V. PROPOSED REGISTRY SERVICES

C25. Describe each Registry Service (as defined in subsection 1.16 of the model .org Registry Agreement) that you propose to provide for a fee. For an example of a description of this type, see <http://www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/name/registry-agmt-appc-1-03jul01.htm>.

The model .org Registry Agreement defines "Registry Services" as “services provided as an integral part of the operation of the Registry TLD, including all sub-domains. . . . In determining whether a service is integral to the operation of the Registry TLD, consideration will be given to the extent to which the Registry Operator has been materially advantaged in providing the service by its designation as such under this Agreement. The development of technology, expertise, systems, efficient operations, reputation (including identification as Registry Operator), financial strength, or relationships with registrars and third parties shall not be deemed an advantage arising from the designation. Registry Services include: receipt of data concerning registration of domain names and nameservers from registrars, provision to registrars of status information relating to the Registry TLD, dissemination of TLD zone files, operation of the Registry TLD zone servers, dissemination of contact and other information concerning domain-name and nameserver registrations in the Registry TLD, and such other services required by ICANN [through the consensus policy process].” 

For the basic fee described in C26, the DotOrg Foundation proposes to provide all of the services defined as “Registry Services” as well as certain additional services that are covered by the Registry Agreement.

A. Registry Services

DotOrg Foundation will provide an essential set of services in conjunction with the basic registration fee.  These include receipt of data concerning registrations of domain names and nameservers from registrars; provision to registrars of status information relating to .org; dissemination of TLD zone files; operation of the .org zone servers; and dissemination of contact and other information concerning domain name and name server registrations in the TLD.  These services are provided by the SRS, Whois, and DNS subsystems.

Shared Registry System

The SRS allows registrars to obtain information relating to the status of names within the .org TLD, to perform the registration of new domain names; to modify, delete, or renew existing registrations; and to initiate the transfer of a domain name from another registrar.  Registry Advantage will provide the SRS service from its primary location in New York as well as from its secondary location that it plans in Asia.  The SRS is described in detail in Question C17.2 of this proposal.

DNS

Registry Advantage will operate a global constellation of eight name servers to provide domain name resolution services.  Zone data for the .org TLD will be automatically distributed to satellite name server locations on a near real time basis.  The zone generation and distribution process is described in detail in Questions C17.4 and C17.5.

Whois – Registry Advantage will operate Whois servers at its primary location in New York as well as at its secondary site.  The Whois servers provide a publicly available lookup service that allows any Internet user to obtain contact and other information concerning domain name and name server registrations within the .org TLD.  The Whois service is described in detail in Question C17.8.

Registry Operations

In order to support these fundamental registry services, Registry Advantage will provide a robust registry operation, including the following elements:

• Data center operations – Registry Advantage will house all registry operations within secure data centers with a robust physical plant.
• Database development and maintenance – A highly available database constellation with hardware at both the primary and secondary locations will ensure the ability to continuously update registration data.  Registry Advantage will also develop the schema and related database packages needed to support the registry’s operation.
• System backups and secondary systems - In addition to providing unparalleled levels of system and data security, Registry Advantage will encourage the adoption of new security measures for the entire Internet community, such as DNS security extensions.
• High Availability - Registry Advantage digital security system will provide highly redundant services, including operational facilities for core registry functions on two continents. Extensive backups and data escrow further guarantee the availability of registry information.
• System Security – All registry operations will be provided with significant attention to security.
• Network Operations – Registry Advantage will maintain redundant connections to the Internet at its primary location, and will make use of advanced network management techniques throughout its infrastructure to provide high availability and performance.

B. Bulk Whois Access

In addition to the publicly available Whois information, the .org registry will provide bulk access to a limited subset of this information to individuals or organizations that agree to specific terms of use, as provided in the ICANN gTLD registry agreement section 3.10.  These entities will be provided with unique username and password combinations to authorize their access to the data.

Bulk Whois data will be made available via either FTP or HTTP.  The distribution servers will be operated at the primary location in New York.

C. Zone File Access

In a similar manner to bulk Whois data, .org zone data in its entirety will be made available to those individuals or organizations that agree to specific terms of use.  Access to this zone data will also be controlled by the use of user names and passwords.  Distribution of the data will be made via FTP or HTTP servers located at the primary site in New York.