RFC 3172: Management Guidelines & Operational Requirements for the Address and Routing Parameter Area Domain ("arpa") | RFC Editor

Skip to content Primary navigationThe RFC SeriesFor AuthorsAbout UsHomeRFC 3172 View as: Plain Text, Compact HTML Info RFC 3172: BCP 52: Management Guidelines & Operational Requirements for the Address and Routing Parameter Area Domain ("arpa")DNSnetwork managementSeptember 2001. G. Huston, Ed.Best Current PracticeSubscribe19 subscribed Add to Set Added to 2 Sets Read aloud This RFC was updated, see RFC 9120.Network Working Group G. Huston, Editor Request for Comments: 3172 IAB BCP: 52 September 2001 Category: Best Current Practice Management Guidelines & Operational Requirements for the Address and Routing Parameter Area Domain ("arpa") Status of this Memo This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001). All Rights Reserved. Abstract This memo describes the management and operational requirements for the address and routing parameter area ("arpa") domain. The "arpa" domain is used to support a class of infrastructural identifier spaces, providing a distributed database that translates elements of a structured name space derived from a protocol family to service names. The efficient and reliable operation of this DNS space is essential to the integrity of operation of various services within the Internet. The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) has the responsibility, in cooperation with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to manage the "arpa" domain. This document describes the principles used by the IAB in undertaking this role. 1. Introduction The Domain Name System (DNS) [1] [2] is predominately used to translate a structured textual identifier into a protocol-specific value. It uses the structure embedded within a hierarchical identifier space to create a distributed database, where every node within the database corresponds to a node within the name structure. The most prevalent role of the DNS is to store a set of name to address translations, allowing a domain name to be translated to an IP address. The DNS is also used to store a number of other translations from hierarchically structured identifier spaces into target values of various types. Huston Best Current Practice [Page 1] RFC 3172 arpa Guidelines September 2001 The DNS is also capable of supporting a translation in the opposite direction, from protocol values to the names of service entities. One approach in using the DNS in this fashion has been to transform protocol values into a hierarchically structured identifier space, and then use these transformed protocol value names as a DNS lookup key into the appropriate DNS name hierarchy. A common use of this mechanism has been the reverse of the name to address lookup, allowing for an IPv4 address to be used to look up a matching domain name. For example, the IP address 128.9.160.55 can be associated with the domain name "www.iab.org." by creating the DNS entry 55.160.9.128.in-addr.arpa." and mapping this entry, via a DNS PTR record, to the value "www.iab.org.". The resolution of protocol objects into service names is used by a number of applications to associate services with a particular protocol object. The correct and efficient operation of these applications is dependent on the correct and efficient operation of the associated "arpa" domain name servers. 2. The "arpa" domain The "arpa" domain was originally established as part of the initial deployment of the DNS, to provide a transition mechanism from the Host Tables that were common in the ARPANET, as well as a home for the IPv4 reverse mapping domain. During 2000, the abbreviation was redesignated to "Address and Routing Parameter Area" in the hope of reducing confusion with the earlier network name. The Internet Architecture Board (IAB), in cooperation with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is currently responsible for managing the Top Level Domain (TLD) name "arpa". This arrangement is documented in Appendix A. This domain name provides the root of the name hierarchy of the reverse mapping of IP addresses to domain names. More generally, this domain name undertakes a role as a limited use domain for Internet infrastructure applications, by providing a name root for the mapping of particular protocol values to names of service entities. This domain name provides a name root for the mapping of protocol values into lookup keys to retrieve operationally critical protocol infrastructure data records or objects for the Internet. The IAB may add other infrastructure uses to the "arpa" domain in the future. Any such additions or changes will be in accordance with the procedures documented in Section 2.1 and Section 3 of this document. Huston Best Current Practice [Page 2] RFC 3172 arpa Guidelines September 2001 This domain is termed an "infrastructure domain", as its role is to support the operating infrastructure of the Internet. In particular, the "arpa" domain is not to be used in the same manner (e.g., for naming hosts) as other generic Top Level Domains are commonly used. The operational administration of this domain, in accordance with the provisions described in this document, shall be performed by the IANA under the terms of the MoU between the IAB and ICANN concerning the IANA [3]. 2.1 Criteria for "arpa" Sub-domains The "arpa" sub-domains are used for those protocol object sets defined as part of the Internet Standards Process [4], and are recommended to be managed as infrastructure protocol objects. Normally, the recommendation is to be made in the "IANA Considerations" section of the Internet Standard protocol specification. The recommendation should include the manner in which protocol objects are to be mapped into lookup keys, and recommendations to IANA concerning the operation of the "arpa" sub- domain in conjunction with the recommendations concerning the