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Open Root Server Network
open-in-new
<p>Open Root Server Network (ORSN) was a network of <a href="/facts/Domain_Name_System/rfxdWFsj">Domain Name System</a> <a href="/facts/Root_nameserver/AoQPBB26">root nameservers</a> for the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a>. ORSN <a href="/facts/DNS_root_zone/pVhV8cWh">DNS root zone</a> information was kept in synchronization with the "official" <a href="/facts/Domain_Name_System/rfxdWFsj">Domain Name System</a> <a href="/facts/Root_nameserver/AoQPBB26">root nameservers</a> coordinated by <a href="/facts/ICANN/2EHgcUU1">ICANN</a>. The networks were 100% compatible, though ORSN was operated independently. The ORSN servers were primarily placed in <a href="/facts/Europe/DTAtrKfh">Europe</a>. ORSN is also used by public name servers, providing <a href="/facts/Domain_Name_System/rfxdWFsj">Domain Name System</a> access freely for everyone, without any limitation until the project closed in May 2019. </p><p>ORSN was primarily started to reduce the over-dependence of Internet users on the United States and <a href="/facts/Department_of_Commerce/3sch0DLr">Department of Commerce</a>/<a href="/facts/Internet_Assigned_Numbers_Authority/b6MlP6zQ">IANA</a>/<a href="/facts/ICANN/2EHgcUU1">ICANN</a>/<a href="/facts/VeriSign/B57fYEGl">VeriSign</a>, limit the control over the Internet that this gives, while ensuring that <a href="/facts/Domain_name/FDLD2m5G">domain names</a> remain unambiguous. It also helps avoid the technical possibility of global "Internet shutdown" by one party. They also expect their network to make domain name resolutions faster for everyone. </p><p>Markus Grundmann, based in Germany, is the founder of ORSN, and author of ORSN distributed system management and monitoring software solution. </p><p><a href="/facts/Paul_Vixie/wsagrYzy">Paul Vixie</a>, the main designer of <a href="/facts/BIND/Mj5qNIuW">BIND</a>, the <a href="/facts/De_facto_standard/TRELHVwI">de facto standard</a> software for <a href="/facts/DNS_server/pUgmBMNW">DNS servers</a> in <a href="/facts/UNIX/0pNL2seI">UNIX</a>-like operating systems, is a high-profile proponent of the ORSN. Paul Vixie is member of Security and Stability Advisory Committee of <a href="/facts/ICANN/2EHgcUU1">ICANN</a>; he served on the board of trustees of the <a href="/facts/American_Registry_for_Internet_Numbers/GYh8oLsH">American Registry for Internet Numbers</a> (ARIN) from 2005 to 2013, also as ARIN chairman in 2009 and 2010. </p><p>ORSN has two operating modes: </p> <ul><li>ICANN BASED (default) operating mode involves daily synchronization, except that removed <a href="/facts/Top-level_domain/azjpPu2M">TLDs</a> are not removed from the ORSN root.</li> <li>INDEPENDENT mode has no automatic synchronization and is activated "whenever the political situation of the world - in our opinion - makes this step necessary because the possibility of a modification and/or a downtime of the ICANN root zone exists or we do not want that our root zone will rebuild automatically."</li></ul>