1 Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                       S. Cheshire   
    2 Request for Comments: 6761                                   M. Krochmal   
    3 Updates: 1918, 2606                                           Apple Inc.   
    4 Category: Standards Track                                  February 2013   
    5 ISSN: 2070-1721                                                            
    6                                                                            
    7                                                                            
    8                         Special-Use Domain Names                           
    9                                                                            
   10 Abstract                                                                   
   11                                                                            
   12    This document describes what it means to say that a Domain Name (DNS    
   13    name) is reserved for special use, when reserving such a name is        
   14    appropriate, and the procedure for doing so.  It establishes an IANA    
   15    registry for such domain names, and seeds it with entries for some of   
   16    the already established special domain names.                           
   17                                                                            
   18 Status of This Memo                                                        
   19                                                                            
   20    This is an Internet Standards Track document.                           
   21                                                                            
   22    This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force       
   23    (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has     
   24    received public review and has been approved for publication by the     
   25    Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on     
   26    Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.               
   27                                                                            
   28    Information about the current status of this document, any errata,      
   29    and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at                    
   30    http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6761.                                 
   31                                                                            
   32 Copyright Notice                                                           
   33                                                                            
   34    Copyright (c) 2013 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the         
   35    document authors.  All rights reserved.                                 
   36                                                                            
   37    This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal           
   38    Provisions Relating to IETF Documents                                   
   39    (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of         
   40    publication of this document.  Please review these documents            
   41    carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect   
   42    to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must    
   43    include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of      
   44    the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as         
   45    described in the Simplified BSD License.                                
   46                                                                            
   47                                                                            
   48                                                                            
   49                                                                            
   50                                                                            
   51                                                                            
   52 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 1]   

   53 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
   54                                                                            
   55                                                                            
   56 1.  Introduction                                                           
   57                                                                            
   58    Certain individual IP addresses and IP address ranges are treated       
   59    specially by network implementations and, consequently, are not         
   60    suitable for use as unicast addresses.  For example, IPv4 addresses     
   61    224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 are multicast addresses [RFC5735], with    
   62    224.0.0.1 being the "all hosts" multicast address [RFC1112]             
   63    [RFC5771].  Another example is 127.0.0.1, the IPv4 "local host"         
   64    address [RFC5735].                                                      
   65                                                                            
   66    Analogous to Special-Use IPv4 Addresses [RFC5735], the Domain Name      
   67    System (DNS) [RFC1034][RFC1035] has its own concept of reserved         
   68    names, such as "example.com.", "example.net.", and "example.org.", or   
   69    any name falling under the top-level pseudo-domain "invalid."           
   70    [RFC2606].  However, "Reserved Top Level DNS Names" [RFC2606] does      
   71    not state whether implementations are expected to treat such names      
   72    differently, and if so, in what way.                                    
   73                                                                            
   74    This document specifies under what circumstances special treatment is   
   75    appropriate, and in what ways.                                          
   76                                                                            
   77 2.  Terminology                                                            
   78                                                                            
   79    The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",     
   80    "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this    
   81    document are to be interpreted as described in "Key words for use in    
   82    RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels" [RFC2119].                         
   83                                                                            
   84 3.  Applicability                                                          
   85                                                                            
   86    When IP multicast was created [RFC1112], implementations had to be      
   87    updated to understand what an IP multicast address means and what to    
   88    do with it.  Adding IP multicast to a networking stack entailed more    
   89    than merely adding the right routing table entries for those            
   90    addresses.  Moreover, supporting IP multicast entails some level of     
   91    commonality that is consistent across all conformant hosts,             
   92    independent of what networks those hosts may be connected to.  While    
   93    it is possible to build a private isolated network using whatever       
   94    valid unicast IP addresses and routing topology one chooses             
   95    (regardless of whether those unicast IP addresses are already in use    
   96    by other hosts on the public Internet), the IPv4 multicast address      
   97    224.0.0.1 is always the "all hosts" multicast address, and that's not   
   98    a local decision.                                                       
   99                                                                            
  100    Similarly, if a domain name has special properties that affect the      
  101    way hardware and software implementations handle the name, that apply   
  102    universally regardless of what network the implementation may be        
  103    connected to, then that domain name may be a candidate for having the   
  104                                                                            
  105                                                                            
  106                                                                            
  107 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 2]   

