********************************************************************** DDN MGT Bulletin 42 DCA DDN Defense Communications System 2 Nov 88 Published by: DDN Network Info Center (NIC@SRI-NIC.ARPA) (800) 235-3155 DEFENSE DATA NETWORK MANAGEMENT BULLETIN The DDN MANAGEMENT BULLETIN is distributed online by the DDN Network Information Center under DCA contract as a means of communicating official policy, procedures and other information of concern to management personnel at DDN facilities. Back issues may be read through the TACNEWS server ("@n" command at the TAC) or may be obtained by FTP (or Kermit) from the SRI-NIC host [26.0.0.73 or 10.0.0.51] using login="anonymous" and password="guest". The pathname for bulletins is DDN-NEWS:DDN-MGT-BULLETIN-nn.TXT (where "nn" is the bulletin number). ********************************************************************** PHASE II OF THE MILNET DOMAIN NAME IMPLEMENTATION Effective with this Bulletin, the DDN Network Information Center (NIC) will no longer accept new registrations in the ".ARPA" domain for use in the Official DoD Host Internet Table or the DDN Domain Naming System. The NIC will handle registrations currently in progress on a case-by-case basis to resolve their naming issues. In addition, MILNET hosts currently registered in the ".ARPA" domain will undergo name changes to transfer them to the ".MIL" domain. BACKGROUND This action is necessary to deal with the increasing number of hosts joining the Internet. The host table currently consists of over 6000 host entries, and contains more than 600,000 bytes of data. Since new hosts are added every time the host table is updated, and since it must be transfered to each host on the network, it is clearly becoming increasingly expensive in terms of network resources to maintain the table. Eventually, the host table will be impossible to maintain on a timely basis. The Domain Name System provides decentralized naming and addressing which is an efficient alternative to maintaining a centralized host table. A central registry need provide information only on where to find name and address resolvers for a relatively small number of organizations. Those resolvers provide information for hosts and, optionally, sub-organizations within the top-level organization. The domain system provides as many levels of sub-organizations as necessary. This bulletin describes Phase II of the transition to the Domain Name System. The first phase eliminated all nonconforming, old-style, hostnames and nicknames; all host names were changed to fully qualified domain names by adding the ".ARPA" domain designation to all names in the host table. Phase II, effective as of the date of this bulletin, requires that all MILNET, ARPANET, and Internet hosts be registered in established domains other than ARPA. As of 15 November 1988, all new hosts will be registered directly into an established domain other than ARPA. In addition, all currently registered MILNET and ARPANET hosts will undergo hostname changes so that they are also part of such an established domain. Please note this Bulletin requires HOSTNAME CHANGES ONLY. This action is being taken to set up a clear migration path for MILNET hosts into the DDN Domain Name System. ".MIL" DOMAIN NAME STRUCTURE The domain name MIL was originally defined for use by military organizations. Several second-level domains have been established as subdomains to the MIL top-level domain. All new MILNET hosts must be registered under one of these second-level domains as a node at the third level or below in the hierarchical domain naming tree. The general rule for an organization to be a second-level domain in the MIL domain is that it be a distinct service (Army, Air Force, etc.), a unified or specified command (SAC, ADCOM, etc.), or a separate operating agency which does not report through service chains (DCA, DMA, NSA, etc.). The list below is not exhaustive; other second level domains will be added as necessary. The current second-level domains under MIL are: AF (Air Force) ARMY (Army) CG (Coast Guard) DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) DCA (Defense Communications Agency) DDN (Defense Data Network) DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) DIS (Defense Investigative Service) DMA (Defense Mapping Agency) MC (Marine Corps) NAVY (Navy) NSA (National Security Agency) SAC (Strategic Air Command) SDIO (Strategic Defense Initiative Organization) MILNET hosts already registered in the official host table as HOSTNAME.ARPA will be required to undergo changes to their names so that their official primary name becomes HOSTNAME.SECONDLEVEL.MIL or HOSTNAME.ORG.SECONDLEVEL.MIL. "SECONDLEVEL" is one of the second-level domains listed above. "ORG" is the organization within the service or agency to which the host belongs. The