INTERNET-DRAFT Test and Example TLDs October 29 1997 Expires April 28 1998 Test and Example Top Level Domain Names ---- --- ------- --- ----- ------ ----- Donald E. Eastlake 3rd Aliza R. Panitz Status of This Document This draft, file name draft-ietf-dnsind-test-tlds-04.txt, is intended to be become a Best Current Practice RFC. Distribution of this document is unlimited. Comments should be sent to the DNS mailing list or to the authors. This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months. Internet-Drafts may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is not appropriate to use Internet- Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as a ``working draft'' or ``work in progress.'' To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the 1id-abstracts.txt listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow Directories on ds.internic.net (East USA), ftp.isi.edu (West USA), nic.nordu.net (North Europe), ftp.nis.garr.it (South Europe), munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim), or ftp.is.co.za (Africa). Abstract To reduce the likelihood of conflict and confusion, a number of top level domain names are reserved for use in private testing, as examples in documentation, and the like. D. Eastlake, A. Panitz [Page 1] INTERNET-DRAFT Test and Example TLDs Table of Contents Status of This Document....................................1 Abstract...................................................1 Table of Contents..........................................2 1. Introduction............................................3 2. TLDs for Testing and Documentation Examples.............3 3. Security Considerations.................................4 References.................................................5 Author's Addresses.........................................5 Expiration and File Name...................................5 D. Eastlake, A. Panitz [Page 2] INTERNET-DRAFT Test and Example TLDs 1. Introduction The global Internet Domain Name System is documented in RFC 1034, 1035, 1591 and numerous additional Requests for Comment. It defines a tree of names starting with root, ".", immediately below which are top level domain names such as .com and .us. Below top level domain names there are normally additional levels of names. 2. TLDs for Testing and Documentation Examples There is a need for top level domain names that can safely be used in private testing, as examples in documentation, and for experimentation, without fear of conflicts with actual top level domain names in the global DNS, or which should be reserved to avoid confusion. The creation and assignment of new top level domain names is becoming an increasingly prominent decision as the domain name system assumes increasing importance in the world. For this reason, it is best to allocate a reasonably large number of names of different lengths now to reduce the probability of a need for further top level domain name creation and assignment for this purpose in the foreseeable future. To satisfy these needs, forty one domain names are reserved as described below. The following eleven top level domain names are permanently reserved. .xy .xz .nil .tld .link .site .test .example .invalid .localhost .asixtythreecharacterstopleveldomainnamewhichisthelongestallowed Note: two letter top level domain names are reserved for ISO 3166 / Universal Postal Union two letter country codes. However, ISO 3166 reserves all two letter codes beginning with "x" for local use and states that they will never be assigned to a country. These names are available for use in testing or as examples in documentation except for .invalid, .link, and .localhost. .invalid is intended for use in online construction of domain names that are D. Eastlake, A. Panitz [Page 3] INTERNET-DRAFT Test and Example TLDs sure to be invalid. .link is reserved to avoid confusion with the link.local domain provided in draft-ietf-dnsind-local-names-*.txt and should not be used. The .localhost TLD is traditionally staticly defined in host DNS implementations as having an A record pointing to the loop back IP address and is reserved for that purpose and is reserved for this use. The above eleven names will be added to the root with a single type TXT RR under each. The RDATA for these TXT RRs will contain the single string Reserved, see RFC NNNN. [where NNNN is the number of the RFC this draft gets issued as.] In addition, the thirty domain names formed by appending the digits 0 through 9 to "tld", "test", and "example, as listed below, are also permanently reserved for test and documentation use; however, since there are currently no TLDs with digits in them and the presence of these names without the digit suffix should provide notice, it is not intended that these thirty additional TLDs be entered into the root zone. .tld0 .test0 .example0 .tld1 .test1 .exmaple1 .tld2 .test2 .example2 .tld3 .test2 .example2 .tld4 .test4 .example4 .tld5 .test5 .exmaple5 .tld6 .test6 .example6 .tld7 .test7 .example7 .tld8 .test8 .example8 .tld9 .test9 .example9 3. Security Considerations Confusion and conflict can be caused by the use of a current or potential future top level domain name in testing, experimentation, as an example in documentation, or the like. Test and experimental software can escape and end up being run against the global operational DNS. Even examples used "only" in documentation can end up being coded and released or cause conflicts due to later real use and the possible acquisition of intellectual property rights in such "example" names. The reservation of several top level domain names for these purposes will minimize such confusion and conflict. D. Eastlake, A. Panitz [Page 4] INTERNET-DRAFT Test and Example TLDs References RFC 1034 - P. Mockapetris, "Domain names - concepts and facilities", 11/01/1987. RFC 1035 - P. Mockapetris, "Domain names - implementation and specification", 11/01/1987. RFC 1591 - J. Postel, "Domain Name System Structure and Delegation", 03/03/1994. draft-ietf-dnsind-local-names-*.txt Author's Addresses Donald E. Eastlake 3rd CyberCash, Inc. 318 Acton Street Carlisle, MA 01741 USA Telephone: +1 978 287 4877 +1 703 620-4200 (main office, Reston, VA) FAX: +1 978 371 7148 EMail: dee@cybercash.com Aliza R. Panitz AccessAbility Internet Services, Inc. 12515 Greenbriar Road Potomac, MD 20854 USA Telephone: +1 301 983-3547 FAX: +1 301 983-4899 EMail: buglady@ability.net Expiration and File Name This draft expires April 28 1998. Its file name is draft-ietf-dnsind-test-tlds-04.txt. D. Eastlake, A. Panitz [Page 5]