[conspire] Help starve a domain squatter, today (this time in Perl)

[Rick Moen]

http://linuxmafia.com/pub/linux/network/  now has includes:
  domain-check.ryan  <- Original Bourne implementation by Ryan Matteson.
  domain-check.ben   <- _Newer_ Perl implementation by Ben Okopnik.

Ben (_Linux Gazette_ editor) and I really admire Ryan's effort, but Ben
wanted to take his own shot at the problem, using his own favourite
language, and I helped him write and debug it.  The Perl implementation
now does absolutely 100% of the tasks one might hope for, for this
scenario, and is pretty bulletproof.

We discovered one surprise, that no amount of coding is going to
compensate for:  Domains in the ".au" (Australia) TLD (top-level domain)
have _no_ expiration information whatsoever published in public whois
data.  None of them do.  It's just not there, reportedly as some sort of
security / privacy measure.  Friends in Australia report that each
individual domain owner can find out his/her _own_ expiration date via
the private domain-record mechanism at his/her registrar -- but that
nobody is permitted to look up someone _else's_ domain's expiration
date.

Accordingly, I've dropped "coker.com.au" from my weekly monitoring,
bring the domains down to 113.

Command-line switches are a tiny bit different in Ben's Perl
implementation, so here's a matching cron script for it (simple-minded,
but tested):


:r /etc/cron.weekly/domain-check

#! /bin/sh

# domain-check	Cron script to check domain expirations.
#
#		This is a pitifully primitive cron script to invoke domain-check
#		by Ben Okopnik ( ben at linuxgazette.net ) against a list
#		of domains in /usr/local/share.  A better replacement
#		would notify a list of appropriate persons for each
#		domain, rather than just Rick Moen.
#
#		Written by Rick Moen (rick at linuxmafia.com)
#		$Id: cron.weekly,v 1.00 2007/06/28 20:50:51 rick

test -e /usr/local/share/domains || exit 0
test -x /usr/local/bin/domain-check || exit 0

set -e

/usr/local/bin/domain-check -e=rick at linuxmafia.com -x=90 -F=/usr/local/share/domains


PLEASE consider implementing this script to automatically monitor the
domains of friends and organisations you care about -- and help make
sure the responsible parties are aware of the impending need to renew
their domains.


My current list of monitored domains (and please note that the .org,
.uk, and .us ones have been restored):


:r /usr/local/share/domains

accu-usa.org
advogato.org
arlinart.com
artisticsolutions.org
asvaro.org
bafug.org
balug.org
baycon.org
baylisa.org
baypiggies.net
buug.org
cafescisv.org 
cain.org
catb.org
catwhisker.org
cfp.org
cocoaheads.org
codecon.org 
computerhistory.org
construction-sf.org
cpsr.org
deirdre.net
deirdre.org
dnull.com
drewb.com
eastercon.org.uk 
eblug.org
eff.org 
electriclichen.com
fanac.org 
flygirl.com
fsf.org  
genetikayos.com
gnomewardbound.com
gnomewardbound.org
gnu.org
groklaw.net
grrattitude.com
hematite.com
improb.com
jsd.com
jxh.com
keplers.com
landley.net
lasfs.org
linux-consulting.com
linuxdojo.net
linuxgazette.net
linuxmafia.com
linuxnj.com
loyalty.org
lugod.org 
lwn.net
lx2009.com
mib.org
midamericon.org 
monty-doyle.com
nblug.org
nesfa.org
ntk.net
okopnik.com
opensource.org 
orbital2008.org
penlug.org
pentaclemoon.com
pervasivenetwerks.com
phosphor.net
pm.org
primate.net
randometry.com
randometry.org 
reiber.org
saclug.org
sbay.org
scruz.org
sf-lug.net
sf-lug.org
sfobug.org
sfsfc.org
sigje.org
smofcon.org 
socosa.org
spfii.org
spinster.org
starshine.org
svbug.com
svlug.com
svlug.net
svlug.org 
svwux.org
technocrat.net
tetro.net
theinquirer.net
thestarport.org
thyrsus.com
tuxdeluxe.org
tux.org
usenix.org
vintage.org
wccbc.com
webl.com
weisler-saratoga-ca.us
westercon60.com
westercon60.org
westercon61.com
westercon61.net
westercon61.org
westercon.org
westerncon60.org
worldcon.org 
zgp.org 
zork.net
zwilnik.net