Announcement: RIPE Whois Database Version 3.0beta2 released

Dear All,

This mail is to inform you that version 3.0beta2 of the RIPE Whois
Database software has been released.  This is mainly a bugfix release in
respect to the "beta1" version.

We remind you that the RIPE Database is about to change its data format,
from RIPE181 to RPSL (the Routing Policy Specification Language, see
RFC2622). This will affect all object types, including "person", "domain"
and "inetnum".

We suggest you to start to get used to RPSL and version 3.0 . 
Please check our RIPE-181 to RPSL Migration page at:

		http://www.ripe.net/rpsl/

You can test your skills with RPSL and the functionality of the new
beta release in the following ways:

	- Query rpsl.ripe.net at port 43. You will find there
	  exactly the same objects that are in whois.ripe.net,
	  mirrored live and in RPSL format. 

	- If you have any script that runs by querying whois.ripe.net, 
	  test it by pointing it to rpsl.ripe.net and make it
	  v3.0-compliant.

	- Try our CGI interface to the RPSL server: you can find it at
          http://www.ripe.net/ripencc/pub-services/db/reimp/. 

	- Get to know the new update path: use our "sandbox" database for
	  RPSL updates. Send your updates to <auto-rip at ripe.net> and
	  query the corresponding database at rpsl.ripe.net, port 4343 .

Remember that in a few months, that's the way the RIPE Database will be
running; so the earlier you start working with it, the less likely you are
to be unpleasantly surprised later.

For those running Near-Real-Time Mirrors of the RIPE Database, please be
advised that as soon as the RIPE Database changes its data format, you
will not be able to mirror the RIPE Database using the version 2 of the
Software, since it is not RPSL-compliant. You will have to upgrade to
version 3 to mirror the RIPE Database. Please contact <ripe-dbm at ripe.net>
for detailed information.

Please note that the software is still in a "beta" phase. So we need your
feedback! If you happen to find something that looks like a bug when you
are testing the RPSL database, don't hesitate... 
Send us a bug report at <dbrip at ripe.net> !

If you want to actively participate to the migration effort, you could
join the "RIP migration Task force" and let yourself be heard. Just write
to <ripe-dbm at ripe.net> and ask to join the Task Force.

You can download the latest release of the source code at the following URL:

    ftp://ftp.ripe.net/ripe/dbase/reimp/ripe-dbase-3.0beta2.tar.gz

You can also join a discussion list related to version 3.0 beta of the
RIPE Database Software. To subscribe to this list, send a message to
<majordomo at ripe.net> with the line:

subscribe db-beta

in the body of your letter. It is a moderated mailing list so some delays
in subscription are possible.


Regards,

Daniele Arena
___________________
RIPE Database Group
RIPE NCC