DNC Newsletter - December 2002

The December .nz newsletter is available.

Now that the SRS is implemented, we have decided to change the timing of the monthly .nz newsletters. Instead of a newsletter at the end of the month, we will be working on producing something around the middle of the month, incorporating statistics from the previous month. For this newsletter, basic statistics about the number of domain names, and the change in the number of names in each domain, is provided. As we work through next year we will look to extend the information we provide about the .nz market.

There are now 15 authorised registrars, with three having already connected to the production SRS. As registrars connect, their details are provided in a list on the DNC website at [outdated link]. Registrars are reminded to read the Domain Name Allocation policy, as well as the Connection Newsletter, to make the process of connecting to the SRS as simple as possible.

Following a query, it has been decided to allow organisations to make a second application for authorised registrar status for an application fee of $500 plus GST. This is for the situation where one company may want to trade under two identities, with different business models for the two trading divisions. Given the evaluation and assessment for the parent company that has been undertaken for the first application, the fee is lower. Companies will still need to complete the full set of application forms, including providing the registrant Terms and Conditions agreement that applies to the second trading division.

The high level of applications for authorisation as a registrar has been a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately the higher than expected number has meant that it has taken longer to process some applications than we hoped. Up until 7 December it was possible for potential registrars to connect to the SRS Test system while their application for authorisation was being processed. Now, a registrar needs to be authorised before they are able to connect to the test system. Please take this into account if you are planning on becoming an authorised registrar. You should get your application for authorisation through to the DNC at least a week prior to when you want to complete the technical connection to the SRS Test system.

NZOC

A .nz Oversight Committee (NZOC) meeting was held on 25 November. Formal minutes are being produced and will be published on the DNC site. Outcomes from the meeting included:

• Agreement from NZOC to put a formal proposal to the InternetNZ Council regarding a review of international matters. This review will be chaired by the NZOC Chair and involve representatives from InternetNZ groups and committees that have a legitimate interest in, and experience of, international affairs.

• The NZOC Policy on the .nz Policy Development Policy was agreed by NZOC. It will go to the InternetNZ Council for final overall approval and will then be published on the DNC site.

• An agreement to proceed with a review of the Second Level Domains policy. This will be chaired by the DNC and will involve a NZOC representative, plus four others. Expressions of interest will be sought for involvement in this. At the time the expressions of interest are sought, a general notice will be made that any problems/issues with existing policies that people would like to see reviewed, should be notified to the DNC at [email protected]. It was also agreed that the DNC will work with the existing working group on the Dispute Resolution project so that their work can advance, though this is not the priority area at this time.

• An addendum to the InternetNZ Confidentiality of Society Documents Policy, covering the NZOC and DNC was agreed. This makes it clear that documents received in confidence will be given a status of Confidential automatically.

Statistics

Figures show that the trend for growth in the number of .nz domain names continued in November. Figures at the end of November were:

NZ REGISTRY SERVICES

November has been a busy month with applications for registrars to connect arriving at a good pace. When all documentation is received from the applying registrar, they can be set up in SRS within half a day with connection available immediately thereafter. Most of those who have completed their application for connection are now well into testing the connection and the SRS application.

The TelstraClear outage was a good test of the system, but did not affect the performance of the SRS or the DNS (refer TelstraClear outage).

The SRS production system has had 100% up time since going live. Response times are noted under Production SRS.

There was a system outage to the SRS Test system on 22 November after the weekly refresh (refer Test System).

Production SRS
The production system has been operating for 6 weeks (since 14 October); there have been no unscheduled outages in this period.

November period response time performance figures (in seconds) on the production environment were.

The Whois function in November had 13260 queries (note Domainz changed the whois from DRS to SRS in the third week of November).

TelstraClear Outage
During the weekend of 23 November there was a well publicised outage in parts of the TelstraClear. There are seven DNS servers operating in various locations and on various networks both in and out of New Zealand.  The outage did affect two of the DNS servers, which operate on the TelstraClear network, but most DNS queries come via caching name servers that are capable of recording which name servers aren't answering in good time, and directing minimal queries to them.  As such, there was no loss of service and minimal performance degradation.  After all, the service never went away, it was just handled by the other servers.  

The design and configuration of the DNS servers is such that they are robust against failures of this kind and the effect of an individual outage is minimised.

The SRS system was not affected by this outage.

Connections
As with the Domain Name Commissioner the applications for connection to the SRS system have been consistent. As at 30 November there were 14 Registrars with access to the test system.

Test System
The test system is a duplicate of the production system with some additions and changes to allow for Registrar testing to occur.

As Registrars are set up in the test system, an additional 11 domain names are also set up for them under the Test Registrar and the UDAI's are emailed to them for testing of transfers.

To get domain name transferred, locked or other transaction that may be undertaken by another registrar to a Domain name from your Registrar please contact NZRS at [email protected] , please provide the domain names and UDAI's.

There are some key differences between the Test system and the production system, the prime differences being that:
Graceperiod for renewals and registrations have been set to 1 day (5 days in production).
The Pending Release has been set to 2 days (90 days in production).
These have been done to assist in the simulation of lifecycle testing in a shorter timetable.

Test System Outage
There was an outage on the 22November after the refresh of the Test System. The outage has had a formal review and steps have been taken to ensure that this does not occur again.

Test System Refresh
The Test system gets refreshed once a week at 5am on Fridays. Registrars will receive an email from SRS advising you of the special domain names that have been pre set up and their UDAI's.

Other News
Doug Mercer was the Project Manager for the development of the SRS, as this part of the project is now complete he has headed off for a well earned rest, I would like to thank Doug for his effort and endeavours to get the SRS to the current state.

David Baker has joined the Registry and will be undertaking a support role, he can be emailed at [email protected]

Reminder of documents required for connection
To assist in the processing of applications for connection to the registry, the following completed documents are required to be forwarded to the Registry Manager prior to allowing access to the Test SRS System.

Application for Connection to .NZ Registry
.NZ Connection Agreement Connection
NZRS Direct Debit Form
Registrar Details

In addition to the above documents a soft copy of the Registrar's Public Key is required to be forwarded to the Registry Manager as an attachment.

All the forms are available on the www.nzrs.net.nz . Also on the website are documents outlining the NZRS Technical Statement, NZRS Service Statement and the Registry Connection Process.

Note: Registrars are required to have completed an application to become an Authorised Registrar with the Domain Name Commissioner before connection to the test system will be implemented.

Christmas Period

The DNC and NZRS offices will be staffed on the business days between Christmas and New Year - 27, 30 and 31 Decmber. The best way to contact us over this time is by email to [email protected] or [email protected]. We'll be back to usual business from 3 January 2003.

Thank you to all those people who have assisted us through the implementation of the SRS. We wish everyone an enjoyable festive season and look forward to working with you in 2003.

Any comments?
If you have any questions or concerns about the SRS, please don't hesitate to contact us. For registry or technical matters, contact Nick Griffin at [email protected]. For all other matters, contact Debbie Monahan at [email protected]

Please note
If you would like to be notified of future updates, please use the subscribe function on the DNC site and select the category 'Newsletters'.