comments on grrp-05

[Jaap Akkerhuis <jaap@sidn.nl>]

Scott,

Here are some comments on the draft. I'm aware that some have already
been discussed and are maybe a repeat. Others might be more questions
about (mine) improper interpretation. For some I will try to formulate
some replacement. text, but, not an american native speaker, they might
not be as precise as desired. Therefore I will add the motivation in
the hope that the meaning is clear.

About 2.2 System Functions

This section describes also whois is services that the registry might
provide. I would suggest to some text in the style of:

	Details about the functionality of this whois functions
	are is not covered in this document.


About 3.1 Session Management

Since is a high level description it might be wise to make some
statement about what happens when the session is premature aborted.
Something in the line of:

	[7] The protocol MUST have a way to deal with premature
	aborted sessions. For example, roll back of the current
	transaction.

About 3.3 Transaction identification

I'm worried about the role that this has in the protocol. It might be
that it is just my view, but I consider that the registration of a
domain name, the change of a nameserver, the transfer of a name to
another registrar, etc, each separate transactions. And to have some
kind of idea per transaction is not bad (For example, when the session
is interrupted during the transaction).

However, the way it is used (See 3.7, Object Transfer) it seems to me
that this ID is actually an encoding for a domainname-registar pair. It
only changes when this relation ship changes. Correct me if I'm wrong
and please explain the role in the protocol.

3.4.[2]

This has been discussed before. I just want to add that in .nl (and as
far as I now in .de land) there is no expiration date. For nl.domains is
a maintanance fee (quarterly, .de monthly I believe). Of course if that
payment is stopped, the domainname expires automatically. So that is a
form of experation, but I find it difficult to put it in wording.

3.4.[3]

	``A request  Must have a transaction identifier ... ''

If it is a request for a new domain, should the registrar generate this?
It looks like a bootstrapping problem to me, I'm confused but might just
not understand. Also

	``The transaction identifier MUST be returned to the registrant ...''

This sounds as a requirement to how the registrar operates and is 
outside the scope the registry/registar protocol.