Protocol: RRP ( NSI Registry Registrar Protocol )

RRP ( NSI Registry Registrar Protocol )

Update: 2006-09-05 14:39:21 I have words to say about this protocol

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SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLES
PROTOCOL RELATIONS
GLOSSARY
REFERENCES
OTHER PROTOCOLS

SUMMARY
Protocol	:	NSI Registry Registrar Protocol
Protocol suite	:	TCP/IP
Layer	:	Application Layer
Ports	:	648 (TCP) server

DESCRIPTION

RRP (NSI Registry Registrar Protocol) is a TCP-based, 7-bit US-ASCII text protocol that permits multiple registrars to provide second level Internet domain name registration services in the top level domains (TLDs) administered by a TLD registry.

RRP was developed by the Network Solutions, Inc. Registry under the auspices of the Shared Registration System program. The protocol was initially deployed in April 1999 as part of a test bed implementation of the Shared Registration System with five registrars. Additional registrars began using the protocol in July 1999. The operational experiences of both the registry and the registrars identified several "lessons learned" which have been documented here as "Known Issues".

The registry stores information about registered domain names and associated name servers. A domain name's data includes its name, name servers, registrar, registration expiration date, and status. A name server's data includes its server name, IP addresses, and registrar. A registrar may perform the following registration service procedures using RRP:

Determine if a domain name has been registered.

Renew the registration of a domain name.

Cancel the registration of a domain name.

Update the name servers of a domain name.

Transfer a domain name from another registrar.

Examine the status of domain names that the registrar has registered.

Modify the status of domain names that the registrar has registered.

Determine if a name server has been registered.

Update the IP addresses of a name server.

Delete a name server.

Examine the status of name servers that the registrar has registered.

All RRP commands include features to provide idempotency. That is, the effect of each command is the same if the command is executed once or if the command is executed multiple times. This property is extremely useful in situations when a command is retried due to an error condition that results in a missed command response and a command retry is attempted. Command retries will be caught by the System and rejected with an appropriate error response code. Command parameters that do not provide idempotency will be explained fully as part of the appropriate command description.

A typical RRP session will go through a number of states during its lifetime. The following figure illustrates the possible states of an RRP server. Initially, the server waits for a client connection and authentication (PRE). All client connections must be authenticated.

RRP Server Finite State Machine

                                      |

                                      |

                                      v

                             +-----------------+   Timeout

                             |   Waiting for   |-------------------+

   Authentication Succeeded  |      Client     |                   |

                   +---------|  Authentication | Authentication    |

                   |         |      (PRE)      |-----+  Failed     |

                   |         +-----------------+     |             |

                   |                                 |             |

                   V                                 V             |

             +-----------+     Succeeded    +--------------------+ |

             |Waiting for|<-----------------|    Waiting for     | |

             |  Command  |----------+       |Authentication Retry| |

             |   (WFC)   |  Timeout |       |       (WFR)        | |

             +-----------+          |       +--------------------+ |

                 |   ^              |           |         |        |

                 |   |              |   Timeout |         | Failed |

         Request V   |Response      |           |         |        |

             +-----------+          |           V         V        V

             | Executing |          |          +--------------------+

             |  Command  |          +--------->|    Disconnected    |

             |   (EXE)   |-------------------->|       (DIS)        |

             +-----------+          QUIT       +--------------------+

If the authentication fails, the server gives the client another chance to identify itself (WFR). If the authentication fails again, the server disconnects (DIS). Otherwise, the server waits for a request from the client (WFC). Upon receiving a request, the server executes it and responds to the client with the result (EXE). The server then waits again for another request from the client (WFC). If the client sends a QUIT command, the server ends the session and disconnects (DIS). To keep its state in sync with that of the server, the client should wait for a response from the server before sending another request on the same connection. The following table summarizes these states:

Table	Description
PRE	Waiting for client connection and authentication
WFR	Waiting for authentication retry
WFC	Waiting for a command from an authenticated client
EXE	Executing a command
DIS	Disconnected

The WFR and WFC states may time out. An implementation should define inactivity timeout periods for these states based on System-specific factors, including (but not limited to) resource availability and security risk. In the absence of other factors, a default timeout period of 10 minutes should be used. The server may disconnect if the server is in one of these states and no message is received from the client during the timeout period.

