Unsponsored TLD Agreement: Appendix C, Section 6 (.biz) Posted: 27 April 2001

C.6 Operational Test and Evaluation

Before a Registrar is allowed to join the live .biz Open Architecture Registry System (OARS) it must first pass Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) certification. The purpose of OT&E certification is to verify the correct operation and performance of a Registrar's client system.

Preparations for OT&E Certification

The OT&E certification process begins when a Registrar becomes accredited by ICANN to register names in the .biz TLD, at which point the Registrar enters the .biz Registry provisioning process. The Registrar fills out a registration form and a .biz welcome package is provided to the Registrar. This package includes information that will assist the Registrar in implementing its Extensible Registry Protocol (XRP) client application for OARS. This package will include the following:

1. Username and password to access the Registrar Channel Partner only area of the .biz web site.

2. The OT&E Testbed server information and username/password for two accounts to access the .biz OT&E Testbed for Registrar client testing.

3. Instructions on where to download the XRP Registrar Tool Kit.

4. Instructions on where to download the documentation for the XRP Registrar Tool Kit.

5. Instructions on where to download the XRP specifications and XRP Common Application Programmer Interfaces (APIs).

6. Instructions on how to proceed with the OT&E certification process.

7. Instructions on how to obtain an SSL certificate from an approved Certificate Authority.

8. Instructions on how to provide .biz with the list of subnets that will be used to access the OARS.

9. Test Plans and Procedures that will explain the test cases, test metrics, data collection, test data analysis, and reporting to be performed during OT&E verification.

The Registrar is responsible for installing the XRP client application that will interface to the Registry using the XRP protocol. The Registrar will interface the XRP client to the back office systems via the XRP common APIs. The .biz Registrar Tool Kit is available to any interested party that would like to implement Registrar client applications.

The Registry-Registrar communication channel will be encrypted. A SSL certificate from an approved Certificate Authority is required to establish a SSL Version 3.0 encrypted channel. The username/password and subnet list provides additional security as only a valid combination of a SSL Version 3.0 certificate; username/password and subnet will be allowed to access the live Shared Registry System.

During XRP client implementation, the Registrar has access to the Registry OT&E Testbed environment. In the OT&E Testbed, the Registrar may test the operation of its software to verify the correct handling of XRP commands, their responses, and notification messages. Operations performed in the OT&E environment will not be charged and will not have any impacts on the live OARS. Registrars will continue to have access to the OT&E Testbed after certification, so that they may continue to test their back office software systems.

When a Registrar has completed the testing of its XRP client and back office systems and would like to proceed with OT&E certification, it should contact .biz Customer Care to schedule a time slot. Time slots will be scheduled on a first-come-first-serve basis.
At the scheduled time, the Registrar should contact the .biz OT&E Technical Support Team to initiate the certification.

The Registrar Tool Kit

The Registrar Toolkit Kit is a software development kit (SDK) that will support the development of a Registrar software system for registering Internet domain names in the Registry using the XRP Registry-Registrar Protocol and the XRP common APIs. The SDK will consist of software and documentation as described below.

The SDK can be used by the Registrar as a basis for connecting to the .biz Registry Testbed environment during OT&E, and can also be used to develop a system for interfacing with the live .biz Registry once the Registrar has been certified.

The software will consist of a working Java XRP common API and samples of interfaces to back office systems that implement the XRP protocol core functions and XRP extensions that are used to communicate between the Registry and Registrar. The SDK will illustrate how XML requests (Registration Events) can be assembled and forwarded to the Registry for processing. The software will provide the Registrar with the basis for a reference implementation that conforms to the XRP Registry-Registrar Protocol. The software component of the SDK will also include XML Schema definition files for all Registry XRP objects and XRP Object extentions.

The documentation will also describe the XRP software package hierarchy, the object data model, and an description of the defined objects and methods (including calling parameter lists, and expected response behavior). New versions of the SDK will be made available from time to time to provide support additional features as they become available as well as other platform and language support.

OT&E Certification Test Cases

During OT&E certification, a Registrar's client application will be required to demonstrate the proper execution of the following operations.

1. SSL Version 3.0 connection establishment

2. XRP <login> command

3. Change of <login> password

4. XRP <logout> command

5. Domain Name Operations

a. Create domain without nameservers and without contacts (XRP Transform <create>)

b. Create domain with nameservers

c. Create domain with contacts

d. Create domain with maximum registration period

e. Create domain with maximum number of nameservers

f. Create domain with maximum number of contacts

g. Create domain with maximum length domain name (63 characters + .BIZ)

h. Create domain with invalid name

i. Check domain (XRP Query <check>) - domain not available

j. Check domain (XRP Query <check>) - domain available

k. Check domain - maximum length domain name (63 characters + .BIZ) not available

l. Query domain (XRP Query <INFO>)

m. Query domain transfer status (XRP Query <transfer>)

n. Delete domain (XRP Transform <delete>)

o. Renew domain (XRP Transform <renew>)

p. Transfer domain (XRP Transform <transfer>)

q. Change domain (XRP Transform <update>) - nameservers

r. Change domain (XRP Transform <update>) - contact

s. Change domain (XRP Transform <update>) - status

5. Nameserver Operations

a. Create nameserver (XRP Transform <create>)

b. Create nameserver with maximum length host name (80 characters)

c. Check nameserver (XRP Query <check>) - nameserver known

d. Check nameserver (XRP Query <check>) - nameserver unknown

e. Query nameserver (XRP Query <INFO>)

f. Delete nameserver (XRP Transform <delete>)

g. Change nameserver (XRP Transform <update>) - add IP address

h. Change nameserver (XRP Transform <update>) - remove IP address

6. Contact Operations

a. Create contact (XRP Transform <create>)

b. Check contact (XRP Query <check>) - contact known

c. Check contact (XRP Query <check>) - contact unknown

d. Query contact (XRP Query <INFO>)

e. Query contact transfer status (XRP Query <transfer>)

f. Delete contact (XRP Transform <delete>)

g. Transfer contact (XRP Transform <transfer>)

h. Change contact (XRP Transform <update>) - change element

i. Change contact (XRP Transform <update>) - remove element

7. Registrant Account Operations

j. Create Registrant Account (XRP Transform <create>)

k. Check Registrant Account (XRP Query <check>) - contact known

l. Check Registrant Account (XRP Query <check>) - contact unknown

m. Query Registrant Account (XRP Query <INFO>)

n. Query Registrant Account transfer status (XRP Query <transfer>)

o. Delete Registrant Account (XRP Transform <delete>)

p. Transfer Registrant Account (XRP Transform <transfer>)

q. Change Registrant Account (XRP Transform <update>) - change element

r. Change Registrant Account (XRP Transform <update>) - remove element

8. Effectiveness and Utility of client session management and information exchange.

9. Performance of client session management and information exchange throughput.

NOTE: The Registry reserves the right to change the OT&E certification requirements as necessary to ensure compliance with the evolving XRP IEFT standard and XRP common APIs.

Post OT&E Certification

All tests performed during OT&E certification must be completed without errors. The Registry will provide the certification results in a timely manner and provide feedback for those Registrars that failed to successfully complete the tests. Registrars may correct their systems and re-schedule for certification. Registrars will not be limited in the number of attempts at OT&E certification.

Upon successful OT&E certification, the Registrar becomes eligible for operation in the live OARS. A new username/password is assigned and the Registry will configure the live system to recognize the SSL certificate, username, password, and subnet blocks for the Registrar. The Registrar may start operation when it has satisfied the financial requirements for going live.