
IETF IDN Working Group                                    Sung Jae Shim
Internet Draft                                           DualName, Inc.
Document: draft-ietf-idn-vidn-00.txt                   14 November 2000
Expires: 14 May 2001 
 
 
              Virtually Internationalized Domain Names (VIDN) 
    
    
   Status of this Memo 
    
   This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with 
   all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026. 
    
   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering 
   Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other 
   groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. 
    
   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months 
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any 
   time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference 
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."  
    
   The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at 
   http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt  
    
   The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at 
   http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html. 
    
    
   1. Abstract 
    
   This document describes a method that internationalizes existing as 
   well as future domain names in English, not making any change to the 
   current DNS, not requiring separate name server or resolver, and not 
   creating domain names in non-English languages. Based upon the 
   knowledge of transliteration between a local language and English, 
   the method allows a user to use virtual domain names in the user's 
   preferred local language by converting them into the corresponding 
   actual domain names in English that comply with the current DNS. The 
   conversion takes place automatically and transparently in the user's 
   applications before DNS queries are sent. The method uses the current 
   DNS as it is and meets all the requirements of internationalized 
   domain names as described in Wenzel and Seng [2]. 
    
    
   2. Conventions and definitions used in this document 
    
   The key words "REQUIRED" and "MAY" in this document are to be 
   interpreted as described in RFC-2119 [1]. 
    
   A "host" is a computer or device attached to the Internet. A "user 
   host" is a computer or device with which a user is connected to the 

  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   Internet, and a "user" is a person who uses a user host. A "server 
   host" is a computer or device that provides services to user hosts. 
    
   An "entity" is an organization or individual that has a domain name 
   registered with the DNS. 
    
   A "local language" is a language other than English that a user 
   prefers to use in a local context. 
    
   A "virtual domain name" is a domain name in a local language, and it 
   is not registered with the DNS but used for the convenience of a 
   user. An "actual domain name" is a domain name in English, and it is 
   actually used in the DNS. A "domain name" refers to an actual domain 
   name in English that complies with the DNS, unless specified 
   otherwise. 
    
   A "coded portion" is a pre-coded portion of a domain name (e.g., 
   generic organization codes including `com', `edu', `gov', `int', 
   `mil', `net', `org', and country codes such as `kr', `jp', and so 
   on). An "entity-defined portion" is a portion of a domain name, which 
   is defined by the entity that holds the domain name (e.g., 
   organization name, server name, and so on). 
    
   The method proposed in this document is called "virtually 
   internationalized domain names (VIDN)" because it uses virtual domain 
   names in local languages to internationalize actual domain names in 
   English that comply with the DNS. 
    
   A number of Korean-language characters are used in the original of 
   this document for examples, which is available from the author upon 
   request. The software used for Internet-Drafts does not allow using 
   multilingual characters other than ASCII characters. Thus, this 
   document may not display Korean-language characters properly, 
   although it may be comprehensible without the examples using Korean-
   language characters. Also, when you open the original of this 
   document, please select your view encoding type to Korean for Korean-
   language characters to be displayed properly. 
    
    
   3. Introduction 
    
   Domain names are valuable to Internet users as a main identifier of 
   hosts on the Internet. The current DNS allows using only English 
   characters in naming hosts or clusters of hosts on the Internet. More 
   specifically, the DNS uses only the basic Latin alphabets (case-
   insensitive), the decimal digits (0-9) and the hyphen (-) in domain 
   names. But there is a growing need for internationalized or non-
   English domain names. Recognizing this need, various methods have 
   been proposed to use non-English characters in domain names. But to 
   date, it seems that no method has met all the requirements of 
   internationalized domain names as described in Wenzel and Seng [2]. 
    
   A group of earlier methods has tried to put internationalized domain 
   names inside some parts of the overall DNS system, using UCS encoding 
  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   schemes. But these methods put too much of a burden on the DNS, 
   requiring a great deal of work for transition and update of the DNS 
   components. Another group of earlier methods has tried to build 
   separate directory services for internationalized domain names or 
   internationalized keywords. But these methods also require complex 
   implementation efforts, duplicating much of the work already done for 
   the DNS. Both the groups of earlier methods have tried to build some 
   mechanisms inside or outside the DNS and put internationalized domain 
   names or internationalized keywords there in addition to existing 
   domain names in English. 
    
