1.1 Is there a test server that you can send registration and modify requests to?
1.2 Why does the Automaton refuse to accept my PGP signed message?
1.3 What does Reserved for Delegation mean when querying using the whois server?
1.4 What does "Unknown Action" mean?
1.5 The Automaton complains about an "Unknown field". What fields can be used?
1.6 When should I give the IP address of the nameserver?
2. Application
2.1 Why was my application "Referred for manual approval"?
2.2 How long does manual approval take?
2.3 The Automaton complains about a missing field. What fields are needed?
3. Modification
3.1 Why does the Automaton say you do not have authority to modify the domain?
3.2 Do all of the fields need to be given when modifying a Domain Name registration?
4. Release
4.1 How can I release a Domain Name registration that doesn't have a tag?
5. Query
The common PGP related errors are as follows:
6.1 Why did I receive the following error?
6.1.1 V044 Multiple PGP Blocks found
6.1.2 V045 Error occured during PGP decode
6.1.3 V046 Message not in clear text signed format
6.1.4 V047 Signing key not recognised
6.1.5 V048 Signature did not match text
6.1.6 V052 Signature has a timestamp in the future
1.1 Is there a test server that you can send registration and modify requests to?
Test messages submitted to Nominet UK's Automated system should be sent as if to register the following domain name pattern:
automaton-test-[any characters].[sld].uk
For example:
key: automaton-test-1.co.uk
key: automaton-test-another.org.uk
key: automaton-test-for-developersnet-ca.net.uk
Domain names that are sent using this pattern will not appear on the register, instead you will receive a response that tells you whether the format of application / modification was correct.
1.2 Why does the Automaton refuse to accept my PGP signed message?
The Automaton may reject requests saying that the request is not a PGP signed message when the request was signed. The most common reasons for this are:
a) The message is signed with a key that has not been registered. If the key used to sign the message does not appear in the Automaton's PGP keyring it will not recognise the signature. This can be solved by registering your PGP key.
b) The contents of the signed message have been altered after the signing process. The two main culprits for this type of error are cut and paste operations (with TAB characters being replaced by SPACE characters) and mail program line wrapping.
c) The PGP message delimiters are corrupt in some way. PGP lines of text to denote the start and end of the sections of a PGP message. These must not be modified and must start at the beginning of the line. Common problems are missing '-' characters and the lines being indented in some way.
d) The PGP signature is older than 72 hours from the time of receipt by the Automaton.
Test of b) and c) can be done by sending the message to yourself, saving it to a file and running the PGP command on the file. PGP will report any problems to the screen.
1.3 What does 'Reserved for Delegation' mean when querying using the whois server?
This is no longer displayed on the WHOIS.
1.4 What does "Unknown Action" mean?
The Automaton checks the subject line to determine what action to take with the message. If this does not correspond to one of the possible actions it returns the message "Unknown Action" with the subject line of the offending message. Details of the correct subject line can be found in the documentation for each operation.
1.5 The Automaton complains about an "Unknown field". What fields can be used?
A template is given for each of the Automaton requests in the documentation for the operation type. Any fields given which do not appear in the template will not be recognised and will cause the Automaton to abandon processing the request with an error. There is a detailed list of all of the available fields for reference.
1.6 When should I give the IP address of the nameserver?
The IP address of a nameserver should only be given if it lies within the domain being delegated. For example;
Delegating the domain newdom.co.uk with nameservers ns.newdom.co.uk and ns.myisp.net.
operation:modify
key: newdom.co.uk
dns0: ns.newdom.co.uk. 1.2.3.4
dns1: ns.myisp.net.
2.1 Why was my application "Referred for manual approval"?
Only requests within the .co.uk, .org.uk and .me.uk Second Level Domains, which are submitted in a PGP signed message are processed immediately. All other requests are referred for manual approval.
2.2 How long does manual approval take?
Requests which are referred for manual approval are normally processed on the working day following submission. If there are problems processing the request this may take longer. If you have queries about requests which have been referred contact us.
2.3 The Automaton complains about a missing field. What fields are needed?
In order to process a request the Automaton requires certain fields to be present. These are described on the field definitions page. In short the Automaton needs information about the organisation the domain name registration is for and full administrative contact details.
3.1 Why does the Automaton say 'you do not have authority to modify the domain'?
The Automaton uses the PGP key which signed the message to determine whether you have authority to modify the domain. If the PGP key does not match the value of the ips-key field then the request is rejected. If a domain does not have an ips-key field then all Automaton requests are rejected. In order to get domains tagged which do not have tags you need to send an email message to hostmaster@nic.uk.
3.2 Do all of the fields need to be given when modifying a domain?
Only the fields being changed need to be given when modifying a domain. The only exceptions to this are that the key field giving the domain must always be given and when changing contact information the name of the contact must always be given.
4.1 How can I release a domain that doesn't have a tag?
If a domain doesn't have a tag, which means it is detagged or on the neutral Nominet tag, the legal registrant needs to request the domain name to be tag to the registration agent of their choice. A change of registrant agent form can be found on our website.
5.1 Why do query requests have to be PGP signed?
Query requests must be signed as they return all of the database entry for the requested domain. This information may contain sensitive information, such as billing details, and is therefore protected.
6.1.1 V044 Multiple PGP blocks found
The V044 error is usually caused by a message sent to the Automaton in MIME/HTML format including both a plain text and formatted copy of the request. It can also be due to the request being PGP signed more than once or corruption to the ASCII armor surrounding the PGP message. The ASCII armor lines being:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
6.1.2 V045 Error occured during PGP decode
The V045 error is caused either by corruption of the PGP signature itself or the ASCII armor lines surrounding the message.
This can be caused by signing the message using the wrong method, or the addition and removal of characters from the PGP signature or armor lines either manually or by the e-mail client (for example when submitted in HTML).
6.1.3 V046 Message not in clear text signed format
All requests submitted to Nominet UK’s Automaton must be PGP signed. The V046 error occurs where the message received by the Automaton has not been signed or has been encrypted.
6.1.4 V047 Signing key not recognised
The V047 signing key not recognised error occurs where a key other than that previously confirmed with Nominet is used to sign the message received by the Automaton. If the public key is not held in the Automaton’s PGP keyring it is not possible to determine the validity of the message or the requestor’s identity.
6.1.5 V048 Signature did not match text
V048 errors occur when the message is altered after being signed. Any modification, however small, will cause the error. The most obvious reason for this would be that the message has simply been amended before sending, however the most common cause would be due to the e-mail client corrupting the message upon sending. Corruption due to the e-mail client can be due to HTML and other types of formatting such as line wrapping. There should be no trailing spaces at the end of any line and no trailing blank lines at the end of the application, and the use of the tab character should also be avoided.
