Using PHP classes to navigate distributed whois databases

When we think of conducting whois lookups we're probably used to thatmeaning: querying the Internic database, usually for a domain record for a .com/.net/.org or .edu domain.

We also knew that there were other whois servers out there, one for..mil and .int for example, not to mention the ones for the myriadccTLD's (country code TLD's) in existence, and we could look updomains in those TLD's by asking the approprate whois serverabout it.

Things changed radically this year with the introductionof competition at the registrar level in the .com/.net/.orgnamespace and with it the advent of the SRS (Shared Registry System). ICANN set up shop to succeed the IANA and began accrediting otherregistrars while Network Solutions split into seperate business unitsto handle their registrar operation (which now competes with all theothers, albeit with a nice head start) and the registry, which isstill for all intents and purposes, a monopoly.

After a period of holding out and refusing to sign the ICANN registraraccreditation agreement, Network Solutions finally did so and as perthe terms of the deal, began redirecting port 43 whois service fromrs.internic.net over to whois.nsiregistry.net on December 1st/1999.

What all this means is that on December 1st, running "whois devshed.com"stopped looking like this:

InfoWest Global Internet Services, Inc. (DEVSHED-DOM)
1845 W. Sunset Blvd.
St. George, UT 84770
US
Domain Name: DEVSHED.COM
Administrative Contact:               
Cosby, David R  (DRC4)  dcosby@INFOWEST.COM
801.674.0165
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Gifford, Aaron D  (AG44)  agifford@INFOWEST.COM
435-674-0165 (801) 634-9567 (FAX) 435-674-9654
Billing Contact:
InfoWest Domain Services  (IDS2-ORG)  dns@INFOWEST.COM
435-674-0165
Fax- 435-674-9654
Record last updated on 06-Aug-1997.
Record created on 06-Aug-1997.
Database last updated on 4-Dec-1999 12:14:06 EST.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.INFOWEST.COM             204.17.177.10
NS2.INFOWEST.COM             204.17.177.20

And started looking like this:

   Domain Name: DEVSHED.COM
 Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC. Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com Referral URL: www.networksolutions.com Name Server: NS1.INFOWEST.COM Name Server: NS2.INFOWEST.COM

Basically, the default whois server ceased to be whois.internic.net (a.k.ars.internic.net) which only carried records for domains registered viaNetwork Solutions or Worldnic, and started to be the registry whoisserver which carried entries for all .com/.net/.org domains.

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