September 9, 2004 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — VeriSign (verisign.com) announced on Thursday that it has officially implemented “rapid updates,” an enhancement to its .com and .net domain name system servers. The enhancement, available free or charge and first unveiled in July, speeds up the way VeriSign’s .com and .net registries handle updates, allowing users to change the addresses their domains point to in near real time. According to VeriSign, rapid updates helps domain registrants to launch Web sites more quickly and to experience greater continuity in service when switching Web hosting providers or modifying their domain name registrations, and see those changes reflected within minutes.
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Under the previous systems, VeriSign updated DNS servers twice a day, generating a file from its .com and .net Registry database and globally distributing it to all 13 of the .com and .net DNS servers. With rapid updates, changes are made every few seconds rather than the several hours users typically wait to have their DNS propagate.
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VeriSign said the new service also allows service providers to deliver better service and respond more quickly to denial of service attacks and Web site outages.
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“In a very short time, the Internet has become an indispensable communications tool of businesses and consumers, so much so that even a very short disruption in service can have a significant impact on those conducting commerce and communications,” says Raynor Dahlquist, acting vice president of naming and directory services at VeriSign. “At VeriSign, we’re pleased to be able to offer upgraded services to the .com and .net DNS and help registrars, ISPs, and all domain industry service providers better manage their customers’ needs and reduce the potential for downtime to Web sites.”
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VeriSign manages relationships with more than 200 ICANN-accredited registrars who submit over 60 million domain name transactions daily.
