Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Registry Agreements
Unsponsored TLD Agreement: Appendix C, Section E (.info)
Unsponsored TLD Agreement: Appendix C, Section E (.info) (26 April 2001) |
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Functional Specifications Section E—OT&E Process Before a Registrar is allowed to join the live Shared Registry System it must first pass Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) certification. The purpose of OT&E certification is to verify the correct operation 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 .info TLD, at which point an OT&E welcome package will be provided to the Registrar. This package will include information that will assist the Registrar in developing its client application for the Shared Registry System. This package will include the following:
The Registrar is responsible for developing the client application that will interface to the Registry using the EPP protocol. The Afilias Registrar Tool Kit is available to any interested party that would like to develop Registrar client applications. A Registrar may opt to develop its application to conform to the EPP specification without the use of the Registrar Tool Kit. This is acceptable as long as the client is able to pass the OT&E certification process. The Registry-Registrar communication channel will be encrypted. A SSL certificate from an approved Certificate Authority is required to establish this encrypted channel. The username/password and subnet list provides additional security as only a valid combination of SSL certificate; username/password and subnet will be allowed to access the live Shared Registry System. During client development, the Registrar has access to Afilias' OT&E environment. In the OT&E environment, the Registrar may test the operation of its software to verify the correct handling of EPP commands and their responses. Operations performed in the OT&E environment will not be charged and will not have any impacts on the live Shared Registry System. Registrars will continue to have access to the OT&E environment after certification, so that they may continue to test their software systems. When a Registrar has completed the testing of its client systems and would like to proceed with OT&E certification, it should contact Afilias technical support 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 Afilias OT&E Team to initiate the certification. The Registrar Tool Kit The Registrar Tool Kit (RTK) is a software development kit that will support the development of a Registrar software system for registering Internet domain names in the Registry using the EPP Registry-Registrar Protocol. The RTK will consist of software and documentation as described below. The RTK can be used by the Registrar as a basis for connecting to the Testbed environment during OT&E, and can also be used to develop a system for interfacing with the live Registry once the Registrar has been certified. The software will consist of a working Java API and samples and C samples that can be used to implement the EPP protocol that is used to communicate between the Registry and Registrar. The samples 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 Registry-Registrar Protocol. The software component of the RTK will be based on static XML requests. The documentation will explain to the Registrar the details of the protocol specification. It will describe the commands that need to be sent to the Registry in order to support domain registration events, as well as the possible responses that may be returned by the Registry. The precise nature of the sequencing of commands, as well as the payload that must be assembled and transmitted to the Registry, will be defined for each possible registration event. The documentation will also describe the software (mentioned above) that implements the EPP Registry-Registrar protocol. This will consist of a description of the software package hierarchy, and an explanation of the defined objects and methods (including calling parameter lists, and expected response behavior). The RTK will remain under development for the term of the Registry Agreement and will provide support for additional features as they become available as well as other platform and language support. The RTK will be licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License. See also Section 2.3 of the Registry-Registrar Agreement, Appendix F. 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.
NOTE: Afilias reserves the right to change the OT&E certification requirements as necessary to ensure compliance with the evolving EPP standard. Post OT&E Certification All tests performed during OT&E certification must be completed without errors. Afilias 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 Shared Registry System. A new username/password is assigned and Afilias will configure the live system to recognize the SSL certificate, username and subnet blocks for the Registrar. The Registrar may start operation when it has satisfied the financial requirements for going live. Comments concerning the layout, construction and functionality of this site should be sent to webmaster@icann.org. Page Updated 24-Dec-2002 |