Your Input Needed: Root Server System Scaling Study

by Chris Grundemann on 13 June, 2009

We noticed an email sent to us from Bill Manning via NANOG today requesting input on scaling and the impact on the of adding IPv6 records, new TLDs (Top Level Domains), security records and other impending changes to the system.  Mr. Mannning explains it quite well:

With resolution 2009-02-03-04, the ICANN Board asked the
Server System Advisory Committee (), the Security and
Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC), and the ICANN staff to
the potential impact on the zone stability that might arise
when address records, IDN top level names, other new TLDs,
and new records to support security are added to the zone.

The Board has expressed interest in hearing of the impact of the
distinct changes, but also their aggregate effect on zone
operations. The Board also asks that the address the
technical and operational concerns regarding expanding the
zone that have been expressed on this topic.

A team has been assembled and is composed of the following:

Jaap Akkerhuis
Lyman Chapin  - Chair
Patrik FC$ltstrC6m
Glenn Kowack
Lars-Johan Liman
Bill Manning

The goal of the is to construct a complete, definitive, and
authoritative model of the server system (including all of
its provisioning and query components) that shows how the
different parts are related, and how changing the value of a
variable in one part would affect each of the other parts. It will
be as quantitative a model as possible given the relatively short
time frame of the . The idea is not to try to identify all of
the bad things that might happen if (for example) the number of
TLDs in the zone were to increase by several orders of
magnitude during the same time period in which new RRs were added
for (b^@^\how many entries in the zone is too many?b^@^]), but
to construct a model that demonstrates what the effects would be
throughout the system of changing the value of one or more
variables either individually or in combination (e.g., the rate at
which new TLDs are added to the , or the frequency of key
rollover events in a signed ). This model will provide an
unbiased factual and analyticalb^@^Trather than anecdotalb^@^Tbasis for
recognizing and evaluating concerns about server system
security and stability as the grows. As a tool for policy
makers, it will show the expected impact on the server system
of policy decisions that would change various zone parameters.

The team has a couple of methods for collecting inputs and
encourages interested parties to provide the team with their
concerns.

There is a public mailing list:  root-scaling@icann.org
and
There is a comment site:
+http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-200907.html#root-scaling

If there are others whom you think would be interested in this work or
have opinions/ideas, please pass along this note.

Thanks

Please take his invitation seriously and comment if you have one!

Alternatively, if you are a member of CO ISOC or you work/reside in/near Colorado and have some input but do not want to contribute directly; please feel free to send the information to us.  We will agregate all comments recieved and provide the team with the resulting report.  You can send these (and any other) comments to our general mailing list: coisoc at coisoc dot org

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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Randy Bush June 14, 2009 at 05:42

flooding the root with icann’s greed is simply stupid and insane.

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