Mr. Jon Postel University of Southern California California, USA Jon, As I am sure you are aware, TRUE Root Name Servers are intended to provide stability to the Internet. RFC 2010 has many good ideas about how to harden these servers. All of the other TRUE Root Name Servers that I am aware of are following RFC 2010 to the letter. Are the new servers you describe, 2010 compliant ? In your note below you point out that these four machines are temporarily housed at ISI, which I assume means the University of Southern California. In the U.S. Government's InterNIC file [shown below], it indicates that two of the machines are at NSI which I assume is Network Solutions, Inc. Can you be more specific ? A traceroute to one of the machines goes via LN.NET, an ISP that you run. The leg before that is via "genuity" where you are on the Board of Directors of this Bechtel funded company <http://www.genuity.net>. Are LN.NET or Bechtel involved in this project ? As more TLD Registries come on line, they will depend on the various confederations of TRUE Root Name Servers for service. There will be many reasons why ISPs and companies select the confederation they use. As long as each confederation refers users to the proper TLD Name Servers, downstream caching is coherent because the TLD name servers do most of the real work. Having said this, I am curious whether you view your NEW Root Name Servers to be purely for researchers to use or whether you intend broader use? I note that you mention this is an "experiment". Are you concerned that ISPs might use these servers and experience operational integrity problems ? Should ISPs be cautious about that ? Have you been following the discussions on the NANOG list regarding some of the problems they have had with the legacy Root Name Servers ? Since everyone's goal is to make sure the Internet remains stable and grows in an organized way that does not deny service to people around the world, I think that actions taken in the arena of TRUE Root Name Servers need to be done carefully. As I am sure you are aware, once ISPs adopt certain servers they rarely change and they follow the U.S. Government's lead. I also note that you are using the U.S. Government's InterNIC file distribution system to easily facilitate the wide-spread adoption of these "experimental" servers. Can you explain who at the National Science Foundation (NSF) authorized that action ? In light of the fact that some mail lists seem to filter information and some now appear to be deleting postings from their archives. I am posting this to several groups that I feel will be interested and involved in these discussions. Thanks for your time. Jim Fleming Unir Corporation ==================== [1] 4 sprint-nap.WestOrange.mci.net (204.70.1.210) 208.143 ms 220.508 ms 203.63 ms 5 genuity.sprintnap.net (192.157.69.49) 39.077 ms 25.241 ms 25.688 ms 6 core1.lax1.genuity.net (207.240.0.5) 86.219 ms 75.991 ms * 7 mla.ln.net (198.32.146.10) 78.953 ms 73.345 ms 73.039 ms 8 l.root-servers.net (198.32.64.12) 114.668 ms 111.243 ms * [2] On Friday, February 28, 1997 4:44 PM, postel@ISI.EDU wrote: @ @ Hello: @ @ There are now two more root servers root servers serving ".". The names of @ these two machines are: @ @ l.root-servers.net 198.32.64.12 @ m.root-servers.net 198.32.65.12 @ @ The latest root servers list will be found at: @ ftp://rs.internic.net/domain/named.ca @ @ Checksum: @ MD5 (named.ca) c6411a337311264bfb2c3edc7726e19c @ @ These machines are temporarily housed at ISI till their suitable home @ is found. All four (j, k, l, & m) will eventually be moved to various @ international locations that are "close" to the center of the internet and @ will only run "." in a non-recursive mode. This is being done as an @ experiment with running "." on separate machines from the existing iTLD's. @ @ ; This file holds the information on root name servers needed to @ ; initialize cache of Internet domain name servers @ ; (e.g. reference this file in the "cache . <file>" @ ; configuration file of BIND domain name servers). @ ; @ ; This file is made available by InterNIC registration services @ ; under anonymous FTP as @ ; file /domain/named.root @ ; on server FTP.RS.INTERNIC.NET @ ; -OR- under Gopher at RS.INTERNIC.NET @ ; under menu InterNIC Registration Services (NSI) @ ; submenu InterNIC Registration Archives @ ; file named.root @ ; @ ; last update: Feb 28, 1997 @ ; related version of root zone: 1997022800 @ ; @ ; @ ; formerly NS.INTERNIC.NET @ ; @ . 3600000 IN NS A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 198.41.0.4 @ ; @ ; formerly NS1.ISI.EDU @ ; @ . 3600000 NS B.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ B.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 128.9.0.107 @ ; @ ; formerly C.PSI.NET @ ; @ . 3600000 NS C.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ C.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 192.33.4.12 @ ; @ ; formerly TERP.UMD.EDU @ ; @ . 3600000 NS D.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ D.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 128.8.10.90 @ ; @ ; formerly NS.NASA.GOV @ ; @ . 3600000 NS E.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ E.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 192.203.230.10 @ ; @ ; formerly NS.ISC.ORG @ ; @ . 3600000 NS F.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ F.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 192.5.5.241 @ ; @ ; formerly NS.NIC.DDN.MIL @ ; @ . 3600000 NS G.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ G.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 192.112.36.4 @ ; @ ; formerly AOS.ARL.ARMY.MIL @ ; @ . 3600000 NS H.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ H.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 128.63.2.53 @ ; @ ; formerly NIC.NORDU.NET @ ; @ . 3600000 NS I.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ I.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 192.36.148.17 @ ; @ ; temporarily housed at NSI (InterNIC) @ ; @ . 3600000 NS J.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ J.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 198.41.0.10 @ ; @ ; temporarily housed at NSI (InterNIC) @ ; @ . 3600000 NS K.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ K.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 198.41.0.11 @ ; @ ; temporarily housed at ISI (IANA) @ ; @ . 3600000 NS L.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ L.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 198.32.64.12 @ ; @ ; temporarily housed at ISI (IANA) @ ; @ . 3600000 NS M.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. @ M.ROOT-SERVERS.NET. 3600000 A 198.32.65.12 @ ; End of File @ @ -- @ @ --jon. @ @ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @ @ -- Jim Fleming Unir Corporation e-mail: JimFleming@unety.net JimFleming@unety.s0.g0 (EDNS/IPv8)