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ISOC launches new ccTLD Workshops
Geneva, Switzerland - July 5th, 2004 - The Internet Society (ISOC) recently held the first in a series of new workshops for country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) operators. The workshops, which continue ISOC's long tradition of delivering network training to developing countries, are being held in response to numerous requests for technical education as well as help with best practices relevant to running exemplary registry services.
The first event, which took place at the RIPE NCC in Amsterdam from 19th to 22nd June, was sponsored by the Public Interest Registry (PIR) and brought together operators of ccTLDs in Burundi (.bi), Benin (.bj), Nepal (.np), Sri Lanka (.lk), Ghana (.gh), Thailand (.th) and Uruguay (.uy). Instructors included renowned experts from a wide range of organisations including ICANN and the University of Oregon's Network Startup Resource Center (a joint organiser of the workshop to whom special thanks are due).
"We recognise the important role ccTLD operators play in the development of the Internet. Our workshops are aimed at helping them get access to the knowledge and skills that they need to build up high quality infrastructure and services as well as a strong policy capability in their countries," said Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society. "As the Internet continues to grow, ccTLDs are integral in shaping the global evolution. .ORG is supportive of this growth and PIR is proud to have sponsored the ISOC ccTLD workshop on best practices for an exemplary registry," said Edward G. Viltz, President and CEO of Public Interest Registry, managers of the .ORG gTLD.
Starting with a review of DNS, attendees were taken through the steps required to build and scale their DNS infrastructure. Detailed examples were given of how to build, maintain and debug a large zone file. The instructors went on to provide valuable tips on techniques and tools to help automate operations and hands-on exercises helped attendees get a grip on the practical aspects of building their registry operation.
Participants had the opportunity to learn not only how to set up the required technical infrastructure, but also how to interact with bodies such as IANA and ICANN - the practical details of knowing who to talk to, where to find information and what information needs to be provided during registration or dispute handling processes being equally important to smooth registry operations. The workshop also provided an excellent forum for participants to exchange their own experiences and to work with the instructors to tackle their specific issues.
The success of the event was due to the enthusiasm of all who participated and to the efforts of organisers Mirjam Kuehne (ISOC) and Steve Huter (NSRC), instructors Lucy Lynch (University of Oregon), Joe Abley and Suzanne Woolf (ISC), Frederico Neves (Registro.br), Jaap Akkerhuis (SIDN), John Crain (IANA/ICANN), Olaf Kolkman (RIPE NCC) and Alain Aina (Technologies Reseaux & Solutions, Togo). Event hosting and administrative support was provided by the RIPE NCC and Michiel Leenaars of the ISOC Netherlands chapter. O'Reilly Books and Pearson Education kindly contributed technical reference books for the workshop participants.
The workshop is the latest ISOC educational initiative aimed at capacity building in developing countries. Other ISOC-supported activities around the world include training workshops for the African Network Operators Group (AfNOG), the South Asian Network Operators Group (SANOG) and the Latin American and the Caribbean Workshop on Internet Technology (WALC).
ISOC also runs education and awareness programs aimed at increasing connectivity in developing countries - activities here have targeted policy makers and have included workshops on how the Internet works and how it is managed as well as technology-specific workshops on new and emerging Internet technologies such as IPv6 and Internationalised Domain Names. As the organisational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), ISOC is uniquely positioned to help policy makers not only understand the implications of Internet technologies but also to develop effective and fair Internet coordination policies that encourage the development of the Internet for the benefit of the people in their countries and regions.
ISOC encourages open access to materials presented during training workshops - materials presented at the ISOC ccTLD workshop are available free of charge at ISOC's Workshop Resource Centre (http://ws.edu.isoc.org). The ISOC ccTLD workshop series will continue with events in other parts of the world.
About ISOC
The Internet Society (http://www.isoc.org) is a not-for-profit membership organisation founded in 1991 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. ISOC is the organisational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) (http://www.ietf.org) and other Internet-related bodies who together play a critical role in ensuring that the Internet develops in a stable and open manner. For over 12 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time.About PIR
Public Interest Registry (http://www.pir.org) is a not-for-profit corporation created by the Internet Society to manage the .ORG domain. PIR's mission is to manage the .ORG domain in an exemplary manner while educating and empowering the global non-commercial community to more effectively utilize the Internet. PIR is based in Reston, Virginia.About NSRC
The Network Startup Resource Centre (http://www.nsrc.org), a non-profit organisation, has worked since the late 1980s to help develop and deploy networking technology in various projects throughout Asia/Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and the New Independent States. Partially supported by the US National Science Foundation, the NSRC provides technical and engineering assistance to international networking initiatives building access to the public Internet, especially to academic/research institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The NSRC is based at the University of Oregon.For further Information
Internet Society: http://www.isoc.orgPeter Godwin
Senior Program Manager
E-mail: godwin at isoc.org
Internet Society
4, rue des Falaises
1205 Geneva
Switzerland