Commands

Command	References
add	This command allows a registrar to register a domain name or a name server in the System.
check	This command allows a registrar to determine if a domain name or name server has been registered in the System.
delete	This command allows a registrar to delete (cancel the registration) of a domain name or delete a name server.
describe	This command allows a registrar to obtain general information about an RRP implementation.
mod	This command allows a registrar to update a registered domain name or a name server.
quit	This command allows a registrar to close an RRP connection. A response must be sent before closing the connection.
renew	This command allows a registrar to renew a domain name in the System.
session	This command allows a registrar to establish an RRP session. A registrar can also use this command to change their password.
status	This command allows a registrar to determine the current status of a domain name or name server.
transfer	This command allows a registrar to request transfer of domain name sponsorship from a second registrar and to approve or reject transfer requests initiated by other registrars.

Response Codes
RRP commands may return a variety of response codes to signify normal completion or error conditions. This section documents all of the defined RRP response codes.

Code	Name	Description
200	Command completed successfully	This is the normal response for successful completion of most RRP commands.
210	Domain name available	This is the normal response for successful completion of an RRP CHECK command for a domain name that is not currently registered.
211	Domain name not available	This is the normal response for successful completion of an RRP CHECK command for a domain name that is currently registered.
212	Name server available	This is the normal response for successful completion of an RRP CHECK command for a name server that is not currently registered.
213	Name server not available	This is the normal response for successful completion of an RRP CHECK command for a name server that is currently registered.
220	Command completed successfully	Server closing connection This is the normal response for successful completion of an RRP QUIT command. It may also be returned by other RRP commands if a transient situation is noted that requires closing the connection after successfully completing the RRP command.
420	Command failed due to server error. Server closing connection	Server closing connection A transient server error has caused RRP command failure and session termination. A new session must be established before continued processing can be attempted.
421	Command failed due to server error. Client should try again	Client should try again A transient server error has caused RRP command failure. A subsequent retry may produce successful results.
500	Invalid command name.	A client-specified RRP command name was not recognized as a valid RRP command name.
501	Invalid command option	A client-specified RRP command parameter was not recognized as a valid RRP command parameter.
502	Invalid entity value	The "value" of an entity name-value pair is invalid. Command blocks that require an "EntityName" parameter also require a value that specifies the entity name, and the provided value is invalid.
503	Invalid attribute name	A client-specified RRP command parameter was not recognized as a valid RRP command parameter.
504	Missing required attribute	A parameter required to execute the RRP command was not provided by the client. The command should be retried with all required parameters specified.
505	Invalid attribute value syntax	A supplied parameter value is syntactically incorrect. For example, a year value digit such as "5" may be required but the client provided a string of characters such as "five".
506	Invalid option value	A client-specified value for an RRP command parameter is out-of-bounds or otherwise not within acceptable System limits.
507	Invalid command format	The specified command does not resemble a well-formed RRP command.The command should be retried using the proper command structure and syntax.
508	Missing required entity.	An entity required for command completion was not provided by the client.
509	Missing command option	A command parameter that isn't really optional (such as the registrar ID in a SESSION command) was not provided by the client.
510	Invalid encoding	The value of a domain name or name server entity contains invalid ASCII compatible encoding used to represent an internationalized domain or host name.
520	Server closing connection	A timeout event has been detected, and the client's session is being ended.
521	Too many sessions open	A System-defined limit on the number of open connections has been exceeded, and it is impossible to establish a new session at the moment.
530	Authentication failed	The client-supplied registrar identifier or password was not recognized by the System.
531	Authorization failed	Registrars may not view or alter data associated with either the registry or another registrar.
532	Domain names linked with name server	The name server is hosting active domains. This error occurs when a registrar is trying to delete a server that is the name server for active domains.
533	Domain name has active name servers	The domain name has active name servers. The registrar is trying to delete a domain name that is a parent domain of an active name server, i.e., a server that is hosting active domains.
534	Domain name has not been flagged for transfer	The registrar is trying to approve or reject a domain name transfer for a domain name that is not pending transfer.
535	Restricted IP address	IANA identifies certain IP address ranges that are not valid for normal use.
536	Domain already flagged for transfer	The registrar tried to perform a transfer command for a domain name that is awaiting approval of an earlier transfer request.
540	Attribute value is not unique	A supplied attribute value is not unique.
541	Invalid attribute value.	A supplied parameter value is invalid.
542	Invalid old value for an attribute	A current attribute value to be modified is invalid.
543	Final or implicit attribute cannot be updated	The registrar is attempting to modify an attribute that is only modifiable by the registry.
544	Entity on hold	The attempted operation was rejected because the entity is on HOLD status.
545	Entity reference not found	A required entity reference was not found.
546	Credit limit exceeded.	The registrar's credit limit has been exceeded.
547	Invalid command sequence.	RRP commands are issued using a well-formed syntax that requires entry of command structures in particular sequences.
548	Domain is not up for renewal	A RENEW command was attempted during a period in which the domain can not be renewed.
549	Command failed	A System error prevented successful completion of the requested RRP command.
550	Parent domain not registered.	The parent domain of a name server being registered is not registered.
551	Parent domain status does not allow for operation	The status of the parent domain does not allow the requested operation.
552	Domain status does not allow for operation	The status of the domain does not allow the requested operation.
553	Operation not allowed	The status of the domain does not allow the requested operation.
554	Domain already registered	A registrar tried to register a domain name that has already been registered by the same registrar.
555	Domain already renewed	A registrar tried to renew a domain using the same parameters as specified for an earlier, successful renewal.
556	Maximum registration period exceeded	A registrar tried to renew a domain registration, and the resulting new registration period exceeds the System-defined maximum registration period.

