Glossary

A
Accredited registrar
Organisation or commercial entity that has agreed to follow a set of rules set by EURid and can use the official registrar logo. Any .eu accredited registrar can register a .eu domain name. Find a .eu accredited registrar by searching EURid's registrar list.
ACE string
Result after an IDN has been converted into a form that is understood by the Domain Name System. ASCII Compatible Encoding (ACE) strings begin with four characters, xn--, to indicate that the domain name is an IDN. Other characters, at the end of the string, indicate which characters in the IDN were non-ASCII characters and what their positions were. The characters between the prefix and the end characters are the characters from the original IDN that did not need to be converted because they already belonged to the basic ASCII character set. For example, the ACE-string of the domain name bücher.eu is xn--bcher-kva.eu.
Activation
Process of activating a domain name that has been reserved by the EU Member States, candidate countries, members of the European Economic Area or European Union institutions. See the activation of reserved names section for more information.
ADR
See Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Policy established for .eu domain name disputes to protect intellectual property rights and combat speculative and abusive registrations of .eu domain names. For more information, see the disputes page.
Anycast
Internet routing methodology that enables an online service to be available from many different locations around the world, using the same IP address. EURid uses anycast technology to strengthen the robustness and resilience of the .eu name server infrastructure. This decentralisation of the .eu registry's infrastructure increases stability in the unlikely event that one of the servers should go down or become unreachable.
Application pending
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information see the WHOIS status page.
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment and other devices that use text. Most modern character-encoding schemes are based on ASCII.
Available
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information, see the WHOIS status page.

B
Blocked
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information see the WHOIS status page.

C
CAPTCHA (Captcha)
Challenge-response test used to ensure that the response is generated by a human, not a computer. The process usually involves one computer (a server) asking a user to complete a simple test which the computer is able to generate and grade. Because other computers are unable to solve the CAPTCHA, any user entering a correct solution is presumed to be human. A common type of CAPTCHA requires that the user type letters or digits from a distorted image that appears on the screen. The term "CAPTCHA" is an acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart."
CENTR
See Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries.
Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries
Association of Internet Country Code Top Level Domain Registries. EURid, as the .eu registry, is a member.
Chain of trust
Principle of computer security by which the trustworthiness of one layer of the DNS is guaranteed by the layer above. With DNSSEC, this principle is used to obtain the public key of a sender (like eurid.eu) in a secure way. The parent of a domain (such as .eu) offers signed, and hence verifiable, data about that public key. In order to verify that information, the public key must be obtained in a secure way from its parent, the root zone.
CoC
See Code of Conduct.
Code of Conduct
Set of best-practice guidelines for .eu registrars. .eu accredited registrars can subscribe to the .eu Code of Conduct if they want to distinguish themselves by offering a high quality of service. By subscribing they agree to the conditions in the Code's charter. In return they are allowed to use the official Code of Conduct logo. Visit the .eu Code of Conduct website for more information.
Complainant
Party who claims in a court or ADR procedure that the registration of a .eu domain name was abusive or speculative and that the name should be revoked or transferred.
Complaint
Procedure that can be initiated by a registrant or registrar against a .eu registrar subscribed to the .eu Code of Conduct.
Confirmation email
Email sent by EURid during the domain name trade or transfer process which requests the recipient to confirm that the trade or transfer can proceed.
Confirmation template
Template to be completed when the trade or transfer of a .eu domain name is confirmed by fax. The template is available in the trade and transfers section.
Council of Conduct
Body that rules over alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct. For more information, see the council page on the Code of Conduct website.
Country Code Names Support Organisation (ccNSO)
Policy development body within ICANN. Responsible for a range of global issues related to country code top-level domains such as .eu.
Country code top-level domain (ccTLD)
Internet top-level domain generally used by or reserved for a country (a sovereign state or a dependent territory). For example, .be for Belgium. .eu is also a country code top-level domain.
Czech Arbitration Court
Independent arbitration body attached to the Czech Chamber of Commerce with its seat in Prague. Presides over ADR procedures. The only arbitration body to offer its services in all EU languages.

