Subject: Re: [44net] Reboot (DNS) From: Brian Kantor Brian@UCSD.Edu Date: 09/13/2013 01:59 PM
To: AMPRNet working group 44net@hamradio.ucsd.edu
The goal is to have every DNS entry belong to someone who is registered with the portal, so that when that person becomes inactive (defined as no longer keeping their portal registration current despite annual reminders), the DNS entry will also become inactive, and after a year or so, be expunged. That way we can reclaim addresses and also prevent the DNS from being full of obsolete data.
What we have to work with is a database that has only the DNS information for the vast majority of its entries. For the past few years, it has also been recording the timestamp and author of the entry. So the plan in general (details are still to be worked out) is to convert entries which match registered portal users either in the hostname or in the author field. That will have the effect of leaving out most of the obsolete entries but should retain most relevant (active) ones.
What we have (again) learned from the first step, the migration of the gateway entries, is that the method of matching and validating the existing entries with the new portal users cannot be "send an e-mail to a single person who will handle it". I tried to convince a couple of operators to refresh their info in the portal but when they can only create a new entry and cannot move their existing info into it, and have no reply to their mail after a month, they lose interest and won't be pursuing this anymore. And I am not going to ask them over and over again.
When the same has to be done for all the end-user registrations, it will be a nightmare to get it completed.
But of course *some* validation has to be done.
Rob