Network Solutions loses domain data -- Follow-up
This is a follow-up to a message I posted earlier today. After a 24 hour absence from the root name servers, the missing domain (senie.com) has once again appeared. The lesson to be learned, it would seem, is to avoid doing domain updates around the time Network Solutions generates the root zone files (around 5PM Eastern Time). If I had to wager a guess, I'd suspect they've got a database/programming access issue. I suspect my record was being updated by one program, and thus was locked, at the moment another program was trying to run a report which generates the zone files. I tried to find someone at Network Solutions to mention this to, but there wasn't a clueful person in the dozen or so I talked with. Indeed, most of them didn't understand the relationship between their databases and the root name servers (I think some of them didn't know what the root name servers were). Given a total lack of accountability to anyone, and software that's clearly got some interesting bugs, it's kind of surprising more folks don't get clobbered by this sort of thing (perhaps they do, but don't notice the occasional 24 hour dropout). The sad thing is that competitive registries will likely only make things worse. In that case, you'll yell at the folks you registered with, and they would then have to yell at Network Solutions, who're going to maintain the database with the same buggy software. Sounds like a mess. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel Senie dts@senie.com Amaranth Networks Inc. http://www.amaranthnetworks.com
On Wed, 14 Jul 1999, Daniel Senie wrote:
wasn't a clueful person in the dozen or so I talked with. Indeed, most of them didn't understand the relationship between their databases and the root name servers (I think some of them didn't know what the root name servers were).
I just went through this with a client who's billing info is screwed up in their record, and as a result wasn't getting a bill. They paid, but the record didn't update that evening (in other words go off of hold). It took me four or five transfers to find someone who apparently could talk to someone who could at least come up with a plausable answer of "The domain was on hold and isn't now and it will be fixed in the next update, tomorrow morning". This was after talking to several people who all said "The domain has never been on hold and we show it's active so it's your problem". I still don't know if anyone understood my various attempts at saying in a non-technical fashion that "The record is apparrently not in a.root-servers.net". - Forrest W. Christian (forrestc@imach.com) KD7EHZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- iMach, Ltd., P.O. Box 5749, Helena, MT 59604 http://www.imach.com Solutions for your high-tech problems. (406)-442-6648 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
I just have to do this. The confusion between "Root Zone File" and TLD Zone Files has just got to stop. 1. Root Zone is NOT .COM .ORG .NET .ETC its . DOT It contains about 200 or so records plus glue. IT DOES NOT contain deligation info in the .COM, NET, ORG, ccTLD's 2. The .COM Zone File is what was buggered up with this persons domain. The TLD Zones contain the information for each TLD. It would do everyone GOOD to make sure that we use the CORRECT terms for the correct parts of the net. For example moving DOT (Root Zone) isn't the same as moving .COM (COM Zone) jmbrown At 01:54 AM 7/14/99 -0400, you wrote:
This is a follow-up to a message I posted earlier today. After a 24 hour absence from the root name servers, the missing domain (senie.com) has once again appeared.
The lesson to be learned, it would seem, is to avoid doing domain updates around the time Network Solutions generates the root zone files (around 5PM Eastern Time). If I had to wager a guess, I'd suspect they've got a database/programming access issue. I suspect my record was being updated by one program, and thus was locked, at the moment another program was trying to run a report which generates the zone files. I tried to find someone at Network Solutions to mention this to, but there wasn't a clueful person in the dozen or so I talked with. Indeed, most of them didn't understand the relationship between their databases and the root name servers (I think some of them didn't know what the root name servers were).
Given a total lack of accountability to anyone, and software that's clearly got some interesting bugs, it's kind of surprising more folks don't get clobbered by this sort of thing (perhaps they do, but don't notice the occasional 24 hour dropout).
The sad thing is that competitive registries will likely only make things worse. In that case, you'll yell at the folks you registered with, and they would then have to yell at Network Solutions, who're going to maintain the database with the same buggy software. Sounds like a mess.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel Senie dts@senie.com Amaranth Networks Inc. http://www.amaranthnetworks.com
participants (3)
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Daniel Senie -
Forrest W. Christian -
John M. Brown