Because the Internet is a network of networks, no one organization operates the Internet. The closest thing the Internet has to an owner is the Internet Society (ISOC) (www.isoc.org). ISOC is an open-membership professional society with more than 175 organizational and 8,000 individual members in over 100 countries, including corporations, government agencies, and foundations that have created the Internet and its technologies. Because membership in ISOC is open, anyone, including students, is welcome to join and vote on key issues facing the Internet.
The ISOC mission is to ensure "the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world."5 ISOC works in three general areas: public policy, education, and standards. In terms of public policy, ISOC participates in the national and international debates on important issues such as censorship, copyright, privacy, and universal access. ISOC delivers training and education programs targeted at improving the Internet infrastructure in developing nations. The most important ISOC activity lies in the development and maintenance of Internet standards. ISOC works through four interrelated standards bodies: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG), Internet Architecture Board (IAB), and Internet Research Task Force (IRTF).
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) (www.ietf.org) is a large, open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. IETF works through a series of working groups, which are organized by topic (e.g., routing, transport, security). The requests for comment (RFCs) that form the basis for Internet standards are developed by the IETF and its working groups.
Closely related to the IETF is the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). The IESG is responsible for technical management of IETF activities and the Internet standards process. It administers the process according to the rules and procedures that have been ratified by the ISOC trustees. The IESG is directly responsible for the actions associated with entry into and movement along the Internet "standards track," including final approval of specifications as Internet standards. Each IETF working group is chaired by a member of the IESG.
Whereas the IETF develops standards and the IESG provides the operational leadership for the IETF working groups, the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) provides strategic architectural oversight. The IAB attempts to develop conclusions on strategic issues (e.g., top-level domain names, use of international character sets) that can be passed on as guidance to the IESG or turned into published statements or simply passed directly to the relevant IETF working group. In general, the IAB does not produce polished technical proposals but rather tries to stimulate action by the IESG or the IETF that will lead to proposals that meet general consensus. The IAB appoints the IETF chairperson and all IESG members, from a list provided by the IETF nominating committee. The IAB also adjudicates appeals when someone complains that the IESG has failed.
Registering an Internet Domain Name
TECHNICAL FOCUS
Until the 1990s, there was only a moderate number of computers on the Internet. One organization was responsible for registering domain names (sets of application layer addresses) and assigning IP addresses for each top-level domain (e.g., .COM). Network Solutions, for example, was the sole organization responsible for domain name registrations for the .COM, .NET, and .ORG domains. In October 1998, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was formed to assume responsibility for the IP address space and domain name system management.
In spring 1999, ICANN established the Shared Registration System (SRS) that enabled many organizations to perform domain name registration and address assignment using a shared database. More than 80 organizations are now accredited by ICANN as registrars and are permitted to use the SRS. Each registrar has the right to assign names and addresses in one or more top-level domains. For a list of registrars and the domains they serve, see www.internic.com.
If you want to register a new domain name and obtain an IP address, you can contact any accredited registrar for that top-level domain. One of the oldest privately operated registrars is register.com. Each registrar follows the same basic process for registering a name and assigning an address, but each may charge a different amount for their services. In order to register a name, you must first check to see if it is available (i.e., that no one else has registered it). If the name has already been registered, you can find out who owns it and perhaps attempt to buy it from them.
If the domain name is available, you will need to provide the IP address of the DNS server that will be used to store all IP addresses in the domain. Most large organizations have their own DNS servers, but small companies and individuals often use the DNS of their ISP.
The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) operates much like the IETF through small research groups focused on specific issues. Whereas IETF working groups focus on current issues, IRTF research groups work on long-term issues related to Internet protocols, applications, architecture, and technology. The IRTF chairperson is appointed by the IAB.
