Extensible Provisioning Protocol - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) is a flexible protocol designed for allocating objects within registries over the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

.

The motivation for the creation of EPP was to create a robust and flexible protocol that could provide communication between domain name registries

Domain name registry

A domain name registry is a database of all domain names registered in a top-level domain. A registry operator, also called a network information center , is the part of the Domain Name System of the Internet that keeps the database of domain names, and generates the zone files which convert...

and domain name registrar

Domain name registrar

A domain name registrar is an organization or commercial entity, accredited by both ICANN and generic top-level domain registry to sell gTLDs and/or by a country code top-level domain registry to sell ccTLDs; to manage the reservation of Internet domain names in accordance with the guidelines of...

s. These transactions are required whenever a domain name

Domain name

A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....

is registered or renewed, thereby also preventing Domain hijacking

Domain hijacking

Domain hijacking or domain theft is the act of changing the registration of a domain name without the permission of its original registrant....

. Prior to its introduction, registries had no uniform approach, and many different proprietary interfaces existed.

While its use for domain names was the initial driver, the protocol is designed to be usable for any kind of ordering and fulfilment system.

The EPP protocol is based on XML

XML

Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....

- a structured, text-based format. The underlying network transport is not fixed, although the only currently specified method is over TCP

Transmission Control Protocol

The Transmission Control Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is one of the two original components of the suite, complementing the Internet Protocol , and therefore the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP...

. The protocol has been designed with the flexibility to allow it to use other transports such as BEEP

BEEP

In computer networking, BEEP is a framework for creating network application protocols. It includes an application protocol kernel for connection-oriented asynchronous interactions, and can be used both for binary and text messages within the context of a single application user identity.BEEP is...

, SMTP, or SOAP

SOAP

SOAP, originally defined as Simple Object Access Protocol, is a protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of Web Services in computer networks...

.

The protocol is the result of the IETF Provisioning Registry (provreg) working group

Working group

A working group is an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers working on new research activities that would be difficult to develop under traditional funding mechanisms . The lifespan of the WG can last anywhere between a few months and several years...

, and was finalized in 2004. In August 2009 IETF granted EPP the status of full standard, STD 69.

Adoption

The protocol has been adopted by a number of domain name registries, such as: .ke

.ke

.ke is the Internet country code top-level domain for Kenya.Second-level domains, under which domains are registered at the third level, are:* .co.ke - for Companies* .or.ke - for Not-for-Profit-Making Organisations or NGO's...

, .ac

.ac

.ac is the Internet country code top-level domain for Ascension Island. It is administered by NIC.AC, a subsidiary of the Internet Computer Bureau based in the United Kingdom.Registration for this domain is open to anyone...

, .aero

.aero

.aero is a generic top-level domain used in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is the first sponsored top-level domain based on a single industrial theme. The aero domain is reserved for companies, organizations, associations, government agencies, and individuals in aviation-related...

, .ag

.ag

.ag is the Internet country code top-level domain for Antigua and Barbuda.- Second and third level registrations :Registrations can be made at the second level directly beneath .ag, or at the third level beneath .com.ag, .org.ag, .net.ag, .co.ag, or .nom.ag...

, .asia

.asia

.asia is a sponsored top-level domain sponsored by the DotAsia Organization, with the back-end registry operated by Afilias. It was approved by ICANN on 19 October 2006 as a sponsored TLD...

, .at

.at

.at is the Internet country code top-level domain for Austria. It is administered by .The .at top-level domain has a number of second-level domains...

, .au

.au

.au is the Internet country code top-level domain for Australia.-History:The domain name was originally allocated by Jon Postel, operator of IANA to Kevin Robert Elz of Melbourne University in 1986. After an approximately five year process in the 1990s, the Internet industry created a self...

, .be

.be

.be is the Internet country code top-level domain for Belgium. The domain became active in 1989 and was administrated by Pierre Verbaeten of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 2000, the control of the TLD was transferred to DNS Belgium...

, .biz

.biz

biz is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is intended for registration of domains to be used by businesses...

, .br

.br

.br is the Internet country code top-level domain for Brazil. It was administered by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee until 2005 when it started being administered by Brazilian Network Information Center . A local contact is required for any registration...

, .bz

.bz

.bz is the Internet country code top-level domain for Belize. It is administered by the University of Belize.At one point, .bz domains were being marketed by an American company as standing for "business", and that company took legal action against ICANN in an attempt to block the .biz domain as...

, .ca

.ca

.ca is the Internet country code top-level domain for Canada. The domain name registry that operates it is the Canadian Internet Registration Authority . Registrants of .ca domains must meet the Canadian Presence Requirements as defined by the registry...

