NLNOG RING

While “Introducing and promoting competition in the registration of domain names” is one of ICANN’s core values, the DNS sits on top of networks running the Internet Protocol. Of course, the operators who run those networks are just as competitive as the registries and registrars in the DNS business but there is a lot of cooperation and sharing as well.

ICANN participates in NLNOG RING, a project that helps network operators cooperate to help diagnose and fix network problems.

For network operators, a point of view outside their own network is essential. It lets them see what others see. NLNOG RING allows instant access to specific queries from many points or just one point on the Internet.

Each RING server host provides access to a machine on their network with a static IPv4 and IPv6 address and an unfiltered view of the Internet. Other participants in the RING are can use that machine in combination with others in the RING to help identify, understand, and resolve network problems.

There are currently more than 450 networks participating in the RING, offering other network operators view of the Internet over 50 countries. ICANN is proud to participate and host RING servers in its east and west coast data centers.