Internet root servers contain a database of the top level domain names, like .com .org .net and .info. The equipment required for service was donated by US-research firm, Packet Clearing House (PCH) and officially handed over to the government’s Department of Technology.
Minister with responsibility for Information and Communications Technology, Glenn Phillip and PCH’s Caribbean Outreach Manager, Bevil Wooding were responsible for bringing the service to the Federation. Director of Technology Christopher Herbert said, “This is a very significant milestone for the development of Internet in the Federation. This development is part of Government’s wider plan to transform St Kitts and Nevis into a knowledge based economy.”
He added, “The establishment of a local root server and the planned activation of our very own Internet exchange point are central to our plans for developing the local technology sector.” Wooding explained that having a root server in-country brings several benefits for local users. “A domestic Internet root server ensures that DNS queries in the country are resolved much faster for local Internet users.”
Wooding added, “This also means local domain name lookups can continue even if the international connectivity is disrupted. It also strengthens the overall security and stability of the Internet.” The PCH service provides St Kitts and Nevis with a copy of L-root; nameservers for over 100 country code top level domain names (ccTLDs) like .kn, .ag, .tt and .jm; and Anycast DNS service.
Currently, there over 240 root server copies around the world, grouped in 13 clusters, operated by various organisations such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Verisign and the US Army. Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are some of the most underserved regions in terms of distribution of root server copies.
Packet Clearing House, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union and ICANN are actively working together to change this. According to Wooding, the organisations have plans to continue installing root servers throughout the Caribbean over the next several months.