   Unlike earlier methods that involve a lengthy and costly process of 
   implementation, VIDN provides a more immediate and less costly 
   solution to internationalized domain names by focusing on 
   internationalizing existing as well as future domain names in English 
   that comply with the current DNS, without actually creating domain 
   names in local languages. VIDN takes notice of the fact that most 
   domain names used in regions where English is not widely spoken, have 
   their entity-defined portions consisting of characters or words in 
   English as transliterated from characters and words in the respective 
   local languages. Based upon the knowledge of transliteration between 
   a local language and English, VIDN allows using virtual domain names 
   in a local language by converting them into the corresponding actual 
   domain names in English that comply with the current DNS. VIDN allows 
   the same domain names to be used not only in English as usual but 
   also in local languages, without creating additional domain names in 
   local languages. 
    
    
   4. VIDN method 
    
   4.1. Objectives 
    
   To date, the methods for internationalized domain names have tried to 
   create domain names or keywords in local languages one way or another 
   in addition to existing domain names in English, and put them inside 
   or outside the DNS, using special encoding schemes or lookup 
   services. These methods require a lengthy and costly process of 
   implementation. Even when they are successfully implemented, these 
   methods may localize the Internet by separating it into groups of 
   local languages that are less universal than English. Further, these 
   methods may cause disputes on copyrights, trademarks, and so on in 
   local contexts, in addition to all those disputes we observe with 
   current domain names in English. VIDN intends to provide a solution 
   to the problems of earlier methods, by (1) allowing the same domain 
   names to be used both in English and local languages, without 
   creating domain names in local languages, (2) working in applications 
   at user hosts automatically and transparently before DNS requests are 
   sent, (3) using the current DNS as it is, without requiring any 
   additional name server or resolver, and (4) being implemented 
   immediately with little cost. 
    
    
   4.2. Description 
  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
    
   It is important to note that most domain names used in regions where 
   English is not widely spoken have their entity-defined portions 
   consisting of characters or words in English as transliterated from 
   characters or words in local languages. These transliterated 
   characters or words in English do not have any meanings in English, 
   but their originals in local languages before the transliteration 
   into English have some meanings in local contexts, usually indicating 
   organization names, brand names, trademarks, and so on. VIDN allows 
   using these original characters or words in local languages as the 
   entity-defined portions of virtual domain names in local languages, 
   by transliterating them into the corresponding entity-defined 
   portions of actual domain names in English. In this way, VIDN allows 
   the same domain names in English to be also used virtually in local 
   languages without actually creating domain names in local languages. 
    
   As domain names overlay IP addresses, so virtual domain names in 
   local languages do actual domain names in English. The relationship 
   between virtual domain names in a local language and actual domain 
   names in English can be depicted as: 
    
                  +---------------------------------+ 
                  |              User               | 
                  +---------------------------------+ 
                       |                       | 
      +----------------|-----------------------|------------------+ 
      |                v   (Transliteration)   v                  | 
      |   +---------------------+  |  +-----------------------+   | 
      |   | Virtual domain name |  |  |   Actual domain name  |   |  
      |   | in a local language |--+->|   in English          |   | 
      |   +---------------------+     +-----------------------+   | 
      |                    User application    |                  | 
      +----------------------------------------|------------------+ 
                                               v 
                                           DNS request 
    
   VIDN uses the phonemes of a local language and English as a medium in 
   transliterating the entity-defined portions of virtual domain names 
   in the local language into those of actual domain names in English. 
   This process of transliteration can be depicted as: 
    
           Local language                           English 
   +----------------------------+       +-----------------------------+ 
   | Characters ----> Phonemes -----------> Phonemes ----> Characters | 
   |              |             |   |   |              |              | 
   |              |             |   |   |              |              | 
   | (Inverse of transcription) | Match |        (Transcription)      | 
   +----------------------------+       +-----------------------------+ 
                  |                                    ^ 
                  |         (Transliteration)          | 
                  +------------------------------------+ 
    
   First, each entity-defined portion of a virtual domain name in the 
   local language is decomposed into individual characters or sets of 
  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   characters so that each individual character or set of characters can 
   represent an individual phoneme of the local language, which is the 
   inverse of transcription of phonemes into characters. Second, each 
   individual phoneme of the local language is matched with an 
   equivalent phoneme of English that has the same or most proximate 
   sound. Third, each phoneme of English is transcribed into the 
   corresponding character or set of characters in English. Finally, all 
   the characters or sets of characters converted into English are 
   united to compose the corresponding entity-defined portion of an 
   actual domain name in English. 
    
