Frequently Asked Questions - OT&E Certification FAQ

Yes, Afilias must certify all registrars who wish to register domains in the .INFO registry.

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Please contact Afilias to schedule your OT&E certification.

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The OT&E certification process begins when a Registrar becomes accredited by ICANN and requests authorization from Afilias, at which point an OT&E welcome package will be provided to the Registrar. This package will include information that will assist the Registrar in developing their client application for the Shared Registry System. This package will include the following:

• Username and password to access the Registrar only area of the Afilias web site.
• OT&E server information and username/password for two accounts to access the Afilias OT&E environment for Registrar client testing.
• Instructions on where to download the Registrar Toolkit.
• Instructions on where to download the EPP specifications.
• Instructions on how to proceed with the OT&E certification process.
• Instructions on how to obtain an SSL certificate from an approved Certificate Authority.
• Instructions on how to provide Afilias with the list of subnets that will be used to access the live Shared Registry System.
• Documentation that will explain the tests to be performed during OT&E verification.top

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The Registrar is responsible for developing the client application that will interface to the Registry using the EPP protocol. The Afilias Registrar Toolkit is available to any interested party that would like to develop Registrar client applications. A Registrar may opt to develop their application to conform to the EPP specification without the use of the Registrar Toolkit. This is acceptable as long as the client is able to pass the OT&E certification process.

The Registry-Registrar communication channel will be encrypted. A SSL certificate from an approved Certificate Authority is required to establish this encrypted channel. The Registrar is responsible for acquiring the SSL certificate and developing support for SSL in their client application.

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During client development, the Registrar has access to Afilias' OT&E environment. In the OT&E environment, the Registrar may test the operation of their software to verify the correct handling of EPP commands and their responses. Operations performed in the OT&E environment will not be charged and will not have any impacts on the live Shared Registry System. Registrars will continue to have access to the OT&E environment after certification, so that they may continue to test their software systems.

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When a Registrar has completed the testing of their client systems and would like to proceed with OT&E certification, they should contact Afilias technical support to schedule a time slot. Time slots will be scheduled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

At the scheduled time, the Registrar should contact the Afilias OT&E Team to initiate the certification.

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During OT&E certification, a Registrar's client application will be required to demonstrate the proper execution of the following operations:

• SSL connection establishment
• EPP [login] command
• Change of [login] password
• EPP [logout] command
• Domain Name Operations
• Create domain without name servers and without contacts (EPP Transform [create])
• Create domain with name servers
• Create domain with contacts
• Create domain with maximum registration period
• Create domain with maximum number of name servers
• Create domain with maximum number of contacts
• Create domain with maximum length domain name (63 characters + .INFO)
• Create domain with invalid name
• Check domain (EPP Query [check]) - domain not available
• Check domain (EPP Query [check]) - domain available
• Check domain - maximum length domain name (63 characters + .INFO) not available
• Query domain (EPP Query [info])
• Query domain transfer status (EPP Query [transfer])
• Delete domain (EPP Transform [delete])
• Renew domain (EPP Transform [renew])
• Transfer domain (EPP Transform [transfer])
• Change domain (EPP Transform [update]) - name servers
• Change domain (EPP Transform [update]) - contact
• Name Server Operations
• Create name server (EPP Transform [create])
• Create name server with maximum length host name (80 characters)
• Check name server (EPP Query [check]) - name server known
• Check name server (EPP Query [check]) - name server unknown
• Query name server (EPP Query [info])
• Delete name server (EPP Transform [delete])
• Change name server (EPP Transform [update]) - add IP address
• Change name server (EPP Transform [update]) - remove IP address
• Contact Operations
• Create contact (EPP Transform [create])
• Check contact (EPP Query [check]) - contact known
• Check contact (EPP Query [check]) - contact unknown
• Query contact (EPP Query [info])
• Query contact transfer status (EPP Query [transfer])
• Delete contact (EPP Transform [delete])
• Transfer contact (EPP Transform [transfer])
• Change contact (EPP Transform [update]) - change element
• Change contact (EPP Transform [update]) - remove element
• Efficiency of client session management

NOTE: Afilias reserves the right to change the OT&E certification requirements as necessary to ensure compliance with the evolving EPP standard.

The latest version of the OT&E certification criteria is available for download in PDF format.

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All tests performed during OT&E certification must be completed without errors. Afilias will provide the certification results in a timely manner and provide feedback for Registrars that fail to successfully complete the tests. Registrars may correct their systems and re-schedule for certification. Registrars will not be limited in the number of attempts at OT&E certification.

Upon successful OT&E certification, the Registrar becomes eligible for operation in the live Shared Registry System. A new username/password is assigned and Afilias will configure the live system to recognize the SSL certificate, username and subnet blocks for the Registrar. The Registrar may start operation when it has satisfied the financial requirements for going live.

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The OT&E server name and port is:

ote1.afilias.net

Port: 700

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