.ru

.ru
Introduced	7 April 1994
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	Russian Institute for Public Networks
Sponsor	Russian Institute for Public Networks
Intended use	Entities connected with  Russia
Actual use	Very popular in Russia
Structure	Registrations are permitted directly at the second level; third-level registrations are also possible under the rule of RIPN in the official registry
Documents
Dispute policies	None
Website	RUcenter, RIPN

.ru is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Russian Federation introduced on April 7, 1994.

The control of .ru is assigned to the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN). However, since 14 March 2005 registry operations for registrations directly under .ru are being performed by RU-CENTER while RIPN carries out registry operations for third-level domain names under .com.ru, .net.ru, .org.ru & .pp.ru.

The company RELCOM also proposes third-level registrations beneath various second-level domains such as .msk.ru (Moscow), while Macomnet Telcom proposes third-level registrations beneath .int.ru simultaneously.

RU-CENTER also handles registrations for .su, the top-level domain of the Soviet Union, which was supposedly going to be phased out given the non-existence of the country it represents, but nevertheless has been accepting new registrations along with .ru; the legal status and ownership of .su is being contested by the ICANN (Russian Government), and several Russian commercial entities.

[edit] Background

The creation of .ru in April, 1994 was preceded by a historical agreement in 1993 known as “The order of RU top-level domain administration”. According to the agreement, administrative and technical support responsibilities for the national domain RU were to be handed over to the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN).

[edit] Development of .ru

The national domain in Russia is developing rapidly according to self-regulation principles. In 1993, an informal union, a RU Top-level Domain Coordination group included the leading Russian Internet providers as well as scientific and educational networks that entrusted RIPN with RU domain administration and the service is still continued to this day.

In 1998, RIPN and RU top-level domain Coordination group established a domain registering association. Subsequently, in 2000, a program transited a new system of domain names registration in RU top-level domain which introduced a distributed system of second-level domain name registration in RU top-level domain through accredited Registrars. This provided domain name registration and support services in market environment.

In 2001, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Communication of the Russian Federation and the Coordination Center of International domain. This developed the RU top-level domain further.

RIPN became another co-founder of the Center which continued to support centralized technical aspect of the national domain operation. To preserve the continuity, one of the Center's committees was established on the basis of RU top-level domain Coordination group.

The Coordination Center develops domain names registration rules in RU top-level domain, Registrars accreditation and promoting perspective projects that involve Russian national domain growth. Whereas, the RIPN secures national domain RU technical base functioning. The technical center works directly with current Registrars, and supports RU top-level domain Registry and the DNS.

Within its framework, an experimental zone and a new distributed registration system was tested in 2001. This led to a distributed registration system in 2005.

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

[edit] See also

• .рф
• .su
• Runet

[edit] External links

• IANA .ru whois information
• RU-CENTER
• RIPN