NOTE: I've been trying to avoid being drawn into this discussion, as I'm working with the registry implementation team at present, but I feel I should comment on this. In message , Andy Linton writes:

I'd argue that unless the name appears in the DNS it shouldn't appear in the registry as its appearance of the name in the DNS that gives the registry any authority it has.

I'm generally of this view too. While I'm not totally against "database only" registrations, I tend to prefer that registrars that are "parking" names (for want of a description), do so by putting up DNS entries that point at a "this name is reserved for $foo" type webpage. (This also simplifies the code at the registry.) A lot of people typically check for name availability by looking for NS records, or web pages, or MX records for the zone; and I haven't yet seen a strong reason why this should be defeated.

I'd like to see the registry operate on the principle that the names registered are listed in both the registry's database and the DNS (plus or minus the next scheduled update). This implies that the nameservers should be operational and checked at the time of resistration.

However it doesn't imply that it should be the registry that does this checking that the nameservers are operational. The SRS (business framework) relies on the registrars Doing The Right Thing (tm) in various instances, and it seems to me that ensuring the nameservers are working is another thing that the registrars should be doing. Much of the "nameserver isn't ready yet" type concerns could be "solved" by simply requiring registrars to ensure that the nameserver is ready by the next zone build. (Then a registrar that is doing a registration against their own nameservers can simply schedule their nameserver reload to happen shortly before the registry zone build happens. Registrations against external name servers would probably need checking before registration, by the registrar, as they are now.) Some appropriate entity (perhaps the registry, but perhaps more appropriately the DNS manager) should be responsible for "quality checking" delegations, by periodically doing a zone walk and looking for lame delegations. When found the DNS manager could take the issue up with the appropriate registrar (in terms of "being a good registrar"). Registrars may wish to walk their own portion of the delegations periodically as part of being a good registrar/keeping their registrants in line. FWIW, I can't help thinking that this has been discussed a few times before in the past. Ewen - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog