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Re: Update of RFC 2606 based on the recent ICANN changes ?

2008-07-07 22:27:52



--On Tuesday, 08 July, 2008 11:47 +1000 Mark Andrews
<Mark_Andrews(_at_)isc(_dot_)org> wrote:


The site-dependent interpretation of the name is determined
not by the presence of dot within the name but its absence
from the end.

    No.  Please go and re-read RFC 921.

This is the same RFC 921 that 
      
      * is listed in the RFC Index as "Status: UNKNOWN"

        Unknown doesn't mean irrelevent.
 
      * was not even examined in the "requirements" review
      that led up to RFC 1123 and is not referenced there.

        RFC 1123 -> RFC 952 -> RFC 921
        
      * primarily talks about an implementation schedule and
      transition plan, not about long-term stable
      interpretations.

        
Isn't claiming that as an authority in 2008 a bit of a stretch?

        No.  Old does not mean irrelevent.

Especially since, as Ted Farber points out, text in 1035 itself
seems to contradict your reading of that particular section?

        No.  RFC 1035 applies to domain names, not hostnames.
        
I believe that 952 is almost equally irrelevant wrt this
argument. YMMD, of course.

        RFC 952 is the latest rfc which defines the syntax of a
        hostname.

As Keith points out, there are lots and lots of reasons to avoid
believing that dot-less strings will be interpreted as domain
names consistently and in the way that users will expect.  Most
of them have to do with handling of names in applications, which
tends to get strange in edge cases and stranger when one relies
too much on having specific contents in resolver configuration
files.  The mere fact of inconsistent (but valid)
interpretations in different applications or configurations (or
even implementations of the same 
application) may be more than enough reason to avoid these
things, or at least be very careful about them.  But claiming
921 as an authority isn't one of the reasons, IMO.

     john
-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: Mark_Andrews(_at_)isc(_dot_)org
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