ICANN and CZ.NIC Collaborate to Increase Regional Internet Stability and Reliability
A joint operation between ICANN and CZ.NIC, the deployment of the L-Root server cluster in Prague is designed to respond to traffic in excess of 500 times the load we currently see on the L-Root network, meaning this upgraded server will be capable of handling tens of millions of queries per second.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and CZ.NIC - an interest association of legal entities, founded in 1998 by leading providers of Internet services with currently 114 members, are excited to announce the first of a series of upgrades to the L-Root in Prague and Europe. These upgrades aim to enhance the stability, security and resiliency of the Internet for users throughout the European continent.
A joint operation between ICANN and CZ.NIC, the deployment of the L-Root server cluster in Prague is designed to respond to traffic in excess of 500 times the load we currently see on the L-Root network, meaning this upgraded server will be capable of handling tens of millions of queries per second. This improved infrastructure benefits Internet users globally by providing a firm basis to all Internet applications that rely on DNS to function.
"ICANN is excited to extend the long-held partnership we have had with CZ.NIC since 2009, and appreciates the tremendous amount of time and effort they spend hosting this critical infrastructure. Their hard work speaks volumes to their commitment to both the Domain Name System and the stability and resiliency of the global Internet," said Terry Manderson, Director of DNS Engineering at ICANN.
“The development of the Internet and its related services is our mission. We are very grateful for the opportunity to work on a project directed by ICANN. I’d like to use this opportunity to mention that in 2009, the CZ.NIC Association was the first ICANN partner that started to operate a mirror of the L-root server,” said Ondřej Filip, CEO of the .CZ Czech national domain administrator. “We are incredibly happy that a project as young as our DNS server (Knot DNS) has gone as far as to be deployed at the highest level.”
There are 13 "root" DNS servers, identified by alphabetic letters A through M - the "L" root server operated by ICANN being one. Computers typically communicate with each other using numeric addresses, while humans find it easier to use and remember names (for instance, users typically remember the domain name "ICANN.ORG" more easily than the Internet Protocol address, 2620:0:2d0:200::7).
The DNS translates names into addresses and the root servers, such as the one being upgraded in Prague, provide the pointers to the servers for top-level domains (the last part of domain names, such as the "ORG" in "ICANN.ORG"). Spreading this root information geographically by duplicating the root servers in various locations leads to a resilient, dispersed system that reduces the risk of being taken offline by a problem or attack and reduces the time it takes to look up names on the Internet.
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.