MORE INFORMATION
This WHOIS service involves an online database that
contains information about networks, networking organizations, domains, sites,
and the contacts associated with them. This database is known as the InterNIC
database.
The names of the administrative and technical contacts for
registered domains are entered into the database when domain or IP number
applications are processed by the InterNIC.
The information
contained in the InterNIC database can be especially valuable if there is a
problem with internetworking between two domains. For example, WHOIS can help
determine who to contact if there is a problem with Internet mail that cannot
be resolved through e-mail. WHOIS can show the Exchange Server administrator
the name and phone number of the administrator at a destination host.
ACCESSING WHOIS:
WHOIS Client:
The WHOIS
client program accesses the InterNIC database directly and is usually included
with UNIX systems. There are also clients available for other platforms
including Windows and Windows NT.
If you have shell account access
to the Internet that includes the WHOIS client, type the following:
"domain.com" is the name of the Internet
domain of the host that you are interested in. Note that the InterNIC registers
secondary domain names only. For best results DO NOT include Fully Qualified
Domain Name (FQDN) on the query. FQDNs include the higher level domains
associated with an Internet site. Only secondary domain names will return
contact information.
Example:
Wrong:
www.microsoft.com
Correct: microsoft.com
Direct Telnet Session:
All systems that have access to the Internet should have the ability
to use a standard telnet client to connect to the InterNIC to run the WHOIS
client from their system. Networks that restrict access to the Internet through
use of a firewall will not be able to use this method if tcp port 23 (standard
telnet port) access is blocked.
Exchange Server administrators may
run the Windows NT Telnet client from the computer that is running the IMC. Any
telnet client from any host connected to the Internet should work.
In telnet, connect to "internic.net". Once connected you may run WHOIS commands
as listed in the client instructions above.
World Wide Web:
The Web Interface to WHOIS
is a searchable database through a Web page. To access WHOIS using any World
Wide Web (WWW) client, connect to:
http://www.internic.net/whois.html
Electronic Mail:
If you cannot access the previous methods, but you
have access to Internet mail, you can send your query to mailserv@internic.net.
Enter your command in the subject line or as the first line of the body of the
message. All other text is ignored. You must prefix your command with the word
"WHOIS" just like the client examples above. Requests through electronic mail
are processed automatically once per day.
OTHER TOP LEVEL DOMAINS:
The InterNIC provides registration information for COM, .EDU, .NET,
.ORG, and .GOV domains only. However, the WHOIS client works with other top
level domains. Top level domains that do not provide compatibility with WHOIS
may provide other tools to research domains.
Other Registries:
.US Domain Registry - Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA):
http://www.iana.org/numbers.htm .CA Domain - CA*net Canadian IP Address Registry and
the Canadian Domain Name Registry.:
http://www.cadns.ca/Register/ NIC-Mexico - Mexico Registration Mexico:
http://www.nic.mx/ RIPE NCC Europe Registration:
http://www.ripe.net/ APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Center):
http://www.apnic.net/ Some information above was provided by Network
Solutions, Inc., the sponsor of InterNIC registration services. Additional
information is available on the InterNIC web page at
http://www.internic.net and RFC 1400 - "Transition and Modernization of the Internet
Registration Service" (
http://www.faqs.org/rfc/rfc1400.txt)