  108 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  109                                                                            
  110                                                                            
  111    IETF declare it to be a Special-Use Domain Name and specify what        
  112    special treatment implementations should give to that name.  On the     
  113    other hand, if declaring a given name to be special would result in     
  114    no change to any implementations, then that suggests that the name      
  115    may not be special in any material way, and it may be more              
  116    appropriate to use the existing DNS mechanisms [RFC1034] to provide     
  117    the desired delegation, data, or lack-of-data, for the name in          
  118    question.  Where the desired behaviour can be achieved via the          
  119    existing domain name registration processes, that process should be     
  120    used.  Reservation of a Special-Use Domain Name is not a mechanism      
  121    for circumventing normal domain name registration processes.            
  122                                                                            
  123    As an example, suppose there were to be an IETF document specifying     
  124    that a particular name (or set of names) is guaranteed to produce an    
  125    NXDOMAIN ("Name Error" [RFC1035]) result.  Such a document falls        
  126    within the responsibilities of the IETF.  The IETF is responsible for   
  127    protocol rules.  The IETF defines name character set, length limits,    
  128    syntax, the fact that in DNS "A" is equivalent to "a", etc.             
  129    [RFC1034] [RFC1035].  Portions of the namespace created by those        
  130    rules are given to ICANN to manage, but, due to established DNS         
  131    protocol rules, ICANN is not free to allocate "COM" and "com" to two    
  132    different name servers.  The IETF has responsibility for specifying     
  133    how the DNS protocol works, and ICANN is responsible for allocating     
  134    the names made possible by that DNS protocol.  Now, suppose a           
  135    developer were to use this special "guaranteed nonexistent" name,       
  136    "knowing" that it's guaranteed to return NXDOMAIN, and suppose also     
  137    that the user's DNS server fails to return NXDOMAIN for this name.      
  138    The developer's software then fails.  Who do the user and/or            
  139    developer complain to?  ICANN?  The IETF?  The DNS server operator?     
  140    If the developer can't depend on the special "guaranteed nonexistent"   
  141    name to always return NXDOMAIN, then the special name is worthless,     
  142    because it can't be relied on to do what it is supposed to.  For this   
  143    special "guaranteed nonexistent" name to have any use, it has to be     
  144    defined to return NXDOMAIN, BY PROTOCOL, for all installations, not     
  145    just by ICANN allocation on the public Internet.  ICANN has no          
  146    jurisdiction over how users choose to configure their own private DNS   
  147    servers on their own private networks, but developers need a protocol   
  148    specification that states that returning positive answers for the       
  149    special "guaranteed nonexistent" name is a protocol violation on        
  150    *all* networks, not just the public Internet.  Hence, the act of        
  151    defining such a special name creates a higher-level protocol rule,      
  152    above ICANN's management of allocable names on the public Internet.     
  153                                                                            
  154                                                                            
  155                                                                            
  156                                                                            
  157                                                                            
  158                                                                            
  159                                                                            
  160                                                                            
  161                                                                            
  162 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 3]   

  163 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  164                                                                            
  165                                                                            
  166 4.  Procedure                                                              
  167                                                                            
  168    If it is determined that special handling of a name is required in      
  169    order to implement some desired new functionality, then an IETF         
  170    "Standards Action" or "IESG Approval" specification [RFC5226] MUST be   
  171    published describing the new functionality.                             
  172                                                                            
  173    The specification MUST state how implementations determine that the     
  174    special handling is required for any given name.  This is typically     
  175    done by stating that any fully qualified domain name ending in a        
  176    certain suffix (i.e., falling within a specified parent pseudo-         
  177    domain) will receive the special behaviour.  In effect, this carves     
  178    off a sub-tree of the DNS namespace in which the modified name          
  179    treatment rules apply, analogous to how IP multicast [RFC1112] or IP    
  180    link-local addresses [RFC3927] [RFC4862] carve off chunks of the IP     
  181    address space in which their respective modified address treatment      
  182    rules apply.                                                            
  183                                                                            
  184    The specification also MUST state, in each of the seven "Domain Name    
  185    Reservation Considerations" categories below, what special treatment,   
  186    if any, is to be applied.  If in all seven categories the answer is     
  187    "none", then possibly no special treatment is required and requesting   
  188    reservation of a Special-Use Domain Name may not be appropriate.        
  189                                                                            
  190 5.  Domain Name Reservation Considerations                                 
  191                                                                            
  192    An IETF "Standards Action" or "IESG Approval" document specifying       
  193    some new naming behaviour, which requires a Special-Use Domain Name     
  194    be reserved to implement this desired new behaviour, needs to contain   
  195    a subsection of the "IANA Considerations" section titled "Domain Name   
  196    Reservation Considerations" giving answers in the seven categories      
  197    listed below.  In the case of algorithmically generated DNS names,      
  198    the specifying document needs to clearly identify the set of names      
  199    generated by the algorithm that would require the proposed special      
  200    treatment.                                                              
  201                                                                            
  202    1.  Users:                                                              
  203                                                                            
  204        Are human users expected to recognize these names as special and    
  205        use them differently?  In what way?                                 
  206                                                                            
  207    2.  Application Software:                                               
  208                                                                            
  209        Are writers of application software expected to make their          
  210        software recognize these names as special and treat them            
  211        differently?  In what way?  (For example, if a human user enters    
  212        such a name, should the application software reject it with an      
  213        error message?)                                                     
  214                                                                            
  215                                                                            
  216                                                                            
  217 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 4]   

