Download pdf - SaudiNIC Domain Name Registration · gov.sa Government organizations com.sa Commercial entities net.sa ISPs org.sa Non-profit organizations ... days, please contact [email protected]

©A. Al-Zoman

Abdulaziz H. Al-ZomanDirector of Saudi Network Information Center (SaudiNIC)

Internet Services Unit

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

SaudiNICSaudiNICDomain Name RegistrationDomain Name Registration

©A. Al-ZomanObjective of this presentationObjective of this presentationObjective of this presentation

� Enhancing the communication

between US and YOU

� Sharing the knowledge

� Understanding SaudiNIC

procedures and regulations

� Speeding up the registration process

� Knowing one’s responsibilities

©A. Al-ZomanAgendaAgendaAgenda

� Introduction and background

� Domain Name System (DNS)

� Example of setting up a zone

� Who does the registration on the Internet?

� SaudiNIC

� Statistics

� Regulations

� Registration Procedures

� Registration System

� Summary

� Q & A

©A. Al-Zoman

Introduction and BackgroundIntroduction and Background

©A. Al-ZomanBasic Communication RequirementBasic Communication Basic Communication RequirementRequirement

Internet

198.77.88.4

212.26.18.4

I want to access SaudiNIC web site:

www.www.saudinicsaudinic.net..net.sasa

www.www.saudinicsaudinic.net..net.sasa

©A. Al-ZomanWhat is naming and why?What is naming and why?

� Naming is the mechanism to

bind names to IP addresses

and vice versa.

� People don’t like to remember

numbers

proxy.isu.net.sa is easier to

remember than 212.26.18.10

� Domain names are easier for

most people to relate to than a

numeric IP address

� System administrators

sometimes need to change IP

numbers

198.7

7.88.2

198.7

7.88.2

201.23.67.8201.23.67.8

202.3

1.10.5

202.3

1.10.5

112.98.56.3

112.98.56.3

36.98.66.9

36.98.66.9

89.119.20.36

89.119.20.36

110.78.33.2

110.78.33.2

65.23

.12.91

65.23

.12.91www.saudinic.net.sa

©A. Al-ZomanWhat is a domain name?What is a domain name?

� It uniquely identifies a host on the Internet

� It simplifies the interaction with hosts on the Internet

� A domain name is mapped to its corresponding IP

address before interactions

� Domain names are organized on hierarchical

structure. e.g.,

computer .department.organization .type .country

pc7.scrs.kacst.edu.sa

©A. Al-Zoman

SLDSLD

TLDTLD

eduedu comcom govgovyahooyahoo mitmit

Hierarchical name treeHierarchical name tree

kacstkacst ksuksu

alpha sun2000

coxcox coycoy

foo

alpha.kacst.edu.sa foo.cox.com.sa

ftp

ftp.mit.edu

.

sasaegegukukedueducomcom . . .. . .

©A. Al-ZomanTop-Level DomainsTopTop--Level DomainsLevel Domains

� Open generic Top-Level

Domains (gTLD):

� .com

� .org

� .net

� Restricted generic Top-

Level Domains (gTLD):

� .mil

� .edu

� .gov

� .int

� Country ccTLD (2 letters):

� There are ~ 243 ccTLD:

� .ae United Arab Emirates

� .au Australia

� .bh Bahrain

� .kw Kuwait

� .de Germany

� .eg Egypt

� .in India

� .pk Pakistan

� .sa Saudi Arabia

� .uk United Kingdom

� .za South Africa

� …

©A. Al-Zoman

Domain Name SystemDomain Name System

©A. Al-ZomanWhat is a domain name system?What is a domain name system?What is a domain name system?

� DNS developed to keep track of hostnames and IP

addresses throughout the Internet

� It consists of distributed, independent, and

cooperative systems, called domain name serversdomain name servers

� These servers are arranged corresponding to the

naming hierarchy (i.e., based on domain name tree)

� Each DNS server maintains the data for a small part

of the tree

� Therefore, the DNS is distributed databases on many

domain name servers

©A. Al-ZomanDNS: Distributed and HierarchicalDNS: DNS: Distributed and HierarchicalDistributed and Hierarchical

� There is NO single file for all domain names but

rather distributed databases on DNS servers

� Domain name registration is not centralized but

rather distributed to many organizations

� This hierarchical manner allows for

� decentralized administration of name-to-address mapping

� delegation of responsibility and autonomy of each area

� Example:

� Administrator of sharikah.com.sa can change their zone

(e.g., adding a jeddah-branch.sharikah.com.sa zone)

without bothering com.sa administrator (SaudiNIC)

©A. Al-ZomanType of DNS ServersType of DNS Servers

� Primary server.

