Re: Out of date contact information

[Sean Donelan <SEAN () SDG DRA COM>]

Obviously biased towards English speaking network users, but here's my
breakdown of common (more than one organization using) role-based e-mail
contact addresses.  I've grouped them based on my observations how sites
seem to use them.

Operations
        action
        noc
        root
        routing
        security
        trouble

Protocol
        ftp
        gopher
        hostmaster
        mbone
        news
        ntp
        postmaster
        usenet
        webmaster

Administrative
        admin
        abuse
        billing
        info
        moreinfo
        nic
        sales
        service
        support

And one I wish existed

Informational
        fyi     -  no action or response needed, but you might want to
                   know about it.  Or the "We know its broken, don't bother
                   calling" address.


If people agree on a common practice for naming role-based accounts, great.

But since many sites still have trouble handling "postmaster" I won't hold
my breath.  An up-to-date "real" name, e-mail address, and telephone number
somewhere for a network is still a necessity, even if just a last resort.
I know we've messed up and dropped trouble tickets into a black hole.  Its
really tough to tell people their e-mail system isn't working when the
only contact information you have is an e-mail address.  When no one
updates the role-base alias when the person leaves, if given the old
contact's name the telephone receptionist can often tell callers the
name of the new person in the position.  Asking for the Postmaster may
get you transferred to the shipping department instead of the computer
department.  Asking for the MBONE person might get you reported to the
police as an obscene caller.


While we're trying to agree on a common practice, may I suggest each
NANO take a few minutes and do a little spring cleaning.

Check at least the WHOIS contact information for your own Autonomous System
Number(s) for people who no longer work there, out of date phone numbers
or addresses.  If you use role-based accounts, could you consider listing
a person as an alternate contact.  Maybe make this a twice a year event,
change your clocks, change your smoke detector batteries and update your
WHOIS information.
-- 
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
  Affiliation given for identification not representation

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