IGF 2018 WS #408 DNS enhancements and alternatives for the Future Internet
Format:
Panel - 90 Min
Theme:
Technical & Operational Topics
Subtheme:
DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM
Organizer 1:
Chiara Petrioli
, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza
Organizer 2:
FRANCESCO PIRRO
, AgID
Organizer 3:
Jing MA
, China Association for Science and Technology
Speaker 1:
Dongbin Wang
, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2:
Chiara Petrioli
, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3:
FRANCESCO PIRRO
, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4:
Davide Lamanna
, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Additional Speakers:
Davide La Manna Binario Etico could not join, as well as EC.
The panel however benefitted by participation of reference experts and organizations:
-Ted Hardy, IETF and
-Khaled Koubaa, ICANN
were speakers at the panel.
Relevance:
The Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the crucial features of today’s Internet. Its current implementation, based on a hierarchical organisation of domain name servers, has proven over time to be reliable and sufficiently scalable. The current hierarchical approach, while functional, has its drawbacks. Root and Top Level Domain servers have control over the domains of large portions of Internet’s resources. This means that the power of having access to a large number of websites is condensed into a few high-level domain servers. This creates problem of load imbalances, where traffic is not properly distributed between the main servers, and thus of efficiency. The hierarchical approach also arises concerns about security. Malicious entities may execute targeted attacks towards high-level domain servers, blocking the access to a large number of resources, possibly inflicting heavy damages to companies and private citizens. Finally, the high-level domain servers are not distributed evenly across the globe: the majority of root-servers’ sites are located in North America and Europe. Moreover, of the 12 organizations that control the 13 root servers, 8 of those are controlled by U.S.-based organizations, 1 is based in Sweden, another in Japan, while only 2 of them have a more international base. This geographical disproportion, other than causing load imbalances in the distribution of Internet traffic—which is currently higher in Asian countries than in the United States - originates an imbalance of influence over the Internet between different stakeholders, that is not in the original intention of the DNS designers. In addition, novel challenges to the structure and solutions of DNS are posed by novel naming systems and multiplied scalability demand brought by emerging paradigms such as IoT. As a consequence, it is strategic to explore new solutions where mechanisms enhancing the current DNS, or completely alternative to it, should be proposed and evaluated. In our proposed panel we intend to discuss different DNS weaknesses, taking into account future Internet paradigms such as IoT, and elaborating on aspects such as emerging cyber security challenges, the demand for a neutral Internet. We will also present an overview (and associated discussion) of some of the raising technologies that could play a role for DNS evolution, ranging from peer to peer models to block-chain based solutions.
Session Content:
In this panel we will discuss the limitations of the hierarchical/client-server structure of the Domain Name System (DNS), which is currently used for resolving domain names into IP addresses, for load balancing and other services, and we solicit and discuss proposals for mechanisms that enhance and/or are completely alternative to DNS. The panel will be 90 minutes long and it will be structured in the following way: 1st Part: A brief introduction that will illustrate the theme of the discussion. Panelist will be introduced, and the problem will be summarised. (5 minutes) 2nd Part: The speakers will provide insights on enhancements and alternatives to DNS that leverage peer-to-peer solutions and the Blockchain technology. (50 minutes) 3rd Part: Questions and Answers session, open to both the audience in the room and remotely (30 minutes) 4th Part: The moderators will provide a summary of the discussion, highlighting insights and new directions that have emerged during the discussion. (5 minutes)
Interventions:
Speakers 1) Prof. Dongbin Wang, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications Stakeholder group: technical community 2) Prof. Chiara Petrioli, University of Rome la Sapienza Stakeholder group: technical community 3) Francesco Pirro, AgiD Stakeholder group: Government 4) Ted Hardy, IETF and Google Evangelist Stakeholder Group: private Sector 5) Khaled Koubaa, ICANN Stakeholder group: Private Sector 6) Jeremy Rand, Namecoin Stakeholder group: Private Sector The moderator will make an introductory speech presenting the panelist and introducing the agenda of the workshop. Prof. Chiara Petrioli, coordinated and supported by Ms. Jing Ma, acting as the on-line moderator, will present DNS current challenges and weaknesses. Franhcesco Pirro, AgiD, will discuss weaknesses and possible alternative points of view  from a government stakeholder group point of view, and the emerging needs from the view point of government agencies implementing the Digital Agenda. Associate Professor Dongbin Wang, from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and from China Association for Science and Technology, will talk from the technical community’s perspective, and will address alternative mechanisms for DNS services. Ted Hardy and Khaled Koubaa will discuss on going discussions on DNS evolution within IETF and ICANN.  Jeremy Rand will provide an overview of how blockchain technologies can support the evolution of DNS and on Namecoin.
Diversity:
Diversity is the panel is necessary in order to ensure that different perspectives over the issues are shared, and that the concerns of the widest possible group are taken into considerations. We have thus ensured that our Proposers, Co-organisers and Speakers belong to different stakeholder groups, come from different geographic regions, and are of different gender. Each speaker will bring a unique perspective on the future of the DNS, its challenges and possible solutions. For gender diversity, there are 2 female co-organiser, Ms. Jing Ma, who will also be the on-line moderator, and Prof. Chiara Petrioli. For geographic diversity, 2 co-organisers are from Europe, 1 co-organiser is from Asia, 2 speakers are from Europe, 3 speaker is from US and 1 speaker is from Asia. We were particularly interested in ensuring stakeholder diversity, and the 6 speaker all come from different stakeholder groups: Private Sector, Technical Community and the Government.
Online Participation:
Online attendees also can get involved in the session, especially during the discussion with the audience where they are entitled to make interventions, raise questions, or make observations about the panel discussion.
Discussion Facilitation:
The moderator will open the session by summarising the issue that is going to be discussed, and will keep time to ensure that both panelists and audience can meaningfully provide insights, comments and questions. The moderator will encourage audience engagement and participation for sharing pertinent ideas.
Onsite Moderator:
Prof. Chiara Petrioli, Univ. of Rome la Sapienza
Online Moderator:
Ms. Jing Ma, China Association for Science and Technology
Rapporteur:
TBD among Agid representatives attending the panel
Session Time:
Monday, 12 November, 2018 -
09:00
to
10:30
Room:
Salle VI

