<div dir="ltr">Hi everyone,<div><br></div><div>a follow-up of a previous discussion thread.</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Rafik<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">As outlined in Akram’s blog below, ICANN has published the RZMA and.COM Registry Agreement Amendments today.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The RZMA can be found here: <a href="https://www.icann.org/iana_imp_docs/63-root-zone-maintainer-agreement-v-1-0" target="_blank">
https://www.icann.org/iana_imp_docs/63-root-zone-maintainer-agreement-v-1-0</a>. This agreement is posted for a 30-day public review period before it will be signed.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">In addition, ICANN has published the Proposed Amendment to .COM Registry Agreement for a 43-day public comment period. The public comment page is here:
<a href="https://www.icann.org/public-comments/com-amendment-2016-06-30-en" target="_blank">https://www.icann.org/public-comments/com-amendment-2016-06-30-en</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">and the public comment will run through 12 August 2016.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Original link: <a href="https://www.icann.org/news/blog/root-zone-management-transition-update-preservation-of-security-stability-and-resiliency" target="_blank">
https://www.icann.org/news/blog/root-zone-management-transition-update-preservation-of-security-stability-and-resiliency</a></span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Root Zone Management Transition Update: Preservation of Security, Stability and Resiliency</span></b><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">On March 4, 2015, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) officially requested that ICANN and Verisign work together to develop a proposal on how best to transition theNTIA administrative
role associated with root zone management in a manner that maintains the security and stability of the Internet’s domain name system. NTIA previously announced that the transition of this aspect of its administrative role was a process separate from but parallel
to the IANA stewardship transition.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Verisign and ICANN submitted a proposal to NTIA that contained two primary elements. First, the teams would build and test a parallel root zone management system that would simulate root zone management functions
without NTIA’s current authorization role. That system is now approaching the completion of its 90-day defect free testing phase. Second, in anticipation of the release of Verisign from root zone management obligations by NTIA under the Cooperative Agreement,
the teams began work on a commercial agreement between ICANN and Verisign for the continued performance of root zone management functions.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">We are pleased to announce that ICANN and Verisign have completed the discussions and negotiations for the root zone maintainer services agreement (RZMA).</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Since the early days of the Internet, Verisign has been providing “registration services” under its Cooperative Agreement with NTIA, which was broadly defined to include root zone management functions and Top
Level Domain registry services. NTIA recognized that root zone management aspects of the IANA functions contract are “inextricably intertwined” with the Cooperative Agreement. Given the unified nature of the present Cooperative Agreement, much of the root
zone infrastructure itself is “inextricably intertwined” with Verisign’s TLD operations for .com: the servers that provide root services are hosted at every .com resolution site (over 100 locations). These servers share bandwidth, routing and monitoring with
the .com operations, and the servers use the same code base as the .com TLDname servers and are operated and maintained by the same operation and engineering group. On the provisioning side, the root zone’s provisioning system is derived from the .com Shared
Registration System (SRS), using the structure, schema, and software used for .com provisioning operations. Verisign builds and signs the root zone today using the same cryptographic facilities used for .com as well as signing software derived from that used
for signing .com. Importantly, Verisign’s root zone operations are also within the .com’s Denial of Service attack detection and mitigation framework including independent internal and external monitoring and packet filtering at all layers. A key component
of ensuring security of the root operations was making sure that those operations continued to benefit from its historic association with the .com operations.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">The RZMA is intended to maintain stable, secure, and reliable operations of the root zone not only for direct root zone management service customers (Registry Operators, Registrars and Root Server Operators),
but also to maintain the security and stability of the Internet’s domain name system. This was achieved by a simple extension of the .com Registry Agreement to coincide with the term of the new RZMA.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Regarding the RZMA, some of the key features include:</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Requiring Verisign and ICANN to work together in good faith to preserve the security, stability and resiliency of the root zone and root zone management system consistent with
the security and stability of the Internet.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:51.0pt;background:white">
<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Detailing ICANN’s responsibility to authenticate, verify, and submit to Verisign changes to the service data comprised in the Root Zone File.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Establishing service level requirements for Verisign to process, edit, generate and publish the Root Zone File, including an accelerated path to update the service data in the Root
Zone File in cases of emergency.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Describing ICANN and Verisign’s key-signing obligations, which are to be performed in a secure, transparent and accountable manner.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Providing that the integrity of the service data of the Root Zone File and the Verisign systems performing the root zone maintainer function will be operated under a business continuity
plan with the same product support level as maintained by the .com DNS resolution service and .com SRS, respectively.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Setting forth that Verisign will participate as a member of the future Root Zone Evolution Review Committee.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Providing for continuity of the security and stability of the root zone through a one-year transition process which may be initiated by a community driven process under which Verisign
continues to perform the root zone maintainer function while ICANN implements a public RFP process to identify and onboard a new provider.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:51.0pt;background:white">
<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Setting out the development of an emergency transition process for extraordinary events.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>?<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">Requiring ICANN and Verisign to meet quarterly to prioritize potential changes and updates to the services, including service levels and to prioritize a roadmap for implementation
of such changes that may be effected through a built in change control process.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#333333">What’s left to be done? Soon, we will post the RZMA for public review and the .com registry agreement amendment for public comment, after which our respective boards of directors will be asked to approve the
agreements. The .com extension will be sent to NTIA for review and approval according to their processes.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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