well). If the "private" sector was so much better, why aren't we assigning IPs that way?
-Erik
There are always four sides to every story: your side, their side, the truth, and what really happened.