RIPE Handle document

Marten and Daniel
                 thanks for the draft of ripe-nh.  The document is, as
usual, well written and easy to understand - even by me ;-)  The
assignment and transition procedures also look good - well done!
 
I've spotted a few typos and suggested some minor textual changes
as follows:
 
---------------------------------------8<---------------------------
 
>Why Internet Handles
>
>Like other registry databases the RIPE Network Management Database
 
add a comma  ---->  ,
 
>[ripe-013] stores information about contact persons for various
>other object types stored in the database such as network numbers,
>DNS domains and autonomous systems.
>
>Data about each contact person is stored in a "person" object which
>in turn is referenced by the other objects.  This way data about a
>real person is stored only in one place, the person object.  This
         ... is stored in only one place ...
>has the advantage that any necessary changes need to be done only in
>one place rather than in each object the person is a contact for.
 
                   ... in each object for which the person is a contact.
 
>Originally each person was uniquely identified by their full name
 
                                           ... by his full name ...
 
>and references were implemented by storing the full person name in
>the contact attributes of other objects.  A side effect of this was
                                             ***********
       not really a side effect, more a consequence.
 
>that the database could not store more than one person with the same
>full name.
>
>When this ("John Smith") problem became an issue another attribute
>was needed to disambiguate persons with the same name.  Since the
 
The word "disambiguate is not in my dictionary.  Even if it was, it
would not be le mot juste, as the root "ambi" means "both" and you
really mean "more than one".  I suggest "correctly to identify" or
some such.
 
>InterNIC was already using a "NIC Handle" scheme and it was hoped to
>unify the registry databases quickly these handles were used.  NIC
>handles are unique identifiers consisting of two or three aphabetic
>cahracters and a serial number.  A "nic-hdl" attribute was added to
>the person object. If present this "nic-hdl" is now used together
>with the "person" attribute to uniquely identify a person.  The
 
                         ... to identify a person uniquely.
 
>value of nic-hdl is a search key for the database and can be used to
>reference a contact person in the contact attributes of other
>objects.
>
>A side effect of this is that all persons needing a handle to
   ***********
 
Again, is it a side effect or a direct consequence?
 
>disambiguate them from another person need to be in the InterNIC
>database in order to obtain a NIC handle.  This was not considered a
>problem because quick unification of the databases was expected
 
     delete ---> *****
 
>quickly.
>
>As it turns out the assignment of globally unique handles from a
>single number space is not likely to be feasible. Therefore there is
>a need for more local assignment of unique handles. These handles
>will also be used in the database exchange between regional regis-
>tries.
>
>The regional registries agreed to create separate handle spaces by
>appending a suffix identifying the registry to handles creating a
>unique Internet handle.
>
>This document describes the procedures to implement this in the
>European Regional Internet Registry.
>
>
>
>RIPE Handle
>
>Internet handles issued by the RIPE NCC are called RIPE handles.
>The purpose of a RIPE handle is to uniquely identify a person in the
 
Again, a split infinitive; try "to identify a person uniquely."
 
>RIPE network management database and other related databases that
>choose to use it.
>
>A RIPE handle is a string of 2-3 letters immediately followed by a
>serial number without leading 0s followd by the string "-RIPE".
>Legal RIPE handles are:
>
>        AB1-RIPE
>        AXA123-RIPE
>        XYZ99-RIPE
>
>Normally the letters are chosen to be the initials of the person.
>The -RIPE suffix is used to disctinguish RIPE-handles from Internet
 
              spelling --->  ************
 
>handles issued by other registries.  Internet handles issued by the
>InterNIC in the RIPE database will be suffixed by the string "-INIC"
>to distinguish them from other handles.
>
>All persons in the RIPE database must have an Internet handle.
>
>Every person in any of the databases keeping contact information
>should only use Internet handle.
>
>
>Assignment
>
>RIPE handles are assigned by sending a person object to the normal
>update address <auto-dbm at ripe.net> with "nic-hdl" value of "assign".
>The update process will then generate a unique handle, insert the
>person object with the new handle in the database and report back
>the handle.  In case there already are persons with the same full
>name in the database the update process will include them in the
>report so that the user can check whether he inadvertently created a
>duplicate person object.
>
>Users wishing to obtain a specific RIPE handle (vanity handle) can
>request that by specifying it after the "assign" string, e.g.
>"assign JB007-RIPE". If the handle in question is available it will
 
           **    I thought leading zeroes were to be stripped
(see under Ripe Handle above)
 
>be assigned.
>
>It should be noted that the RIPE NCC only issues RIPE handles and
>not other Internet handles.
>
>
>
>Usage
>
>The primary use of RIPE handles is to reference a specific person in
>the RIPE database, either in another object or a database query.
>
>Contact attributes can have the following types of values:
>
>    John E. Doe           full name            not recommended
>    AXA123-RIPE           Internet Handle
>    John E. Doe (JED12)   full name (handle)   recommended
>
>
>Wherever possible the use of full names on their own should be dis-
>continued.  These references can become ambiguous unnoticedly at any
>time by another person with the same name being registered.
>
>The handle plus full name syntax is recommended because it makes it
>possible to detect typing errors in handles.
>
>
>Handles can also be used when querying the RIPE whois server.
>Matches will occur for either the full handle (AXA123-RIPE) or just
>the part before the suffix (AXA123). In the latter case all persons
>in the queried databases with a handle starting in AXA123 will
>match.
>
>
>
>Transition
>
>For the database exchange with the InterNIC it is neccessary for
>each person in the RIPE database to have a unique Internet handle.
>Therefore the NCC will assign a RIPE handle to each person without a
>NIC handle in the database on the 20th of December 1993.
 
Will the suffix -INIC be appended to all existing non-null handles
at the same time?  If so, perhaps say so.
 
>
>>From that point this handle must be included in any updates made to
 *
 
>that person entry.  The handle should be used in all references to a
>person in other database object.
>
>For the conversion of local databases the RIPE NCC will provide
>local registries and other interested parties with a tool which adds
>RIPE handles to persons in database objects. The tool will accept
>RIPE database formatted input files without syntax checking and will
>output the file unchanged but with handles added. The tool queries
>the RIPE database and can thus be run only after handles have been
>added to the RIPE database.  Becuause there is no syntax checking
 
               spelling --->  ********
 
>the tool should work for databases with local attributes or objects
>as long as they adhere to the general RIPE database format.
>
 
Cheers.
 
Mike