Colleagues, as suggested during our phone call on Thursday here is some background on RSSAC as well as about Liman and myself. The Root Server Systems Advisory Committee has a very narrow charter: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/charter-2013-07-14-en We recently (re-)organised ourselves according to suggestions from a structural review. The current composition of the committee can be found at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/rssac-4c-2012-02-25-en We have just established a caucus that will carry out our work. Liman and I have been selected to serve on the coordination group with support from all committee members. I have attached the initial guidance of the committee to us. Our committee is small and communication lines are short. It should be noted however that no-one can speak for the 12 organisations that operate the DNS root name servers. We consider the diversity and independence of these organisations to be an essential element for the stability of the DNS. Our role here is first and foremost to help create a proposal that has the widest support that can practically be achieved. We will work for that first while making sure no harm will come from it, particularly for the root name server operators. I am looking forward to work with all of you to make this happen. Daniel (also for Liman who is enjoying a few holidays) ---- The RSSAC gives the following guidance requested by its representatives in the "NTIA IANA Functions’ Stewardship Transition Coordination Group": The primary objective is to produce a plan that is accepted as widely as practical, maintains IANA functionality and does not reduce the security and stability of the Internet. This plan should, as much as possible, be produced in a bottom-up fashion, based within the groups most closely involved in each of the IANA functions as users or partners. Secondary objectives include: - practical oversight for IANA maintenance of root name server data - operational continuity of IANA - practicality of all oversight arrangements RSSAC wishes to avoid any perception that it is trying to influence the content of the DNS root zone. DNS Root name server operators are publishers but not editors of the zone content. While RSSAC would like to see a result as soon as practical, it is not an objective to achieve this in the shortest possible time; particularly not at the expense of the primary objective of the widest practical support. ---- Lars-Johan Liman I'm a Senior Systems Specialist at Netnod Ineternet Exchange in Stockholm, Sweden - the home of i.root-servers.net, for which I am the technical lead. My bio can be foundin the ICANN Wiki, at http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Lars-Johan_Liman but some highlights include * Early days at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and its Network Operations Centre. * 25 years of experience in operating large servers and network infrastructure. * Has a keen interest for the operations of public infrastructure systems for the Internet, and especially for the stability thereof. * Has strong feelings for openness and transparency. * Has been involved in international Internet related work for more than 20 years - at all levels, from installing equipment in racks to attending UN conferences. * Likes to make policy and implementation fit together. ---- Daniel Karrenberg is chief scientist at the RIPE NCC, the regional Internet registry for Europe and surrounding areas. He advises on research, creation and piloting of new services as well as general strategy development. A computer scientist by training, Daniel likes to invent, design and implement Internet related systems, especially those collecting and processing data about the Internet itself. He also likes to occasionally inject physics, engineering and "networking style" into debates about Internet governance. Daniel maintains his public bio on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/daniel-karrenberg/36/261/742 Ample information about his past sins can be found using your favourite search engine. Following are a few additional keywords you might use, arranged by decade: 1980s: GUUG EUUG EUnet unido mcvax cwi RARE iepg RIPE 1990s: RIPE+NCC rir iana postel terena ebone centr k.root-servers.net 2000s: dnsmon nsd ris internet+society rssac 2010s: ripe+labs ripestat ripe+atlas