   For example, a word in Korean, `??' that means `century' in  English, 
   is transliterated into `segi' in English, and so, the entity whose 
   name contains `??' in Korean may have an entity-defined portion of 
   its domain name as `segi' in English. VIDN allows using `??' in 
   Korean as an entity-defined portion of a virtual domain name in 
   Korean, which is converted into `segi' in English, the corresponding 
   entity-defined portion of an actual domain name in English. More 
   specifically, the phonemes represented by the characters consisting 
   of `??' in Korean have the same sounds as the phonemes represented 
   by the characters consisting of `segi' in English. In the local 
   context, `??' in Korean is clearly easier to remember and type and 
   more intuitive and meaningful than `segi' in English. 
    
   An entity-defined portion of a virtual domain name in Korean, `??', 
   is transliterated into `yahoo' in English, since the phonemes 
   represented by the characters consisting of `??' in Korean have the 
   same sounds as the phonemes represented by the characters consisting 
   of `yahoo' in English. That is, `??' in Korean is pronounced as the 
   same as `yahoo' in English, and so, it is easy for Korean-speaking 
   people to deduce `??' in Korean as the virtual equivalent of 
   `yahoo' in English. VIDN allows using virtual domain names in a local 
   language for domain names whose originals are in the local language, 
   e.g., `??' in Korean, as well as domain names whose originals are 
   in English, e.g., `??' in Korean. In this way, VIDN can make domain 
   names truly international, allowing the same domain names to be used 
   both in English and local languages. 
    
   The coded portions of domain names such as organization codes, 
   geographic codes and country codes, can also be transliterated from a 
   local language into English, using the phonemes of the two languages 
   as a medium. For example, seven generic organization codes in English, 
   `com', `edu', `gov', `int', `mil', `net', and `org', can be 
   transliterated from `?', `??', `??', `??', `?', `??', `??' in 
   Korean, respectively, which can be used as the corresponding 
   organization codes of virtual domain names in Korean. Based upon its 
   meaning in English, each coded portion of actual domain names also 
   can be pre-assigned a virtual equivalent word or code in a local 
   language. For example, seven generic organization codes in English, 
   `com', `edu', `gov', `int', `mil', `net', and `org', can be pre-
   assigned `??' (meaning `commercial' in Korean), `??' (meaning 
   `education' in Korean), `??' (meaning `government' in Korean), 
   `??' (meaning `international' in Korean), `??' (meaning `military' 
   in Korean), `??' (meaning `network' in Korean), and `??' (meaning 
  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   `organization' in Korean), respectively, which can be used as the 
   corresponding organization codes of virtual domain names in Korean. 
    
   Since VIDN uses the phonemes of a local language and English as a 
   medium of the transliteration, it does not create such complexities 
   as other conversion methods based upon semantics do. Further, most 
   languages have a small number of phonemes. For example, Korean 
   language has nineteen consonant phonemes and twenty-one vowel 
   phonemes, and English language has twenty-four consonant phonemes and 
   twenty vowel phonemes. Each phoneme of Korean language can be matched 
   with a phoneme of English language that has the same or proximate 
   sound, and vice versa. 
    
   Some characters or sets of characters of a language may represent 
   more than one phoneme. Also, some phonemes of a language may be 
   represented by more than one character or set of characters. But 
   these variations usually occur in particular situations, and so, VIDN 
   incorporates the special provisions to deal with such variations. In 
   addition, not every character or set of characters in a local 
   language may be neatly transliterated into only one character or set 
   of characters in English. In practice, people often transliterate the 
   same word in a local language differently into English or vice versa. 
   VIDN also incorporates the provisions to deal with such variations 
   caused by common usages or idiomatic expressions. Because of these 
   variations, however, it is probable for one virtual domain name 
   entered in a local language to result in more than one actual domain 
   name in English. 
    
   VIDN includes a coding scheme in order to make each virtual domain 
   name entered in a local language correspond to exactly one actual 
   domain name in English. In this coding scheme, a unique code is pre-
   assigned to one of the corresponding actual domain names in English 
   for each virtual domain name to be entered in a local language. The 
   code is kept somewhere at the server host that has the actual domain 
   name in English, for example, in the main HTML document at the server 
   host, so that VIDN can check the code. VIDN also generates the same 
   unique code whenever the corresponding virtual domain name is entered 
   in user applications. Then, VIDN checks whether the code at each 
   server host matches with the code generated in user applications. If 
   one of the server hosts has the code that matches with the code 
   generated in user applications, VIDN recognizes that the virtual 
   domain name entered by the user corresponds only to the actual domain 
   name of that server host, and connects the user host to the server 
   host. The domain names of the remaining server hosts that do not have 
   the matching code may be listed to the user as alternative sites. For 
   security purpose, this coding scheme may use an encryption technique. 
    
   For example, `??.?', a virtual domain name entered in Korean, may 
   result in four corresponding domain names in English including 
   `jungang.com', `joongang.com,' `chungang.com', and `choongang.com', 
   since the phonemes represented by characters consisting of `??.?' 
   in Korean can have the same or almost the same sounds as the phonemes 
   represented by characters consisting of `jungang.com', 
   `joongang.com,' `chungang.com', or `choongang.com' in English. In 
  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   this case, we assume that the server host with its domain name 
   `jungang.com' has the pre-assigned code that matches with the code 
   generated when `??.?' in Korean is entered in user applications. 
   Then, the user host is connected to this server host, and the other 
   server hosts may be listed to the user as alternative sites so that 
   the user can try them. 
    
   The process of this coding scheme that makes each virtual domain name 
   in a local language correspond to only one actual domain name in 
   English, can be depicted as: 
    
                  +---------------------------------+ 
                  |              User               | 
                  +---------------------------------+ 
                       |                       | 
      +----------------|-----------------------|------------------+ 
      |                v                       v                  | 
      |   +---------------------+     +-----------------------+   | 
      |   | Virtual domain name |     | Potential domain names|   |  
      |   | in a local language |---->| in English            |   | 
      |   | e.g., `??.?'      |     | e.g., `jungang.com'   |   | 
      |   |       (code: 297437)|     |       `joongang.com'  |   | 
      |   |                     |     |       `chungang.com'  |   | 
      |   |                     |     |       `choongang.com' |   | 
      |   +---------------------+     +-----------------------+   | 
      |                    User application    |                  | 
      +----------------------------------------|------------------+ 
                       ^                       | 
                       |                       | Code check by VIDN 
       Connection to   |                       |    +-- `jungang.com'   
       the server host |                       |    |   (code: 297437) 
       `jungang.com'   |                       |    |-- `joongang.com' 
                       |                       |----+   (not active) 
                       |                       |    |-- `chungang.com' 
                       |                       |    |   (code: 381274) 
                       |    DNS request and    |    +-- `choongang.com' 
                       |    response           |        (not active) 
                       +-----------------------+ 
    
   Since VIDN converts separately the entity-defined portions and the 
   coded portions of a virtual domain name, it preserves the current 
   syntax of domain names, that is, the hierarchical dotted notation, 
   which Internet users are familiar with. Also, VIDN allows using a 
   virtual domain name mixed with characters in a local language and 
   English as the user wishes to, since the conversion takes place on 
   each individual portion of the domain name and each individual 
   character or set of characters of the portion. 
    
   While VIDN preserves the hierarchical dotted notation of current 
   domain names, the principles of VIDN are also applicable to domain 
   names in other possible notations such as those in a natural language 
   (e.g., `microsoft windows' rather than `windows.microsoft.com'). Also, 
   the principles of VIDN can be applied into other identifiers used on 
   the Internet, such as user IDs of e-mail addresses, names of 
  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   directories and folders, names of web pages and files, keywords used 
   in search engines and directory services, and so on, allowing them to 
   be used interchangeably in a local language and English, without 
   creating additional identifiers in the local language. The conversion 
   of VIDN can be done between any two languages interchangeably. Thus, 
   even when the DNS accepts and registers domain names in other 
   languages in addition to English, VIDN can allow using the same 
   domain names in any two languages by converting virtual domain names 
   in one language into actual domain names in another language. 
    
