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VeriSign Shutting Down Site Finder

Posted by timothy on from the but-guys-what's-the-big-deal dept.

00420 writes "VeriSign, the administrator of the .com and .net domains, made plans to shut down its new Site Finder service Friday, after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ordered the company to undo controversial changes. Of course they're not taking it down because it affected the internet, they're just doing it to keep good relations with the technical community. (Seems a little late for that doesn't it?)" The shutdown is not complete yet, though: VeriSign hasn't changed their wildcard DNS entry (64.94.110.11).

8 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. So... nothing about those lawsuits? by Gwala · · Score: 5, Insightful

    they're just doing it to keep good relations with the technical community.

    So, it has nothing to do with the three lawsuits by godaddy, netster and their ilk?

    Riight.

    -Gwala

    --
    #!/bin/csh cat $0
  2. Re:Starwars Moment by NTmatter · · Score: 5, Informative
    I'm not getting a good feeling about it. Look to the bottom of the article, and you'll see:
    "ICANN is using anecdotal and isolated issues to attempt to regulate nonregistry services, but in the interests of further working with the technical community, we will temporarily suspend Site Finder."
    Perhaps they'll just rename to "site searcher" and declare that they've shut down the "Site Finder" service.
  3. NANOG Linkage by The+One+KEA · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is the start of a thread on the NANOG mailinglist:

    http://www.merit.edu/mail.archives/nanog/msg14917. html

    Just goes to show how pissed people really are.....

    --
    SCREW THE ADS! http://adblock.mozdev.org/ Proud user of teh Fox of Fire - Registered Linux User #289618
  4. Email from Verisign by gfilion · · Score: 5, Informative

    From: owner-registrars@verisign-grs.com
    [mailto:owner-r egistrars@verisign-grs.com]On Behalf Of VeriSign Customer
    Service
    Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 6:08 PM
    To: registrars@verisign-grs.com
    Subject: [RegistrarsList] VeriSign NDS Response to Suspension of Site

    To All Registrars,

    I am writing to update you on VeriSigns Site Finder service. On Friday,
    October 3rd, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
    (ICANN) directed VeriSign, Inc., to temporarily suspend service no later
    than 6PM PST, Saturday, October 4. VeriSign requested an extension from
    ICANN for 3 additional days for the shut down in order to provide the
    technical community time to make any necessary system changes.
    Unfortunately, ICANN refused this request. Accordingly, in response to
    this demand, VeriSign is temporarily suspending the Site Finder service
    as of Saturday, October 4 at 6PM PST.

    In suspending the service, VeriSign will remove the wildcard A records
    from the .com and .net zones and revert to the former behavior for these
    zones which is returning Name Error/RCODE=3 in response to queries for
    nonexistent domain names.

    VeriSign remains committed to improving the Internet user experience.
    We look forward to providing the Site Finder service following this
    suspension. Thank you for your business. We greatly value our
    relationship with you.

    Best Regards,

    Chris Sheridan
    Manager, Customer Service
    VeriSign, Inc.
    www.verisign.com

  5. ICANN's power by chrispyman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I guess this goes to show that after all ICANN does indeed have some authority over Verisign. Maybe ICANN isn't the pointless and powerless body we though they were.

  6. Re:Starwars Moment by spektr · · Score: 5, Funny

    That means that we're going to have a bigger, badder SiteFinder pretty soon, right?


    We could find: "www.gnu.org"
    There is a Web site at this address.

    Are you sure? (*) No ( ) Yes [SUMBIT]

    Did You Mean ?
    We did find these similar Web addresses.
    www.sun.com
    www.microsoft.com
    www.sco.com

  7. Re:How Does VeriSign Even Stay In Business? by karl.auerbach · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Verisign gets $6 each year for each and every registration in .com and .net no matter who you "buy" the name from.

    This $6 amount was fixed into the contract under which ICANN (with the help of the US Dept of Commerce) gifted .com unto Verisign effectively in perpetuity (infinite renewals unless Versign does something very, very bad). There are no provisions in the contract to drive that amount to a lower amount. I voted against that contract.

  8. Verisign Discards Wildcards... by MadEyeMoody · · Score: 5, Informative

    As of about 8:00 PM EST the wildcard A records pointing to 64.94.110.11 appear to be gone. I'm now getting normal NXDOMAIN responses to queries for nonexistent names.

    As for the Web site, I suppose they must have taken that down, too. If you try explicitly going to http://64.94.110.11 (sitefinder-idn.verisign.com) you get a keen little page that says

    We didn't find: "64.94.110.11"
    There is no Web site at this address.

    and I'm sure VeriSign wouldn't fib about a thing like that....

    --
    Never grep a yacc by the i-node.