[idn] NSI Multilingual Testbed Information (fwd)

[Rick H Wesson <wessorh@ar.com>]

The NSI Registry published a press release today announcing that it will
open a testbed for registering domain names in non-English language
character sets in .com, .net, and .org.  As a result, registrars can now
begin preparation and ramping leading up to the start of the multilingual
certification process.  As mentioned in the press release, certification is
currently targeted to begin during October 2000.  A summary of the
information required by registrars to begin the multilingual ramping process
is provided below.

"Sandbox" Environment

NSI Registry will establish a "sandbox" environment for registrars to test
Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) command functionality prior to entering
the Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) environment.  The sandbox
environment will be available throughout the testbed, but participation in
the sandbox is not required prior to certification testing.  The sandbox is
scheduled to open immediately.

Multilingual Certification Evaluation

Each registrar must successfully complete a multilingual certification
evaluation for each language encoding in which it will be registering names.
After completing certification testing, the registrar will receive
authorization to act as a multilingual registrar.  OT&E Certification
Testing is scheduled to begin in October 2000.
 
Multilingual Domain Names Registrar Information Packet

The attached Multilingual Domain Names Registrar Information Packet is being
provided in order to introduce and begin facilitating the preparation and
ramping process for all registrars who wish to participate.

The information contained in this packet can also be found on the NSI
Registry Website at <http://www.nsiregistry.net/support/mdn/index.html>

Additional Technical Information
 
In addition, those registrars who visit this new section of the website will
also find additional detailed information including the Multilingual
Acceptance Criteria, Multilingual Technical Specification and "Sandbox"
User's Guide.


For more information, please contact NSI Registry Customer Service at (703)
925-6999 or at info@nsiregistry.net.

Best Regards,

NSI Registry Customer Service
www.nsiregistry.net
info@nsiregistry.net