DNS ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING WORSKSHOP

1. ccTLD .gh Registry
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 1
By: Vitus Foli Aborigo

2. Content
• Registry Industry Terms
• Current ccTLD Admins
• Registry governance
• Registry policies
• Architecture
• Current Registry Model
• Data flow
• Domain Statistics
• Future Plans
GDC Tech Team 2 20 May 2016

3. 20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 3
By: Vitus Foli Aborogu
.gh Registry
• Registry service industry has it own language
• registrant
• registrar
• registry
• domain
• zone
• dns
• names
• tlds
• slds
• cctlds
• delegation
• re delegation
Some
Jargons

4. 20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 4
By: Vitus Foli Aborogu
.gh Registry
Current Admins of ccTLD name space

5. 20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 5
.gh Registry
Governance
Adheres to RFC 1591

6. 20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 6
By: Vitus Foli Aborogu
.gh Registry
Some policies
• One of Domain admins must be located in
Ghana; legal reasons.
– Company should have been registered in Ghana
• Company registration details required
• Primary DNS encouraged to be in Ghana
• Domains will generally be registered under:
– com.gh,edu.gh,org.gh,net.gh,biz.gh,gov.gh,mil.gh

7. Getting a domain name
7
REGISTRANT
I’d like
myname.SLD.gh
Provide
Hosting*
Sends
create
domain
command
.gh Registry
System
Registers
GDC
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team

8. Publishes zone files
Manages delegations
Publishes public (!)
information (WHOIS)
Receives some payment
for the service
.gh registry ?
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 8

9. Add and remove
records
(redelegation)
Add/modify/remove
nameservers
(modification is
effectively a
redelegation)
Update of
administrative data
(whois info)
What operations ?
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 9

10. Architecture .gh
DB
REGISTRY
DNSWHOIS DNS
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 10

11. System Design - .gh
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 11

12. Design .gh
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 12

13. Simple registry models – no registrars
The registrant is in direct contact with the
registry. This is also called a ”single access”
registry.
Current .gh model: 2R
REGISTRY
Registrant RegistrantRegistrant
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 13

14. 20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 14
By: Vitus Foli Aborogu
2R Model - .gh Registry
14
Registry
Registrant
Domains allocated or sold by
.gh Registry directly
Single Registrar
Registrar

15. It remains a single access registry, even
though we allow resellers:
Still : 2R - Resellers
REGISTRY
Reseller ResellerRegistrant
Registrant Registrant
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 15

16. Transacting with the Registry:
Object View
16
REGISTRANT
requests
Registry
REGISTRY
The Contact object is based on the
Registrant’s provided social details
The Host object is typically set to a
registrars name servers.
Domain object takes the value of the
registrants requested domain.
As a registrar connection to the registry is
established, the value of the
Registrar object is automatically set.
submits
to registrymyname.sld.gh
REGISTRAR
DATA FLOW: INPUT
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team

17. The Channel of “Collection” of the registry objects
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 17
Go to http://ghana.com/ghnic
DATA FLOW: INPUT

18. Online Registration – Registrant details
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 18

19. PUBLIC URL Whois – http://nig.gh
19
• Provided by the Registry
• Redistributed by Whois service providers
• Search details and information on registry
objects.
• Provides answers to:
• Who is the registrar and
DNS provider?
• What is the domains status?
• When was the domain registered?
• Where is the registrant located?
DATA FLOW: OUTPUT
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team

20. Whois? whois? whois? whois? whois? whois?
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 20
DATA FLOW: OUTPUT

21. Process - summary
Come
over/use
online
Fill
registration
form
Prove of
identity –
submit copy
of company
registration
Make
payment
through bank
and send
payment slip
Operator
input registry
object
Wait
minimum of
24 hours for
propagation
Change
request – dns
and contact
change
submitted
through email
to a support
team.
Whois, nic.gh
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 21

22. Domain renew
22
RenewedActive
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team

23. We keep lot of documents!
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 23
Statistics
SLD,TLD Count (active)
.gh 9
.com.gh 2,812
.edu.gh 573
.org.gh 211
.net.gh 28
.gov.gh 388
.mil.gh 5
Total 4,026

24. Not Broken for over 20 yrs
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 24
Available
Stable &
Resilient
Hack
Free

25. Final Home .gh – National Data Center
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 25

26. We have planned for it … VM already firing!
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 27
Getting Ready for DNSSEC?

27. NITA’s Role
Monitor
Is bind running?
Is web up?
Is DB up?
Is Is Is?
Make System
Available
Ensure Network is
up?
Ensure
security
Firewalls etc
20 May 2016GDC Tech Team 28
Expected to

28. Kennel panic – how we delt with?
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 29
We spent all night
troubleshooting! Hmmm
Some engineers asleep
whiles others awake, during
the search of kennel panic
solution @ about 1:30 am

29. Future works
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 30

30. 20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 31
To be done
Redesign the DNS for GH and SLDs
Get ipv6 to gh registry
Sign .gh and SLDs
Train folks to manage the registry
Start the migration from GDC to NITA
Revisit .GH policies, business model etc...

31. •Shared access registry
The future - model: 3R
REGISTRY
Registrar RegistrarRegistrar
Reseller ResellerRegistrant
Registrant Registrant
20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 32

32. 20 May 2016 GDC Tech Team 33
DASHBOARDS – Count of reg domains in real time
2. SMS INTEGRATION

33. GDC Tech Team 34 20 May 2016
Thank you