Domain Status Codes
The status of a domain can be viewed using the RRP STATUS command and modified using the RRP MOD command. Both the registry and the sponsoring registrar may view and change the status of a domain. The criteria for status changes are highly dependent on registry and registrar business models and are thus beyond the scope of this specification.

The domain's status should have a direct bearing on whether or not the domain appears in the appropriate TLD zone file and whether or not the domain can be modified. A domain can have more than one assigned status, e.g., REGISTRAR-HOLD and REGISTRAR-LOCK. If a domain is in ACTIVE status, then the domain name can only be in this status. When a registrar sets a domain name to REGISTRAR-LOCK, the registry must automatically remove the ACTIVE status. When the registrar removes the REGISTRAR-LOCK and other domain statuses, the registry must automatically set the domain name status to ACTIVE.

ACTIVE

REGISTRY-LOCK

REGISTRY-HOLD

REGISTRAR-HOLD

REGISTRAR-LOCK

REGISTRY-DELETE-NOTIFY

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EXAMPLES

The following syntax specification uses the augmented Backus-Naur Form (BNF) as described in [ABNF].

ABNF specification for Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) v1.1.0. Note that character string literals are case insensitive.

Example 1 - Lexical tokens

space = %x20 ; " "

dot = %x2E ; "."

dash = %x2D ; "-"

underscore = %x5F ; "_"

colon = %x3A ; ":"

cr = %x0D ; ASCII carriage return

lf = %x0A ; ASCII linefeed

crlf = cr lf

alpha = %x41-5A / %x61-7A ; A-Z / a-z

digit = %x30-39 ; 0-9

dns-char = alpha / digit / dash

id-char = alpha / digit / underscore / dash

id-prefix = alpha / digit

id-word = id-prefix *id-char

printable-char = %x20-7E ; ASCII " " - "~"

Example 2 - Start of basic grammar

year = 4digit

month = 2digit

day = 2digit

ymd = year dash month dash day

hour = 2digit

minute = 2digit

second = 2digit

split-second = 1digit

hms = hour colon minute colon second dot split-second

time-stamp = ymd space hms

ip-address = 1*3digit dot 1*3digit dot 1*3digit dot 1*3digit

password = 4*16printable-char

option-name = 1*128id-word

option-tag = dash option-name

option-value = 1*128id-word

attribute-name = 1*128id-word

attribute-value = 1*128printable-char

attribute-line = attribute-name colon attribute-value crlf

response = 3digit space 1*printable-char crlf

version-number = "RRP" space 1*digit dot 1*digit dot 1*digit

label = id-prefix [*61dns-char id-prefix]

sldn = label dot label

servername = *(label dot) sldn

period = %x31-39 / (%x31-39 %x30-39) ; "1" - "9" or "10" - "99"

period-option = dash "Period" colon period crlf

yesno = "Yes" / "No"

domainstatus = "Active" / "Registry-Lock" / "Registry-Hold" /

               "Registrar-Lock" / "Registrar-Hold" /

               "Registry-Delete-Notify"