� Gets its data from “zone files”

� Zone files are updated on the primary server

� Secondary server.

� Copies zone-data from primary name-server

� Provides backup and load sharing

� Refreshes frequently

©A. Al-Zoman

ExampleExampleSetting up A Zone File Setting up A Zone File On A Primary DNS ServerOn A Primary DNS Server

sharikahsharikah.com..com.sasa

©A. Al-ZomanExample: sharikah.com.saExample: Example: sharikahsharikah.com..com.sasa

� A company would like to register a domain name

� Check SaudiNIC whois database:

– http://www.saudinic.net.sa/domain/whois.htm

� Contact a local ISP (isp.net.sa) to do, for example:

– Domain name hosting (zone file configuration)

– Mail services (mail relay configuration)

� The ISP is using the following DNS servers:

– Primary DNS: ns.isp.net.sa

– Secondary DNS: ns2.isp.net.sa

– Secondary DNS: ns1.usa-isp.com

� and the following Mail servers

– Mail server: mail.isp.net.sa

– Backup mail server: netserv.isp.net.sa

©A. Al-ZomanTerminologyTerminologyTerminology

� Zone: is the area (domain) of the DNS for which a server

is responsible

� Zone file: is a text file consist of records (lines) with a specific

format containing the zone information (e.g., DNS

servers, table of IP addresses-host names, …)

� SOA (Start Of Authority) record: contains the information that

other name servers will learn about this domain

(e.g., who is the primary DNS, how frequent a

secondary should refresh its files, how long the

data should be cached, ...)

� NS record: denotes the name servers that are authoritative for

this zone

� MX record: specifies where to send email destined for the

corresponding machine or domain

©A. Al-ZomanPrimary DNS Configuration FilePrimary DNS Configuration File

…

primary sharikah.com.sa db.sharikah

…

//etc/named.bootetc/named.boot

First Step: First Step: Instruct the DNS server to be a primary server for Instruct the DNS server to be a primary server for

sharikahsharikah.com..com.sasa

…

zone “sharikah.com.sa” {

type master;

file ”db.sharikah";

};

…

//etc/named.etc/named.confconf

©A. Al-ZomanThe complete zone for: The complete zone for: dbdb..sharikahsharikah

; Nameservers

IN NS ns.isp.net.sa.

IN NS ns2.isp.net.sa.

IN NS ns1.isp-usa.com.

; host-address table

www IN A 192.168.10.1

info IN A 192.168.10.2

; Mail

IN MX 10 mail.isp.net.sa.

IN MX 20 netserv.isp.net.sa.

@ IN SOA ns.isp.net.sa hostmaster.isp.net.sa

( 99060201; Serial Number

28800 ; Refresh 8 hours

7200 ; Retry 2 hours

604800 ; Expire 7 days

86400 ; TTL 1 days )

©A. Al-ZomanSetting up a zone file for: Setting up a zone file for: dbdb..sharikahsharikah

@ IN SOA ns.isp.net.sa hostmaster.isp.net.sa

( 99060201; Serial Number

28800 ; Refresh 8 hours

7200 ; Retry 2 hours

604800 ; Expire 7 days

86400 ; TTL 1 days )

� Start Of Authority (SOA) sets `zone parameters':

� Caches refresh parameters

� Secondary DNS servers refresh parameters

� Zone serial number

� email: [email protected]

� primary: ns.isp.net.sa


;Primary and secondary nameservers:

IN NS ns.isp.net.sa.

IN NS ns2.isp.net.sa.

IN NS ns1.isp-usa.com.

� NS records list DNS servers for the zone

� the primary server as well as secondary servers


; Mail

IN MX 10 mail.isp.net.sa.

