EPP OT&E & Testbed
OT&E and Testbed
EPP is available in a test environment (Operational Test and Evaluation – OT&E) to provide a safe ‘sandbox’ database for registrars to test their systems without fear of affecting data on the ‘live’ registry.
Overview
Two systems are available for testing:
- OT&E: This mirrors the production system
- Testbed: This mirrors the production system and is used to deploy new functionality ahead of release to production.
Each system has two services: a secure EPP service using TLS v1.2 and a plain-text server. The secure EPP service provides server authentication and data encryption but does not require SSL client authentication.
How to register for the EPP OT&E and Testbed
- Log into the Online Services
- Sign up for the service at Tag Settings->EPP Testbed
- Enter a password for use in EPP login commands. This must contain at least 14 characters, to increase security
- Specify the IP address from which you will connect to the EPP service. These details are used for both systems.
- Connectivity to each system will be available within one hour
- These details can be changed at any time, and will be reflected on the testbed and OT&E systems within one hour
How to connect to the EPP testbed server
- Obtain an EPP client
- In order to verify the identity of the secure server, you will need the ‘Verisign Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority’ root certificate available free from www.verisign.com (the certificate is also distributed with most web browsers)
- Connections can only be made from the IP address specified above
For the EPP OT&E Server:
- Connect to the secure server at ote-epp.nominet.org.uk, port: 700.
- Connect to the plain-text server at ote-epp.nominet.org.uk, port: 8700.
For the EPP Testbed Server:
- Connect to the secure server at testbed-epp.nominet.org.uk, port: 700.
- Connect to the plain-text server at testbed-epp.nominet.org.uk, port: 8700.
Dataset
Objects existing in the live registry, such as domains and registrant accounts, are NOT replicated in the OT&E environment. Only a clone of your registrar account, and a clone of each tag which is registered to use EPP, will appear in the dataset. Aside from this, all information in the testbed will be fictional. A set of domains will be created on each tag, covering a variety of different states grouped together under a series of registrants (TAG will be replaced by your tag-name):
Simple registrant (LTD)
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| adriana-TAG.co.uk | ns1.adriana-TAG.co.uk |
Multiple registrant
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| banquo-TAG.co.uk | ns1.benedick-TAG.co.uk | Shared nameserver |
| beatrice-TAG.co.uk | ns1.benedick-TAG.co.uk | Multiple nameservers |
| ns1.beatrice-TAG.co.uk (IPv4) | ||
| ns2.beatrice-TAG.co.uk (IPv6) |
Double Registrant (SCH) – Two separate registrants with identical account details
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| caliban-TAG.lea.sch.uk | ns1.caliban-TAG.lea.sch.uk | |
| claudio-TAG.lea.sch.uk | ns1.caliban-TAG.lea.sch.uk |
Suspensions registrant (IND)
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| demetrius-TAG.co.uk | ns1.demetrius-TAG.co.uk | Suspended |
| duncan-TAG.co.uk | ns1.demetrius-TAG.co.uk | Suspended |
Expiry registrant (PLC)
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| ganymede-TAG.net.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 181 days |
| ganymede-TAG.co.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 179 days |
| ganymede-TAG.plc.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 2 days, auto-bill=3 |
| hermione-TAG.co.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 2 days, auto-bill=4 |
| hermia-TAG.plc.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 2 days, next-bill=3 |
| horatio-TAG.co.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 2 days, next-bill=4 |
| juliet-TAG.plc.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expired |
| lysander-TAG.co.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 2 days, renewed within the last 24 hours |
| macbeth-TAG.plc.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | >2 years old, renewed |
| perdita-TAG.co.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 2 years |
| perdita-TAG.org.uk | ns1.ganymede-TAG.net.uk | Expires in 5 years |
DNA registrant
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| macduff-TAG.co.uk | ns1.macduff-TAG.co.uk | In renewal period, Do Not Renew set |
| mercutio-TAG.co.uk | ns1.macduff-TAG.co.uk | Not in renewal period, Do Not Cancel set |
Registration registrant
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| oberon-TAG.co.uk | ns1.oberon-TAG.co.uk | |
| oberon-TAG.org.uk | ns1.oberon-TAG.co.uk |
DNSSEC registrant
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| ophelia-TAG.co.uk | ns1.ophelia-TAG.co.uk |
Failed validation data
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| portia-TAG.co.uk | ns1.portia-TAG.co.uk | Name data failed validation |
| romeo-TAG.co.uk | ns1.romeo-TAG.co.uk | Address data failed validation |
| titania-TAG.co.uk | ns1.titania-TAG.co.uk | Name and address failed validation |
| aegeon-TAG.co.uk | ns1.aegeon-TAG.co.uk | Name and address failed validation |
Expiring Domains
| Domain | Nameservers | Notes |
| helena-TAG.co.uk | Expiry Grace Period | |
| lavinia-TAG.co.uk | Redemption Grace Period | |
| octavia-TAG.co.uk | Pending Delete Grace Period (1 day in) | |
| rosaline-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 9am UTC | |
| margaret-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @10am UTC | |
| mariana-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 11am UTC | |
| fabian-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 12pm UTC | |
| francisca-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @1pm UTC | |
| nerissa-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 2pm UTC | |
| paulina-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 3pm UTC | |
| phebe-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 4pm UTC | |
| dolabella-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 5pm UTC | |
| hamlet-TAG.co.uk | Dropping @ 6pm UTC |
DNSSEC
All tags can utilise DNSSEC.
Manual Referrals
To test create requests which are referred for manual intervention, applications made to the testbed for domain names ending “.ltd.uk” are validated automatically.
Changing EPP login details & option fields
Your EPP password for the testbed (and the associated IP address) can be changed via the Online Services. Such changes will be reflected in the testbed after the next hourly reset cycle.
Your EPP password must have at least 14 characters, to make it more secure.
Changes made within the testbed to your EPP password will affect only the testbed. No data in the testbed will be copied to the live register.
WHOIS
A WHOIS server is available for each system to assist with testing. The testbed server is at testbed-whois.nominet.org.uk and OT&E server is at ote-whois.nominet.org.uk. Usage limits of 100,000 requests per day are in force.
Notifications
To generate registrar change notifications on the testbed, a clone of all tags on the testbed has been provided – all connection IP addresses are the same. This tag can be used to transfer a domain name to your tag and generate a notification. The name of the cloned tag is generated as follows:
- If the tag name has less than 16 characters, the cloned tag is the same as the original with a trailing ‘_’. For example, if the tag is ‘EXAMPLE’, the cloned tag is ‘EXAMPLE_’.
- If the tag name has 16 characters, the final character has been replaced with a ‘_’. For example, if the tag is ‘EXAMPLE-WITH-16C’, the cloned tag is ‘EXAMPLE-WITH-16_’.
Registrar change handshakes
When a registrar change is requested to move a domain name to another tag, a handshake may be generated. In our live system, handshakes are automatically rejected after 5 days if no action has been taken. In the test bed, this timeout is set to one hour.
Minerva House, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, OX4 4DQ, United Kingdom