The application/whoispp-query Content-Type

Network Working Group                                           L. Daigle
Request for Comments: 2957                       Thinking Cat Enterprises
Category: Informational                                      P. Faltstrom
                                                       Cisco Systems Inc.
                                                             October 2000


               The application/whoispp-query Content-Type

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   This document defines the expression of Whois++ protocol (RFC 1835)
   queries within MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) (RFC 2046) media types.  The intention of this document, in conjunction
   with RFC 2958 is to enable MIME-enabled mail software, and other
   systems using Internet media types, to carry out Whois++
   transactions.

1.  MIME Registration Information

   To: iana@isi.edu
   Subject:  Registration of MIME media type application/whoispp-query

   MIME Type name:         Application

   MIME subtype name:      whoispp-query

   Required parameters:    none

   Optional parameters:    none

   Encoding considerations: Any valid MIME encodings may be used

   Security considerations: This content-type contains purely
   descriptive information (i.e., no directives).  There are security
   considerations with regards to the appropriateness (privacy) of
   information provided through the use of this content-type, and the
   authenticity of the information so-provided.  This content-type



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RFC 2957         application/whoispp-query Content-Type     October 2000


   provides no native mechanisms for authentication.

   Published specification:  this document

   Person & email address to contact for further information:

                           Leslie L. Daigle
                           leslie@thinkingcat.com

   Intended usage:         common

2.  whoispp-query Syntax

   The following grammar, which uses BNF-like notation as defined in
   [RFC2234] defines the set of acceptable input to a Whois++ server.
   As such, it describes the expected structure of a whoispp-query media
   type object.

   N.B.:  As outlined in the ABNF definition, rule names and string
   literals are in the US-ASCII character set, and are case-insensitive.

   whois-command   =   ( system-command / terms [":" globalcnstrnts] )
                       nl

   system-command  =   "constraints" / "describe" / "commands" /
                       "polled-by" / "polled-for" / "version" / "list" /
                       "show" [1*sp bytestring] / "help" [1*sp
                       bytestring] / "?" [bytestring]

   terms           =   and-expr *("or" and-expr)

   and-expr        =   not-expr *("and" not-expr)

   not-expr        =   ["not"] (term / ( "(" terms ")" ))

   term            =   ( generalterm / specificterm / combinedterm )
                       localcnstrnts

   generalterm     =   bytestring

   specificterm    =   specificname "=" bytestring

   specificname    =   "handle" / "value" / "template"

   combinedterm    =   attributename "=" bytestring

   globalcnstrnts  =   globalcnstrnt *(";" globalcnstrnt)




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RFC 2957         application/whoispp-query Content-Type     October 2000


   globalcnstrnt   =   "format" "=" format / "maxfull" "=" 1*digit /
                       "maxhits" "=" 1*digit / "case" "=" casevalue /
                       "search" "=" searchvalue / opt-globalcnst

   opt-globalcnst  =   "authenticate" "=" auth-method / "language" "="
                       language / "incharset" "=" characterset /
                       "outcharset" "=" characterset / "ignore" "="
                       attriblist / "include" "=" attriblist

   localcnstrnts   =   0*(";" localcnstrnt)

   localcnstrnt    =   "case" "=" casevalue / "search" "=" searchvalue

   format          =   "full" / "abridged" / "handle" / "summary" /
                       "server-to-ask"

   auth-method     =  bytestring

   language        = 

   characterset    =   "us-ascii" / "iso-8859-1" / "iso-8859-2" / "iso-
                       8859-3" / "iso-8859-4" / "iso-8859-5" / "iso-
                       8859-6" / "iso-8859-7" / "iso-8859-8" / "iso-
                       8859-9" / "iso-8859-10" / "UNICODE-1-1-UTF-8" /
                       "UNICODE-2-0-UTF-8" "UTF-8"

                         ;"UTF-8" is as defined in [RFC2279].  This is
                         ;the character set label that should be used
                         ;for UTF encoded information; the labels
                         ;"UNICODE-2-0-UTF-8" and "UNICODE-1-1-UTF-8"
                         ;are retained primarily for compatibility with
                         ;older Whois++ servers (and as outlined in
                         ;[RFC2279]).

   searchvalue     =   "exact" / "substring" / "regex" / "fuzzy" /
                       "lstring"

   casevalue       =   "ignore" / "consider"

   bytestring      =   0*charbyte

   attributename   =   1*attrbyte

   attriblist      =   attributename 0*("," attributename)

   charbyte        =   "\" specialbyte / normalbyte

   normalbyte      =