[db-wg] Forward DOMAIN Object Cleanup and Syntax Changes

[Apologies for duplicate emails]

Dear colleagues,

At RIPE 57, the RIPE NCC was asked to remove all forward domain data
from the RIPE Database. The last two ccTLD operators' data was removed
today, 31 January 2011. The RIPE NCC can now confirm the completion of
action point AP57.2 from the RIPE Database Working Group.

At RIPE 62, the RIPE NCC was asked to look at the attributes in DOMAIN
objects.

With the removal of any hierarchy in reverse delegations and the removal
of forward domain data, we no longer see any use case for the
"mnt-lower:" attribute.

Other attributes that it has been suggested were used only for forward
domains are:
- "refer:"
- "sub-dom:"
- "dom-net:"

The statistics listed at the bottom of this email show how many of these
attributes have been added to ENUM and reverse delegation DOMAIN objects.

It has also been suggested that the "nserver:" optional attribute could
be made a "required" attribute in reverse delegation DOMAIN objects. It
could remain optional in ENUM DOMAIN objects or it could be disallowed.

The RIPE NCC asked the community in July 2011 if anyone saw any
justification for the use of these attributes in ENUM or reverse
delegation DOMAIN objects. We did not receive any feedback on this.

If there is no justification, the syntax of the DOMAIN object can be
adjusted to deprecate these attributes. Then all current DOMAIN objects
in the RIPE Database can be "cleaned" to remove this data. Business
rules can be added to make the "nserver:" attribute required or
disallowed in different types of DOMAIN objects, if this is considered
useful.

To keep the discussion focused, please send any comments or feedback to
the DNS Working Group mailing list.

Regards,

Denis Walker
Business Analyst
RIPE NCC Database Group


Statistics (as at July 2011)
----------
Number of each attribute used in reverse delegations or ENUMs and the
number of unique maintainers who manage these objects.

"refer:"     = 6      unique maintainers = 1
"sub-dom:"   = 271    unique maintainers = 23
"dom-net:"   = 2,219  unique maintainers = 140
"mnt-lower:" = 46,485 unique maintainers = 4,208