[db-wg] Restricting WHOIS searches to type: netname

In message <CAPfiqjaLRwCwbnwbHDk_DEodCdCkjLhZ03DgSy=rAiO6BZdzWw at mail.gmail.com>, 
Leo Vegoda <leo at vegoda.org> wrote
>Not only is uniqueness {of netnames} not required, the manual advises against it:

I expressed myself badly.  Let me try again.

Yes, I understand that it is both customary and advisable for a given organization
to label all of its address block allocations with a single common netname.

That having been said, it seems to me that the value of having netnames exist in the
data base AT ALL is rather entirely nullified by either or both of the following two
factors, at present:

    (*) A given unique netname, once selected and used by some given organisation,
        may then be -reused-, ad infinitum, by other and entirely unrelated
        organisations, to label *their* netblocks.  (Example: "ABC" which appears
        to have been overloaded/reused by around a dozen different and unrelated
        organisations.)

    (*) It is not possible, at present, to perform selective WHOIS queries for *just*
        those inetnum/inet6num objects whose netname: fields exactly match some given
        specific netname.

Because of the above two factors, I am not seeing any real usefulness of netnames
within the data base AT ALL.

On that basis, I would propose that either (a) RIPE should remove all netnames from
the data base entirely (i.e. because they are clearly unnecessary flotsam/jetsam) or
alternatively (b) RIPE should start supporting netnames properly.

When I say "start supporting them properly" I mean of course (a) supporting selective
searches for *just* netnames in the WHOIS server and also (b) creating a system
whereby these symbolic names would be issued, by NCC in much the same (exclusive)
way that NCC currently issues other types of guaranteed-unique data base handles,
i.e. uniquely and exclusively, on on a per-organization basis.


Regards,
rfg