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Re: [ietf-smtp] Dotless domains and email

2013-06-26 23:56:52
I've seen a lot of code (including but not just in email software) that assumed that if a domain name contained a dot, it was an FQDN (and therefore should be taken as correct as-is), and if it didn't contain a dot, it was potentially an alias (and therefore subject to having a default domain suffix appended to it).

I'm sorry that I wasn't paying close enough attention to object to the change in RFC 5321. I consider it very important for software to be able to distinguish an FQDN from a locally-supplied domain alias.

Keith

On 06/21/2013 10:46 AM, Dave Crocker wrote:
Folks,

G'day.

From ICANN SSAC SAC 053
(www.icann.org/en/groups/ssac/documents/sac-053-en.pdf):

"3.4    Electronic Mail One serious and prevalent concern is that
dotless domains would not work with protocols that specify additional
rules of what constitutes a legal domain. The most prominent example
is the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to deliver electronic
mail. It requires at least two labels in the FQDN of a mail address.
Thus standard-compliant mail servers would reject emails to addresses
such as user@brand."



I'm not seeing this requirement/limitation in RFC 5321. It merely requires an FQDN.

Does anyone have an explanation for the assessment in the ICANN report that at least two levels are required?

d/


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