As part of planned registration services improvements in 2017, APNIC is updating the whois master server to use the latest version of the RIPE whois codebase (from v1.69 to v1.88).
The upgraded code base will provide improved APNIC database query options, make data updates easier for users, take advantage of enhanced syntax, new flags and attributes, and make it easier for APNIC technical staff to maintain the server.
It will also mitigate the risk associated with maintaining the older whois server code.
I thought it would be useful to share some of the new features and improvements that will be introduced as part of the update. The plan is to complete the update by the end of July 2017, and APNIC will share more information with Members as the project nears completion.
New features
New object: Organization object
This object will hold the business name/contact information and location. Its purpose is to map all resources to an organization and vice versa.
New query flags: (–valid-syntax and –no-valid-syntax)
New query flags with valid syntax versus non-valid syntax.
New attributes: For aut-num objects: “import-via:” and “export-via:”
Assists multilateral peering services to inform the intermediate AS what routing policy should be applied towards other participants.
Deprecation of the “changed” attribute
“last modified” will accurately reflect when the object was last changed.
For mntner objects: “referral-by:” attribute now optional
This attribute is part of a mntner object for historical reasons and will eventually be deprecated.
Changed syntax for “role:” attribute/object
Because the role objects are not personal, the syntax has changed to reflect an organization’s name, rather than a person’s name.
New features: Dry-run updates
Test your updates for single or multiple object types within the live database
For more detailed information on the changes, please visit the Whois database upgrade plan and for other service development plans, have a look at the APNIC Services Roadmap.
Your feedback and comments are always welcome — please let me or the Helpdesk team know if you have any questions.
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