Advisory 10 August 2001

(10 August 2001) As previously reported in an advisory dated 16 July 2001, many registrars have recently been experiencing severe difficulty in accessing the .com/.net/.org Shared Registration System (SRS) during the hours in which expiring names are deleted. The bandwidth and connection limitations described in that advisory have not been successful in ensuring that every registrar enjoys equivalent access. A few registrars continue to consume a large share of SRS resources, making it difficult or impossible for other registrars to conduct their normal business.

As described in the below notice from the registry operator, batch releases of deleted .com, .net and .org domain names will be temporarily suspended to assure continued service quality within the SRS. They will be released once a satisfactory plan is implemented to return them to the pool of available names under which all registrars receive equivalent access.

ICANN's Domain Name Supporting Organization has already been advised of the situation and has begun to discuss possible measures for handling expiring names. Members of the community are urged to participate in the DNSO's discussions, so that all viewpoints can be considered in developing measures for fair allocation of expiring names.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [RegistrarsList] Registry Advisory: Temporary Suspension of Batch Delete Process
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 22:36:37 -0400
From: "VeriSign Global Registry Services" <info@verisign-grs.com>
To: <registrars@verisign-grs.com>

To All Registrars:

Summary

VeriSign Global Registry Services (VeriSign GRS), after consultation with ICANN, will temporarily cease batch releases of deleted .com, .net and .org domain names to assure continued service quality within the Shared Registration System (SRS). Batch releases are made by the registry five days after deletions by registrars outside of grace periods.

Why We Are Doing This

This interim action was prompted by extraordinary loads placed on the SRS arising from several registrars attempting to register newly released domain names through abusive use of the SRS. In recent weeks abuse of the system by a few registrars has escalated to the point where other registrars have been seriously impacted in their ability to transact normal business activity. The abuse has been characterized by:

• More than 400 million check commands within a six-hour window to register a few hundred desirable names each morning
• Single registrars executing as many as 1500 attempts per second
• The same registrar sending a check command for the same name in excess of 1000 times per minute over extended periods of time
• Registrars hoarding connections (grabbing all connections up to their limit) and, with the exception of the describe command, executing single-digit numbers of transactions until they are prepared to execute pre-staged batch jobs that will invade the system at rates noted in excess of 100,000 per minute
• Registrars executing in excess of 100,000 check commands for each name successfully registered, compared to a typical ratio of well under 1,000 check commands for each name successfully registered
• Registrars who typically use less than 10 connections throughout the day, then increase that connection count to a triple-digit number
• Registrars who clearly execute an automated check process (i.e., checks for the same names at rates in excess of 1000 per minute)
  
• Registrars whose typical usage patterns suggest the need for a single-digit number of connections, and who then increase their connection count by up to 200 times without a corresponding increase in productive activity (i.e., a registrar who hoards connections in an apparent attempt to deny others)

Many registrars have reported that the resulting effects on SRS availability have made it difficult or impossible to conduct their normal business.

Implementation Details

Beginning immediately, names targeted for the batch delete process will be held in "registry hold" status in a special state of "Delete Pending." These names, after the normal five-day "Delete Pending Period," will no longer be subject to recovery by the deleting registrar or registrant. They will be released once a satisfactory plan is implemented to return them to the pool of available names under which all registrars receive equivalent access as required by Verisign GRS's registry agreement with ICANN. VeriSign GRS will immediately begin working with ICANN and the registrar community to review possible remedies, devise a satisfactory plan and implement that plan to better accommodate the competition for newly-available domain names while at the same time ensuring continued high service quality for registrars.

It is important to note that the current number of connections and bandwidth is sufficient to satisfy all reasonable attempts to conduct normal registration business, both now and in the foreseeable future. As an example, the registry is easily capable of sustaining 6x growth in our database transactions over the typical peak workload rates even without adding additional hardware. Further, until the most recent increase in demand for connections, the registry consistently had a pool of available connections that was twice the size of anticipated demand.

If you require additional information, please contact Customer Service at
info@verisign-grs.com.

Best Regards,

Melissa B.
Customer Service
VeriSign Global Registry Services
www.verisign-grs.com
info@verisign-grs.com