On Mon, 1 May 2000, Roger De Salis wrote:
It looks really Microweenie Access'ish, with a thoroughly described Database and schema for the billing/relationship /authorisation access to who can change what, within the system. An accountant would describe it as perfectly formed and a beautiful thing. The database runs on NT (don't know which product, even though I read all the tender documents and responses) and ultimately scribbles out a zone file, which is uplifted to some DELL PC's running Linux 6.x and Bind 8.x
FreeBSD 3-STABLE, I think, rather than Linux -- and bind 8.2.2-P5.
The only way to change the contents of the zone file is via the perfectly formed GUI (microsoft) or Web Forms interface, which does a batch update. I haven't seen the mechanism by which ISP's can do a bulk update of the system.
Neither have most ISPs.
I have no idea where the DNS secondaries will be placed, even though ISOCNZ technical council made specific recommendations about secondaries being close to the APE, WIX and one in Sydney. (It is couched in looser terms than this.) I believe the secondary in Nasa Ames will cease operations shortly, if it has not done so already. (IMHO it would be neat if a phone company with whom most of us have a relationship ran a secondary in the LA-POP... please....)
CLEAR, Telecom, Telstra NZ and IHUG all have a presence in either the US or Australia (or both). I would strongly suggest that the requirements for running a secondary server be specified, however, and that operators of secondary nameservers should enter into a commercial contract for the service they provide rather than just relying on good will. There's enough money flying around to afford some professional nameserver hosting for the authoritative servers for NZ (regardless of how insignificant this aspect might appear in some quarters) and at the end of the day it is unreasonable to impose the uptimes and performance requirements we want from root-ish nameservers without paying for the privilege.
Whois:-
Domainz were instructed by ISOCNZ to make available a RIPE format whois: in November 1999 formally. It had been told frequently and often prior to this of the need for whois.
As long as whois-style information is available in the new system through some public interface, I will install a RIPE-a-like proxy for it a la whois.patho.gen.nz, modulo any legal threats stopping me from doing so. I am led to believe that there should be no issue, however. Joe --------- To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog