<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">The original RFC are available, a good list can be found in "Development of the Domain Name System".<div>X.500 came after the initial DNS design. Grapevine was another distributed name server that was available at the time.</div><div>Here are a few links to published early design papers for DNS.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Marker Felt'; line-height: 20px; "><div>Development of the Domain Name System, PV Mockapetris, KJ Dunlap, ACM Sigcom 1988</div><div><a href="http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/classes/wi01/cse222/papers/mockapetris-dns-sigcomm88.pdf">http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/classes/wi01/cse222/papers/mockapetris-dns-sigcomm88.pdf</a></div><div><br></div><div>The Berkeley Internet Name Domain Server</div><a href="http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1984/CSD-84-182.pdf">http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1984/CSD-84-182.pdf</a><div><br></div><div>A Name Server Database</div><div>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1984/CSD-84-174.pdf</div><div><br></div><div>The Design and Implementation of a "Domain Names" Resolver</div><div>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1984/CSD-84-176.pdf</div><div><br></div><div>The Design and Implementation of Berkeley Name (BIND) Server</div><div>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1984/CSD-84-177.pdf</div><div><br></div><div>Distributed Nane Servers: Naming and Cachine in Large Distributed Computing Environments</div><div>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1985/CSD-85-228.pdf</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#578551">Kevin Dunlap</font></span></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1F497D" face="Calibri, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1F497D" face="Calibri, sans-serif" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></font></div></div></span></div></span></div><div><div><div>On Mar 8, 2010, at 11:32 AM, Eric Gade wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">Hello all,<div><br></div><div>I have begun my masters thesis work on the history of DNS and I have several questions that perhaps some of you can address.</div><div><br></div><div>First, in terms of the RFC system, where are the comments themselves? Were they hard-copies that no longer exist, or mailing lists that have been tucked away somewhere? Is there any correspondence left (for DNS related RFCs) or has it all been lost?</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Second, does anyone have or know where to find details about the debates/conversations that took place leading up to RFC 1591 and what appears to be a "compromise" between generic and ccTLDs?</div><div><br>
</div><div>Third, it is not entirely clear to me exactly why DNS was engineered in place of X.500. It is my understanding at this early point in my research that OSI standards seemed inevitable at one point, and sources have told me that DNS was designed to get something out the door quickly (presumably something that <i>wasn't</i> X.500). Was X.500 simply based on an old paradigm (white pages / old telecom) and seen as a bulky and slow alternative? When, and with whom, was the actual decision made to ditch X.500 altogether? This part of the story goes a long way to explaining why everyone in the world doesn't have a unique identifier.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I have also been informed that people may not want to speak to me because of the more recent controversy surrounding Domain Name issues and the formation of ICANN, etc. I want to put out a disclaimer that my research will not be centered on the White Paper and those later developments. For the most part, I am interested in the 80s and early-to-mid 90s.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Thanks!<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Eric Gade<br>
</div>
</blockquote></div><br><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#578551" face="'Berlin Sans FB', sans-serif" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></font></div><div></div></div></span></span>
</div>
<br></div></body></html>