RE: [idn] host name vs. domain name

["HIBBS, BARR (SBCSI)" <RBHIBBS@msg.pacbell.com>]

> From: 	David R. Conrad[SMTP:David.Conrad@nominum.com]
> Sent: 	Wednesday, March 15, 2000 9:51 AM
> 
> > I'm saying that there should
> > be a *transition strategy* to eventually be able to
> > use UTF-8 for domain names (including host names). 
> 
> I gather you would consider the use of CIDNUC or "UTF-5" inappropriate as
> a
> transition strategy?  What sort of transition strategy are you
> envisioning?
> 
> 
...I'm a bit new to the various encodings and the entire discussion about
host versus domain names, et al., but any transition strategy that is
developed must allow for the uncounted thousands of name server
installations that do not gracefully support anything besides NVT-ASCII (and
a limited subset, at that!) for names, and whose administrators may not be
easily convinced of the necessity for supporting anything else.

At the very least, a graceful rejection of updates and queries is required
by name servers.  Various other services also, at a minimum, must provide a
graceful way of declining requests.

Should we suggest or require that servers announce or advertise their
capabilities with respect to support for internationalized host and domain
names through the Service Location Protocol?

--Barr