ISC - NaMeX : the future of Internet
A historic agreement has been reached between the Internet Software Consortium (ISC) and NaMeX for Italy's first installation of a Root Name Server replica
Redwood City, CA -- ISC (ISC) and Consorzio NaMeX are proud to announce the recent conclusion of an agreement that will bring in Rome, at NaMeX, Italy's first and only installation of a replica of a Root Name Server. The f-root server mirror, which ISC operates in the USA, will provide a safer Internet and a faster and more reliable Italian network.
ISC (ISC) operates f.root-servers.net, one of the 13 Root Name Servers Internet's central DNS servers. Currently the f-root server has 6 mirrors throughout the world with several more pending.
Consorzio NaMeX was formed in Rome in 2001 under the aegis of ANFoV, the association for convergence in communications services, as a neutral, non-profit ISP consortium for the more professional operation of an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) created spontaneously for ISP needs.
Root Name Servers are exchanges fundamental to the Internet's function; each and every IP address on the Internet (DNS system) must pass through them. In all the world, Tthere are only 13 Root Name Servers worldwide: ten in the United States, in strategic places such as NASA, the U.S. Army, and so on, one in Japan, and two in Europe (Great Britain and Sweden).Clearly, the limited number of Root Name Servers is a potential hazard for Internet security and operation. Were a distributed attack to succeed in knocking out all the Root Name Servers, the Internet would be virtually paralyzed. With the technical solution BGP Anycast, which allows F- Root Name Servers to be replicated, a distributed attack would have a limited effect on those users with access to the replicated Root Name Server. Moreover, the Root Name Server's proximity to the final user may increase the efficiency of DNS name resolution.
Paul Vixie, ISC Chairman, said, "Until recently the 'f-root server' owned and managed by ISC and located in the USA did not have global footprint. Even before the recent attacks on the root server system, we realized that to fully serve the entire Internet community -- and to defend against further attacks -- we needed our F-root name service to have a global footprint, with mirrors in many countries. NaMeX is a partner in Italy helping us achieve this goal."
"We are proud to be ISC's Italian partner in F-Root Name Server replication," comments Renato Brunetti, Deputy Chairman of NaMeX. "In addition to making the Internet safer worldwide, this will lead to drastically improved efficiency and security for all NaMeX's ISPs, and consequently for the entire Italian network, given that these ISPs represent a significant portion of Internet access providers."
For more information:
ISC: www.isc.org or
Carol Nash
