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Introduction

Members of the university community are governed by the principles set out in University Policies. Policies define for staff and students their responsibilities and obligations with respect to ANU.

The Information Policy Framework is a group of policies that set out rules for use of information services at ANU. It is important that everyone is aware of their obligations when using information services because these services are relied upon by all members of the ANU community to enable them to undertake research, to facilitate their education and to carry out the business of the University.

In each edition, we will be focusing on a different policy in the Information Policy Framework so that you can become more aware of your responsibilities and the obligations that ANU has to its users.

All policies, including those pertaining to information services, can be found at http://info.anu.edu.au/policies

Internet Naming and IP Addressing Policy

This policy specifies naming conventions and eligibility criteria for computer ‘hosts’ connecting to the Internet either from within the University’s Internet domain or when using the IP (Internet Protocol) address range allocated to the University. The University’s Internet domain is anu.edu.au and is part of a closed domain for use by education and research organisations — the .edu.au domain.

The policy identifies a naming hierarchy to be used for hosts within the anu.edu.au domain and, additionally, sets out the criteria for the use of the University’s IP address range for domain names outside the anu.edu.au domain. The registration of any such domain names (e.g. [anyname].org.au) for a multi-institutional website wishing to use an ANU IP address, must conform to naming and selection criteria specified in the policy. The University has external obligations with licensing authorities and accredited naming service providers to ensure that the anu.edu.au domain and the ANU IP address range are used appropriately. ANU also has obligations under the Telecommunications Act, and under copyright and trademark legislation. Aside from its obligations, ANU has an interest in what is put on its website or sites attributable to it in order to further its reputation as Australia’s leading research institution and tertiary education provider.

There is an internal procedure for seeking registration of domain names outside the anu.edu.au domain, which requires a form to be submitted to the University’s Hostmaster (see http://netcomms.anu.edu.au for access to the relevant Form). Approval is made by Head, Networks and Communications based on the justification provided, evidence of Budget Head approval and conformance to the naming criteria in the Policy. The University has responsibility for all matters relating to registering and maintaining anu.edu.au. Its responsibilities include ensuring that names are consistent, unique and do not conflict. These responsibilities are vested with the Division of Information.

The Policy also outlines specific responsibilities for Heads of Budget Units, Authorised Users and Non-ANU Entities. Given that Authorised Users are defined as any member of University staff, students, and visitors with a currently active user account it is worth familiarising yourself with your obligations according to this policy which can be found at http://info.anu.edu.au/policies