first form (HOSTNAME.SECONDLEVEL.MIL) will be assigned automatically to all registered hosts. The second form (HOSTNAME.ORG.SECONDLEVEL.MIL) will be used only in cases where Host Administrators indicate they are ready and able to manage their own delegated domain. It is our goal to move as many hosts as possible into delegated domains to reduce the need for additional name changes later. NAMING TRANSITION STRATEGY The transition period for this changeover begins 1 month after this bulletin is issued and continues until complete. We anticipate it will take approximately seven months to change the primary host names, and nineteen months to eliminate the ARPA domain from the host table. The name transition will be accomplished in four steps: Step 1: Unless otherwise directed by the sponsoring host system, Operations & Maintenance Commands, or other authority, the NIC will assign each currently registered host a new "MIL" name (with the consensus of the Host Administrator) that will at first become its nickname. Step 2: After a short adjustment period, the new host nickname will become the official primary name, and the original primary name will become a nickname. Step 3: Effective 7 months from the date of this bulletin, primary hostnames ending in ".ARPA" will NOT be allowed in the host table or domain system files; however, the nicknames ending in ".ARPA" will be retained in the host table for a one-year adjustment period. Step 4: The nickname HOSTNAME.ARPA will be permitted only until 1 June 1990. After that time, all nicknames ending in ".ARPA" will be disallowed in the host table and DDN Domain Naming System. During the next seven months, the NIC will notify each Host Administrator of the new assigned name for his or her host. Name changes to hosts on net 26 during the transition period will require no paper work other than EMAIL between the NIC Hostmaster and Host Administrators. This timetable applies as well to all net 10 (ARPANET) and Internet hosts who will be required to join other domains such as EDU, GOV, or COM. However, hosts that currently belong to one of several already-established MIL subdomains will be granted exceptions to the transition timetable. These subdomains administer large numbers of hosts whose names conform to the naming scheme of the domain by which they are administered (i.e. BRL.MIL, NOSC.MIL, and USNA.MIL.) They will be required to change their subdomain names and hostnames by 1 September 1989 to fit within the newly defined MIL domain. EXAMPLE During the transition period the NIC host will also undergo a name change from SRI-NIC.ARPA to NIC.DDN.MIL. Here is an illustration of the name change process using the NIC host as an example. NIC host table entry before the bulletin: HOST : 26.0.0.73, 10.0.0.51 : SRI-NIC.ARPA : DEC-2060 : TOPS20 : Step 1: Addition of nickname during transition period (bulletin+1month - bulletin+7months) HOST : 26.0.0.73, 10.0.0.51 : SRI-NIC.ARPA, NIC.DDN.MIL : DEC-2060 : TOPS20 : Steps 2 and 3: NIC host table entry at end of 7 month transition, and during one-year adjustment period (bulletin+7months - bulletin+19months) HOST : 26.0.0.73, 10.0.0.51 : NIC.DDN.MIL, SRI-NIC.ARPA : DEC-2060 : TOPS20 : Step 4: NIC host table entry after MIL transition is complete (bulletin+19months) HOST : 26.0.0.73, 10.0.0.51 : NIC.DDN.MIL : DEC-2060 : TOPS20 : TRANSITION TO DOMAIN NAME RESOLVERS Domain name resolvers are not yet required of MILNET hosts; however, voluntary establishment of domain name servers and resolvers by MILNET sites will be encouraged. Required establishment of domain name servers and resolvers will occur during Phase III of the transition. Until that time, the NIC will be providing domain name service for the MIL domain. All domains under ".MIL" will be managed by the NIC as "undelegated domains" unless and until an organization is ready to take responsibility for its domain. As a minimum, all hosts attached to nets 10 and 26, all hosts acting as name servers for ".MIL" subdomains, and other hosts as requested will continue to be registered and listed in the host table. FURTHER INFORMATION Background information on the MILNET transition to the DDN Domain Naming System can be found in DDN Management Bulletins Nos. 22 and 32, and in RFC 1031. General information about the DDN domain naming system can be found in several documents available from the NIC: RFC 1031, RFC 1032, RFC 1033, RFC 1034, and RFC 1035. For information on obtaining copies, contact the NIC by phone at 800-235-3155 or 415-859-3695; or send an Email message to HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA. TIMETABLE FOR MILNET DOMAIN TRANSITION 15 November 1988 Begin hostname changes from ARPA to MIL 1 June 1989 Completion of changes to all primary host names 1 June 1990 End phase-out period for ARPA nicknames