IN MX 20 netserv.isp.net.sa.

� MX-record lists where mail is delivered

� The mail will be delivered first to the one with the lowest

precedence number

� Others are backup in case of delivery problems


; host-address table

www IN A 192.168.10.1

info IN A 192.168.10.2

� “A” records map names to IP addresses

©A. Al-Zoman

Domain Name Registration Domain Name Registration On The InternetOn The Internet

©A. Al-ZomanWho does the registration on the Internet?Who does the registration on the Who does the registration on the Internet?Internet?

� Top-Level Domains are the responsibility of IANA– Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

– Network Solutions Inc - InterNIC

� generic: gTLD (e.g., .com, .net, .org)

� country code: ccTLD (e.g., .sa, …)

– Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

� For each ccTLD there is an entity that administers

the domain name registration: – Define the sub-domains (STD)

– Setup registration policy

– Control the registration under STD.

– Make sure that names do not conflict and are appropriate

©A. Al-ZomanWho does the registration under Who does the registration under sasa--TLD?TLD?

� KACST- Saudi Network Information Center

(SaudiNIC)- since 1995.

� Managing Saudi domain name registration:

� edu.sa Academic institutes (e.g. Universities)

� gov.sa Government organizations

� com.sa Commercial entities

� net.sa ISPs

� org.sa Non-profit organizations

� med.sa Medical institutes (e.g., hospitals, clinics)

� sch.sa Schools (e.g., high schools, kindergarten)

� pub.sa For public - anything does not fit the above

©A. Al-Zoman

SaudiNIC SaudiNIC Domain Name Registration Domain Name Registration

StatisticsStatistics

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC StatisticsSaudiNIC StatisticsSaudiNIC Statistics

Registered domains per year

1 827

213

615

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

Total: 864


Registered domains in 1999

35

81

124

10096

129

50

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1999


Registered domains per category

730

46 34 299 7 9

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

com org net gov edu med sch

©A. Al-Zoman

SaudiNICSaudiNICDomain Name Registration Domain Name Registration

RegulationRegulation

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC - RegulationGeneral:SaudiNIC SaudiNIC -- RegulationRegulationGeneral:General:

� Registration will continue as is until 14 Shawal 1420

� First come first served

� Based on legal documents (Commercial registration, trade

mark, …)

� Obvious derivation of the official name, trademark, or

activity

– English translation, transliteration, or abbreviation

� Starting 15 Shawal 1420 H, SaudiNIC will follow

� strictly first come first served.

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC - RegulationGeneral:SaudiNIC SaudiNIC -- RegulationRegulationGeneralGeneral::

� Generic names (e.g., www, internet) and famous

people will not be registered under any domain

� Domain names are NOT for sale!

� Registering a domain name does not confer any

legal rights to that name

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC - RegulationApplicant:SaudiNIC SaudiNIC -- RegulationRegulationApplicant:Applicant:

� The Applicant must be:– physically in KSA,

– belong to an entity registered in KSA, or

– belong to an entity that provides goods or services in KSA.

� Domain contacts:– Administrative contact must be located in KSA and from the entity requesting the domain name

– Technical contact should be the one who are looking after the primary DNS server

� The Applicant agrees that:– information submitted is true

– domain name does not violate the right of a third-party

– it will not be used for any activity not permitted in KSA

– will inform SaudiNIC for any changes in the information

– will not register domain names for the purpose of selling them

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC - RegulationRequirements:SaudiNIC SaudiNIC -- RegulationRegulationRequirements:Requirements:

� A domain name application form

� A letter requesting the domain name registration– It must be on an official letterhead from the owner

� Legal documents (CR, TM, License, …)

� At least two operational DNS servers hosting the

domain name in question

� Applications are kept in a pending state– for three weeks until required documents are received

– then a warning message is sent

– if nothing is received within a week, SaudiNIC will reject the

request

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC - RegulationDomain name format:SaudiNIC SaudiNIC -- RegulationRegulationDomain name format:Domain name format:

� A domain name is not case sensitive

� A domain name should be

� at least 3 and no more than 24 alphanumeric characters

� using the following characters: "A" - "Z", "0" - "9", and "-"

� The first character should be a letter (A-Z)

©A. Al-Zoman

SaudiNICSaudiNICDomain Name Registration Domain Name Registration

ProcedureProcedure

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureCustomer (Five Steps)SaudiNIC Registration ProcedureSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureCustomer (Five Steps)Customer (Five Steps)

1. Check the availability of the domain name– SaudiNIC whois database:

http://www.saudinic.net.sa/domain/whois.htm

2. Configure at least two DNS servers – One is a primary DNS; others are secondaries

– should be active and responsive to DNS queries BEFORE this

application is submitted.

