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Re: .org whois

  • From: Jeff Godin
  • Date: Wed Jan 29 13:30:55 2003

On Wed, Jan 29, 2003 at 12:40:00PM -0500, [email protected] wrote:
> 
> 
> Is there a new top-level whois server or did shared registry whois stop
> providing references to the appropriate whois servers for .org? 
> Alex
> -- 

Alex-

The new whois server for the .ORG TLD can be found at
whois.publicinterestregistry.net. Web interface for .ORG WHOIS can
be found at <URI:http://www.pir.org/whois/>.

The VGRS -> PIR migration has been mentioned in sibling messages.
For more information on current status and future plans you can
consult the PIR website at <URI:http://www.pir.org/>.

Note that PIR has contracted with Afilias (think .INFO) for
operations of .ORG. Afilias' .INFO is a "thick" registry, with 
centralized WHOIS, not referral WHOIS. .ORG is planned to make the 
transition to a "thick" registry with centralized WHOIS, but at this 
time it is in a state of in-between. 

WHOIS output from whois.publicinterestregistry.net is of a nearly
identical format as that of whois.afilias.info. Difference with .ORG
is that all of the contact information looks similar to this example:

Registrant ID:11-C
Registrant Name:CONTACT NOT AUTHORITATIVE
Registrant Street1:Whois Server:whois.opensrs.net
Registrant Street2:Referral URL:www.opensrs.org
Registrant City:N/A
Registrant Postal Code:N/A
Registrant Country:CA
Registrant Email:[email protected]

Some whois clients will see the "Whois Server:" referral and follow
it, some will not. 

At some point in the future, PIR has stated that they plan to have
centralized whois, which leads me to assume that the referrals will
go away.

> At least a pair of domain registars cannot adjust any .org records
> claiming that the domains not exist.

These registrars have yet to catch up to the VGRS -> PIR migration,
perhaps.

There may have been a few complications in the migration that I have 
caught wind of, but not being a registrar, I don't have much in the 
way of an inside track.

hope this helps,

-jeff

-- 
Jeff Godin
Network Specialist
Traverse Area District Library / Traverse Community Network
[email protected]