Download RWhois Presentation

RWhois
Database SIG
Tim Christensen
Database Administrator
ARIN
<[email protected]>
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Overview
What is RWhois?
Why do we use it?
Who is using it?
What is wrong with it?
What do we fix?
How do we fix it?
Where are we in the project?
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
What is RWhois?
A distributed system for query and
maintenance of network information that:
Provides network and contact information
Portrays utilization
Decentralizes data storage
Moves queries closer to the data source
Offers local control
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Manual Referral
• What is RWhois? •
client
rwhois.arin.net
rwhois.example.net
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Client Referral
• What is RWhois? •
client
rwhois.arin.net
rwhois.example.net
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Query Routing
• What is RWhois? •
client
rwhois.arin.net
rwhois.example.net
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Re-referred Query Routing
• What is RWhois? •
client
rwhois.arin.net
rwhois.example.net
rwhois.referral.net
…
rwhois.another.net
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Purpose of RWhois
• Why do we use it? •
Technical Support
Makes publicly available network technical contact information
Provides alternative to SWIP (ARIN’s process for permitting
ISPs to report subdelegations)
Justification
Documents 80% usage of existing address space as
justification for future allocations
Local control of subdelgation data
Increases accessibility for local update
Promotes accuracy and currency
Enables custom interface development
Follows good engineering practice to keep the data in just one
place and as close to the source as possible
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Current Installation Base
• Who is using it? •
One in six organizations receiving allocations
have told ARIN that they run RWhois servers
1/3 of these have referrals in ARIN’s RWhois
53% do not currently respond
47% are active
2/3 of these do not have referrals in ARIN’s
RWhois but purport to be reachable via RWhois
protocol
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Deficiencies As Identified by ARIN DBWG
• What is wrong with it? •
Query routing doesn’t work
rwhois.arin.net
client
rwhois.example.net
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Deficiencies As Identified by ARIN DBWG
• What is wrong with it? •
Query routing doesn’t work
Uses a non-standard database format
Insufficient documentation
Set-up and administration is too difficult
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Additional Deficiencies
• What is wrong with it? •
Code Architecture
Server unavailability
Limited reporting of RWhois server locations
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Approach
• What do we fix? •
Current-release RWhois support
Identify bug-type problems with RWhois
Release minor fixes as necessary to support
existing base of RWhois users
Improved RWhois deployment
Establish RWhois design team from community
and ARIN staff
Charge design team with establishing an
approach to following DBWG mandate
Implement according to determined approach
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Goals
• How do we fix it? •
Query routing doesn’t work
Fixed in ARIN’s beta release [1.5.8], implementation TBD
Leaves recursive reference problem unsolved
Uses a non-standard database format
Make the default backend an open source solution, e.g., MySQL
Make the backend a configurable component
Insufficient documentation
Identify and evaluate community requirements
Develop new FAQs and how-to’s
Review RFC2167 and code against requirements
Modify code to meet requirements
Release informational RFC to supercede RFC2167
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Goals
• How do we fix it? •
Setup and administration is too difficult
Develop a canned set of working configuration and data files
Code Architecture
Code audit to identify key functional modules
Develop new, modular code base
Server Unavailability
Promote always-on RWhois servers
Identify and notify server contacts when down
Limited reporting of RWhois server location
Promote RWhois referral registration
Create data element in Whois for RWhois server
Convert existing comment and out-of-band information into
new Whois data element
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Current RWhois Situation
• Where are we in the project? •
RWhois design team established
Consensus established on adding RWhois data
element to Whois
Ongoing discussions for additional requirements
Strawman modular code architecture complete
Always-on RWhois policy proposal anticipated
Software developed to identify lame RWhois
servers
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003
Thank You!
APNIC 15
Taipei, Taiwan
26 February 2003