Example 3 - RRP commands and responses

rrp = add / check / delete / describe / mod / quit / renew / session / status / transfer

add = add-request add-response

check = check-request check-response

delete = del-request del-response

describe = describe-request describe-response

mod = mod-request mod-response

quit = quit-request quit-response

renew = renew-request renew-response

session = session-request session-response

status = status-request status-response

transfer = transfer-request transfer-response

Example 4 - ADD command

add-request = add-domain-request / add-nameserver-request

add-response = add-domain-response / add-nameserver-response

add-domain-request = "add" crlf

 "EntityName" colon "Domain" crlf

 "DomainName" colon sldn crlf

 [period-option]

 0*13("NameServer" colon servername crlf)

 dot crlf

add-nameserver-request = "add" crlf

 "EntityName" colon "NameServer" crlf

 "NameServer" colon servername crlf

 1*("IPAddress" colon ip-address crlf)

 dot crlf

add-domain-response = response

 "RegistrationExpirationDate" colon time-stamp crlf

 "status" colon domainstatus crlf

 dot crlf

add-nameserver-response = response

 dot crlf

Example 5 - CHECK command

check-request = check-domain-request / check-nameserver-request

check-response = check-domain-response / check-nameserver-response

check-domain-request = "check" crlf

 "EntityName" colon "Domain" crlf

 "DomainName" colon sldn crlf

 dot crlf

check-nameserver-request = "check" crlf

 "EntityName" colon "NameServer" crlf

 "NameServer" colon servername crlf

 dot crlf

check-domain-response = response



 dot crlf

check-nameserver-response = available-check-nameserver-response /

                            notavailable-check-nameserver-response

available-check-nameserver-response = response

 dot crlf

notavailable-check-nameserver-response = response

 1*("IPAddress" colon ip-address crlf)

 dot crlf

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PROTOCOL RELATIONS

■ Parent layer
■ Child layer

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GLOSSARY

ASCII
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is the most common format for text files in computers and on the Internet. In an ASCII file, each alphabetic, numeric, or special character is represented with a 7-bit binary number (a string of seven 0s or 1s). 128 possible characters are defined.

Unix and DOS-based operating systems use ASCII for text files. Windows NT and 2000 uses a newer code, Unicode. IBM's S/390 systems use a proprietary 8-bit code called EBCDIC. Conversion programs allow different operating systems to change a file from one code to another.

ASCII was developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Domain name
The term domain name has multiple meanings, all related to the [Domain Name System] (main article).
*a name that is entered into a computer (e.g. as part of a website or other URL, or an email address) and then looked up in the global [Domain Name System] which informs the computer of the IP address(es) with that name.
*the product that registrars provide to their customers.
*a name looked up in the DNS for other purposes.

RRP
This protocol was developed by the Network Solutions Registry for use within the .com/.net/.org SRS. As defined in RFC 2832, NSI RRP is a TCP-based, 7-bit US-ASCII text protocol that permits multiple registrars to provide second level Internet domain name registration services in the top level domains (TLDs) administered by a TLD registry.

Register
(n) A, special, high-speed storage area within the CPU. All data must be represented in a register before it can be processed. For example, if two numbers are to be multiplied, both numbers must be in registers, and the result is also placed in a register.

(v) To notify a manufacturer that you have purchased its product. Registering a product is often a prerequisite to receiving customer support, and it is one of the ways that software producers control software piracy.

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REFERENCES

RFCs:
[RFC 2832] NSI Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) Version 1.1.0.
                Updated by: RFC 3632.

[RFC 3632] VeriSign Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) Version 2.0.0.
                Updates: RFC 2832.

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OTHER PROTOCOLS OF TCP/IP SUITE