OSF DCE Administration Guide--Introduction

Global and Cell Considerations
2.1.2 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 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:
[e-mail]
Telephone Number: [phone]
between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
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