Network Solutions loses domain data (fwd)

[Michael Dillon <michael@memra.com>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 15:12:42 -0400
From: Daniel Senie <dts@senie.com>
To: nanog@merit.edu
Subject: Network Solutions loses domain data


Last night, I did a number of updates to domains, adding a few new name
servers as secondaries, and removing one of the old primary servers. I
got confirmation for all the changes, and everything looked OK. I went
to bed.

This morning, I got a number of phone calls from customers who are
having all kinds of problems. It seems that the update for one domain,
SENIE.COM, didn't get propagated into the root zone file. The old data
is gone. The new data isn't there. My business isn't functioning well.

It would appear there is something wrong with the program which creates
the root zone files from the Network Solutions database. It would be
nice if I could find someone inside NSI who understood this process and
could or would do something about it. Instead, I talked with 8 or 9
people, all of whom tried to convince me it was "just a propagation
problem." After explaining why it wasn't a propagation problem (the zone
has been alive for many years, and so the old data SHOULD be there even
if the new data hadn't gotten in), they agreed it seemed like a bug, but
didn't know what to do about it.

The domain in question is "senie.com" and while that domain has little
in and of itself of importance, it's the domain where my name servers
and mail server live, and a lot of customer email travels through there.
I've updated all of my other zones to provide alternate paths for email,
but some activity does rely on senie.com resolving.

So, I've wasted a day of my life trying to get the problem solved. The
best anyone at NSI could say is to see if it gets updated at 5PM today
when they run the update. If it does, then that'll be the solution. If
it doesn't, I'm basically screwed for yet another 24 hour period.

The claim is there's no way to fix a screw-up mid-day. Without such a
method, how's it even possible to know if the same screw-up will occur
on the next update?

The Internic operates with the same monopoly "we don't have to care"
attitude as the telephone companies do, with the exception that in the
case of the phone companies the public utilities commission is generally
able to apply pressure and get a resolution. There appears to be no
oversight of Network Solutions whatsoever, and no interest on their part
in proactively fixing problems they've created.

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas on getting access to someone with
a clue at NSI, or has any method for helping cure this problem, I can be
reached at:

	dts@amaranth.net (since dts@senie.com won't resolve presently)

or

	978-779-6813

Dan

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Senie                                        dts@senie.com
Amaranth Networks Inc.            http://www.amaranthnetworks.com