Re: Expiration times [was Re: domreg BOF Meeting Minutes]

["Christopher Ambler" <cambler-ietf@iodesign.com>]

> [1] The protocol MUST provide services to register Internet domain
> names, and SHOULD allow for the registration of other unique
> alphanumeric identifiers.

So you're recommending instituting a "class of service" identifier,
where the default (perhaps) is mandated? You realize that you're
introducing the need for an "IANA function" to register the classes,
as I see it?

> [2] The protocol MUST allow registrars to specify an optional 
> expiration date for each object registered, and MUST allow 
> registries to accept or reject the proposed expiration date based
> on their local policies. Dates MAY be specified either as
> absolute times or as forward deltas from the time of actual
> registration. 

Don't you mean MUST on that last one? Either one or the other
MUST be specified. MAY would indicate that neither is an option,
as you say below, but...
 
> * I've made the expiration date optional, to cater for the case
>   where objects are registered indefinitely (rare for domain names,
>   common in some other identifier spaces). 

I would suggest making it non-optional, but allowing that a specific
"forever" value be acceptable (subject to rejection by the registry,
based on local policies, as you've indicated). To be complete, I
don't like the thought of the default no-info meaning "forever."

--
Christopher Ambler
CTO, Image Online Design, Inc.
The .Web Internet Domain Registry
chris@the.web