  218 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  219                                                                            
  220                                                                            
  221    3.  Name Resolution APIs and Libraries:                                 
  222                                                                            
  223        Are writers of name resolution APIs and libraries expected to       
  224        make their software recognize these names as special and treat      
  225        them differently?  If so, how?                                      
  226                                                                            
  227    4.  Caching DNS Servers:                                                
  228                                                                            
  229        Are developers of caching domain name servers expected to make      
  230        their implementations recognize these names as special and treat    
  231        them differently?  If so, how?                                      
  232                                                                            
  233    5.  Authoritative DNS Servers:                                          
  234                                                                            
  235        Are developers of authoritative domain name servers expected to     
  236        make their implementations recognize these names as special and     
  237        treat them differently?  If so, how?                                
  238                                                                            
  239    6.  DNS Server Operators:                                               
  240                                                                            
  241        Does this reserved Special-Use Domain Name have any potential       
  242        impact on DNS server operators?  If they try to configure their     
  243        authoritative DNS server as authoritative for this reserved name,   
  244        will compliant name server software reject it as invalid?  Do DNS   
  245        server operators need to know about that and understand why?        
  246        Even if the name server software doesn't prevent them from using    
  247        this reserved name, are there other ways that it may not work as    
  248        expected, of which the DNS server operator should be aware?         
  249                                                                            
  250    7.  DNS Registries/Registrars:                                          
  251                                                                            
  252        How should DNS Registries/Registrars treat requests to register     
  253        this reserved domain name?  Should such requests be denied?         
  254        Should such requests be allowed, but only to a specially-           
  255        designated entity?  (For example, the name "www.example.org" is     
  256        reserved for documentation examples and is not available for        
  257        registration; however, the name is in fact registered; and there    
  258        is even a web site at that name, which states circularly that the   
  259        name is reserved for use in documentation and cannot be             
  260        registered!)                                                        
  261                                                                            
  262                                                                            
  263                                                                            
  264                                                                            
  265                                                                            
  266                                                                            
  267                                                                            
  268                                                                            
  269                                                                            
  270                                                                            
  271                                                                            
  272 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 5]   

  273 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  274                                                                            
  275                                                                            
  276 6.  Initial Registry                                                       
  277                                                                            
  278    The initial IANA "Special-Use Domain Names" registry shall contain      
  279    entries for the private-address [RFC1918] reverse-mapping domains and   
  280    for the existing Reserved Top Level DNS Names [RFC2606].                
  281                                                                            

The IETF is responsible for the creation and maintenance of the DNS RFCs. The ICANN DNS RFC annotation project provides a forum for collecting community annotations on these RFCs as an aid to understanding for implementers and any interested parties. The annotations displayed here are not the result of the IETF consensus process.

This RFC is included in the DNS RFCs annotation project whose home page is here.

  282 6.1.  Domain Name Reservation Considerations for Private Addresses         
  283                                                                            
  284    The private-address [RFC1918] reverse-mapping domains listed below,     
  285    and any names falling within those domains, are Special-Use Domain      
  286    Names:                                                                  
  287                                                                            
  288      10.in-addr.arpa.      21.172.in-addr.arpa.  26.172.in-addr.arpa.      
  289      16.172.in-addr.arpa.  22.172.in-addr.arpa.  27.172.in-addr.arpa.      
  290      17.172.in-addr.arpa.  30.172.in-addr.arpa.  28.172.in-addr.arpa.      
  291      18.172.in-addr.arpa.  23.172.in-addr.arpa.  29.172.in-addr.arpa.      
  292      19.172.in-addr.arpa.  24.172.in-addr.arpa.  31.172.in-addr.arpa.      
  293      20.172.in-addr.arpa.  25.172.in-addr.arpa.  168.192.in-addr.arpa.     
  294                                                                            
  295    These domains, and any names falling within these domains, are          
  296    special in the following ways:                                          
  297                                                                            
  298    1.  Users are free to use these names as they would any other           
  299        reverse-mapping names.  However, since there is no central          
  300        authority responsible for use of private addresses, users SHOULD    
  301        be aware that these names are likely to yield different results     
  302        on different networks.                                              
  303                                                                            
  304    2.  Application software SHOULD NOT recognize these names as special,   
  305        and SHOULD use these names as they would other reverse-mapping      
  306        names.                                                              
  307                                                                            
  308    3.  Name resolution APIs and libraries SHOULD NOT recognize these       
  309        names as special and SHOULD NOT treat them differently.  Name       
  310        resolution APIs SHOULD send queries for these names to their        
  311        configured caching DNS server(s).                                   
  312                                                                            
  313    4.  Caching DNS servers SHOULD recognize these names as special and     
  314        SHOULD NOT, by default, attempt to look up NS records for them,     
  315        or otherwise query authoritative DNS servers in an attempt to       
  316        resolve these names.  Instead, caching DNS servers SHOULD, by       
  317        default, generate immediate (positive or negative) responses for    
  318        all such queries.  This is to avoid unnecessary load on the root    
  319        name servers and other name servers.  Caching DNS servers SHOULD    
  320        offer a configuration option (disabled by default) to enable        
  321        upstream resolution of such names, for use in private networks      
  322        where private-address reverse-mapping names are known to be         
  323        handled by an authoritative DNS server in said private network.     
  324                                                                            
  325                                                                            
  326                                                                            
  327 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 6]   

