Dear Colleagues, A new feature is available in the RIPE Database; "whois -v". This option displays detailed information of any type of object that is accepted by the RIPE database. Each attribute of the object is briefly described, as is the object itself. A more detailed template of the object is also given. A full list of objects is available by typing "all" after the "-v" option. The new, detailed template only is available using "whois -t". A full list of objects may be obtained by typing "all" after the "-t" option. The new template lists each of the attributes of an object together with a list of flags. Flags are enclosed in square brackets and separated within the list by white space. The flags are ... [mandatory] - An object MUST NOT contain zero instances of this attribute. [optional] - An object MAY contain zero instances of this attribute. [single] - An object MUST NOT contain more than one instance of this attribute. [multiple] - An object MAY contain more than one instance of this attribute. [look-up key] - Attribute is indexed. [inverse key] - Attribute is in the 'reverse' index. (use -i) [primary key] - Attribute is (part of) the primary key. [primary/look-up key] - Attribute is both indexed and is (part of) the primary key. The "-t" option does not display a list of obsolete attributes, as before. The "-v" option must be used. Example: [an-lar]$ whois -h whois.ripe.net -t person person: [mandatory] [single] [primary/look-up key] address: [mandatory] [multiple] [ ] phone: [mandatory] [multiple] [ ] fax-no: [optional] [multiple] [ ] e-mail: [optional] [multiple] [look-up key] nic-hdl: [mandatory] [single] [primary/look-up key] remarks: [optional] [multiple] [ ] notify: [optional] [multiple] [inverse key] mnt-by: [optional] [multiple] [inverse key] changed: [mandatory] [multiple] [ ] source: [mandatory] [single] [ ] To use "whois -v", you will need a new whois client. The new version of the whois client is available at <ftp://ftp.ripe.net/tools/ripe-whois-tools-2.1.tar.gz> If you have anymore questions, please contact <ripe-dbm@ripe.net>. Regards, Ambrose Magee ____________________________ RIPE Database Administration.