    
   4.3. Implementation 
    
   In a preferred arrangement, VIDN is implemented in applications at 
   the user host. That is, the conversion of virtual domain names in a 
   local language into the corresponding actual domain names in English 
   takes place at the user host before DNS requests are sent. Thus, 
   neither a special encoding nor a separate lookup service is needed to 
   implement VIDN. VIDN is also modularized with each module being used 
   for conversion of virtual domain names in one local language into the 
   corresponding actual domain names in English. A user needs only the 
   module for conversion of his or her preferred local language into 
   English. Also, VIDN can be implemented at a central server host or a 
   cluster of local server hosts. A central server with all the language 
   modules of VIDN can provide the conversion service for all local 
   languages, or a cluster of local server hosts can share the 
   conversion service. In the latter case, each local server host with a 
   language module or a set of language modules can provide the 
   conversion service for the respective local language or set of local 
   languages used in a certain region. 
    
   Because of its small size, VIDN can be easily embedded into 
   applications software such as web browser, e-mail software, ftp 
   system, and so on at the user host, or it can work as an add-on 
   program to such software. In either case, the only requirement on the 
   part of the user is to install VIDN or software embedding VIDN at the 
   user host. Using virtual domain names in a local language in 
   accordance with the principles of VIDN is very intuitive to those who 
   speak the local language. The only requirement on the part of the 
   entity whose server host provides Internet services to user hosts is 
   to have an actual domain name in English into which a virtual domain 
   name in a local language is neatly transliterated in accordance with 
   the principles of VIDN, and to have a pre-assigned code kept at its 
   server host for one-to-one matching of its actual domain name and a 
   virtual domain name to be used by users. Most entities in regions 
   where English is not widely spoken already have such domain names in 
   English. Finally, there is nothing to change on the part of the DNS, 
   since VIDN uses the current DNS as it is. 
    
   Taken together, the features of VIDN can meet all the requirement of 
   internationalized domain names as described in Wenzel and Seng [2], 
   with respect to compatibility and interoperability, 
   internationalization, canonicalization, and operating issues. Given 
   the fact that different methods toward internationalized domain names 
  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   confuse users, as already observed in some regions where some of 
   these methods have already been commercialized, e.g., Korea, it is 
   important to find and implement the most effective solution to 
   internationalized domain names as soon as possible. 
    
    
   4.4. Testing results 
    
   A testing version of VIDN has been developed for Korean-English 
   conversion as a web browser add-on program. The program contains all 
   the features described in this document except the coding scheme. 
   While the final version of the program is planned to include the 
   coding scheme, the testing version lists all the domain names in 
   English that correspond to a virtual domain name entered in Korean so 
   that a user can choose one. The testing results of a sample of 
   randomly selected domain names used in Korea show that the program 
   can cover more than ninety percent of the sample. The results 
   indicate that more than ninety percent of web sites in Korea can be 
   accessed using virtual domain names in Korean without creating 
   additional domain names in Korean. The remaining ten percent of 
   domain names are mostly those that contain acronyms, abbreviations or 
   initials. With improvement of its knowledge of transliteration, the 
   final version of the program is expected to cover most domain names 
   used in Korea. 
    
    
   5. Security considerations 
    
   Because VIDN uses the DNS as it is, it inherits the same security 
   considerations as the DNS. 
    
    
   6. Intellectual property considerations 
    
   It is the intention of DualName, Inc. to submit the VIDN method and 
   other elements of VIDN software to IETF for review, comment or 
   standardization. 
    
   DualName has applied for one or more patents on the technology 
   related to virtual domain name software and virtual email software. 
   If a standard is adopted by IETF and any patents are issued to 
   DualName with claims that are necessary for practicing the standard,  
   DualName is prepared to make available, upon written request, a non-
   exclusive license under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms 
   and condition, based on the principle of reciprocity, consistent with 
   established practice. 
    
    
   7. References 
    
   1  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement 
      Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997 
    

  

               Virtually Internationalized Domain Names  November 2000 
 
   2  Wenzel, Z. and Seng, J. (Editors), "Requirements of 
     Internationalized Domain Names," draft-ietf-idn-requirements-
     03.txt, August 2000 
    
    
   8. Author's address 
    
   Sung Jae Shim 
   DualName, Inc. 
   3600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1814 
   Los Angeles, California 90010 
   USA 
   Email: shimsungjae@dualname.com 