  328 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  329                                                                            
  330                                                                            
  331    5.  Authoritative DNS servers SHOULD recognize these names as special   
  332        and SHOULD, by default, generate immediate negative responses for   
  333        all such queries, unless explicitly configured by the               
  334        administrator to give positive answers for private-address          
  335        reverse-mapping names.                                              
  336                                                                            
  337    6.  DNS server operators SHOULD, if they are using private addresses,   
  338        configure their authoritative DNS servers to act as authoritative   
  339        for these names.                                                    
  340                                                                            
  341    7.  DNS Registries/Registrars MUST NOT grant requests to register any   
  342        of these names in the normal way to any person or entity.  These    
  343        names are reserved for use in private networks, and fall outside    
  344        the set of names available for allocation by registries/            
  345        registrars.  Attempting to allocate one of these names as if it     
  346        were a normal DNS domain name will probably not work as desired,    
  347        for reasons 4, 5 and 6 above.                                       
  348                                                                            
  349 6.2.  Domain Name Reservation Considerations for "test."                   
  350                                                                            
  351    The domain "test.", and any names falling within ".test.", are          
  352    special in the following ways:                                          
  353                                                                            
  354    1.  Users are free to use these test names as they would any other      
  355        domain names.  However, since there is no central authority         
  356        responsible for use of test names, users SHOULD be aware that       
  357        these names are likely to yield different results on different      
  358        networks.                                                           
  359                                                                            
  360    2.  Application software SHOULD NOT recognize test names as special,    
  361        and SHOULD use test names as they would other domain names.         
  362                                                                            
  363    3.  Name resolution APIs and libraries SHOULD NOT recognize test        
  364        names as special and SHOULD NOT treat them differently.  Name       
  365        resolution APIs SHOULD send queries for test names to their         
  366        configured caching DNS server(s).                                   
  367                                                                            
  368    4.  Caching DNS servers SHOULD recognize test names as special and      
  369        SHOULD NOT, by default, attempt to look up NS records for them,     
  370        or otherwise query authoritative DNS servers in an attempt to       
  371        resolve test names.  Instead, caching DNS servers SHOULD, by        
  372        default, generate immediate negative responses for all such         
  373        queries.  This is to avoid unnecessary load on the root name        
  374        servers and other name servers.  Caching DNS servers SHOULD offer   
  375        a configuration option (disabled by default) to enable upstream     
  376        resolving of test names, for use in networks where test names are   
  377        known to be handled by an authoritative DNS server in said          
  378        private network.                                                    
  379                                                                            
  380                                                                            
  381                                                                            
  382 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 7]   

