RFC 1835 (rfc1835) - Page 1 of 41
Architecture of the WHOIS++ service
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group P. Deutsch
Request for Comments: 1835 BUNYIP INFORMATION SYSTEMS, Inc.
Category: Standards Track R. Schoultz
KTHNOC
P. Faltstrom
BUNYIP INFORMATION SYSTEMS, Inc.
C. Weider
BUNYIP INFORMATION SYSTEMS, Inc.
August 1995
Architecture of the WHOIS++ service
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
This document describes WHOIS++, an extension to the trivial WHOIS
service described in RFC 954 to permit WHOIS-like servers to make
available more structured information to the Internet. We describe
an extension to the simple WHOIS data model and query protocol and a
companion extensible, distributed indexing service. A number of
options have also been added such as the use of multiple languages
and character sets, more advanced search expressions, structured data
and a number of other useful features. An optional authentication
mechanism for protecting all or part of the associated WHOIS++
information database from unauthorized access is also described.
Table of Contents
Part I - WHOIS++ Overview ................................. 3
1.1. Purpose and Motivation .............................. 3
1.2. Basic Information Model ............................. 4
1.2.1. Changes to the current WHOIS Model ................ 5
1.2.2. Registering WHOIS++ servers ....................... 5
1.2.3. The WHOIS++ Search Selection Mechanism ............ 7
1.2.4. The WHOIS++ Architecture .......................... 7
1.3. Indexing in WHOIS++ ................................. 8
1.4. Getting Help ........................................ 9
1.4.1. Minimum HELP Required ............................. 9
1.5. Options and Constraints ............................. 10
1.6. Formatting Responses ................................ 10
Deutsch, et al Standards Track