RE: Global Directory System Backbones

[Alan Lloyd <Alan.Lloyd@OpenDirectory.com.au>]

Harald I percieve that global root systems will develop based on
vertical markets (white pages, finance, defence , retail etc and that as
commercial and operational interests collide or collaborate - then
technical and commercial arrangements will be made.

I dont think my doc is rocket science - from an engineering point of
view - its like engines on aeroplanes - things just have to be that way
- today.

regards alan

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Harald Tveit Alvestrand [SMTP:Harald.Alvestrand@maxware.no]
> Sent:	Tuesday, April 14, 1998 10:48 PM
> To:	Alan Lloyd; ietf-asid@umich.edu; 'ietf-ldapext@netscape.com'
> Subject:	Re: Global Directory System Backbones
> 
> Alan,
> (reading old mail)
> your proposal of multiple cooperating root DSAs seems very similar to
> what was proposed in the earliest X.500 documents.
> It is also very similar to the Root Server Cluster proposal being
> flouted
> by a few well-known flamers on the IETF list; this may not be a
> recommendation.
> 
> The Big Question seems to me to be who makes the decision on which
> country
> (or non-country) root zone entry to regard as "authoritative".
> There are really only 2 alternatives:
> 
> - Someone decides, and the problem reduces to designating the
> "someone",
>   and how that decision gets published (an X.500 DSA seems a quite
> reasonable
>   means of publication)
> - Each "root" server decides on its own, based on what it thinks is
> the
>   Right Decision (for business, political or other kinds of reason).
> 
> The question in the latter case is whether the content of the "roots"
> will eventually grow close enough to give the users an impression of a
> coordinating service, or whether commercial/political positioning will
> keep them different "forever", to such a degree that the users'
> ability
> to use the system effectively is impaired.
> 
> So far, it's not clear to me that there will be convergence.
> 
>                     Harald A
> 
> -- 
> Harald Tveit Alvestrand, Maxware, Norway
> Harald.Alvestrand@maxware.no