  383 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  384                                                                            
  385                                                                            
  386    5.  Authoritative DNS servers SHOULD recognize test names as special    
  387        and SHOULD, by default, generate immediate negative responses for   
  388        all such queries, unless explicitly configured by the               
  389        administrator to give positive answers for test names.              
  390                                                                            
  391    6.  DNS server operators SHOULD, if they are using test names,          
  392        configure their authoritative DNS servers to act as authoritative   
  393        for test names.                                                     
  394                                                                            
  395    7.  DNS Registries/Registrars MUST NOT grant requests to register       
  396        test names in the normal way to any person or entity.  Test names   
  397        are reserved for use in private networks and fall outside the set   
  398        of names available for allocation by registries/registrars.         
  399        Attempting to allocate a test name as if it were a normal DNS       
  400        domain name will probably not work as desired, for reasons 4, 5,    
  401        and 6 above.                                                        
  402                                                                            
  403 6.3.  Domain Name Reservation Considerations for "localhost."              
  404                                                                            
  405    The domain "localhost." and any names falling within ".localhost."      
  406    are special in the following ways:                                      
  407                                                                            
  408    1.  Users are free to use localhost names as they would any other       
  409        domain names.  Users may assume that IPv4 and IPv6 address          
  410        queries for localhost names will always resolve to the respective   
  411        IP loopback address.                                                
  412                                                                            
  413    2.  Application software MAY recognize localhost names as special, or   
  414        MAY pass them to name resolution APIs as they would for other       
  415        domain names.                                                       
  416                                                                            
  417    3.  Name resolution APIs and libraries SHOULD recognize localhost       
  418        names as special and SHOULD always return the IP loopback address   
  419        for address queries and negative responses for all other query      
  420        types.  Name resolution APIs SHOULD NOT send queries for            
  421        localhost names to their configured caching DNS server(s).          
  422                                                                            
  423    4.  Caching DNS servers SHOULD recognize localhost names as special     
  424        and SHOULD NOT attempt to look up NS records for them, or           
  425        otherwise query authoritative DNS servers in an attempt to          
  426        resolve localhost names.  Instead, caching DNS servers SHOULD,      
  427        for all such address queries, generate an immediate positive        
  428        response giving the IP loopback address, and for all other query    
  429        types, generate an immediate negative response.  This is to avoid   
  430        unnecessary load on the root name servers and other name servers.   
  431                                                                            
  432                                                                            
  433                                                                            
  434                                                                            
  435                                                                            
  436                                                                            
  437 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 8]   

  438 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  439                                                                            
  440                                                                            
  441    5.  Authoritative DNS servers SHOULD recognize localhost names as       
  442        special and handle them as described above for caching DNS          
  443        servers.                                                            
  444                                                                            
  445    6.  DNS server operators SHOULD be aware that the effective RDATA for   
  446        localhost names is defined by protocol specification and cannot     
  447        be modified by local configuration.                                 
  448                                                                            
  449    7.  DNS Registries/Registrars MUST NOT grant requests to register       
  450        localhost names in the normal way to any person or entity.          
  451        Localhost names are defined by protocol specification and fall      
  452        outside the set of names available for allocation by registries/    
  453        registrars.  Attempting to allocate a localhost name as if it       
  454        were a normal DNS domain name will probably not work as desired,    
  455        for reasons 2, 3, 4, and 5 above.                                   
  456                                                                            
  457 6.4.  Domain Name Reservation Considerations for "invalid."                
  458                                                                            
  459    The domain "invalid." and any names falling within ".invalid." are      
  460    special in the ways listed below.  In the text below, the term          
  461    "invalid" is used in quotes to signify such names, as opposed to        
  462    names that may be invalid for other reasons (e.g., being too long).     
  463                                                                            
  464    1.  Users are free to use "invalid" names as they would any other       
  465        domain names.  Users MAY assume that queries for "invalid" names    
  466        will always return NXDOMAIN responses.                              
  467                                                                            
  468    2.  Application software MAY recognize "invalid" names as special or    
  469        MAY pass them to name resolution APIs as they would for other       
  470        domain names.                                                       
  471                                                                            
  472    3.  Name resolution APIs and libraries SHOULD recognize "invalid"       
  473        names as special and SHOULD always return immediate negative        
  474        responses.  Name resolution APIs SHOULD NOT send queries for        
  475        "invalid" names to their configured caching DNS server(s).          
  476                                                                            
  477    4.  Caching DNS servers SHOULD recognize "invalid" names as special     
  478        and SHOULD NOT attempt to look up NS records for them, or           
  479        otherwise query authoritative DNS servers in an attempt to          
  480        resolve "invalid" names.  Instead, caching DNS servers SHOULD       
  481        generate immediate NXDOMAIN responses for all such queries.  This   
  482        is to avoid unnecessary load on the root name servers and other     
  483        name servers.                                                       
  484                                                                            
  485    5.  Authoritative DNS servers SHOULD recognize "invalid" names as       
  486        special and handle them as described above for caching DNS          
  487        servers.                                                            
  488                                                                            
  489                                                                            
  490                                                                            
  491                                                                            
  492 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                    [Page 9]   

