There definitely was an error with the whois servers, observed on many of our servers at different hosters. Now the previously not-working query is suddenly working on all our servers:
# whois sprint.net getaddrinfo(whois.crsnic.net): Name or service not known
# whois sprint.net Whois Server Version 2.0 Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net for detailed information. Server Name: SPRINT.NET.JCHOLLOWAY.COM IP Address: 199.0.233.22 Registrar: DOMAIN.COM, LLC Whois Server: whois.domain.com Referral URL: http://www.domain.com Domain Name: SPRINT.NET Registrar: CSC CORPORATE DOMAINS, INC. Whois Server: whois.corporatedomains.com Referral URL: http://www.cscglobal.com Name Server: NS1-AUTH.SPRINTLINK.NET Name Server: NS2-AUTH.SPRINTLINK.NET Name Server: NS3-AUTH.SPRINTLINK.NET Status: clientTransferProhibited Updated Date: 10-oct-2012 Creation Date: 15-feb-1994 Expiration Date: 16-feb-2013
Last update of whois database: Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:43:42 UTC <<< <snip>
U.Mutlu wrote, On 10/19/2012 01:15 PM:
The whois servers whois.ripe.net and whois.arin.net seem to have problems today as they either don't respond, or when they respond then with empty results:
######################################## # whois -h whois.ripe.net google.de % This is the RIPE Database query service. % The objects are in RPSL format. % % The RIPE Database is subject to Terms and Conditions. % See http://www.ripe.net/db/support/db-terms-conditions.pdf
%ERROR:101: no entries found % % No entries found in source RIPE.
% This query was served by the RIPE Database Query Service version 1.35 (WHOIS4)
######################################## # whois -h whois.arin.net sprint.net # # Query terms are ambiguous. The query is assumed to be: # "e / sprint.net" # # Use "?" to get help. #
No match found for sprint.net.
# # ARIN WHOIS data and services are subject to the Terms of Use # available at: https://www.arin.net/whois_tou.html #
######################################## # whois sprint.net getaddrinfo(whois.crsnic.net): Name or service not known
########################################