pceasy@norfolk.INfi.NET (Dean Robb) writes:

So who has copies of the databases? If NSI's master (the a-root?) is unavailable, new domains obviously wouldn't propagate, but how long can the other root servers go without getting an update? Does the system as currently configured *require* some server somewhere to be the master and is there one that can take over if NSI's are toast?

It depends. How's that for an ambigous answer. Technically the other root servers can go for a long time (e.g. at least until the sun engulfs the earth) without getting an update. However, there are other concerns beyond the scop of this list (social, political) which may require the recovery take place sooner. Fact of the matter, this is a lot like asking who has copies of the 1-800 database in case something happens to St. Louis, MO or who has copies of the ATM card database if something happens to Secaucus, NJ. The only answer you will get is there are "disaster recovery plans," but the plans are confidential, proprietary, and you generally can't see them. How good are the plans, or do they really exist? I'm afraid we don't find out until something like Galaxy IV spins out of control and the world discovers the backup plan involves a person going out to each pager site in the country and manually re-pointing the dish at a different satellite over the course of a week. -- Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO Affiliation given for identification not representation