Performing Whois Searches
The organizations responsible for maintaining these large databases of
domain name and IP number registration allow them to be searched
using a Whois query.
1. Command line Whois query
It is possible to query Whois databases using the command line
interface on a standard UNIX or LINUX based operating system.
Some examples as to how this can be done are given below:
whois -h whois.internic.net target.co.uk
whois -h whois.arin.net target.com
whois -h whois.networksolutions.net target.com
whois -h whois.nic.uk target.co.uk
2. Dedicated program
There are programs to query Whois databases available on many
platforms, one of the most popular Windows and Web-based
programs is Sam Spade available from www.samspade.org.
3. Web based Whois query
A Whois query can also be performed online. By visiting the
appropriate organisation’s website, depending on the type of
information required, it is possible to follow hyperlinks to a webbased
search tool that will directly query their database. Further
information relating to which organisation’s website to visit will
now be given.
Websites that provide Whois databases
• Domain Name query
To find out information about the company or individual within a
company that has registered the domain name, useful websites
include the following:
• www.internic.net - Provides information on .com, .net, .org, .edu
domains.
• www.nic.uk - Provides information on .uk domains.
• www.networksolutions.net - .com, .net and .org domain names
can be checked to see if they are already registered or a standard
whois search can be performed.
• www.nic.mil - Provides information from the Department of
Defense’s database on .mil domains and other military IT
hardware.
• IP Block query
To find out the IP blocks that a company has registered and who
owns the encompassing IP blocks, the websites for the three RIR’s,
given earlier, should be consulted and the hyperlinks to the Whois
search tools, followed.
