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.

Comments

Guys, this is fine and desirable

[Fastolfe]

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.

This IS the end of the monopoly

[turg]

This is a great victory in ending NSI's monopoly. They constantly tried to confuse people into thinking that InterNIC and NSI were the same thing. Now InterNIC is properly represented as the database of domain names and NSI as the company that maintains the database under contract ("InterNIC" is a registered trademark of the US Dept. of Commerce)

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

Re:How to use the new system

[Leto2]

> 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)

How to use the new system

[Danny Rathjens]

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 just a symptom of the root problem...

[trims]

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:

• Trademark fights. yes, you might still get A & B squabbling over who owns the domain, but guess what - the USDR gets to publish and force people (legally) to adhere to a Trademark policy. Current registrar's policies aren't worth the paper their written on, and can change at a whim (or for a "favored" client). USDR's rules would be legislated, and guess how hard it is to change them?
• One-stop WHOIS. OK, this isn't a real big problem, but it would be nice to go back to a single repository for domain info. All domain info.
• Elimination of Paperwork. yes, it is hard to believe that I'm saying that a gov't org would actually reduce paperwork, but think: look at all the hassles you have to go through to move a domain between registrars, especially if the owner is changing.
• Privacy. By having a USDR, they could legally restrict people from using the WHOIS info for SPAM, etc. And actively pursue people who do. (When was the last time a Registrar even though about actively protecting your privacy?) The USDR isn't going to be selling your info to marketing companies. It's not going to be sending you spam mail about new services its offering to inflate its stock price.

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