• Is OT&E required?
• When will the OT&E certification process begin?
• How do I begin the certification process?
• What do I do after I receive the OT&E welcome package?
• How do I test my client application?
• How do I arrange a time for OT&E certification?
• What will be tested during OT&E certification?
• What are the EPP extensions needed for Sunrise trademark fields?
• What happens after OT&E certification?
• What is the name and port of the OT&E test server?

Q: Is OT&E required?

A: OT&E testing is OPTIONAL for those who are already qualified on an EPP RFC system provisioned by Afilias.  Those registrars who have not qualified on such a system MUST take a full OT&E test.  All registrars are welcome to take a full OT&E test. Registrars who do not take a full OT&E test are encouraged to test their systems in the OT&E sandbox. Registrars who do not take a full OT&E test assume full responsibility for their clients’ proper functioning.

Q: When will the OT&E certification process begin?

A: The OT&E environment opened on April 19, 2006. Please contact Tech Support to schedule your OT&E certification test.

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Q: How do I begin the certification process?

A: The OT&E certification process begins when a registrar becomes accredited by ICANN and requests authorization from mTLD, at which point an OT&E welcome package will be provided to the registrar. This package will include information that will assist the registrar in developing their client application for the Shared Registry System. This package will include the following:

• OT&E server information and username/password for two accounts to access the OT&E environment for registrar client testing.
• Instructions on where to download the Registrar Toolkit.
• Instructions on where to download the EPP specifications.
• Instructions on how to proceed with the OT&E certification process.
• Instructions on how to obtain an SSL certificate from an approved Certificate Authority.
• Instructions on how to provide Afilias with the list of subnets that will be used to access the live Shared Registry System.
• Documentation that will explain the tests to be performed during OT&E verification.

mTLD will also fax registrars a username and password to access the Registrar-only area of our web site.

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Q: What do I do after I receive the OT&E welcome package?

A: The registrar is responsible for developing the client application that will interface to the registry using the EPP protocol. The Registrar Toolkit is available to any interested party that would like to develop registrar client applications. A registrar may opt to develop their application to conform to the EPP specification without the use of the Registrar Toolkit. This is acceptable as long as the client is able to pass the OT&E certification process.

The registry-registrar communication channel will be encrypted. A SSL certificate from an approved Certificate Authority is required to establish this encrypted channel. The registrar is responsible for acquiring the SSL certificate and developing support for SSL in their client application.

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Q: How do I test my client application?

A: During client development, the registrar has access to the OT&E environment. In the OT&E environment, the registrar may test the operation of their software to verify the correct handling of EPP commands and their responses. Operations performed in the OT&E environment will not be charged and will not have any impacts on the live Shared Registry System. Registrars will continue to have access to the OT&E environment after certification, so that they may continue to test their software systems.

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Q: How do I arrange a time for OT&E certification?

A: When a registrar has completed the testing of their client systems and would like to proceed with OT&E certification, they should contact Afilias technical support to schedule a time slot. Time slots will be scheduled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

At the scheduled time, the registrar should contact Tech Support initiate the certification.

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Q: What will be tested during OT&E certification?

A: The OT&E Acceptance Criteria documents detail the tests in full.

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Q: What are the EPP extensions needed for Sunrise trademark fields?

A: Please see the file “README.mobi” in the EPP toolkit add-on (liberty-rtk-addon-0.4.4)

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Q: What happens after OT&E certification?

A: All tests performed during OT&E certification must be completed without errors. Tech Support will provide the certification results in a timely manner and provide feedback for those registrars that failed to successfully complete the tests. Registrars may correct their systems and re-schedule for certification. Registrars will not be limited in the number of attempts at OT&E certification.

Upon successful OT&E certification, the registrar becomes eligible for operation in the live Shared Registry System. A new username/password is assigned and Tech Support will configure the live system to recognize the SSL certificate, username and subnet blocks for the registrar. The registrar may start operation when it has satisfied the financial requirements for going live.

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Q: What is the name and port of the OT&E test server?

A: The server location and port will be sent to you as part of your OT&E package.

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