New Top Level Domain BOF at IETF-LA'98

Paul wrote:
> End user or individual
> 
> An individual is always able to get involved in
> the IETF or the Regional technical meetings
> which give advice to the RIRs.

 This individual requests the IETF
 hold a BOF at the upcoming meeting
 in LA following the draft outlined
 below.

______________START<PRE>

New Top Level Domain BOF

(Time/location To Be Announced)
================================

Chair: Bob Allisat

DESCRIPTION:

New Top Level Domain (nTLD) names have been proposed as a way of
increasing the namespace choices available to Netizens worldwide.
Currently people have only two choices: national registries and
the traditional .COM/.ORG/.NET TLDs. Many nTLDs have been proposed
to offer expanded identification opportunities for individuals,
businesses and organizations. However, this raises various issues
such as how many nTLDs are feasible, what are the required technical
standards to run a Network Information Center (NIC) or Domain Name
Registry (DNR) and so on.

nTLD's are becoming more and more essential as more and more people
utilize the Internet for their everyday communications. Everyone is
experiencing the problem of a rapidly diminishing number of viable
Domains. There is an urgent need to define mechanisms to achieve new
Top Level Domain capabilies.

Some of the issues that needs to be addressed are:

1. What are the basic technical requirements for Domain Name Registries
(DNR). What are the technical requirements for Network Information
Centres
(NIC). Is there a differance between the two and if so we have to begin
defining those differances.

2. Is there a necessity for various grades or "flavours" of DNR/nTLD
(ie non-profit, commercial, small, mid-size, corporate). Are "shared"
and "private" DNR/nTLD technically practical? Can shared and private
DNRs technically co-exist.

3. What are the limitations and hindrances in existing software which
may place practical limitations on the number of New TLDs.

4. How to provide Quality of Service while allowing widely dispersed,
decentralized nTLD/DNRs and NICs.

5. Issues around "Root" servers. There are two basic challenges with
naming:  How to announce a server based on its nTLD, and how to find
that
server based on it's IP address.  Currently this is done by 13 private
Root servers to which all Domain Name Servers computers worldwide point
to for that information. Is there a need for more Root Servers? What
sort of technical regulation of these root servers require? How can we
ensure universality of Internet addressing and still allow maximal
dispersion of nTLDs, DNRs and NICs?

The goals of the New Top Level Domain Name BOF are:

1. Decide if there is a need to form a working group to solve some or
all
   of the problems above.

2. Which of the problems above should be addressed by the working group.

3. What will the working group produce. In our opinion, we need to
interact
   with other groups such as various bodies of the UN, national
governments,
   industry representatives and the general Netizenry to solve some or
all of
   the problems above.

4. What other problems need to be solved for succesful deployment of 
   new TLD's.


AGENDA:

  Introduction, agenda review.

  Issue Briefs - 2 minute summaries of position papers to be filed and 
  available on-line

  Discussion - succinct questions; 2 minute limit on answers, details
and
  expansions presented as on-line addenda.

  Conclusion - organizing next steps.


</PRE>______________FINISH

 TeleVirtually Yours,

 Bob Allisat

 Director, World TeleVirtual Network             http://www.wtv.net
 PO Box 191 St E Toronto Canada M6H 4E2                 info at wtv.net




-------- Logged at  Mon Feb 2 13:25:47 MET 1998  ---------