538 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
538 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
|
|
IETF IDN Working Group Sung Jae Shim
|
|
Internet Draft DualName, Inc.
|
|
Document: draft-ietf-idn-vidn-00.txt 14 November 2000
|
|
Expires: 14 May 2001
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names (VIDN)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Status of this Memo
|
|
|
|
This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
|
|
all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.
|
|
|
|
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
|
|
Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other
|
|
groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts.
|
|
|
|
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
|
|
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
|
|
time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
|
|
material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
|
|
|
|
The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
|
|
http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt
|
|
|
|
The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
|
|
http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. Abstract
|
|
|
|
This document describes a method that internationalizes existing as
|
|
well as future domain names in English, not making any change to the
|
|
current DNS, not requiring separate name server or resolver, and not
|
|
creating domain names in non-English languages. Based upon the
|
|
knowledge of transliteration between a local language and English,
|
|
the method allows a user to use virtual domain names in the user's
|
|
preferred local language by converting them into the corresponding
|
|
actual domain names in English that comply with the current DNS. The
|
|
conversion takes place automatically and transparently in the user's
|
|
applications before DNS queries are sent. The method uses the current
|
|
DNS as it is and meets all the requirements of internationalized
|
|
domain names as described in Wenzel and Seng [2].
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. Conventions and definitions used in this document
|
|
|
|
The key words "REQUIRED" and "MAY" in this document are to be
|
|
interpreted as described in RFC-2119 [1].
|
|
|
|
A "host" is a computer or device attached to the Internet. A "user
|
|
host" is a computer or device with which a user is connected to the
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
Internet, and a "user" is a person who uses a user host. A "server
|
|
host" is a computer or device that provides services to user hosts.
|
|
|
|
An "entity" is an organization or individual that has a domain name
|
|
registered with the DNS.
|
|
|
|
A "local language" is a language other than English that a user
|
|
prefers to use in a local context.
|
|
|
|
A "virtual domain name" is a domain name in a local language, and it
|
|
is not registered with the DNS but used for the convenience of a
|
|
user. An "actual domain name" is a domain name in English, and it is
|
|
actually used in the DNS. A "domain name" refers to an actual domain
|
|
name in English that complies with the DNS, unless specified
|
|
otherwise.
|
|
|
|
A "coded portion" is a pre-coded portion of a domain name (e.g.,
|
|
generic organization codes including `com', `edu', `gov', `int',
|
|
`mil', `net', `org', and country codes such as `kr', `jp', and so
|
|
on). An "entity-defined portion" is a portion of a domain name, which
|
|
is defined by the entity that holds the domain name (e.g.,
|
|
organization name, server name, and so on).
|
|
|
|
The method proposed in this document is called "virtually
|
|
internationalized domain names (VIDN)" because it uses virtual domain
|
|
names in local languages to internationalize actual domain names in
|
|
English that comply with the DNS.
|
|
|
|
A number of Korean-language characters are used in the original of
|
|
this document for examples, which is available from the author upon
|
|
request. The software used for Internet-Drafts does not allow using
|
|
multilingual characters other than ASCII characters. Thus, this
|
|
document may not display Korean-language characters properly,
|
|
although it may be comprehensible without the examples using Korean-
|
|
language characters. Also, when you open the original of this
|
|
document, please select your view encoding type to Korean for Korean-
|
|
language characters to be displayed properly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. Introduction
|
|
|
|
Domain names are valuable to Internet users as a main identifier of
|
|
hosts on the Internet. The current DNS allows using only English
|
|
characters in naming hosts or clusters of hosts on the Internet. More
|
|
specifically, the DNS uses only the basic Latin alphabets (case-
|
|
insensitive), the decimal digits (0-9) and the hyphen (-) in domain
|
|
names. But there is a growing need for internationalized or non-
|
|
English domain names. Recognizing this need, various methods have
|
|
been proposed to use non-English characters in domain names. But to
|
|
date, it seems that no method has met all the requirements of
|
|
internationalized domain names as described in Wenzel and Seng [2].
|
|
|
|
A group of earlier methods has tried to put internationalized domain
|
|
names inside some parts of the overall DNS system, using UCS encoding
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
schemes. But these methods put too much of a burden on the DNS,
|
|
requiring a great deal of work for transition and update of the DNS
|
|
components. Another group of earlier methods has tried to build
|
|
separate directory services for internationalized domain names or
|
|
internationalized keywords. But these methods also require complex
|
|
implementation efforts, duplicating much of the work already done for
|
|
the DNS. Both the groups of earlier methods have tried to build some
|
|
mechanisms inside or outside the DNS and put internationalized domain
|
|
names or internationalized keywords there in addition to existing
|
|
domain names in English.
