[ga] FYI: Bandwidth and Session Limits to be Deployed within the SRS

[Alexander Svensson <alexander@svensson.de>]

http://www.icann.org/announcements/icann-pr16jul01.htm

ICANN Advisory
Equitable Allocation of Shared Registration System Resources

(16 July 2001) In recent weeks, some registrars have reported
difficulty in accessing the .com/.net/.org Shared Registration
System during the hours in which expiring names are deleted.
Upon investigation, it appears that a significant portion of
the available bandwidth and connections is being consumed during
these hours by a few registrars making very large numbers of
queries for the names expected to expire.

Under VeriSign's Registry Agreements with ICANN, it is obligated
to provide all accredited registrars "with equivalent access
to its Registry Services, including to its shared registration
system." VeriSign Registry proposed that, as an interim measure,
it would place a uniform limit of 250 simultaneous connections
and 256k bandwidth applied to each accredited registrar. ICANN
has advised VeriSign Registry that these limitations appear
consistent with its Registry Agreements. These limits will
apply beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, 17 July 2001. See the message
copied below.

This interim measure will not guarantee all registrars will have
access to the registry in all circumstances. ICANN's Domain Name
Supporting Organization has been advised of the situation so
that it may begin consideration of possible development of policy
for handling expiring names. Members of the community are urged
to participate in these discussions through the DNSO, so that
all viewpoints can be considered in developing a policy for fair
allocation of expiring names.

ICANN is aware that some customers may have been inconvenienced
by this situation and will keep the community apprised of further
progress toward finding a remedy.


----- Original Message -----
From: VeriSign Global Registry Services
To: registrars@verisign-grs.com
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 4:49 PM
Subject: [RegistrarsList] Registry Advisory: Bandwidth and Session
Limits to be Deployed within the SRS

To All Registrars:
VeriSign Global Registry Services is responsible for ensuring equivalent
access to the Shared Registration System (SRS) by all registrars. Recently,
the deletion and subsequent availability of large numbers of domain names
have caused a domain "land rush" during certain hours of the day. During
these daily "land rushes" some registrars acquire unnecessarily large
numbers of RRP sessions, making it difficult for other registrars to
acquire the minimal number needed to conduct normal business. Whether this
is due to inefficient registrar systems, or a conscious desire to block
competition by monopolizing RRP connections, it is a behavior that cannot
be supported or condoned. VeriSign GRS has been working with ICANN to
determine an access policy that will address this abusive behavior while
protecting the equivalent access requirements of the COM, NET and ORG
Registry Agreements. Our goal is to protect the equivalent access of each
registrar without impacting legitimate business operations.

The first step in this process will be to limit the total bandwidth any
single registrar can consume, along with the total number of RRP sessions
any single registrar can simultaneously open. Beginning Tuesday July 17,
each ICANN accredited registrar will be limited to 256K in bandwidth and
250 simultaneous RRP connections.

As always, we recommend each registrar evaluate the efficiency of their
systems. VeriSign GRS will share with each registrar their bandwidth
utilization and RRP connection trends, in addition to efficiency (i.e.,
number of transactions per connection).

RRP bandwidth and connections will always be a finite commodity. The
recent "land rush" events indicate that the informal measures we have
relied on in the past will not ensure that all registrars have fair access
to this commodity. VeriSign GRS recognizes that, although they should be
helpful in the short term, the bandwidth and connection limitations
described above will not ensure access in all load circumstances and are
only a partial solution. We will therefore be working with registrars and
ICANN to develop fair and effective longer-term means of providing every
registrar appropriate access to the SRS.

If you require additional information, please contact VeriSign Global
Registry Services at info@verisign-grs.com or +1 703-925-6999.

Best Regards,

Chris Sheridan
Manager, Customer Service
VeriSign Global Registry Services
www.verisign-grs.com
info@verisign-grs.com


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