, .cat

.cat

.cat is a sponsored top-level domain intended to be used to highlight the Catalan language and culture. Its policy has been developed by ICANN and Fundació puntCAT...

, .cc

.cc

.cc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Cocos Islands, an Australian territory. It is administered by VeriSign through a subsidiary company eNIC, which promotes it for international registration as "the next .com"; .cc was originally assigned in October 1997 to eNIC Corporation of...

, .ch

.ch

.ch is the Internet country code top-level domain for Switzerland. It is administered by SWITCH Information Technology Services.The ".ch" domain does not come from the name for Switzerland in any of its national languages; "die Schweiz", "Suisse", "Svizzera" or "Svizra"...

, .cl

.cl

.cl is the Internet country code top-level domain for Chile, and the Easter Islands. It is administered by the University of Chile. Registration of second-level domains under this TLD is open to anyone, however, foreign registrants must provide a domestic contact with a RUT, the Chilean national...

, .cn

.cn

.cn is the country code top-level domain for mainland China.The domain name administration in People's Republic of China is done through a branch of the Ministry of Information Industry. This ministry oversees everything from telecommunications to broadcasting similar to the Federal Communications...

, .co

.co

.co is the country code top-level domain assigned to the Republic of Colombia. It is administered by .CO Internet S.A.S., a strategic venture formed between Arcelandia S.A. and Neustar, Inc...

, .cz

.cz

.cz is the country code top-level domain for the Czech Republic. It is administered by CZ.NIC. Registrations must be ordered via accredited domain name registrars.Before the split in 1993 former Czechoslovakia used domain .cs....

, .com

.com

The domain name com is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations...

, .coop

.coop

The domain coop is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is intended for the use of cooperatives, wholly owned subsidiaries, and other organizations that exist to promote or support co-operatives....

, .cx

.cx

.cx is the country code top-level domain for Christmas Island. It is administered by Christmas Island Internet Administration , a community-owned non-profit company which also provides Internet service to the island's residents....

, .cz

.cz

, .es

.es

.es is the country code top-level domain for Spain. It is administered by the Network Information Center of Spain.Registrations are permitted at the second level or at the third level beneath various generic second level categories. Some qualifications and restrictions apply to third-level...

(over HTTPS), .eu

.eu

.eu is the country code top-level domain for the European Union . Launched 7 December 2005, the domain is available for organisations in and residents of EU member states. The TLD is administered by EURid, a consortium consisting of the national ccTLD registry operators of Belgium, Sweden, Italy...

, .fm

.fm

.fm is the country code top-level domain for the Federated States of Micronesia, a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean.Except for reserved names like .com.fm, .net.fm, .org.fm and others, any person in the world can register a .fm domain for a fee, much of the income from which goes to...

, .fr

.fr

.fr is the country code top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet for France. Along with .re and .tf, it is administered by AFNIC.The .fr top-level domain is divided into a number of second-level domains:...

, .gr

.gr

.gr is the country code top-level domain for Greece. Registrations are processed via accredited registrars and domain names in Greek characters may also be registered.-Second level domains:There are eight official second level domains:...

(over HTTPS), .gs

.gs

.gs is the Internet country code top-level domain for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands..gs is a member of CoCCA, a group of country-code domains making use of common registry and dispute resolution services, along with .af, .cx, .nf, .ki, .tl, .mn, .dm, and .mu..gs is a common domain...

, .hn

.hn

.hn is the Internet country code top-level domain for Honduras.-Second-Level Domain Names:* .net.hn* .org.hn* .edu.hn* .gob.hn* .com.hn-External links:* *...

, .ht

.ht

.ht is the Internet country code top-level domain for Haiti.-External links:* *...

, .im

.im

.im is the Internet country code top-level domain for the Isle of Man. It is administered by the Government of the Isle of Man and managed on a day to day basis by Domicilium, an offshore Internet Service Provider based on the Isle of Man....

, .in

.in

.in is the Internet country code top-level domain for India. The domain is operated by INRegistry under the authority of NIXI, the National Internet Exchange of India. INRegistry was appointed by the government of India....

, .info

.info

The domain name info is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet, The name is derived from information indicating that the domain is intended for informative Internet resources, although registration requirements do not prescribe any theme orientation.The info TLD was...

, .io

.io

.io is the Internet country code top-level domain for the British Indian Ocean Territory.Internationalized domain names may also be registered ....

, .it

.it

.it is the Internet country code top-level domain for Italy.Because it is also the English word it, and many words end with -it, this can commonly used in the construction of domain hacks, such as play.it , write.it or swimsu.it.There are a number of reserved second-level domain names, for...

