Description

Flexireg Performance Characteristics

  • The number of supported domain names in the system's registries without the loss of performance or an increase in the servers' capacity: no less than 5 million
  • Processing time for one EPP query: no more than 30 ms
  • The number of supported domain name registries: no less than 10,000
  • The number of registrars: no less than 1,000

Domain Registration Phases in Flexireg

Flexireg allows registering domains in the following phases:

Sunrise (In accordance with ICANN requirement for ensuring priority registration of trademarks included in the Trademark Clearinghouse.)

Claims(In accordance with ICANN requirement for notifying trademark owners and registrants of possible infringements.)

Landrush – registration at higher prices that gradually go down.

Open – General Availability domain name registration.

Flexireg Infrastructure

The registration system has two nodes that are identical in hardware and software but located in different data centers to ensure disaster tolerance.

The nodes are connected by highly reliable communication links. Access to the nodes via the Internet is provided by two different ISPs offering secure channels.

Each node has a database with the registries of supported domains. Information from databases is replicated to ensure its safety. Domains are delegated on Secondary DNS servers set up as anycast clouds.

All equipment on both nodes is redundant and monitored as to the availability of the system's interfaces.

Flexireg Interfaces

In accordance with ICANN requirements and to ensure data transfers between registrars and registries, to provide Internet users with information on registered domains, and to exchange information between contractors, the following interfaces are implemented in the system:

EPP –an interface for interaction with registrars using the EPP protocol under the STD 69 standard.

WHOIS – a service for providing Internet users with information on registered domains in limited mode.

WHOIS for registrars – a service for providing registrars with information on registered domains in unlimited mode.

TLD Operator's web interface – an interface for TLD Operators to manage the registry system.

Data Escrow interface – a service for transferring registration data to Escrow provider.

TMCH  interface – a service for interaction with the Trademark Clearinghouse during the validation of trademarks.

CZFA interface – a service for providing information on zone files (in accordance with ICANN requirement).

ICANN reporting interface – a service for reports on registrations to ICANN (in accordance with ICANN requirement).

Billing API interface – an interface for exchanging information on registrars' payments and consumed services with a billing system of an nGTLD Operator.

Flexireg registrar's web interface

The system has a multi-purpose registrar's web interface that allows the registrar to track service consumption and money spending, and to issue invoices for payment.

Registrars can also use the web interface to download lists of registered domains.

Flexireg architecture

  • The registration system can support many domain registries of different levels. Each domain name registered in one of the registries has registrant data in Contact object and information on DNS servers in Host object. The space of Contact and Host objects in Flexireg is the same for all registries and all registrars. Therefore, to register or delegate domains in different registries, the registrar has to submit the registrant and DNS data only once.
  • Support of domain registries with different life cycles. A standard domain life cycle includes the following periods:
    add-grace, registration, redemption grace, renewal, auto-renewal, transfer grace, pending delete, etc. Flexireg allows setting different lengths for these periods in each of the supported registries, including zero-length periods (if a certain period of a standard life cycle needs to be skipped).

Domain Delegation in Flexireg

Domains from registries supported in Flexireg are delegated on Secondary DNS servers available under anycast technology. Server response time complies with ICANN requirements both in Russia and abroad.

DNSSEC is fully supported for zone file generation.

Flexireg Modes of Operation

The system can be used in two modes:

Flex mode

When this mode is used, the system creates a new registry for a domain in which the registration is to begin:

  • Access credentials for this registry are the same as for all domain registries in the system.
  • The space of Contact and Host objects is also the same for all registries and all registrars.
  • The life cycle shall be set up in accordance with the Registration Policy of the domain in which the registration is about to start.
  • Each registrar will have one personal account for registrations in all domain registries supported by the system in the flex mode.

Brand mode

This mode is for New gTLD domains that have policies and rules different from domains supported in the flex mode. The brand mode is intended for companies wishing to register their own top-level domains.
When this mode used, the system creates a separate registry for a domain in which the registration is to begin:

  • Access credentials for this registry are defined by the Customer and are different from domain registries using the flex mode.
  • The space of Contact and Host objects can be either shared with all registries in the system or dedicated if requested by the Customer.
  • The life cycle shall be set up in accordance with the Registration Policy of the domain in which the registration is about to start.
  • Each registrar can have both one personal account for registrations in all domain registries of the system and a dedicated account for operations in only one New gTLD registry or a set of such domains.
  • A Billing API interface will be provided for exchanging financial information and information on consumed services with a financial system of a Customer.