Establishing a DNS Cell Name

DCE also supports global directory operations through the use of DNS. If you plan to use DNS to communicate with other cells, you need to obtain a globally unique name for your cell from the DNS global naming authorities before you configure your cell, then define it in the DNS namespace. The name you obtain for your cell will be in DNS syntax. An example of a DNS-style cell name is:
/.../seattle.abc.com

If you plan to use DNS as your global directory service, your DCE cell name must follow the ARPA Internet Domain System conventions for site names. If you are already an Internet site, you can create one or more cells subordinate to your Internet domain name, depending on how your site is organized. The following conventions govern an Internet-style name:

· The name needs to have at least two levels; for example, abc.com or sctech.edu. The names in the first two levels are registered with the Network Information Center (NIC), which is the naming authority for DNS names.

· The name cannot be longer than 255 characters.

· The name can contain any number of fields in addition to the two required levels, which are conventionally separated by periods.

· The name needs to end in a suffix that indicates a kind of institution. This last field is the most significant one, in contrast to a GDS name, which begins with the most significant field. The standard suffixes are as follows:

- .com for businesses and other commercial organizations

- .org for noncommercial organizations

- .edu for educational institutions

- .gov for government institutions

- .mil for military institutions

- .net for network support organizations

- .xx for two-letter country codes (such as .de for Germany and .fr for France) that conform to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

Refer to the OSF DCE Administration Guide - Core Components for further information about naming rules, including valid characters, restrictions, metacharacters, and maximum name sizes for DNS names.

To obtain a unique DNS name, contact the administrator in charge of the subtree under which you want to name your cell. Send registration requests to the NIC at the following Internet address, telephone number, FAX number, or mailing address:

HOSTMASTER@NIC.DDN.MIL
Telephone Number: (800) 365-3642
between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
FAX (703) 802-8376

Government Systems, Inc.
Attention: Network Information Center (NIC)
14200 Park Meadow Drive
Suite 200
Chantilly, VA 22021

After you have configured your cell, you need to define it in the DNS global namespace by a creating cell entry for it in DNS. To create a cell entry in DNS, an administrator must edit a data file that contains resource records.

You also need to establish cross-cell authentication with any other cells with which you want to communicate.