Root Server System Advisory Committee ICANN Open meeting May 26, 1999 Hotel Adlon, Berlin

The Past Meetings March 2, 1999 in Singapore (Apricot) March 16, 1999 in Minneapolis (IETF) Scheduled working meeting in May, postponed to be planned INET99 in San Jose

Who is on the meeting? Lars-Johan Liman, KTH (server I) Daniel Karrenberg, RIPE (server K) Mirjam Kuehne, RIPE (server K) Bill Manning (server B, L) Paul Wilson, APNIC Mark Bohannon, US Dept. of Commerce Akira Kato, WIDE (server M) Ray Plzak, DDN NIC (server G) Mark Kosters, NSI (server A, J) Suzanne Woolf, IANA David Conrad, Internet Software Consortium (server F) Piet Barber, DDN NIC (server G) Doug Engebretson, DISA (server G) Maurizio Binello, LINX (server K?) James Fielding, ARL (server H) Shane Kerr, ARIN Kim Hubbard, ARIN Gerry Sneeringer, University of Maryland (server D) Josh Elliott, IANA Mike Roberts, ICANN Paul Vixie, Internet Software Consortium (server F) Randy Bush, IESG Evi Nemeth, CAIDA Goeff Huston, IEPG, Jun Murai, WIDE, Esther Dyson, ICANN,

Extracts from ICANN Bylaws To advise the Board about the operation of the root name servers of the domain name system. To advise the Board on the operational requirements of root name servers, including host hardware capacities, operating systems and name server software versions, network connectivity and physical environment. To examine and to advise on the security aspects of the root name server system. To review the number, location, and distribution of root name servers considering the total system performance, robustness, and reliability.

List of the Root Servers

Major updates after the last meeting Technical specs/procedure to operate and change the root servers/zones. –Almost done. Plan to be generated in June Additional issues re: root server operations –Y2K issues. Plan to be generated in June ‘Formal’ procedure for the operational roles –For safe and stable operation –Work in progress

Important IETF efforts RFC2010 –“ Operational Criteria for Root Name Servers ” by Bill Manning and Paul Vixie IETF BOF (to WG?) –From March 1999 –Root Server Operation, –co-chaired by Lars-Johan Liman and Randy Bush

Internet Root Server System and its relationship to the Y2K event Super, Super Draft!

RSS components The Zone The Servers Administrative Services Testing Open Issues

The zone File currently maintained by NSI –automatically generated via backend DB –Integrated into the larger TLD zone administrative thrust –Complex backend, automated DB, multiple inputs –This subsystem is still being checked for Y2K compliance

The zone - as distributed No need to tie to a complex backend Fairly static –ISO 3166 codes –Generic TLDs –Infrastructure Zones No specific Y2K issues

Servers Broadly distributed –US Government (MIL) –Industry (NSI, ISC, PSI) –Academic (ISI, UMD) –International (RIPE/Linx, WIDE, Nordunet)

Servers - continued “Hardened” against environmental contingencies –Power Grid failure –Cooling failure –Server hardware failure –Single ISP failure The system can handle the existing load with 40% of the servers offline

Administrative Services each site keeps backup copies of the zone each site has redundant hardware each site has controlled access facilities each site uses BIND each site has multi-level sys-admin support each site has full contact data for each other site

Testing - Subsystems UNIX & variants Applications –BIND –NTP –SYSLOG –SSH contact verification

Open Issues UNIX 32bit counter (not Y2K) UNIX system calls (affects syslog) BIND is Y2K compliant Stability of telecoms infrastructure

DRAFT: Summary The Root Server System will be able to answer all queries received through the Y2K event. Testing for clock rollover, leap year, and GSM failure have been done with no operational impact noted.

Fin This data was collected in Y2K seminars and RSSAC meetings : Singapore - Apricot’99, IETF44, Online discussion from July 1998 through May Inaccuracies and omissions may be present This may not reflect the view of all root server operators yet.

Schedules The third meeting of RSSAC is planned –During INET99/San Jose (June 15-19) Expected initial output draft after the second meeting –Before the third meeting Mailing list:

Charter Changes in the root server system have been discussed inside and outside of the government for over two years. As part of the Green Paper and White Paper process, it was agreed that the entire system would be reviewed and revised as part of the formation of ICANN. Consequently, a specific provision for a Root Server System Advisory Committee （ RSSAC ） was included in the bylaws from the beginning.

Extract from ICANN Bylaws "(b) There shall be a DNS Root Server System Advisory Committee. The initial chairman of the DNS Root Server System Advisory Committee shall be appointed by the Board; subsequent chairs shall be elected by the members of the DNS Root Server System Advisory Committee pursuant to procedures adopted by the members. The responsibility of the Root Server System Advisory Committee shall be to advise the Board about the operation of the root name servers of the domain name system. The Root Server System Advisory Committee should consider and provide advice on the operational requirements of root name servers, including host hardware capacities, operating systems and name server software versions, network connectivity and physical environment. The Root Server System Advisory Committee should examine and advise on the security aspects of the root name server system. Further, the Root Server System Advisory Committee should review the number, location, and distribution of root name servers considering the total system performance, robustness, and reliability."

Membership The ICANN Board is responsible for appointing the initial chairman of the RSSAC, which it did at its meeting of 1/17/99 by appointing Jun Murai. It is anticipated that the chairman will nominate an initial slate of members for the RSSAC. It is not required that the committee have a specific number of members, nor that the full complement of members be appointed immediately.

Extracts from the Dept of Commerce - ICANN MOU/JPA related to the root servers and system(1) "In the DNS Project, the Parties will jointly design, develop, and test the mechanisms, methods, and procedures to carry out the following DNS management functions: –Establishment of policy for and direction of the allocation of IP number blocks; –Oversight of the operation of the authoritative root server system; –Oversight of the policy for coordination of the DNS, including determining the circumstances under which new top level domains would be added to the root system; and –Coordination of the assignment of other Internet technical parameters as needed to maintain universal connectivity on the Internet.

Extracts from the Dept of Commerce - ICANN MOU/JPA related to the root servers and system(2) Collaborate on a study on the design, development, and testing of a process for making the management of the root server system more robust and secure. This aspect of the DNS Project will address: –Operational requirements of root name servers, including host hardware capacities, operating system and name server software versions, network connectivity, and physical environment. –Examination of the security aspects of the root name server system and review of the number, location, and distribution of root name servers considering the total system performance, robustness, and reliability. –Development of operational procedures for the root server system, including formalization of contractual relationships under which root servers throughout the world are operated.

Extracts from the Dept of Commerce - ICANN MOU/JPA related to the root servers and system(3) Collaborate on written technical procedures for operation of the primary root server including procedures that permit modifications, additions or deletions to the root zone file. Collaborate on a study and process for making the management of the root server system more robust and secure. This aspect of the plan will address: –Operational requirements of root name servers, including host hardware capacities, operating system and name server software versions, network connectivity, and physical environment. –Examination of the security aspects of the root name server system and review of the number, location, and distribution of root name servers considering the total system performance, robustness, and reliability. –Development of operational procedures for the root server system, including formalization of contractual relationships under which root servers throughout the world are operated. Collaborate on the design, development, and testing of a plan for creating a process that will consider the possible expansion of the number of gTLDs. The designed process should consider and take into account the following: –The potential impact of new gTLDs on the Internet root server system and Internet stability."