(over HTTPS), .jobs

.jobs

The domain name jobs is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Indicated by its name, the domain is restricted to employment-related sites....

, .ki

.ki

.ki is the Internet country code top-level domain for Kiribati.From the early 1990s to the early 2000s the domain was managed on behalf of the Republic of Kiribati by an Australian ISP, Connect.com.au with the Forum Fisheries Agency, based in Honiara, Solomon Islands as original sponsor, then...

, .kz

.kz

.kz is the Internet country code top-level domain for Kazakhstan.Registrations can be made directly at the second level or at the third level beneath categories which have specific restrictions, and are generally limited to Kazakhstan-related entities.- Second-level domains :* .com.kz -...

, .la

.la

.la is the Internet country code top-level domain for Laos.- History :The LA Names Corporation, based in Guernsey, has gained the rights to market .la registrations, and they had used the registry services of Afilias and, formerly, the registrar services of DreamHost. However, DreamHost has...

, .lc

.lc

.lc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Saint Lucia. Any entity may register domain names under .lc once guidelines are met.-External links:* *...

, .li

.li

.li is the Internet country code top-level domain for Liechtenstein. It was created in 1993. The domain is sponsored and administered by the Hochschule Liechtenstein in Vaduz, but domain names with the extension can also be registered with SWITCH, administrator of Switzerland's .ch ccTLD...

, .lt

.lt

.lt is the Internet country code top-level domain for Lithuania.-External links:* *...

, .lu

.lu

.lu is the Internet country code top-level domain for Luxembourg. .lu domains are administered by Restena. Since February 1, 2010, the administrative contact no longer needs to be based in Luxembourg....

, .me

.me

.me is the Internet country code top-level domain for Montenegro.The .me top level domain replaced the .yu domain previously used by Serbia and Montenegro....

, .mn

.mn

.mn is the Internet country code top-level domain for Mongolia. It is administered by .MN, Registry, Datacom.The domain name is composed of the consonants in the first syllable of the country name. The .MN registry is operated under the Thick Registry model. Administrative, Billing, Technical and...

, .mobi

.mobi

The domain name mobi is a top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from the adjective mobile, indicating its use by mobile devices for accessing Internet resources via the Mobile Web....

, .ms

.ms

.ms is the Internet country code top-level domain for Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory. Microsoft has used this as an abbreviation with projects such as . Web sites based in, or having to do with, the U.S. State of Mississippi also use the .ms domain as MS is the official United States...

, .mu

.mu

.mu is the Internet country code top-level domain for Mauritius. It is administered by the Mauritius Network Information Centre and registrations are processed via accredited registrars. Some registrars market it as the .music and .museum TLD....

, .mx

.mx

.mx is the Internet country code top-level domain for Mexico, which recently has been re-opened to new registrations by NIC México. In 2009, The .mx ccTLD will be rolled out in 3 steps:...

, .na

.na

.na is the Internet country code top-level domain for Namibia. Registry/Registrar Separation has been implemented, with Namibian and Foreign Registrars being accredited...

, .name

.name

The domain name "name" is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is intended for use by individuals for representation of their personal names, nicknames, screen names, pseudonyms, or other types of identification labels....

, .net

.net

The domain name net is a generic top-level domain used in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from network, indicating its originally intended purpose for organizations involved in networking technologies, such as Internet service providers and other infrastructure companies...

, .nf

.nf

.nf is the Internet country code top-level domain for Norfolk Island. While there is no rule requiring a local presence to register domains in this TLD, the pricing is significantly higher than most other domains, which has discouraged its use...

, .ng

.ng

.ng is the Internet country code top-level domain for Nigeria.On May 13, 2009, IANA completed the process of re-delegation of the .ng domain name from temporary authorities to the current Nigerian ones. For many years, Randy Bush has been the Technical contact of the .ng domain name...

, .nl

.nl

.nl is the Internet country code top-level domain for the Netherlands. Registrations are processed via a network of participants. It is one of the more popular ccTLDs, ranked 3rd in the quarterly VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief of May 2011 for the first quarter of 2011, after .de and .uk.It...

, .no

.no

.no is the Internet country code top-level domain for Norway. Registrations are processed via accredited registrars and internationalized domain names may also be registered ....

, .nu

.nu

.nu is the Internet country code top-level domain assigned to the island state of Niue. It was one of the first ccTLDs to be marketed to the Internet at large as an alternative to the gTLDs .com, .net, and .org...

