Root Server System Advisory Committee
The Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) advises the ICANN Board and community on matters relating to the operation, administration, security, and integrity of the Root Server System, as outlined in the ICANN Bylaws.
The RSSAC consists of representatives from the organizations responsible for operating global root service.
Root Server Operator | Representative | Alternate | Term Expires |
---|---|---|---|
Cogent | Paul Vixie | Brad Belanger | 31 December 2023 |
Defense Information Systems Agency | John Augenstein | Jill Place | 31 December 2025 |
ICANN | Matt Larson | Terry Manderson | 31 December 2024 |
Internet Systems Consortium | Jeff Osborn (Chair) | Robert Carolina | 31 December 2024 |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – Ames Research Center | Jose Nunez-Zapata | Brad Harris | 31 December 2025 |
Netnod | Lars-Johan Liman | Patrik Fältström | 31 December 2024 |
Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE) Network Coordination Centre | Hans Petter Holen | Paul de Weerd | 31 December 2023 |
University of Maryland | Karl Reuss | Gerry Sneeringer | 31 December 2025 |
University of Southern California – Information Sciences Institute | Wes Hardaker | Suzanne Woolf | 31 December 2023 |
US Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory | Howard Kash | Kenneth Renard (Vice Chair) | 31 December 2025 |
Verisign, Inc. | Brad Verd | N/A | 31 December 2024 |
Widely Integrated Distributed Environment (WIDE) Project | Jun Murai | Hiro Hotta | 31 December 2023 |
On 18 July 2013, the ICANN Board approved the initial membership and leadership of the RSSAC, with new representatives also appointed on 26 June 2014.
Past Leaders
- Jun Murai, Chair | January 1999-December 2014
- Matt Larson, Vice Chair | August 2006-July 2013
- Lars-Johan Liman, Co-Chair | July 2013-December 2015
- Tripti Sinha, Co-Chair | January 2015-October 2018
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Brad Verd, Co-Chair | January 2016-October 2019
Vice Chair | October 2019-December 2021
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Fred Baker, Co-Chair | October 2018-October 2019
Chair | October 2019-December 2022
Liaisons
The RSSAC also consists of representatives from the organizations responsible for the management of the Root Zone and other partners in the Internet community.
Liaison from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) | James Mitchell |
Liaison Root Zone Maintainer (Verisign, Inc.) | Duane Wessels |
Liaison from the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) | Daniel Migault |
Liaison from the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) | Russ Mundy |
The RSSAC appoints liaisons to other groups to report on matters that need to be coordinated or communicated between them per the RSSAC Operational Procedures.
Liaison to the ICANN Board of Directors | Wes Hardaker |
Liaison to the Customer Standing Committee (CSC) | Ken Renard |
Liaison to the Root Zone Evolution Review Committee (RZERC) | Daniel Migault |
Liaison to ICANN Nominating Committee | Hiro Hotta |
Other Appointments
Upon request, the RSSAC also appoints representatives to specific review teams and other ICANN community groups or efforts.
Representative to the ICANN Fellowship Selection Committee | Gaurav Kansal |
Representative to the ICANN Fellowship Mentoring Committee | Abdulkarim Oloyede |
Representative to the NextGen@ICANN Selection Committee | Abdulkarim Oloyede |
Representative to the NextGen@ICANN Mentoring Committee | Ali Hussain |
Representative to the Second IANA Naming Function Review (IFR) Team | Lars-Johan Liman |
Representative to the Work Stream 2 – Community Coordination Group | Robert Carolina |
Meetings
The RSSAC holds periodic teleconferences and meets at ICANN and IETF meetings. Minutes from meetings and teleconferences (where available) can be viewed here. To observe an RSSAC teleconference or a work session, please contact rssac-staff@icann.org for remote participation information.
Caucus
The RSSAC Caucus is comprised of DNS experts who have an interest in the Root Server System, broadening the base of diverse, technical expertise available for RSSAC work. The primary role of the RSSAC Caucus is to perform research and produce publications on topics relevant to the mission of the RSSAC. More information about the Caucus can be viewed here.
Publications
The RSSAC may publish advisories, correspondence, reports, and statements within its mandate as well as documents related to its own administration and work. More information about RSSAC publications can be viewed here.
Frequently Asked Questions
The RSSAC maintains a list of Frequently Asked Questions that can be found here.
Workplan
The RSSAC maintains an annual workplan that can be found here.