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RE: legacy root servers missing domains again ?

  • From: Roeland Meyer
  • Date: Wed Nov 08 02:31:20 2000

I'd like to correct a fallacy, just before it gets started. I'm only doing
this because this was so widely cross-posted. I correct this, not because I
am enamoured with ICANN. It is because I don't want alternate root-server
systems tarnished with false ideas and concepts.

There is a huge difference in stability between alternet root server and
ICANN root servers. There are serious operational issues that are different
between alternet roots and ICANN roots. This stems primarily from the fact
that the alternet roots are adding new TLDs at a higher rate than the ICANN
is. This is in addition to the normal motion of IP addrs, as hosts get moved
around, maintained, re-assigned. The alternate roots are actually adding
TLDs, the ICANN isn't, yet. Even when the ICANN does, it is unlikely that
they will ever match the addition rate of the alternate root system.

The net result of this is, by the definition of stability, the system with
the higher rate of change is more unstable. It is the fact that there are
few failures, in the face of this instability, that the alternate root
systems stand out as superior. Given the fact that the ICANN root system has
been glacially frozen for the past four years (aka. stable as an ice-cube in
an antarctic winter) there is really no reason for ANY root-zone failures on
the part of ICANN/NSI. Let's face it, two or three root-zone edits per year
hardly even registers as brownian motion. Yet the ICANN/NSI root server
system has been documented to fail, repeatedly, for the past three years.
With some outages having lasted as long as three days. Mainly due to
problems with, what should be, a regular automated operational system.

The issues are not about which system is inherently more stable. It's about
operations management. If the alternate root system operators were running
the ICANN/NSI root system it would probably have fewer failures. The
converse case, I leave to the imagination of the reader. The alternate root
system cannot be more stable than the ICANN/NSI system and it isn't.
However, it has a great deal lower failure rate, in spite of the inherent
instability of regular TLD additions. It is the one area where I have a
great deal of concern about ICANN adding more TLDs next week.

I'll see you all in Marina Del Rey.

---
Roeland M.J. Meyer
Managing Director, MHSC-NET
Morgan Hill Software Company, Inc.
/ICANN/DNSO/WG-C, WG-B, and GA member

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Philippe Landau [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2000 7:49 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]; Rick Macdougall;
> [email protected]ensrs.org
> Subject: legacy root servers missing domains again ?
> 
> 
> 
> wouldn't be too surprising after the DOC/NSI/ICANN cabal
> did nothing to correct problems revealed last time
> it happened. talking stability while staging intrigues.
> and illegally censoring the net, for the first time with
> admittedly political justification (voteauction.com).
> corporate government is just not compatible with stability,
> especially when undermining democracy through systematic corruption.
> if it continues like this, alternative roots will take over
> much faster then expected, be it just because they are more stable.
> 
> kind regards     philippe, InternetRoots.com
> 
>             --- *** ---
> <nslookup:www.bluesnews.com/*/62.2.32.250>
> 
> Non-authoritative answer:
> www.bluesnews.com             A     61660   205.229.73.2
> 
> Authority:
> BLUESNEWS.com                 NS    61660   
> ns1.ugonetworks.com   205.229.75.1
> BLUESNEWS.com                 NS    61660   
> ns2.ugonetworks.com   205.229.75.2
> BLUESNEWS.com                 NS    61660   
> nserv1.actionworld.com 206.41.27.5
> NSLookup normal completion.
> ---
> 
> <nslookup:www.bluesnews.com/*/a.root-servers.net>
> 
> Authoritative answer:
>   Name Error - domain name referenced does not exist.
> NSLookup Terminated.
> ---
> 
> <nslookup:www.rhythms.net/*/a.root-servers.net>
> 
> Authoritative answer:
>   Name Error - domain name referenced does not exist.
> NSLookup Terminated.
> ---
> 
> http://voteauction.com/
> http://62.116.31.68/pr2.htm
> http://voteauction.de/
>