GPRS. domain Root server

[Jim Reid]

>>>>> "Brook" == Brook Harty <harty at ironwolve.com> writes:

    Brook> Anyone know if there is a GPRS root domain server? 

Yes. There's no such thing. There might be servers for this bogus
.gprs top-level domain that various telcos use. But these cannot by
definition be root servers. If you want to know the location of
servers for .gprs, don't ask here. This is the public internet. Ask
someone who lives in a private telco world where this TLD exists.

    Brook> I'm manually putting in everyone's .gprs mnc/mcc domain
    Brook> address, and it's kind of crazy, since its a normal DNS
    Brook> architecture!

No it isn't. If it was a "normal DNS architecture" this domain would
live in the public DNS infrastructure, just like ironwolve.com. Since
there is no .gprs TLD, it can't possibly be a "normal DNS architecture".

    Brook> What is the possibility about getting GPRS. into the normal
    Brook> Internet root servers? (Or is this Crazy talk?)

It's about as close to zero as anything could be. First of all, the
sponsors of .gprs will need to convince the IETF & IAB that they can
only use .gprs and can't use a domain name under .arpa, the domain
that's the IAB has set aside for infrastructure stuff. The supporters
of .gprs would also have to write up some internet drafts and protocol
specifications to document the protocols used in .gprs and get them
through the IETF process. This might be very hard work, especially if
it involves things related telephony service or E.164 telephone
numbers. According to RFC3761, E.164 numbers belong under e164.arpa.
And that's before we get into the legal and political issues of
national sovereignty, competition & data protection/privacy
considerations surrounding E.164 phone numbers. Once all that's done,
the .gprs people will need to convince ICANN and the US Government to
create the .gprs TLD. This will bring another set of legal and
political problems. For example, there are currently two proposals in
front of ICANN for top-level domains (.tel and .mobi) that seem to be
very similar to what might be going on in .gprs.

Oh and before all that starts, the folk behind .gprs will need to
provide the money and infrastructure for a TLD. That also means having
a legal entity that can enter into contracts with ICANN, registry
operators, registrars, ISPs, etc, etc.

No doubt all the above explains why the GSM Association just settled
on .gprs and didn't bother telling anyone else.

BTW, the GSM Association's public documents say .gprs is a private
domain that isn't supposed to be on the public internet. So that kind
of answers your question too. Even so, the GSM Association should not
have just plucked this domain name out of the air. They should have
registered one that lived on the public internet, if only to avoid the
potential of any future confusion. Imagine the fun if/when ICANN
decides to create the .gprs TLD for the Global Public Relations
Society.