|
|
|
|
Unlike earlier methods that involve a lengthy and costly process of
|
|
implementation, VIDN provides a more immediate and less costly
|
|
solution to internationalized domain names by focusing on
|
|
internationalizing existing as well as future domain names in English
|
|
that comply with the current DNS, without actually creating domain
|
|
names in local languages. VIDN takes notice of the fact that most
|
|
domain names used in regions where English is not widely spoken, have
|
|
their entity-defined portions consisting of characters or words in
|
|
English as transliterated from characters and words in the respective
|
|
local languages. Based upon the knowledge of transliteration between
|
|
a local language and English, VIDN allows using virtual domain names
|
|
in a local language by converting them into the corresponding actual
|
|
domain names in English that comply with the current DNS. VIDN allows
|
|
the same domain names to be used not only in English as usual but
|
|
also in local languages, without creating additional domain names in
|
|
local languages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
4. VIDN method
|
|
|
|
4.1. Objectives
|
|
|
|
To date, the methods for internationalized domain names have tried to
|
|
create domain names or keywords in local languages one way or another
|
|
in addition to existing domain names in English, and put them inside
|
|
or outside the DNS, using special encoding schemes or lookup
|
|
services. These methods require a lengthy and costly process of
|
|
implementation. Even when they are successfully implemented, these
|
|
methods may localize the Internet by separating it into groups of
|
|
local languages that are less universal than English. Further, these
|
|
methods may cause disputes on copyrights, trademarks, and so on in
|
|
local contexts, in addition to all those disputes we observe with
|
|
current domain names in English. VIDN intends to provide a solution
|
|
to the problems of earlier methods, by (1) allowing the same domain
|
|
names to be used both in English and local languages, without
|
|
creating domain names in local languages, (2) working in applications
|
|
at user hosts automatically and transparently before DNS requests are
|
|
sent, (3) using the current DNS as it is, without requiring any
|
|
additional name server or resolver, and (4) being implemented
|
|
immediately with little cost.
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.2. Description
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
|
|
It is important to note that most domain names used in regions where
|
|
English is not widely spoken have their entity-defined portions
|
|
consisting of characters or words in English as transliterated from
|
|
characters or words in local languages. These transliterated
|
|
characters or words in English do not have any meanings in English,
|
|
but their originals in local languages before the transliteration
|
|
into English have some meanings in local contexts, usually indicating
|
|
organization names, brand names, trademarks, and so on. VIDN allows
|
|
using these original characters or words in local languages as the
|
|
entity-defined portions of virtual domain names in local languages,
|
|
by transliterating them into the corresponding entity-defined
|
|
portions of actual domain names in English. In this way, VIDN allows
|
|
the same domain names in English to be also used virtually in local
|
|
languages without actually creating domain names in local languages.
|
|
|
|
As domain names overlay IP addresses, so virtual domain names in
|
|
local languages do actual domain names in English. The relationship
|
|
between virtual domain names in a local language and actual domain
|
|
names in English can be depicted as:
|
|
|
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|
| User |
|
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|
| |
|
|
+----------------|-----------------------|------------------+
|
|
| v (Transliteration) v |
|
|
| +---------------------+ | +-----------------------+ |
|
|
| | Virtual domain name | | | Actual domain name | |
|
|
| | in a local language |--+->| in English | |
|
|
| +---------------------+ +-----------------------+ |
|
|
| User application | |
|
|
+----------------------------------------|------------------+
|
|
v
|
|
DNS request
|
|
|
|
VIDN uses the phonemes of a local language and English as a medium in
|
|
transliterating the entity-defined portions of virtual domain names
|
|
in the local language into those of actual domain names in English.
|
|
This process of transliteration can be depicted as:
|
|
|
|
Local language English
|
|
+----------------------------+ +-----------------------------+
|
|
| Characters ----> Phonemes -----------> Phonemes ----> Characters |
|
|
| | | | | | |
|
|
| | | | | | |
|
|
| (Inverse of transcription) | Match | (Transcription) |
|
|
+----------------------------+ +-----------------------------+
|
|
| ^
|
|
| (Transliteration) |
|
|
+------------------------------------+
|
|
|
|
First, each entity-defined portion of a virtual domain name in the
|
|
local language is decomposed into individual characters or sets of
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
characters so that each individual character or set of characters can
|
|
represent an individual phoneme of the local language, which is the
|
|
inverse of transcription of phonemes into characters. Second, each
|
|
individual phoneme of the local language is matched with an
|
|
equivalent phoneme of English that has the same or most proximate
|
|
sound. Third, each phoneme of English is transcribed into the
|
|
corresponding character or set of characters in English. Finally, all
|
|
the characters or sets of characters converted into English are
|
|
united to compose the corresponding entity-defined portion of an
|
|
actual domain name in English.