D
DAS
See Domain Availability Service.
Delete
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information, see the WHOIS status page.
DNS
See Domain Name System.
DNSSEC
See Domain Name System Security Extensions.
Domain Availability Service (DAS)
Domain name lookup service that returns only the domain name status. No registration renewal date, name server, registration, technical or onsite contact data is shown. Two separate DAS services are available, one accessible to the public and one accessible to registrars only. See the lookup services section for more information.
Domain management interface
Web-based interface which allows .eu accredited registrars to manage many aspects of their registered domain names. Available on the Registrar Extranet.
Domain name
Unique, case-insensitive name consisting of a string made up of alphanumeric characters and dashes separated by dots that the Domain Name System maps to IP addresses and other information. Domain names are used instead of IP addresses as they are easier to remember. For example, you might not remember that the IP address for the EURid website is 172.19.112.2, but you will probably remember that you can reach the website at http://www.eurid.eu. In this web address eurid.eu is the domain name. Download EURid's domain name fact sheet for more information.
Domain name system (DNS)
Distributed database of information, most commonly known because it translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphanumeric, they are easier to remember. The DNS protocol is very robust, always relying on redundancy and retransmission.
Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC)
Extension of the DNS that adds verifiable signatures to DNS replies. Recipients of a signed reply can validate its authenticity by following the chain of trust. This protects the Domain Name System from cache poisoning attacks.
Domain-name holder
See registrant.
Dynamic updates
Changes that are made to the .eu zone file in real time and are therefore effective immediately.

E
End user
See registrant.
End-user Extranet
Web-based application that allows .eu registrants to manage certain aspects of their .eu domain name, including view the contact information associated with their domain name, approve a pending trade or transfer of their domain name and obtain an authorisation code to pre-approve the transfer of their domain name. See the End-user Extranet.
EURid
Not-for-profit organisation appointed by the European Commission in May 2003 to operate the .eu top-level domain. EURid, as the registry for the .eu top-level domain, manages the database of .eu domain names.
Extension
Characters that directly follow the last dot in a URL, such as .eu, .com, .net, etc. Also called top-level domains (TLDs). In the case of the URL http://www.eurid.eu, the extension of the domain name eurid is .eu.

G
Generic top-level domain (gTLD)
Most top-level domains with three or more characters are referred to as generic TLDs, or "gTLDs".

H
Homoglyph

Characters (or words) from different scripts that look so similar to one another that it is difficult to tell them apart just by looking. The homoglyphs below are two different characters from two different scripts, or alphabets. They have different Unicode numbers but look identical.

Cyrillic character: a Unicode number 0430
Latin character: a Unicode number 0061

Homoglyph bundling
Refers to the registration of an IDN, where the registration system automatically registers all the homoglyphs of that name as well (if any exist). This means that a bundle of names is registered at one time.
Hostname
Domain name assigned to a host computer. This is usually a combination of the host's local name with its parent domain's name.

I
ICANN
See Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
IDN
See Internationalised Domain Name.
IGF
See Internet Governance Forum.
Internationalised Domain Name (IDN)

Domain name that contains characters from non-ASCII character sets. These include characters with accents, cedillas and ogoneks.

Examples include the Swedish å, the German ü, the Romanian ș and characters from the Bulgarian and Greek alphabets as a whole.

IDNs are particularly important for .eu as the European Union has 27 Member States and 23 official languages. Many of these languages use non-ASCII characters in their alphabets.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Internationally organised, non-profit corporation responsible for managing the assignment of domain names and IP addresses. ICANN's tasks include responsibility for IP address space allocation, protocol identifier assignment, top-level domain name system management, and root server system management functions.
Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
United Nations forum for multi-stakeholder dialogue on public policy related to Internet governance issues, such as the Internet's sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development.
Internet Protocol (IP) address
Unique numeric identifier used to specify hosts and networks. IP addresses are part of a global, standardised scheme for identifying machines that are connected to the Internet. For example, the IP address for the machine that hosts http://www.eurid.eu is 172.19.112.2.
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
Successor of the present Internet protocol. Addresses several of IPv4's shortcomings, such as speed, ease of configuration, mobility and number of available addresses. During transition, which is expected to last several years, both protocols will exist in parallel. EURid offers resolution of .eu domain names via IPv6 addresses.
Internet Society (ISOC)
Independent, international non-profit organisation founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet-related standards, education and policy around the world.
IP address
See Internet Protocol address.
IPv6
See Internet Protocol version 6.
ISOC
See Internet Society.

K
Key pair
Relating to DNSSEC. A key pair consists of a private and public key. Only when encrypted with the private key, can a recipient decrypt the hash of a DNS reply with the public key. This correct decryption guarantees the recipient that the data was indeed encrypted with the corresponding private key.

L
Landrush
Period of time following directly after .eu was opened for general registration on a strictly first-come, first-served basis on 7 April 2006.
Lookup service
Service which allows .eu registrars and the general public to look up information on .eu domain names. Two lookup services are available, WHOIS and DAS. For more information on these services, please see the lookup services page.

N
Name server
Service on a computer that implements the DNS protocol.
Natural person
Legal term meaning a living, breathing person as opposed to an unnatural person such as a corporation or company. Natural persons (sometimes called private persons or private individuals) residing in the EU are eligible to register .eu domain names.
Non-ASCII
Characters not found in the ASCII character set, including Unicode characters.
Not Allowed
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information on the not allowed status, see the WHOIS status page.
Not available
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information on the not available status, see the WHOIS status page.
Not-for-profit
Incorporated organisation not intended to provide a profit to its owners or members. EURid, the .eu registry, is a not-for-profit organisation.

O
On hold
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information about the on hold status, see the WHOIS status page.
Out of service
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information on the out of service status, see the WHOIS status page.

P
Panel
Relating to ADR procedures. A panel is comprised of between one and three selected panellists, who hear the arguments relating to a particular ADR and decide on the case.
Personal data disclosure
Request that can be filed with EURid to obtain the contact details of a .eu registrant not found on the .eu WHOIS database. For more information, see the contact a domain name holder page.
Portfolio
Collection of domain names managed by a single registrar. A registrar's portfolio can consist of domain names from many different top-level, generic and country-code domains, for example, .eu, .be, .com, .net, etc.
Prepayment
Fee paid by companies that want to become .eu accredited registrars. The fees for chargeable transactions performed on the .eu registration system are deducted from the prepayment once the company has been accredited.
Private key
Relating to DNSSEC. Private part of a key pair. The private key is used by the sender to encrypt the DNS reply. To verify the reply's authenticity, the recipient calculates the reply's hash, decrypts the encrypted hash using the public key and compares the two. If they match, the recipient can be sure that the reply has come from the expected source and has not been changed.
Private person
See natural person.
Public key
Relating to DNSSEC. Public part of a key pair. The public key is used by the recipient to decrypt data in a DNS reply. The public key itself is available via DNS by asking for the DNSKEY resource record.

Q
Quarantine
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information on the quarantine status, see the WHOIS status page.

R
Reactivation
Process of taking a domain name out of quarantine and changing its status from quarantine to registered.
Registrant
Person or organisation that holds the right to use the domain name they registered through a registrar. Registrants are also called domain-name holders.
Registrar
Organisation or commercial entity that has been accredited by EURid to manage the registration, renewal and transfer of .eu domain names and offer such services to its clients.
Registrar Advisory Board
Body composed of .eu registrars that advises EURid on business related issues and on matters important to the .eu registrar community.
Registrar Extranet
Web-based interface that allows .eu accredited registrars to manage their .eu domain name portfolios. Access to this interface is password protected.
Registration
Process whereby a registrar enters a domain name into the appropriate zone file at the request of a registrant (providing the domain name does not already exist) and the registrant is afforded the right to use the domain name for the duration of the registration period.
Registration period
Period of time for which a domain name registration is valid. The minimum registration period is one year.
Registration Policy
Document that explains how to register, trade or transfer a .eu domain name. It also explains how to renew a domain name registration.
Registration system
System that allows .eu registrars to make changes to the .eu database in real time. Sometimes also called the .eu registration platform,
Registry
Manager of a top-level domain. For example, EURid is the registry of the .eu top-level domain, VeriSign is the registry of the .com top-level domain. Each registry manages a database of all the domain names registered under its top-level domain and transmits this information on the Internet so that the domain names can be found by users around the world via the web and email.
Renew
Act of extending the registration period of a .eu domain name. Renewal of .eu domain names is done automatically, unless specified otherwise by their registrants.
Requirements Reference Panel
Body composed of .eu registrars that provides EURid with recommendations for the evolution of the .eu registration system and related processes. Recommendations made by the panel serve as input for future system releases.
Reserved
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information on the reserved status, see the WHOIS status page.
Resource record
Basic data element in the Domain Name System. Each record has a type (A, MX, etc.), an expiration time limit, a class, and some type-specific data. Resource records of the same type define a resource record set.
Restore
See reactivation.
Root zone
The root zone is the common part of the DNS shared by all top-level-domains. It is the highest point in the DNS hierarchy and starting point for all queries.

