Alternative DNS root
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In addition to the Internet's main DNS root (currently consisting of 13 nominal root nameservers working in agreement with ICANN), several organizations operate alternative DNS roots (often referred to as alt roots). Each alternative root has its own set of root nameservers and its own set of top-level domains (TLDs).
The Internet Architecture Board has spoken out strongly against alternate roots in RFC 2826, "IAB Technical Comment on the Unique DNS Root".
Description
Alt roots can in general be divided into two groups; those run for idealistic or ideological reasons, and those run as profit-making enterprises.
Whilst technically trivial to set up, actually running a reliable root server network in the long run is a serious undertaking, requiring multiple servers to be kept running 24/7 in geographically diverse locations. During the dot-com boom, some alt-root providers believed that there were substantial profits to be made from providing alternative top-level domains. Only a small proportion of ISPs actually use any of the zones served by alt-root operators, generally sticking to the ICANN-specified root servers. This in turn led to the commercial failure of several alternative DNS root providers.
The .biz TLD created by Pacific Root was in operation before ICANN proposed running .biz, and at least one of the alternative root servers resolves .biz to Pacific Root's. There are .biz domain names that exist in different roots and point to different IP addresses. The possibility of such conflicts, and their potential for destabilizing the Internet, is the main source of controversy surrounding alt roots. Many of the alternate roots try to coordinate with each other, but many do not - and they have no conflict resolution procedure between them.
Dot 2.0 could be a new expression (derivative of Web 2.0), trying to resuscitate the idea of Alternative DNS roots.
List of alternative root zones
Among the most well-known alt-root zones and domains are:
- Open Root Server Confederation (ORSC)
- * The ORSC root zone is too large to be fully quoted here.
- OpenNIC [link]
- * .indy -- independent news
- * .geek -- anything geeky
- * .null -- miscellaneous non-commercial individual sites
- * .oss -- Open Source Software
- * .parody -- parodies
- * [.fur] -- furry related sites
- AlterNIC (stopped in 1997)
- * .exp --
- * .llc --
- * .lnx --
- * .ltd --
- * .med --
- * .nic --
- * .noc --
- * .porn --
- * .xxx --
- eDNS (stopped in 1998??)
- * .biz -- General business use
- * .corp -- For use by corporations
- * .fam -- For and about Family
- * .k12 -- For and about Kids
- * .npo -- Non-profit organizations
- * .per -- Personal Domain Name services
- * .web -- Web-based sites (ie: web pages)
- [Iperdome] (stopped in 1999)
- * .per -- Personal Domain Name services
- * see [the announcement]
- * later the TLDs changed to:
- ** .biz -- General business use
- ** .corp -- For use by corporations
- ** .gay -- For and about the Gay Community
- ** .k12 -- For and about Kids
- ** .npo -- Non-profit organizations
- ** .pol -- Related to Poland and Polish organizations
- ** .web -- Web-based sites (ie: web pages)
- Pacific Root (many TLDs, not all listed here; apparently offline, see entry)
- * .ais --
- * .bio --
- * .cal --
- * .ind --
- * .job --
- * .lib --
- * .npo --
- * .ppp --
- * .sat --
- * .www --
- * .biz --
- * .etc --
- * .men --
- * .ngo --
- * .not --
- New.Net
- * .shop --
- * .travel -- conflicts with ICANN-sanctioned TLD
- * .tech --
- * .kids --
- * .church --
- * .game --
- * .mp3 --
- * .med --
- * .xxx --
- * .club --
- * .inc --
- * .law --
- * .family --
- * .sport --
- UnifiedRoot
- * Unifiedroot enables viewing of all existing TLDs and allows new TLDs to be registered at a cost of $US 1000 each (plus annual maintenance fees of $US 250). On the user side, it works by modifying the user's DNS settings to point at UnifiedRoot's servers; it also offers a downloadable tool to do this on Windows.See [link].
- dot.love wants to spread more love to the world through alternative domains, chiefly the following terms, such as:
- * .love
- * .thanks
- * .joy
- * .peace
- * .patience
- * .kind / .kindness
- * .gentle
- * .faith
- * .self
- * .yuck
- * .zen
- * .spirit
- * .wise
- * .truth
- Cesidian Root [link] - alt root system that not only resolves ICANN and its own (below), but also OpenNIC and [China Root System TLDs].
- * .5wc
- * .amore
- * .baron
- * .bucksfan
- * .bucrafan
- * .cesidio
- * .cuseeme
- * .df
- * .italiana
- * .maxmv
- * .savoia
- * .tallini
- * .ttf
- * .university
- * .xn--fiqs8s -- (Chinese TLD in Punycode form standing for .中国 or .china)
- * .xn--55qx5d -- (Chinese TLD in Punycode form standing for .公司 or .com)
- * .xn--io0a7i -- (Chinese TLD in Punycode form standing for .网络 or .net)
Notes
See also
External links
- [Unified Root]
- [Open Root Server Confederation]
- [Open Root Server Network (ORSN)]
- [ORSN Discussed on CircleID]
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