|
|
|
|
For example, a word in Korean, `??' that means `century' in English,
|
|
is transliterated into `segi' in English, and so, the entity whose
|
|
name contains `??' in Korean may have an entity-defined portion of
|
|
its domain name as `segi' in English. VIDN allows using `??' in
|
|
Korean as an entity-defined portion of a virtual domain name in
|
|
Korean, which is converted into `segi' in English, the corresponding
|
|
entity-defined portion of an actual domain name in English. More
|
|
specifically, the phonemes represented by the characters consisting
|
|
of `??' in Korean have the same sounds as the phonemes represented
|
|
by the characters consisting of `segi' in English. In the local
|
|
context, `??' in Korean is clearly easier to remember and type and
|
|
more intuitive and meaningful than `segi' in English.
|
|
|
|
An entity-defined portion of a virtual domain name in Korean, `??',
|
|
is transliterated into `yahoo' in English, since the phonemes
|
|
represented by the characters consisting of `??' in Korean have the
|
|
same sounds as the phonemes represented by the characters consisting
|
|
of `yahoo' in English. That is, `??' in Korean is pronounced as the
|
|
same as `yahoo' in English, and so, it is easy for Korean-speaking
|
|
people to deduce `??' in Korean as the virtual equivalent of
|
|
`yahoo' in English. VIDN allows using virtual domain names in a local
|
|
language for domain names whose originals are in the local language,
|
|
e.g., `??' in Korean, as well as domain names whose originals are
|
|
in English, e.g., `??' in Korean. In this way, VIDN can make domain
|
|
names truly international, allowing the same domain names to be used
|
|
both in English and local languages.
|
|
|
|
The coded portions of domain names such as organization codes,
|
|
geographic codes and country codes, can also be transliterated from a
|
|
local language into English, using the phonemes of the two languages
|
|
as a medium. For example, seven generic organization codes in English,
|
|
`com', `edu', `gov', `int', `mil', `net', and `org', can be
|
|
transliterated from `?', `??', `??', `??', `?', `??', `??' in
|
|
Korean, respectively, which can be used as the corresponding
|
|
organization codes of virtual domain names in Korean. Based upon its
|
|
meaning in English, each coded portion of actual domain names also
|
|
can be pre-assigned a virtual equivalent word or code in a local
|
|
language. For example, seven generic organization codes in English,
|
|
`com', `edu', `gov', `int', `mil', `net', and `org', can be pre-
|
|
assigned `??' (meaning `commercial' in Korean), `??' (meaning
|
|
`education' in Korean), `??' (meaning `government' in Korean),
|
|
`??' (meaning `international' in Korean), `??' (meaning `military'
|
|
in Korean), `??' (meaning `network' in Korean), and `??' (meaning
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
`organization' in Korean), respectively, which can be used as the
|
|
corresponding organization codes of virtual domain names in Korean.
|
|
|
|
Since VIDN uses the phonemes of a local language and English as a
|
|
medium of the transliteration, it does not create such complexities
|
|
as other conversion methods based upon semantics do. Further, most
|
|
languages have a small number of phonemes. For example, Korean
|
|
language has nineteen consonant phonemes and twenty-one vowel
|
|
phonemes, and English language has twenty-four consonant phonemes and
|
|
twenty vowel phonemes. Each phoneme of Korean language can be matched
|
|
with a phoneme of English language that has the same or proximate
|
|
sound, and vice versa.
|
|
|
|
Some characters or sets of characters of a language may represent
|
|
more than one phoneme. Also, some phonemes of a language may be
|
|
represented by more than one character or set of characters. But
|
|
these variations usually occur in particular situations, and so, VIDN
|
|
incorporates the special provisions to deal with such variations. In
|
|
addition, not every character or set of characters in a local
|
|
language may be neatly transliterated into only one character or set
|
|
of characters in English. In practice, people often transliterate the
|
|
same word in a local language differently into English or vice versa.
|
|
VIDN also incorporates the provisions to deal with such variations
|
|
caused by common usages or idiomatic expressions. Because of these
|
|
variations, however, it is probable for one virtual domain name
|
|
entered in a local language to result in more than one actual domain
|
|
name in English.
