RFC 921 (rfc921) - Page 1 of 13
Domain name system implementation schedule - revised
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group Jon Postel
Request for Comments: 921 ISI
October 1984
Updates: RFC 897, RFC 881
Domain Name System Implementation Schedule - Revised
Status of this Memo
This memo is a policy statement on the implementation of the Domain
Style Naming System in the Internet. This memo is an update of
RFC-881, and RFC-897. This is an official policy statement of the
IAB and the DARPA. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
The intent of this memo is to detail the schedule for the
implementation for the Domain Style Naming System. The explanation
of how this system works is to be found in the references.
The Current Situation
There are three aspects to the domain style naming system, (1) the
names themselves, (2) the method of translating names to addresses,
and (3) the relationship between the Internet and the rest of the
world.
Names
The names are being changed from simple names, or globally unique
strings, to structured names, where each component name is unique
only with respect to the superior component name.
Simple Names
Until recently, hosts in the DARPA research and DDN operational
communities were assigned names in a flat or global name space
of character strings. There are some limits on these names.
They must start with a letter, end with a letter or digit and
have only letters or digits or hyphen as interior characters.
Case is not significant.
For example: USC-ISIF
Hierarchical Names
Because of the growth of the Internet, structured names (or
domain style names) have been introduced. Each element of the
structured name will be a character string (with the same
constraints that previously applied to the simple names). The
Postel