  493 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  494                                                                            
  495                                                                            
  496    6.  DNS server operators SHOULD be aware that the effective RDATA for   
  497        "invalid" names is defined by protocol specification to be          
  498        nonexistent and cannot be modified by local configuration.          
  499                                                                            
  500    7.  DNS Registries/Registrars MUST NOT grant requests to register       
  501        "invalid" names in the normal way to any person or entity.  These   
  502        "invalid" names are defined by protocol specification to be         
  503        nonexistent, and they fall outside the set of names available for   
  504        allocation by registries/registrars.  Attempting to allocate a      
  505        "invalid" name as if it were a normal DNS domain name will          
  506        probably not work as desired, for reasons 2, 3, 4, and 5 above.     
  507                                                                            
  508 6.5.  Domain Name Reservation Considerations for Example Domains           
  509                                                                            
  510    The domains "example.", "example.com.", "example.net.",                 
  511    "example.org.", and any names falling within those domains, are         
  512    special in the following ways:                                          
  513                                                                            
  514    1.  Users SHOULD understand that example names are reserved for use     
  515        in documentation.                                                   
  516                                                                            
  517    2.  Application software SHOULD NOT recognize example names as          
  518        special and SHOULD use example names as they would other domain     
  519        names.                                                              
  520                                                                            
  521    3.  Name resolution APIs and libraries SHOULD NOT recognize example     
  522        names as special and SHOULD NOT treat them differently.  Name       
  523        resolution APIs SHOULD send queries for example names to their      
  524        configured caching DNS server(s).                                   
  525                                                                            
  526    4.  Caching DNS servers SHOULD NOT recognize example names as special   
  527        and SHOULD resolve them normally.                                   
  528                                                                            
  529    5.  Authoritative DNS servers SHOULD NOT recognize example names as     
  530        special.                                                            
  531                                                                            
  532    6.  DNS server operators SHOULD be aware that example names are         
  533        reserved for use in documentation.                                  
  534                                                                            
  535    7.  DNS Registries/Registrars MUST NOT grant requests to register       
  536        example names in the normal way to any person or entity.  All       
  537        example names are registered in perpetuity to IANA:                 
  538                                                                            
  539                                                                            
  540                                                                            
  541                                                                            
  542                                                                            
  543                                                                            
  544                                                                            
  545                                                                            
  546                                                                            
  547 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                   [Page 10]   

  548 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  549                                                                            
  550                                                                            
  551         Domain Name: EXAMPLE.COM                                           
  552         Registrar: RESERVED-INTERNET ASSIGNED NUMBERS AUTHORITY            
  553         Whois Server: whois.iana.org                                       
  554         Referral URL: http://res-dom.iana.org                              
  555         Name Server: A.IANA-SERVERS.NET                                    
  556         Name Server: B.IANA-SERVERS.NET                                    
  557         Status: clientDeleteProhibited                                     
  558         Status: clientTransferProhibited                                   
  559         Status: clientUpdateProhibited                                     
  560         Updated Date: 26-mar-2004                                          
  561         Creation Date: 14-aug-1995                                         
  562         Expiration Date: 13-aug-2011                                       
  563                                                                            
  564    IANA currently maintains a web server providing a web page explaining   
  565    the purpose of example domains.                                         
  566                                                                            
  567 7.  Security Considerations                                                
  568                                                                            
  569    This document outlines the circumstances in which reserving a domain    
  570    name for special use is appropriate, and the procedure for having       
  571    that Special-Use Domain Name recorded by IANA.  Any document            
  572    requesting such a Special-Use Domain Name needs to contain an           
  573    appropriate "Security Considerations" section which describes any       
  574    security issues relevant to that special use.                           
  575                                                                            
  576 8.  IANA Considerations                                                    
  577                                                                            
  578    IANA has created a new registry of Special-Use Domain Names,            
  579    initially populated with the private-address reverse-mapping domains    
  580    and the Reserved Top Level DNS Names outlined above in Section 6.       
  581                                                                            
  582    When IANA receives a request to record a new "Special-Use Domain        
  583    Name", it should verify, in consultation with the IESG, that the IETF   
  584    "Standards Action" or "IESG Approval" document [RFC5226] includes the   
  585    required "Domain Name Reservation Considerations" section stating how   
  586    the special meaning of this name affects the behavior of hardware,      
  587    software, and humans in the seven categories.  If IANA and the IESG     
  588    determine that special handling of this "Special-Use Domain Name" is    
  589    appropriate, IANA should record the Special-Use Domain Name, and a      
  590    reference to the specification that documents it, in the registry.      
  591                                                                            
  592                                                                            
  593                                                                            
  594                                                                            
  595                                                                            
  596                                                                            
  597                                                                            
  598                                                                            
  599                                                                            
  600                                                                            
  601                                                                            
  602 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                   [Page 11]   

