Re: Handling of External Host Objects (in the context of domain transfer)

[Asbjorn Steira <asteira@gnr.com>]

[Time to unlurk]

Hi Liu,

please see below for comments...




Liu, Hong wrote:

> Ed, Scott, et al,
>
[SNIP]

>
> Here are the issues with EPP-07:
>
> (1) External host objects are managed on a per-registrar basis in a
> regsitry. There could be more than one instances of the same external host
> object in the registry. In reality,  uniquely identifies an
> external host object. This requires special handling of external hosts at
> the registry DB level. It also complicates registrar admin to deal 
> with all
> these external objects.

Yes, it does require some special handling of external hosts, but I am 
not sure it complicates things too much for registrars. Instead of 
having to worry and deal with other registrars' external hosts, they 
merely have to think about their own set of external hosts.

[SNIP]

> This implies that in order to do a domain transfer, the registrant 
> must first ask the current registrar (i.e., the losing registrar) to 
> remove the link to the external object, then ask the gaining registrar 
> to create one if it does not exist. The only problem is that if all 
> domain nameservers are external objects. The registrant will lose DNS 
> service during the transfer pending period, and thus be discouraged 
> from doing transfer at all. 

I don't understand the first part here, why would the losing registrar 
need to delete the link to the external host before transfer? He would 
only need to go to the new registrar and create the external host there 
(if it is not already there), request the transfer, and the domain would 
automagically swap to "using" the newly created external host when the 
transfer is completed. The domain will resolve during the whole process.


> (A) At most one instance of an external object is allowed in a registry.
> (B) The registry is the neutral owner of all external objects, i.e.,
> is the registry, not any registrar.
> (C) A registrar can create an external host if the host does not exists in
> the registry. The registrar will be recorded in  of the external host
> object.
> (D) A registrar cannot delete or update an external host. To change a
> nameserver to another external host, just create one or point to another
> existing one.
> (E) The registry may perform garbage collection on those external 
> hosts that
> are not linked by a server-defined period of time.
> (F) As for transfer, the links to external hosts remain unchanged. No 
> extra
> work needs to be done, by the registry, or by the two registrars involved.
>
> Since most of the problems regarding handling of external host objects 
> are related to who owns the data, centralizing the management to the 
> registry eliminates the ownership controversy and its raminifications, 
> allowing external host objects be handled in a uniform and simple fashion.

The problem with this is that when registrar A in the (for example) 
dotInfo registry later wants to rename his host ns1.example.com to for 
example ns1.example.info (i.e., moving it into the zone), he would have 
to first create the new host, and then update all the 1267 domains using 
ns1.example.com to use the new host. This is not a problem in the 
current solution.



Regards,

Asbjorn

-- 
Asbjorn Steira
Senior Developer
The Global Name Registry, Limited



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