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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Sunday 05 August 2012 05:17 PM,
parminder wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:501E5D34.1060102@itforchange.net" type="cite">
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(snip)<br>
<br>
A 'technical community' committed to such specific and clear
'techno-political' viewpoint can do very little to improve the
understanding of political actors, who could have different base
political positions, or at least would want to keep alternatives
open. It is my view that this is '<i>the</i>' key issue at the
bottom of what we see here often as the display of disappointment/
dismay by many of the 'technical community' or close-about on this
list about what seems to them as such poor understanding of
political actors, and their pious statements of desire to do
something about to improve it. <br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Let me illustrate my point by referring to the case under
discussion, of root servers and geopolitical IG inequity. There has
been a lengthy discussion on this subject on this list, but I remain
unclear about some of the most important 'facts' with regard to the
statement of the problem being 'what is the connection between the
root server architecture and geopolitical IG equity or inequity'.
Can we first agree that this is indeed the main question that we are
addressing? Let me proceed with the assumption that we do agree on
this. <br>
<br>
Now, we know that there are three kinds of root servers, the
authoritative root server (in which changes are made to the root
file vide the IANA process), 13 root servers and then the any number
of mirrors that can allegedly be created by making an investment of
3k usd .<br>
<br>
What I see is that, while there are of course clearly very
significant differences between these three layers or kinds of root
servers, much of the 'technical input' on this list that I have come
across seem to focus on the non-difference and greatly underplay the
difference. This I think is politically motivated, though disguised
as factual neutral/ technical information. The political motivation
is to defend the techno- political status, which in this case is
best defended by 'showing' that power is indeed already distributed
and not centralised. Such a motivation has clearly led to, and I
repeat, overplay of the non- difference among the three root server
layers and underplay of the difference, which has left most of us
technically mis-informed. I am making the point that the fault here
is not necessarily on the side receiving technical wisdom. <br>
<br>
In an earlier long discussion on US oversight role, a few weeks
back, we went back and forth on how the 13 root servers could, and
likely would, act independently of the authoritative root server
with Verisign...... I felt that those professing technical knowledge
clearly were more interested in demonstrating one side of the view
rather than the other, which focusses on the hierarchy (and
difference) between the two root server layers .......<br>
<br>
The present discussion has focussed more on the difference/
non-difference between the 13 root servers and their numerous
anycast mirrors. So much indeed has been said as if there is really
no difference, to the extent ridiculing the African minister, who
seems to have said at some meeting that there are no root servers in
Africa, through a retort that there are two in J'berg itself, where
the meeting seem to have taken place. <br>
<br>
Is it indeed that there is absolutely no difference between root
servers and their mirrors, and if there is, indeed, what is it? This
question requires a non politically motivated response, of which
there has been a great dearth of in the present discussion. Is the
difference so less that the African minister could be ridiculed in
this manner? And if indeed, there is no or ittle difference why
stick to this 1-13-others hierarchy. Why not go to 1-all others
system (since I understand that 'one authoritative root' is an issue
of a different level).<br>
<br>
We read in the discussions that the limit of 13 no longer is
meaningful. So if indeed it is not, why not breach it and make
people of the world happy. Even within the limit of 13, why not
allocate root servers in a geo-graphically equitable manner, as
Sivasubramanian has suggested, especially when it seems to make no
difference at all to anyone. Why not make all these ill-informed
ministers happy. <br>
<br>
I read that there is no central control over the 13 or at least 9 of
these root servers. Is it really true? Is the 13 root server
architecture not something that is aligned to what goes in and from
the authoritative root server. If it is, why can these root servers
not be reallocated in the way tlds have been reallocated. Can they
be reallocated or cant they? <br>
<br>
I also read that the it is not about 13 physical root servers, but
13 root server operators, so the number 13 is about the root server
ownership points, and not physical location points. Therefore what
is needed is to reallocate the ownership points in a geo-politically
equitious manner. As Siva suggests, probably one to an Indian
Institute of Technology. Why this is not done, or cant be done are
the real questions in the present debate. Any answers?<br>
<br>
Also better clarity will be useful about the process of setting up
anycast mirrors. Are they to seek a relationship with a specific
root server or can they be set up just like that.... <br>
<br>
Is the real problem here that if root server allocation issue is
opened up, countries would like to go country-wise on root servers
(as the recent China's proposal for 'Autonomous Internet') which
will skew the present non-nation wise Internet topology (other than
its US centricity), which is an important feature of the Internet.
If this is the base political question, then let us discuss it as
the main political question.<br>
<br>
Parminder <br>
<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:501E5D34.1060102@itforchange.net" type="cite">
<br>
regards<br>
parminder <br>
<br>
<blockquote
cite="mid:962BE8CB-4208-4C78-9B43-A0EC2B6106FB@virtualized.org"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">
Regards,
-drc
</pre>
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