CenturyLink Data Services - Frequently Asked Questions

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Network Security & Abuse

	What is Internet Abuse
	Where can I find information to help me stop Abuse?

IP Addresses & BGP

Does CenturyLink register domain names?

At this time CenturyLink does not provide domain name registration services. Please see ICANN's list of accredited companies that do perform do main registration services. CenturyLink makes no specific recommendations to use any specific registrar. If you requ ire assistance in submitting the information for a new registration, a CenturyLink Internet Service technician will be able to assist you.
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How do I register a new domain?

1. First you have to determine the name you wish to register as a domain. It may be your business name, or a description of your products, services, or company slogan.

Example:

CenturyLink could register: WorldClassTelecomCompany-TheStandardByWhichOthersAreMeasured.com.

2. Second you will need the following information for the administrative, billing, and technical contacts.

• Position titles for each contact
• Company address, including city, state, and postal code.
• Contact telephone number
• Fax number (optional)
• E-mail address - Create an alias e-mail address
• DNS server information - Server hostnames and IP addresses

* Using position titles (a.k.a. Role Account) is a suggestion to protect an individuals privacy. It also aids in management of the domain; when the person holding the postion changes, changes to the domain registration is not nee ded. The DNS servers can have up to six unique entries if necessary.

3. Third you will need to find a registry where you can register your dom ain. Many of the registries have affiliate programs, which allow other companies to provide registration services. S ince the domain registration services are competative, shop around for domain pricing.
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What are the components of a domain name?

A domain name consists of two or more words separated by a period. The last word (the far right) is called a "top- level domain". Here are some common top-level domains and their use:

.COM - Used for commercial entities. It is the most popular top-level domain. Anyone can registe r a .com domain.

.NET - Originally used for networking organizations such as Internet Service Providers and backb one providers. Today, anyone can register a .net domain.

.ORG - Designed for miscellaneous organizations, including nonprofit groups. Today, anyone can r egister a .org domain.

.EDU - Four-year, accredited colleges and universities.

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How long can a domain name be and what are the restrictions?

A domain can have a maximum of 67 characters including the extensions (.com, .net, .org, .edu other TLDs have thei r own requirements.). Valid characters in a domain name are letters, numbers, and dashes. The domain can not start o r end with a dash, nor can it contain any spaces. No other characters are valid except as listed.

An example of a valid domain is:

YouCanRegisterADomainAnytimeThatYouWishCauseTheInternetIsAlwaysOn.com

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How long can a hostname be and what are the restrictions?

A host name is specified in either relative or absolute domain name format. If you specify the absolute domain nam e, the portion of the name preceding the first . (period) has a maximum length of 63 characters and cannot contain b lanks. For both formats of the name, the total number of characters cannot exceed 255 characters, a nd each entry must be contained on one line. Multiple hostnames (or aliases) can be specified.

Note:

Valid hostnames or alias hostnames must contain at least one alphabetic character. If you choose to specify a host name or alias that begins with an x followed by any hexadecimal digit (0-f ), the host name or alias must also contain at least one additional letter that cannot be expressed as a hexadecimal digit. The system interp rets a leading x followed by a hexadecimal digit as the base 16 representation of an address, unless there is at lea st one character in the host name or alias that is not a hexadecimal digit. Thus, xdeer would be a valid host name, whereas xdee would not.
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I want to register a domain in another country, what are the Country Codes?

Other top-level domains include those for countries (.CA for Canada, .UK for the United Kingdom, .HK for Hong Kong, and so forth), which are based on the International Standards Organization's 3166 standard for country abbreviations. < br>
To the left of the top-level domain is what is called the "second-level domain." In centurylink.com, "centurylink" represents a second-level domain within the top-level domain of .com. It is also possible to have a domain name in the form of somename.centurylink.com. In this case the "somename" is called a "host" name also known as a "sub-domai n". It is not necessary to register a host or sub-domain with a registry before being able to use it. The resolution of sub-domains are handled by the authoritative DNS server of the second level domain (SLD) name. To register a dom ain using one of the country codes find the appropriate registry for that country.
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What is a registry?

