Is there a reason why OpenSRS couldn't just make WHOIS information available
directly to RSPs through the API? The idea of keeping a front-end database
to duplicate WHOIS info doesn't seem very sound. Why try to keep redundant
data locally - especially data that can easily get out of synch? Since
OpenSRS maintains it's own "Manage your domain" and a customer can also use
the interface at another RSP, there's no gaurantee that the data in an RSP's
customer database is going to match that in the WHOIS. If it were made
available through the API, then you could require a login/password and only
respond with the RSP's own customer domains, without worrying about someone
mining the database.
Jim
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Daminato" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Scott Goodman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000 6:20 PM
Subject: Re: mining the opensrs whois.
> This question should be posted directly to OpenSRS instead of the
> discussion list... but...
>
> If you want to run a script against the whois server there's really little
> we can do - however, how you use that information can be damaging to your
> status as an RSP. I'll give you some advice that you may want to heed.
>
> 1) Make 100% sure you're only getting your own customer's information.
> 2) Do it slowly. If you need the information, let it take a few days
> instead of trying to suck it all at once. Say, do a query every 5 or 10
> seconds.
>
> I don't recommend this method as a viable way of tracking your customer's
> information - keeping a local database is far better for integrity,
> especially if you can front end our manage.cgi with your own systems to
> keep the data sets accurate.
>
> Charles Daminato
> TUCOWS Product Manager (ccTLDs)
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> On Thu, 30 Nov 2000, Scott Goodman wrote:
>
> >
> > I would like to gather an updated list of my customer data. Given that
> > we have no way of downloading current data from the RWI would OpenSRS
> > have a problem if I ran a script to poll this information out of their
> > whois server? This would be just for my own customers.
> >
> > I know some registrars are touchy about automated whois scripts, so I
> > thought I'd ask first.
> >
> > Scott
> >
> >
>
>
