Domain name registry
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2008-07-02T06:02:27Z
Versageek
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/59.95.23.182|59.95.23.182]] ([[User talk:59.95.23.182|talk]]) to last version by Wrs1864
{{Unreferenced|date=October 2007}}
A '''domain name registry''', also called '''Network Information Centre''' (NIC), is part of the [[Domain Name System]] (DNS) of the [[Internet]] which converts [[domain names]] to [[IP address]]es. It is an [[organisation]] that manages the registration of Domain names within the [[top-level domain]]s for which it is responsible, controls the policies of domain name allocation, and technically operates its top-level domain. It is potentially distinct from a [[domain name registrar]].
Domain names are managed under a hierarchy headed by the
[[Internet Assigned Numbers Authority]] (IANA), which manages the top of the DNS tree by administrating the data in the [[root nameserver]]s.
IANA also operates the [[.int]] registry for intergovernmental organisations, the [[.arpa]] zone for protocol administration purposes, and other critical zones such as [[root-servers.net]].
IANA delegates all other domain name authority to other domain name registries such as [[VeriSign]].
[[Country code top-level domains]] (ccTLD) are delegated by IANA to national registries such as [[DENIC]] in [[Germany]], or [[Nominet]] in the [[United Kingdom]].
== Operation ==
Some name registries are government departments (e.g., the registry for Sri Lanka [http://www.nic.lk www.nic.lk ]). Some are co-operatives of internet service providers (such as DENIC) or not-for profit companies (such as [[Nominet UK]]). Others operate as commercial organizations, such as the US registry ([http://www.nic.us www.nic.us]).
The allocated and assigned domain names are made available by registries by use of the [[WHOIS]] system and via their [[Domain name server]]s.
Some registries sell the names directly (like [[SWITCH Information Technology Services| SWITCH]] in [[Switzerland]]) and others rely on separate entities to sell them. For example, names in the [[.com]] TLD are in some sense sold "wholesale" at a regulated price by [[VeriSign]], and individual [[domain name registrar]] sell names "retail" to businesses and consumers.
== Policies ==
=== Allocation policies ===
Generally, domain name registries operate a [[first-come-first-served]] system of allocation but may reject the allocation of specific domains on the basis of political, religious, historical, legal or cultural reasons.
For example, in the United States, between [[1996]] and [[1998]], [[InterNIC]] automatically rejected domain name applications based on a list of perceived obscenities.
Registries may also control matters of interest to their local communities: for example, the German, Japanese and Polish registries have introduced internationalized domain names to allow use of local non-ASCII characters.
=== Dispute policies ===
Domains which are registered with [[ICANN]] registrars, generally have to use the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ([[UDRP]]), however, Germany's [[DENIC]] requires people to use the German civil courts, and [[Nominet UK]] deals with [[Intellectual Property]] and other disputes through its own dispute resolution service.
== Cost of registration ==
The cost of domain registration is set by each individual registry.
== Second-level domains ==
Domain name registries may also impose a system of [[second-level domain]]s on users.
DENIC, the registry for [[Germany]] (.de), does not impose second level domains. AFNIC, the registry for [[France]] (.fr), has some second level domains, but not all registrants have to use them, and Nominet UK, the registry for the [[United Kingdom]] (.uk), requires all names to have a second level domain.
Registrants of second-level domains sometimes act as a registry by offering sub-registrations to their registration. For example, registrations to <tt>.fami.ly<tt> are offered by the registrant of <tt>[[Domain hack|fami.ly]]</tt> and not by GPTC, the registry for [[Libya]] (.ly).
== See also ==
*[[List of Internet top-level domains]]
== External links ==
[[Category:Internet governance]]
[[Category:Domain name system]]
[[ca:Centre d'informació sobre la xarxa]]
[[de:Domain-Registrierung]]
[[es:Registro de dominios]]
[[fr:Registre (Noms de domaine)]]
[[pt:Domain name registry]]