RFC 2168 (rfc2168) - Page 1 of 20

Resolution of Uniform Resource Identifiers using the Domain Name System

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Network Working Group                                       R. Daniel
Request for Comments: 2168             Los Alamos National Laboratory
Category: Experimental                                    M. Mealling
                                              Network Solutions, Inc.
                                                            June 1997


               Resolution of Uniform Resource Identifiers
                      using the Domain Name System

Status of this Memo
===================

   This memo defines an Experimental Protocol for the Internet
   community.  This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any
   kind.  Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested.
   Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Abstract:
=========

   Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are the foundation of the World Wide
   Web, and are a vital Internet technology. However, they have proven
   to be brittle in practice. The basic problem is that URLs typically
   identify a particular path to a file on a particular host. There is
   no graceful way of changing the path or host once the URL has been
   assigned. Neither is there a graceful way of replicating the resource
   located by the URL to achieve better network utilization and/or fault
   tolerance. Uniform Resource Names (URNs) have been hypothesized as a
   adjunct to URLs that would overcome such problems. URNs and URLs are
   both instances of a broader class of identifiers known as Uniform
   Resource Identifiers (URIs).

   The requirements document for URN resolution systems[15] defines the
   concept of a "resolver discovery service". This document describes
   the first, experimental, RDS. It is implemented by a new DNS Resource
   Record, NAPTR (Naming Authority PoinTeR), that provides rules for
   mapping parts of URIs to domain names.  By changing the mapping
   rules, we can change the host that is contacted to resolve a URI.
   This will allow a more graceful handling of URLs over long time
   periods, and forms the foundation for a new proposal for Uniform
   Resource Names.









Daniel & Mealling             Experimental
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