.bitnet

.bitnet

Introduced	1985
TLD type	Pseudo-domain-style host suffix
Status	Formerly used in addresses and site names
Registry	None
Sponsor	CREN
Intended use	To designate an address or hostname connected via BITNET
Actual use	Was widely used in late 1980s, but is no longer in use
Registration restrictions	No registrations are possible, as this domain is not in the root
Structure	Appended to right of BITNET hostnames
Documents	?
Dispute policies	None
Website	None

.bitnet was a pseudo-domain-style suffix used in the late 1980s when identifying a hostname not connected directly to the Internet but possibly reachable through inter-network gateways. In this case, it indicated that the hostname preceding it was reachable via the BITNET network. This was one of several apparent "top-level domains" that were not actually in the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) root, but were sometimes used in addresses during the time when non-Internet networks remained in wide use.