[registrars] Universal Registry/Registrar Toolkit

["Ross Wm. Rader" <ross@tucows.com>]

Late last week Tucows launched an open source initiative to drive the
creation of a universal registry/registrar toolkit.  The goal of this effort
is to create a software development kit that allows registrars to easily
connect to any number of EPP based registries.  This SDK/RTK will ultimately
provide support in a number of development languages and platforms.  The
code base behind this effort makes up the registrar tool-kit for the Tucows
OpenXRS registry management service.

To assist with this effort, we have set up a Sourceforge project that
includes a complete CVS for the current codebase, a few mailing lists, and
other associated odds 'n sods.  Things are a little bit rough right now, but
the important elements are in place.

If you would like to assist with the effort, review the code or simply just
keep tabs on the progress, the project home page can be viewed at
http://epp-rtk.sourceforge.net/ Note that you must become a Sourceforge
member (free) in order to participate in the effort.

I'd also like to be very clear that while this effort is Tucows initiated,
we do not view this as a proprietary effort in any way.  The fruits of this
labor are now, and will continue to be, freely available to the
Registry/Registrar community on an ongoing basis under the same license
(LGPL) that it is today.  The more participation that this effort enjoys,
the better the end product will be.  This is extremely important moving
forward with the addition of the 7 new registries and any more that are
created in the future.

Additionally, it is also important to note that this code is not "production
status".  That is, it is likely (and intended) that any registries that
adopt this toolkit and provide it to their registrars will undertake further
quality assurance and possible enhancement.  So while you will have access
to the latest bleeding edge code from this effort, the registries will be
providing a more refined release for "official" purposes.

The project leader for this effort is Dan Manley.  Dan wrote the original
java toolkit, the associated IDL, and is really looking forward to the
collaboration with other "DNS developers" that this effort needs.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line.

Thanks,

-rwr