A registry is an organization such as OpenSRS, Network Solutions, and eNom who register domain names and enter the m into central computers (root servers), which are accessed by individual DNS servers throughout the Internet. Regis try companies report name registrations to ICANN a.k.a. the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, who assumes responsibility for the for the TLDs .com, .net, .org, .edu, .info, .biz and .gov. ICANN accredited companies like OpenSRS, charge an annual fee which varies due to the competitive nature of ICANN Accredited Registries and their resellers.
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What is a URL?

It stands for Universal Resource Locator. Some people refer to it as a web address (although URL is not limited to the web). An example of a URL is http://www.centurylink.com. Please note that a URL is a unique identifier. No two websites can have the same URL. This is the reason why you should register your domain name before someone else does .
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What if the name I want to use is already taken?

You can choose an alternative domain name, or if you feel that you have a right to that domain name, such as a your companies trademark, y ou could follow the Uniform Domain-name Resolution dispute Policy (UDRP) and try to regain the domain name. If the domain does not appear to be in use, you could contact the administrative contact listed in the WhoIs database.
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How long should the registration process take?

If the information provided is correct, it should take less than 24 hours You can check any registry WhoIs tool to see whether or not your domain name has been registered. Once the domain is registered it has to be put into the root servers which occurs twice daily. Within the next 72 hours your domain will begin to propagate throughout the Internet.
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Once a domain is registered, who "owns" the domain name?

The domain name is owned by the organization that is listed in the WhoIs database. You can view this information by searching for the name using our WhoIs tool.
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What domain extensions do CenturyLink's DNS servers support?

CenturyLink's DNS servers support all ICANN approved TLD, ccTLD and gTLD extensions. Our name servers do support New.net main extensions.
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Help!, I no longer have access to the e-mail address listed on my domain registration?

Each Domain Registry has a different proccess required to change invalid administrative contact e-mail addresses. Please visit the website of your domain registrar to search for their admin e-mail contact change form.
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Abuse and Network Security

What is Internet Abuse?

There are several types of Internet abuse, which can be placed into 2 main groups which are defined below.

Network Abuse

This type of abuse is identified by:

• An attempt to gain unauthorized access to a network node
• A network node is defined as any component of a network, such as a computer, server, router, or switch, among other devices.
• An attempt to prevent normal traffic to flow in or out of a network or network node. a.k.a. a Denial of Service attack - (DOS attack)
• Types of DOS attacks include but are not limited to:
  • Ping attacks
  • Broadcast storms, TCP, UDP or any other protocol.
• An attempt to infect a network node with a virus, worm, or other harmful payload.
• An attempt to scan a network or network node without authorization or administrative authority.
• A scan is successive pings or probes to ranges of IP ports or IP addresses.


Administrative authority is defined as a known Network Administrator of a network which has initiated a scan or probe of their assigned network to prevent, resolve, or isolate known or potential issues affecting their network. Example: If the Internet team pinged all of the IP addresses assigned to a given customer. CenturyLink maintains authority for all of the IP networks that it provides to downstream customers.

E-mail Abuse - a.k.a. SPAM

E-mail has become a common way of communicating to coworkers, business partners, suppliers, customers, and the list continues. E-mail has virtually no cost to the user, so sending one e-mail seems no different than sending 1000 e-mails. Here is where some people take advantage of the system and send 1000's or millions of e-mails a day. Most of these e-mail are selling a product (UCE), showing you how to make $5000 in an afternoon (MMF), wanting you to join their company and recruit other members and get commissions from your recruits (MLM). When the same message is sent out to a list of 10 or more people this is what is called Bulk e-mail.
• UCE - Unsolicited Commercial E-mail
• UBE - Unsolicited Bulk E-mail
• MLM - Multi-Level Marketing
• MMF - Make Money Fast

Are there laws against Internet Abuse?

Many states have enacted their own laws, which some of them are listed below. At this time the United States Federal Government has not enacted any laws regarding Internet abuse. The site SPAMLAWS Provides a resource for SPAM related legislation pending or made into law. You can find information for the United States, European Union, and other countries.
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Where can I find information to help me stop abuse issues?

Spam Resources:
• www.spam.abuse.net
• www.cauce.org
• www.spamlaws.com
• www.spamcop.net
Network Security Resources:
• www.cert.org
• www.sans.org
• www.incidents.org