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Re: NSI Bulletin 098-010 | Update on Whois

  • From: Jim Fleming
  • Date: Thu Sep 03 19:39:39 1998

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Donelan <[email protected]>
<snip>
>
>Giving NSI the benefit of the doubt, I assume NSI will transfer the
>database to whatever the successor organization (or organizations)
>is, as NSI has previous done with the .GOV data, and NET-BLK data.
>


The NSF has announced that they do not
intend to be involved any longer. There is
no successor. NSI will have no choice but
to take on the burden of the .COM domain
and the millions of customers that have
selected names there because the NSF
blocked other companies from adding TLDs
to the legacy Root Name Servers controlled
by the U.S. Government. That control should
end at the end of this month and NSI will be
able to add new TLDs. The other RSCs
should be able to help NSI determine which
TLDs should be added. If NSI does not add
new TLDs, then the letters C O and M might
as well be combined with the period to form
a root of the name space called COM. That
could render the other TLDs moot if software
developers start to drop the COM. and make
the assumption that TLDs are really just the
SLD names under .COM. That will effectively
create a root with several million TLDs, which
is more or less what is happening today
because the .COM zone is still hosted on the
legacy Root Name Servers. It is surprising
that NSI has not moved the .COM zone by
now. Because of the GRS people, it may
now be impossible to move it. Instead, a new
RSC may have to be constructed for ISPs
to use with references to the .COM servers.
Or, people can just switch to one of the
many RSCs that have been working for
years. No matter what. October will be an
interesting month for people in operations.


Jim Fleming
Unir Corporation - http://www.unir.com