InternetNZ eyes open source for shared registry system

InternetNZ is hoping the open source community will provide its new registry system.

InternetNZ, is hoping the open source community will provide its new registry system.

InternetNZ, the society formerly known as the Internet Society (ISOCNZ), owns Domainz which runs the .nz name space. InternetNZ members voted to move to a shared-registry system (SRS) which will allow all domain name registrars to modify the database.

The current system was deemed un-workable after costing InternetNZ in excess of $700,000: a large number of bugs were reported and many users found the system all but unworkable. An independent review of the registry system has reported back to council, however it won’t be made public until after the next council meeting, to be held in December.

A request for information (RFI) for the new system has been issued by InternetNZ and chairman Keith Davidson says interest in it has been high.

“I think we’re quite firmly committed, within the undertakings of the Hine Report, that we will be looking more closely at open source than any other platform.” The Hine Report, which recommended the SRS, was written by John Hine and his team and looked at the implications of changing the Domainz registry system.

“I think because of that report we’ve got a much better shot at building a good system, one that goes the distance.” Davidson says that there is a lot of debate on the InternetNZ members mailing list about the new system and whether the implementation is taking too long or hasn’t been thought through thoroughly enough, but Davidson says that’s par for the course for InternetNZ members.

“We’ve employed a bloke as part of that implementation oversight committee. He’s a pretty good hands-on techo, a real pony-tail, and I think he has a pretty good idea of what’s going on. Having him on board is going to be useful in the assessment process.”

The next council meeting will be held on December 1 in Auckland, following an internet industry forum.

“There was an attempt to get ISPs together in the mid 1990s but it didn’t really work - now we have to show the market’s perhaps matured and isn’t the wild west it once was.”

The RFI closes on November 9. For more information send an email to: Shared Registry System RFI.

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