|
|
|
|
VIDN includes a coding scheme in order to make each virtual domain
|
|
name entered in a local language correspond to exactly one actual
|
|
domain name in English. In this coding scheme, a unique code is pre-
|
|
assigned to one of the corresponding actual domain names in English
|
|
for each virtual domain name to be entered in a local language. The
|
|
code is kept somewhere at the server host that has the actual domain
|
|
name in English, for example, in the main HTML document at the server
|
|
host, so that VIDN can check the code. VIDN also generates the same
|
|
unique code whenever the corresponding virtual domain name is entered
|
|
in user applications. Then, VIDN checks whether the code at each
|
|
server host matches with the code generated in user applications. If
|
|
one of the server hosts has the code that matches with the code
|
|
generated in user applications, VIDN recognizes that the virtual
|
|
domain name entered by the user corresponds only to the actual domain
|
|
name of that server host, and connects the user host to the server
|
|
host. The domain names of the remaining server hosts that do not have
|
|
the matching code may be listed to the user as alternative sites. For
|
|
security purpose, this coding scheme may use an encryption technique.
|
|
|
|
For example, `??.?', a virtual domain name entered in Korean, may
|
|
result in four corresponding domain names in English including
|
|
`jungang.com', `joongang.com,' `chungang.com', and `choongang.com',
|
|
since the phonemes represented by characters consisting of `??.?'
|
|
in Korean can have the same or almost the same sounds as the phonemes
|
|
represented by characters consisting of `jungang.com',
|
|
`joongang.com,' `chungang.com', or `choongang.com' in English. In
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
this case, we assume that the server host with its domain name
|
|
`jungang.com' has the pre-assigned code that matches with the code
|
|
generated when `??.?' in Korean is entered in user applications.
|
|
Then, the user host is connected to this server host, and the other
|
|
server hosts may be listed to the user as alternative sites so that
|
|
the user can try them.
|
|
|
|
The process of this coding scheme that makes each virtual domain name
|
|
in a local language correspond to only one actual domain name in
|
|
English, can be depicted as:
|
|
|
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|
| User |
|
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|
| |
|
|
+----------------|-----------------------|------------------+
|
|
| v v |
|
|
| +---------------------+ +-----------------------+ |
|
|
| | Virtual domain name | | Potential domain names| |
|
|
| | in a local language |---->| in English | |
|
|
| | e.g., `??.?' | | e.g., `jungang.com' | |
|
|
| | (code: 297437)| | `joongang.com' | |
|
|
| | | | `chungang.com' | |
|
|
| | | | `choongang.com' | |
|
|
| +---------------------+ +-----------------------+ |
|
|
| User application | |
|
|
+----------------------------------------|------------------+
|
|
^ |
|
|
| | Code check by VIDN
|
|
Connection to | | +-- `jungang.com'
|
|
the server host | | | (code: 297437)
|
|
`jungang.com' | | |-- `joongang.com'
|
|
| |----+ (not active)
|
|
| | |-- `chungang.com'
|
|
| | | (code: 381274)
|
|
| DNS request and | +-- `choongang.com'
|
|
| response | (not active)
|
|
+-----------------------+
|
|
|
|
Since VIDN converts separately the entity-defined portions and the
|
|
coded portions of a virtual domain name, it preserves the current
|
|
syntax of domain names, that is, the hierarchical dotted notation,
|
|
which Internet users are familiar with. Also, VIDN allows using a
|
|
virtual domain name mixed with characters in a local language and
|
|
English as the user wishes to, since the conversion takes place on
|
|
each individual portion of the domain name and each individual
|
|
character or set of characters of the portion.
|
|
|
|
While VIDN preserves the hierarchical dotted notation of current
|
|
domain names, the principles of VIDN are also applicable to domain
|
|
names in other possible notations such as those in a natural language
|
|
(e.g., `microsoft windows' rather than `windows.microsoft.com'). Also,
|
|
the principles of VIDN can be applied into other identifiers used on
|
|
the Internet, such as user IDs of e-mail addresses, names of
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
directories and folders, names of web pages and files, keywords used
|
|
in search engines and directory services, and so on, allowing them to
|
|
be used interchangeably in a local language and English, without
|
|
creating additional identifiers in the local language. The conversion
|
|
of VIDN can be done between any two languages interchangeably. Thus,
|
|
even when the DNS accepts and registers domain names in other
|
|
languages in addition to English, VIDN can allow using the same
|
|
domain names in any two languages by converting virtual domain names
|
|
in one language into actual domain names in another language.
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.3. Implementation
|
|
|
|
In a preferred arrangement, VIDN is implemented in applications at
|
|
the user host. That is, the conversion of virtual domain names in a
|
|
local language into the corresponding actual domain names in English
|
|
takes place at the user host before DNS requests are sent. Thus,
|
|
neither a special encoding nor a separate lookup service is needed to
|
|
implement VIDN. VIDN is also modularized with each module being used
|
|
for conversion of virtual domain names in one local language into the
|
|
corresponding actual domain names in English. A user needs only the
|
|
module for conversion of his or her preferred local language into
|
|
English. Also, VIDN can be implemented at a central server host or a
|
|
cluster of local server hosts. A central server with all the language
|
|
modules of VIDN can provide the conversion service for all local
|
|
languages, or a cluster of local server hosts can share the
|
|
conversion service. In the latter case, each local server host with a
|
|
language module or a set of language modules can provide the
|
|
conversion service for the respective local language or set of local
|
|
languages used in a certain region.
|
|
|
|
Because of its small size, VIDN can be easily embedded into
|
|
applications software such as web browser, e-mail software, ftp
|
|
system, and so on at the user host, or it can work as an add-on
|
|
program to such software. In either case, the only requirement on the
|
|
part of the user is to install VIDN or software embedding VIDN at the
|
|
user host. Using virtual domain names in a local language in
|
|
accordance with the principles of VIDN is very intuitive to those who
|
|
speak the local language. The only requirement on the part of the
|
|
entity whose server host provides Internet services to user hosts is
|
|
to have an actual domain name in English into which a virtual domain
|
|
name in a local language is neatly transliterated in accordance with
|
|
the principles of VIDN, and to have a pre-assigned code kept at its
|
|
server host for one-to-one matching of its actual domain name and a
|
|
virtual domain name to be used by users. Most entities in regions
|
|
where English is not widely spoken already have such domain names in
|
|
English. Finally, there is nothing to change on the part of the DNS,
|
|
since VIDN uses the current DNS as it is.
|
|
|
|
Taken together, the features of VIDN can meet all the requirement of
|
|
internationalized domain names as described in Wenzel and Seng [2],
|
|
with respect to compatibility and interoperability,
|
|
internationalization, canonicalization, and operating issues. Given
|
|
the fact that different methods toward internationalized domain names
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
confuse users, as already observed in some regions where some of
|
|
these methods have already been commercialized, e.g., Korea, it is
|
|
important to find and implement the most effective solution to
|
|
internationalized domain names as soon as possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.4. Testing results
|
|
|
|
A testing version of VIDN has been developed for Korean-English
|
|
conversion as a web browser add-on program. The program contains all
|
|
the features described in this document except the coding scheme.
|
|
While the final version of the program is planned to include the
|
|
coding scheme, the testing version lists all the domain names in
|
|
English that correspond to a virtual domain name entered in Korean so
|
|
that a user can choose one. The testing results of a sample of
|
|
randomly selected domain names used in Korea show that the program
|
|
can cover more than ninety percent of the sample. The results
|
|
indicate that more than ninety percent of web sites in Korea can be
|
|
accessed using virtual domain names in Korean without creating
|
|
additional domain names in Korean. The remaining ten percent of
|
|
domain names are mostly those that contain acronyms, abbreviations or
|
|
initials. With improvement of its knowledge of transliteration, the
|
|
final version of the program is expected to cover most domain names
|
|
used in Korea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
5. Security considerations
|
|
|
|
Because VIDN uses the DNS as it is, it inherits the same security
|
|
considerations as the DNS.
|
|
|
|
|
|
6. Intellectual property considerations
|
|
|
|
It is the intention of DualName, Inc. to submit the VIDN method and
|
|
other elements of VIDN software to IETF for review, comment or
|
|
standardization.
|
|
|
|
DualName has applied for one or more patents on the technology
|
|
related to virtual domain name software and virtual email software.
|
|
If a standard is adopted by IETF and any patents are issued to
|
|
DualName with claims that are necessary for practicing the standard,
|
|
DualName is prepared to make available, upon written request, a non-
|
|
exclusive license under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms
|
|
and condition, based on the principle of reciprocity, consistent with
|
|
established practice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
7. References
|
|
|
|
1 Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement
|
|
Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtually Internationalized Domain Names November 2000
|
|
|
|
2 Wenzel, Z. and Seng, J. (Editors), "Requirements of
|
|
Internationalized Domain Names," draft-ietf-idn-requirements-
|
|
03.txt, August 2000
|
|
|
|
|
|
8. Author's address
|
|
|
|
Sung Jae Shim
|
|
DualName, Inc.
|
|
3600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1814
|
|
Los Angeles, California 90010
|
|
USA
|
|
Email: shimsungjae@dualname.com
|
|
|