Debian Bug report logs - #174497
whois: please request flat output from ARIN

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: "Florian Weimer" <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE>

To: "Debian Bug Tracking System" <submit@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: whois: please request flat output from ARIN

Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2002 22:19:09 +0100

Package: whois
Version: 4.6.1
Severity: normal
Tags: patch

Please include the "+" flag when querying information for IP addresses
from whois.arin.net.  This way, whois(1) will print useful information
and not just the useless overview.

Patch attached below.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux CERT 2.4.18-xfs-1.1 #4 Thu Sep 12 21:18:46 CEST 2002 i686
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C

Versions of packages whois depends on:
ii  libc6                         2.3.1-3    GNU C Library: Shared libraries an

-- no debconf information

--- whois-4.6.1/whois.c	Thu Dec 12 02:20:30 2002
+++ whois.c.new	Fri Dec 27 22:10:31 2002
@@ -412,6 +412,9 @@
     if (!isripe && strcmp(server, "whois.arin.net") == 0 &&
 	    strncasecmp(query, "AS", 2) == 0 && isasciidigit(query[2]))
 	sprintf(buf, "A %s", query + 2);	/* always ask for a ASN */
+    if (!isripe && strcmp(server, "whois.arin.net") == 0 &&
+            myinet_aton (query))
+	sprintf(buf, "+%s", query);
     else if (!isripe && strcmp(server, "whois.corenic.net") == 0)
 	sprintf(buf, "--machine %s", query);	/* machine readable output */
     else if (!isripe && strcmp(server, "whois.nic.ad.jp") == 0) {

Message #10 received at 174497@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE>

To: Marco d'Itri <md@Linux.IT>

Cc: 174497@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#174497: whois: please request flat output from ARIN

Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 00:40:39 +0100

Marco d'Itri <md@Linux.IT> writes:

> On Dec 27, Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE> wrote:
>
>  >Please include the "+" flag when querying information for IP addresses
>  >from whois.arin.net.  This way, whois(1) will print useful information
>  >and not just the useless overview.

> No, this would flood the user with too much data.

No data is better than too much data?

It would provide output which is more consistent with other RIRs.
Please reconsider.

-- 
Florian Weimer 	                  Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE
University of Stuttgart           http://CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE/people/fw/
RUS-CERT                          fax +49-711-685-5898

Message #15 received at 174497@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Marco d'Itri <md@Linux.IT>

To: Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE>

Cc: 174497@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#174497: whois: please request flat output from ARIN

Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 00:42:45 +0100

On Jan 02, Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE> wrote:

 >> No, this would flood the user with too much data.
 >No data is better than too much data?
Yes. Users will have to choose the right netblock and make a second
query.
The ARIN server is stupid (it should just show the more specific match)
but using + is not a solution.

 >It would provide output which is more consistent with other RIRs.
This is not true. The + ARIN flag would behave like the -L RIPE flag,
and this is unacceptable.

-- 
ciao,
Marco

Message #20 received at 174497-done@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Marco d'Itri <md@Linux.IT>

To: Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE>, 174497-done@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#174497: whois: please request flat output from ARIN

Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 00:37:20 +0100

On Dec 27, Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE> wrote:

 >Please include the "+" flag when querying information for IP addresses
 >from whois.arin.net.  This way, whois(1) will print useful information
 >and not just the useless overview.
No, this would flood the user with too much data.

-- 
ciao,
Marco

Message #25 received at 174497@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE>

To: Marco d'Itri <md@Linux.IT>

Cc: 174497@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#174497: whois: please request flat output from ARIN

Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 00:53:22 +0100

Marco d'Itri <md@Linux.IT> writes:

>  >> No, this would flood the user with too much data.
>  >No data is better than too much data?

> Yes. Users will have to choose the right netblock and make a second
> query.

For most network blocks you'll encounter in this format, all three
queries are necessary.

> The ARIN server is stupid (it should just show the more specific match)

Often, the most specific netblock does not contain any contact
information, and sometimes the contact information is obviously
incorrect.

So you still end up querying all three netblocks.  Trust me, I've
queried too much WHOIS records recently. ;-)

> >It would provide output which is more consistent with other RIRs.

> This is not true. The + ARIN flag would behave like the -L RIPE flag,
> and this is unacceptable.

Technically, yes.  De facto, no.  ARIN address space is not as
hierarchical as RIPE address space, and the ARIN output format is more
concise, even with "+".

-- 
Florian Weimer 	                  Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE
University of Stuttgart           http://CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE/people/fw/
RUS-CERT                          fax +49-711-685-5898

Message #30 received at 174497@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Florian Weimer <Weimer@CERT.Uni-Stuttgart.DE>

To: Debian Bug Tracking System <174497@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: whois: gwhois will fix this

Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 11:35:46 +0100

Package: whois
Version: 4.6.1
Followup-For: Bug #174497

For what it's worth, the behavior of gwhois will be changed in one
of the next releases, according to this proposal.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux CERT 2.4.18-xfs-1.1 #4 Thu Sep 12 21:18:46 CEST 2002 i686
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C

Versions of packages whois depends on:
ii  libc6                         2.3.1-3    GNU C Library: Shared libraries an

-- no debconf information

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