Re: combined shared/private?

[Jim Dixon <jdd@matthew.uk1.vbc.net>]

On Sat, 4 Oct 1997, Jeff Williams wrote:

> > There are a number of shared registries in the world.  Nominet, which
> > handles .UK, is one; DENIC, the German registry which handles .DE, is
> > another.  Both are structured like CORE (and as far as I know CORE
> > was consciously modelled on Nominet).
> 
>   Hummmmm?  You didn't seem to agree with this a few weeks ago or 
> even days ago, Jim.  And I don't agree that CORE is consciously
> modeled after Nominet at all.

A shared registry is one in which many domain name registrars have
(more or less) direct access to a common database.  This is exactly
how Nominet is structured.  What's more, Nominet is owned by its
420 registrars.  As far as I know, DENIC is the same sort of operation,
with 50 or so registrars.  

I have spoken to many of the people involved in the gTLD MOU/PAB/POC/
CORE group.  Many of them seemed to believe that they were modelling
CORE on Nominet. 

I am not saying that they did such a wonderful job ;-)  

CORE is certainly supposed to operate a shared registry; have a look at 
the system description in the RFP on http://core.gtld-mou.org.

> > We have something that works -- IANA and Jon Postel -- and various
> > proposals, none of which look very solid.  I for one would prefer to
> > change things gradually, checking to make things still work after each
> > change.  We don't need chaos in the domain name system.
> 
>   I don't like the gradual change approach in this case.  Normaly I
> would prefer it.  But not here.  That approach has not the time to meet
> probable demands soon comming.  Won't work.

You have to understand that the network operators, the ISPs, will not 
tolerate the huge risks involved in radical changes.  Neither will that
small part of the world that is outside the boundaries of the USA.  If
it came to it, if some nutty scheme for restructuring the Net were 
to come stumbling out over the Beltway, there would be no difficulty at 
all in finding funds for a real alternative to the current domain name 
system.  And I think that that alternative would be very very close to 
the current arrangement -- which works.

--
Jim Dixon                                                 Managing Director
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