Whois

The WHOIS (who is) is the appropriate role of named Internet that allows one ask the WHOIS database for the information of the remote domain registration. Performing a simple whois search you can discover when and by whom was a registered domain, contact information and more. A whois search can also reveal the name or mapped to a network IP address numbers. Originally, WHOIS searches were conducted in a command line environment and took the form, [drive]: > whois domain.com. The searches can still make the command line, but the tools of the Web interface should now visit a Web site and whois simply add the IP address or Domain Name.

In the case of a domain of private property, the WHOIS database contains the full name, address, phone number and email address of the registered owner of the domain. If the domain is owned by a business, company name, address, email, and phone number are included. There are also fields for a domain administrator, technical manager, and another comes into contact with. The expiry date of the registration period is also listed.

While the original purpose of the WHOIS database was to provide a directory for owners of the domain, the public – information opened the door to form spam and other abuses. The conditions of the WHOIS databases contain a provision that the developer is not used for such purposes, but it has proven to be a little anemic. To discourage further to the data miners, most sites have implemented a whois script with a graphical representation of random numbers or letters that the applicant has to enter manually into a field. The Bots programs or scrubbing of the data can not read these graphic representations, resulting from disabling questions automated. Beyond precautions such as these, there is no real mechanism in place to catch, identify, or to punish abusers of WHOIS information.

In 2004, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) proposed a new protocol for handling the WHOIS information. The new protocol proposed protocol is called Cross Registry Information Service Protocol (CRISP). The whois information is currently stored in the various schedules and multiple servers. The technical aspects of the WHOIS protocol are outlined in RFC 954.