  603 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  604                                                                            
  605                                                                            
  606 9.  References                                                             
  607                                                                            
  608 9.1.  Normative References                                                 
  609                                                                            
  610    [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate          
  611               Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.           
  612                                                                            
  613    [RFC1034]  Mockapetris, P., "Domain names - concepts and facilities",   
  614               STD 13, RFC 1034, November 1987.                             
  615                                                                            
  616    [RFC1035]  Mockapetris, P., "Domain names - implementation and          
  617               specification", STD 13, RFC 1035, November 1987.             
  618                                                                            
  619    [RFC5226]  Narten, T. and H. Alvestrand, "Guidelines for Writing an     
  620               IANA Considerations Section in RFCs", BCP 26, RFC 5226,      
  621               May 2008.                                                    
  622                                                                            
  623 9.2.  Informative References                                               
  624                                                                            
  625    [RFC1112]  Deering, S., "Host extensions for IP multicasting", STD 5,   
  626               RFC 1112, August 1989.                                       
  627                                                                            
  628    [RFC1918]  Rekhter, Y., Moskowitz, R., Karrenberg, D., Groot, G., and   
  629               E. Lear, "Address Allocation for Private Internets",         
  630               BCP 5, RFC 1918, February 1996.                              
  631                                                                            
  632    [RFC2606]  Eastlake, D. and A. Panitz, "Reserved Top Level DNS          
  633               Names", BCP 32, RFC 2606, June 1999.                         
  634                                                                            
  635    [RFC3927]  Cheshire, S., Aboba, B., and E. Guttman, "Dynamic            
  636               Configuration of IPv4 Link-Local Addresses", RFC 3927,       
  637               May 2005.                                                    
  638                                                                            
  639    [RFC4862]  Thomson, S., Narten, T., and T. Jinmei, "IPv6 Stateless      
  640               Address Autoconfiguration", RFC 4862, September 2007.        
  641                                                                            
  642    [RFC5735]  Cotton, M. and L. Vegoda, "Special Use IPv4 Addresses",      
  643               BCP 153, RFC 5735, January 2010.                             
  644                                                                            
  645    [RFC5771]  Cotton, M., Vegoda, L., and D. Meyer, "IANA Guidelines for   
  646               IPv4 Multicast Address Assignments", BCP 51, RFC 5771,       
  647               March 2010.                                                  
  648                                                                            
  649                                                                            
  650                                                                            
  651                                                                            
  652                                                                            
  653                                                                            
  654                                                                            
  655                                                                            
  656                                                                            
  657 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                   [Page 12]   

  658 RFC 6761                Special-Use Domain Names           February 2013   
  659                                                                            
  660                                                                            
  661 Authors' Addresses                                                         
  662                                                                            
  663    Stuart Cheshire                                                         
  664    Apple Inc.                                                              
  665    1 Infinite Loop                                                         
  666    Cupertino, CA  95014                                                    
  667    USA                                                                     
  668                                                                            
  669    Phone: +1 408 974 3207                                                  
  670    EMail: cheshire@apple.com                                               
  671                                                                            
  672                                                                            
  673    Marc Krochmal                                                           
  674    Apple Inc.                                                              
  675    1 Infinite Loop                                                         
  676    Cupertino, CA  95014                                                    
  677    USA                                                                     
  678                                                                            
  679    Phone: +1 408 974 4368                                                  
  680    EMail: marc@apple.com                                                   
  681                                                                            
  682                                                                            
  683                                                                            
  684                                                                            
  685                                                                            
  686                                                                            
  687                                                                            
  688                                                                            
  689                                                                            
  690                                                                            
  691                                                                            
  692                                                                            
  693                                                                            
  694                                                                            
  695                                                                            
  696                                                                            
  697                                                                            
  698                                                                            
  699                                                                            
  700                                                                            
  701                                                                            
  702                                                                            
  703                                                                            
  704                                                                            
  705                                                                            
  706                                                                            
  707                                                                            
  708                                                                            
  709                                                                            
  710                                                                            
  711                                                                            
  712 Cheshire & Krochmal          Standards Track                   [Page 13]   
  713                                                                            
section-6.1 Walter H.(Editorial Erratum #5039) [Held for Document Update]
based on outdated version
   The private-address [RFC1918] reverse-mapping domains listed below,
   and any names falling within those domains, are Special-Use Domain
   Names:

     10.in-addr.arpa.      21.172.in-addr.arpa.  26.172.in-addr.arpa.
     16.172.in-addr.arpa.  22.172.in-addr.arpa.  27.172.in-addr.arpa.
     17.172.in-addr.arpa.  30.172.in-addr.arpa.  28.172.in-addr.arpa.
     18.172.in-addr.arpa.  23.172.in-addr.arpa.  29.172.in-addr.arpa.
     19.172.in-addr.arpa.  24.172.in-addr.arpa.  31.172.in-addr.arpa.
     20.172.in-addr.arpa.  25.172.in-addr.arpa.  168.192.in-addr.arpa.
It should say:
   The private-address [RFC1918] reverse-mapping domains listed below,
   and any names falling within those domains, are Special-Use Domain
   Names:

     10.in-addr.arpa.      21.172.in-addr.arpa.  2627.172.in-addr.arpa.
     16.172.in-addr.arpa.  22.172.in-addr.arpa.  2728.172.in-addr.arpa.
     17.172.in-addr.arpa.  3023.172.in-addr.arpa.  2829.172.in-addr.arpa.
     18.172.in-addr.arpa.  2324.172.in-addr.arpa.  2930.172.in-addr.arpa.
     19.172.in-addr.arpa.  2425.172.in-addr.arpa.  31.172.in-addr.arpa.
     20.172.in-addr.arpa.  2526.172.in-addr.arpa.  168.192.in-addr.arpa.

the original list is not correctly ordered, therefore is Errata-ID 5025 obsolete: this said that 30.172.in-addr.arpa. were missing in the original list.
section-6.1 Alexander Lay(Technical Erratum #4970) [Rejected]
based on outdated version
168.192.in-addr.arpa.
It should say:
192.168.in-addr.arpa.