– It is strongly recommended that the secondary name server(s) be

on a completely separate physical network

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureCustomerSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureCustomerCustomer

� 3. Fill the form and send it to SaudiNIC– Online: http://www.saudinic.net.sa/domain/app-online.htm

– Text: http://www.isu.saudinic.sa/domain/app-text.htm

– Fax: + 966 1 481 3254

– Email: [email protected]

� 4. Mail or fax the following documents (customer):– a letter (on an official letterhead) requesting the domain name

– Legal documents (e.g., Commercial registration, Trade mark,

Membership of Chamber of Commerce, License, etc.)

� 5. Follow up the registration– check your email

– check SaudiNIC whois: http://www.saudinic.net.sa/domain/whois.htm

– if you have not received anything from SaudiNIC within 2 working

days, please contact [email protected]

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternalSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternalInternal

Check

documentsrequest

Rejection

Time (3-4 w)

problem

Pending

List

Inform The

Customer

correction

OKCheck

DNS

Servers

Pending

List

Inform The

Customer

problem

DNSs

are ready

Done!

Inform The

Customer

OK

Rejection

Time (3-4 w)

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternal - Step OneSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternal Internal -- Step OneStep One

� Receiving and Checking the Request

� User support + Helpdesk

� Receiving requests: email, fax, postal/hand, Web

� Inserting the new request into the SaudiNIC database

� Check the request:

– domain name availability

– completeness of required documents

– validity of the request

� Contact ISP/customer for any missing information or

problems

– a warning message will be sent after 3 weeks if no response is

received

– The request will be rejected if nothing is received within a week

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternal - Step TwoSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternal Internal -- Step TwoStep Two

� Checking DNS servers

� At lease two DNS servers (Primary + Secondary)

� Accessible through the Internet

� Hosting the new domain name

� Contacting ISP/Customer for any problems

� Updating database

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternal - Step ThreeSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureSaudiNIC Registration ProcedureInternal Internal -- Step ThreeStep Three

� Registration

� Adding the domain name to our zone file

� Updating the database

� Informing the ISP/Customer

©A. Al-ZomanSaudiNIC Registration SystemWhat has been done?SaudiNIC Registration SystemSaudiNIC Registration SystemWhat has been done?What has been done?

� Database

� Online information

� web site: www.saudinic.net.sa

� online forms (text, web)

� domain lookup (whois)

� Tracking system

� documents (FAQs, how-to, RFCs, Regulation)

� Automation

� Internal procedure

� Registration

� DNS server checking

©A. Al-ZomanSummarySummarySummary

� SaudiNIC will

� manage domain name

registration under .sa TLD

� Insure proper operation of

DNS

� delegate responsibilities to

ISPs to manage customer

domains

� support ISPs

� SaudiNIC can not

� delegate domain names not

under .sa

� An ISP should

� be familiar with SaudiNIC

procedures and requirements

� cooperate with SaudiNIC to

help the customers

� represent customers for

registering domain names

� manage zone files of

delegated zones

� provide help and support to

customers

� An ISP should not

� be the owner of domains

� add more delay to the process

©A. Al-ZomanThat’s not all, I’d like to thankThatThat’’s not all, Is not all, I’’d like to thankd like to thank

� Dr. Ibrahim Al-Furaih

� Raed Al-Fayez

� Sami Al-Moghrabi

� Wael Al-Ghamdi

©A. Al-Zoman

Thanks for attending Thanks for attending andand

good lock in your businessesgood lock in your businesses

Abdulaziz H. Al-Zoman

Please do not forget to fill the survey and give it back to usPlease do not forget to fill the survey and give it back to us