S
Script
Collection of letters and other written signs used to represent textual information in one or more writing systems. Some scripts support only one writing system and language, for example Armenian. Other scripts support many different writing systems. For example, the Latin script supports English, French, German and Italian. If you want to register a .eu IDN you can use characters from the Cyrillic, Greek and Latin scripts.
Signature
Relating to DNSSEC. Extra information added to a DNS reply that enables verification of its authenticity. Created by computing the hash of the reply and encrypting that hash with the sender's private key. To verify, the recipient must compute the hash as well and compare it with the provided hash after it has been decrypted. In order to decrypt, the required public key of the sender is available in a secured, or signed, way as well.
Status
Refers to the status of a domain name. For example, a domain name can be available, reserved or in quarantine. For more information on statuses, see the WHOIS status page.
Sunrise
Period of time, between 7 December 2005 and 6 April 2006, during which EURid accepted applications for .eu domain names on a limited basis. Only those individuals and organisations holding some type of legal protection for a name within a Member State of the European Union were eligible to apply for domain names during that time.
Supported characters
Characters that do not violate the technical limitations of .eu domain names. To see a full list of the characters supported by .eu, visit the supported characters page.

T
Technical limitations
Rules that govern which names can be registered as .eu domain names. For example, a .eu domain name cannot be shorter than 2 or longer than 63 characters. A complete list of limitations is available on the technical limitations page.
Terms and Conditions
Legally binding document that explains who is eligible to register a .eu domain name and the obligations of registrants. It also describes the terms and conditions under which domain names may be traded or transferred and provides information on privacy and data protection. Registrants are required to agree to the Terms and Conditions before they register a .eu domain name.
TLD (top-level domain)
See top-level domain.
Top-level domain (TLD)
Extension that appears after the last dot of a URL or Internet address, for example, .eu, .com, .net, etc. In the case of the URL http://www.eurid.eu, the top-level domain is .eu.
Trade
Process of passing a .eu domain name from one registrant to another.
Transfer
Process of moving the management of a .eu domain name from one registrar to another.
Transfer authorisation code
Code used in conjunction with the transfer of a .eu domain name to speed up the transfer process. When the request to transfer the domain name is made, the registrant can give his new registrar a transfer authorisation code at the same time. This means that the registrant requests and authorises the transfer in one go, thereby speeding up the transfer process.
Transfer from quarantine
Process of reactivating a domain name that has been put in quarantine, whereby the registrant asks a new registrar to transfer the domain name from quarantine into their portfolio.

U
Unicode
Character coding system designed to support the worldwide interchange, processing, and display of the written texts of the diverse languages and technical disciplines of the modern world. .eu supports the Unicode characters used in the alphabets of the official EU languages. See the supported Unicode characters page for more information.

W
WHOIS database
Master public database that keeps information on all registered .eu domain names, including information about each domain name's registrant.
WHOIS Policy
Legally binding document that details how the personal data of registrants will be treated and which data will be displayed in the WHOIS database. It also describes what actions have been taken to prevent data misuse and the conditions under which personal data may be disclosed.
Withdrawn
One of several statuses that a .eu domain name can have. For more information on the withdrawn status, see the WHOIS status page.

Z
Zone file
Text file that contains all the data needed for a domain name. In a zone file the data is organised in the form of resource records.