Rick and all,

Rick Welykochy wrote:

> On Fri, 19 Jun 1998, Leni Mayo wrote:
>
> > Rick Welykochy wrote:
> >
> > > (*) *.au domains will go on forever ... they are THE sanctified
> > >     TLD's in Australia
> >
> > Like many others I have a gut feel that some domains are "official"
> > while others aren't.  It might be interesting to elaborate on what
> > this means.
>
> One simple definition: "official domains" are accessible from the
> seven or eight so-called ROOT servers.

  First of all Rick there are 13 Root servers. A thru M.

> Someone with better memory
> than I can contribute the complete list of those servers.

  If you want that list I will be happy to provide it.  Just let me know.

> This is also a very workable definition, since most Internet
> systems connected to the global Internet use the ROOT servers
> as their starting point for locating all domain names in the
> global system.

  You have this a bit backwards.  Name servers are the starting point.
Those Name servers "Zone files" are provided through a number of sources,
but one of those sources in NSI.  In that Zone file, under the current structure

contain all the "Official" Domains that are available at that point in time.
Now, you can add or modify that Zone file to include additional Domains
or tLD's or even gTLD's should you so choose.  But at that point those
additional DN's for those "Additional" TLD's or gTLD's are than only resolvable
from that particular Name Server or any other Name server that contains
the exact same information that that "Zone file" has been loaded onto.

>
>
>
> > Rick points out that no fees need to be paid to renew the domain.
>
> Hmmm ... I don't recall pointing that out. In fact, most domain
> names do require a renewal fee after one or two years.
> In the case of the .COM/.NET/.ORG/etc the fee is US $70.00 for
> a two year period. For several of the .AU domains (.COM.AU and
> .NET.AU) the fee is AUD $125.00 for two years.
>
> My point being:
>
> If the owner of .AU.COM does NOT pay their fee, or their domain
> name is cancelled by InterNIC, then the thousands ofd 3LD domains
> piggy-backing on .AU.COM are simply SOL - they are instantly OFF THE NET!

  This is essentially correct.  But it shouldn't be.

>
>
> Of course, the same does NOT apply to .COM.AU and .NET.AU, since they
> are sanctioned (in the sense of approved, not the church sense as some
> person indicated) by IANA and the ROOT name server system.

  Literally, .COM.NET and .COM.AU are neither Domains.  Do a whois on
them yourself and you see that they are "Not Found".  Now .AU is a ccTLD,
any DN that is registered in the TLD should be resolvable all the way back
to the Root or "." (Any of the 13 "Sanctioned" legacy Root servers, A-M)

>
>
> Regards
> R Welykochy

 Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng.
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1§ix.netcom.com