The IP address ranges listed in this document as private do not align
with those listed as private in the referenced RFC 1918.
--VERIFIER NOTES--
Nope, there are in "reverse lookup" format.


The useful references are probably:
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1033 Section IN-ADDR.ARPA and
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6303 Section 4.1. RFC 1918 Zones.

More info (from rfc1033):
IN-ADDR.ARPA

The structure of names in the domain system is set up in a
hierarchical way such that the address of a name can be found by
tracing down the domain tree contacting a server for each label of
the name.  Because of this 'indexing' based on name, there is no easy

way to translate a host address back into its host name.

In order to do the reverse translation easily, a domain was created
that uses hosts' addresses as part of a name that then points to the
data for that host.  In this way, there is now an 'index' to hosts'
RRs based on their address.  This address mapping domain is called
IN-ADDR.ARPA.  Within that domain are subdomains for each network,
based on network number.  Also, for consistency and natural
groupings, the 4 octets of a host number are reversed.

For example, the ARPANET is net 10.  That means there is a domain
called 10.IN-ADDR.ARPA.  Within this domain there is a PTR RR at
51.0.0.10.IN-ADDR that points to the RRs for the host SRI-NIC.ARPA
(who's address is 10.0.0.51).  Since the NIC is also on the MILNET
(Net 26, address 26.0.0.73), there is also a PTR RR at 73.0.0.26.IN-
ADDR.ARPA that points to the same RR's for SRI-NIC.ARPA.  The format
of these special pointers is defined below along with the examples
for the NIC.

PTR

   [] []   PTR   

The PTR record is used to let special names point to some other
location in the domain tree.  They are mainly used in the IN-
ADDR.ARPA records for translation of addresses to names.  PTR's
should use official names and not aliases.

For example, host SRI-NIC.ARPA with addresses 10.0.0.51 and 26.0.0.73

would have the following records in the respective zone files for net

10 and net 26:

51.0.0.10.IN-ADDR.ARPA.  PTR   SRI-NIC.ARPA.
73.0.0.26.IN-ADDR.ARPA.  PTR   SRI-NIC.ARPA.
section-6.1 Michael Kohl(Technical Erratum #5025) [Rejected]
based on outdated version
   The private-address [RFC1918] reverse-mapping domains listed below,
   and any names falling within those domains, are Special-Use Domain
   Names:

     10.in-addr.arpa.      21.172.in-addr.arpa.  26.172.in-addr.arpa.
     16.172.in-addr.arpa.  22.172.in-addr.arpa.  27.172.in-addr.arpa.
     17.172.in-addr.arpa.  30.172.in-addr.arpa.  28.172.in-addr.arpa.
     18.172.in-addr.arpa.  23.172.in-addr.arpa.  29.172.in-addr.arpa.
     19.172.in-addr.arpa.  24.172.in-addr.arpa.  31.172.in-addr.arpa.
     20.172.in-addr.arpa.  25.172.in-addr.arpa.  168.192.in-addr.arpa.
It should say:
   The private-address [RFC1918] reverse-mapping domains listed below,
   and any names falling within those domains, are Special-Use Domain
   Names:

     10.in-addr.arpa.      21.172.in-addr.arpa.  26.172.in-addr.arpa.
     16.172.in-addr.arpa.  22.172.in-addr.arpa.  27.172.in-addr.arpa.
     17.172.in-addr.arpa.  30.172.in-addr.arpa.  28.172.in-addr.arpa.
     18.172.in-addr.arpa.  23.172.in-addr.arpa.  29.172.in-addr.arpa.
     19.172.in-addr.arpa.  24.172.in-addr.arpa.  30.172.in-addr.arpa.
     20.172.in-addr.arpa.  25.172.in-addr.arpa.  31.172.in-addr.arpa.
     168.192.in-addr.arpa

30.172.in-addr.arpa. is missing in the original list.
--VERIFIER NOTES--
Actually, as noted in Errata ID: 5039 it's not missing - it is between
22.172.in-addr.arpa and 23.172.in-addr.arpa. I've marked Errata 5039 as
"Held for update" and am rejecting this one.