, .nz

.nz

.nz is the Internet country code top-level domain for New Zealand. It is administered by InternetNZ through its subsidiary, NZ Registry Services, with oversight and dispute resolution handled by the Domain Name Commission Ltd. Registrations are processed via authorised registrars...

(currently in testing), .org

.org

The domain name org is a generic top-level domain of the Domain Name System used in the Internet. The name is derived from organization....

, .pl

.pl

.pl is the Internet country code top-level domain for Poland, administered by NASK, Polish research and development organization. It is one of the founding members of CENTR.- History :...

(over HTTPS), .pro

.pro

The domain name pro is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from professional, indicating its intended use by qualified professionals.-History:...

, .pt

.pt

.pt is the Internet country code top-level domain for Portugal and is managed by the Fundação para a Computação Científica Nacional .It has the following second-level domains:* .com.pt: no restrictions; online registration* .edu.pt: education...

, .ru

.ru

.ru is the Latin alphabet Internet country code top-level domain for the Russian Federation introduced on April 7, 1994. The Russian alphabet internationalized country code is .рф....

, .sc

.sc

.sc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Seychelles.The TLD was marketed to businesses in Scotland and South Carolina, however, the domains are subject to Seychelles registry rules...

, .se

.se

.se is the Internet country code top-level domain for Sweden . The top domain is operated by .SE , but domains must be registered through one of the approved registrars. .SE is a foundation and is managed on the basis of its charter of foundation and its statutes...

, .sh

.sh

.sh is the Internet country code top-level domain for Saint Helena. Registrations of internationalized domain names are also accepted.-Second level domains:There are seven Second Level Domains:* co.sh: Commercial Entities...

, .si

.si

.si is the Internet country code top-level domain for Slovenia. It is administered by the ARNES, the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia. The registry has reached 80,000 domain names on 19. May 2010-External links:* * *...

, .su

.su

.su was assigned as the country code top-level domain for the Soviet Union on September 19, 1990. It remains in use today, even though the Soviet Union itself no longer exists, and is administered by the Russian Institute for Public Networks .In 2001, the managers of the domain stated that they...

, .tel

.tel

The domain name .tel is a top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It was approved by ICANN as a sponsored top-level domain, and is operated by Telnic...

, .tl

.tl

.tl is the current country code top-level domain for East Timor . It is administered through the Council of Country Code Administrators and second-level registration is available through resellers worldwide with no local presence requirement.The previous ccTLD for East Timor was .tp...

, .tm

.tm

.tm is the Internet country code top-level domain for Turkmenistan. It is operated by Internet Computer Bureau.It has been marketed as a domain for businesses with trademarks, due to the common use of "TM" in this context....

, .travel

.travel

The domain name travel is a top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name suggests the intended and restricted use by travel agents, airlines, bed and breakfast operators, tourism bureaus, and others in the travel industry....

, .tv

.tv

The domain name .tv is the Internet country code top-level domain for the islands of Tuvalu.Except for reserved names like com.tv, net.tv, org.tv and others, any person may register second-level domains in tv...

, .tw

.tw

.tw is the Internet country code top-level domain for the Republic of China . The domain name is based on the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code TW. The registry is maintained by TWNIC. Registrations are accepted by commercial registrars...

, .uk

.uk

.uk is the Internet country code top-level domain for the United Kingdom. , it is the fourth most popular top-level domain worldwide , with over 9.5 million registrations....

, .us

.us

.us is the Internet country code top-level domain for the United States and was established in 1985. Registrants of .us domains must be United States citizens, residents, or organizations, or a foreign entity with a presence in the United States...

, .ir

.ir

.ir is the Internet country code top-level domain for Iran. It is managed by the Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics.- Second-level domains :* .ir – public...

, .vc

.vc

.vc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Registration is open worldwide, and it has been used for a variety of sites not necessarily related to that location; it can also be seen as standing for "Venture Capital", "Ventura County", "Viet Cong",...

, .ve

.ve

.ve is the Internet country code top-level domain for Venezuela.Registrations are allowed without restrictions, only at the third level:* .com.ve - Venezuelan commercial entity* .net.ve - network service providers...

and .za

.za

.za is the Internet country code top-level domain for South Africa. It is administered by the .None of the official names for South Africa can be abbreviated to ZA, which is an abbreviation of the Dutch Zuid-Afrika...

as well as ENUM

Enum

ENUM or enum may refer to:* E.164 NUmber Mapping, a suite of protocols to unify the telephone system with the Internet* An enumerated type, a data type consisting of a set of named values...

registries such as those operating the +31, +41, +43, +44 and +48 country codes.

EPP "codes" or "keys" are also required in the transfer of generic top-level domain names between registrars (.com