[kictanet] Day 2 0f 10:-IG Discussions- DNS, Root Servers, IP Addresses

[John Walubengo]

Hey Listers,

I hope Michuki has not gone too technical to make most of us silent. Remember the offer for the leading 3 contributors to attend the Regional IGF still stands...

Anyhow, I wish to take this opportunity to thank Mich for his input on this discussion.  His technical responses are quite true but they remain 'work-arounds'. Work-arounds are similar to someone asking to learn HOW to fish but someone responds by PROVIDING the fish - and hoping you will forever shut up thereafter because you have had your fill anyway. 

Take for example the point that root-servers are NOT really US Government managed but are actually in private sector management. Very true, day to day management of these root-servers is largely under private sector but these private sector act according to ICANN Policies which are subject to US Dept of Commerce (their very own Ministry of Trade).

100 root-servers using anycast technology? Very true. Infact in Kenya we have our very own instance of this wonderful technology at KENIC. It allows our DNS queries to be locally serviced rather than traversing expensive links to the US.  But again, that is still the 'provided fish' I mentioned; we do have a solution but as a country still lack the oversight to decide on the which, when, where and how such solutions shall be deployed, now and in the future.

International Domains? Thanks to extensive pressure, this is happening as Mich reports for the Japs and possibly others to follow (i was not aware).  Previously the position was that the internet can break up the moment non-latin characters get on board the DNS system. Imagine a more representative and proportionate oversight role for internet resources:- such solutions would have definitely been on board much earlier.

IP address management beyond ICANN? i.e. under two or more Organisations? Oh yes, I quite agree that this looks like an impossible if not outrageous proposal. But that's because we are so used to the 'if it ain't broken, do not fix it' phylosophy. But introducing competition at IP address and even DNS management level could revolutionalise the way ICANN manages this space or resources. ITU in particular has been pushing to provide internet citizens with optional service at IP and DNS level. What's wrong with splitting the IP address range or DNS name space into two and charging ICANN and ITU to provide oversight for the management of both? Collaborative competition so to speak.

I hope this is not too technical - techies can hide behind jargon to confuse policy makers. I am just attempting to do the opposite but not sure if it is working...in class if you teach and there are no questions or comments, it only means one of the two things- everything was so clear or nothing was...

walu.