This hefty new book is the first comprehensive text on the domain name system (DNS) which underlies all interaction on the World Wide Web. In their 645 pages, the authors describe the technical protocols of the hierarchical system and procedures for registering a name in the popular .COM top level domain. But there is much more to the story. Every domain name must be unique, and the authors devote four chapters to the confusion, collisions, and case law that are emerging in cyberspace. More than four dozen domain name disputes are profiled in detail.
The Domain Name Handbook is both a primer and an historical archive. It examines private sector initiatives for expanding the Internet name space. The authors conclude with the recent U.S. Department of Commerce public inquiry into the administration and maintenance of domain names and their own analysis of the future of the DNS. Extensively referenced, The Domain Name Handbook contains more than 900 citations and a 23-page glossary of Internet terms and organizations.
A CD-ROM loaded with DNS resource documents is bound with the book. It provides the registration templates and domain dispute policies of Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI) and the American Registry of Internet Names (ARIN). The appendices on the CD-ROM also include a complete listing of the international trademark classes, ISO-3166 country codes, domain name server files, an InterNIK fable and public response to the U.S. government's recent Green Paper. The authors have provided selected Request for Comments documents to track the evolutionary development of the domain name system.
This is a timely book, too, as the U.S. government is in the process of transitioning its oversight from Internet governance to the private sector. News from the DNS front appears weekly in the online press, so the authors have developed a a website at http://www.domainhandbook.com to keep readers informed about changing policies, meetings, initiatives, and current name disputes. The extensively-linked site also posts the complete table of contents, figures and tables, author background, and contact information.
"Already millions of companies, organizations, associations, and individuals have established an online presence. Eventually, millions more will want their own cybersite, and each will require a distinct identifier. Name confrontations are inevitable," Ellen Rony explains. "Our book describes naming strategies for the coming of age in Internet DNS management."
The Domain Name Handbook and CD-ROM retails for $39.95. It may be ordered online through major booksellers, including AMAZON.COM or directly from the publisher. R&D Books is an imprint of Miller Freeman, Inc., and is located in Lawrence, Kansas.
