Root Server Copy at CEDIA Improves Infrastructure in Ecuador

28/11/2019

With the support of LACNIC’s +Raíces program, this year Ecuador’s National Research and Education Network (CEDIA) installed an anycast copy of the I root server. 

Since coming into operation, the server has had a positive impact on Ecuador’s Internet infrastructure, providing services to fourteen Ecuadorian ISPs and close to fifty institutions that are part of the national academic network.

Claudio Chacón, Innovation, Research and IT Development Coordinator at CEDIA, estimates that the root server will dramatically improve response speed for queries originating in the academic network, as well as for service providers that connect to this copy of the I root server.

How did you come up with the idea of installing a root server at Ecuador’s National Research and Education Network (CEDIA)?

As part of the continuous improvements to its network, CEDIA is always innovating and seeking ways to improve the services we offer our members. That is why we decided to reply to LACNIC’s call for proposals to host a root server. This server drastically improved the academic network. However, because these servers are considered critical Internet infrastructure, it is also part of the global model and therefore serves the entire Ecuadorian community.

In what ways did LACNIC support your installation of the root server?

LACNIC was the first point of contact from the moment we replied to the call for proposals until the server had been installed and was already in production. They supported us at each of the steps needed for a successful implementation.

How do you think this root server will impact Internet infrastructure in Ecuador?

This root-server has had an impact on the infrastructure in Ecuador, as we currently provide root-server services to fourteen Ecuadorian ISPs, as well as to all the members of the national research network (universities, institutes, schools and research centers).

What improvements have you noticed since the root server started operating in September?

Initially, we tested it for a few weeks as a local root-server, in other words, limiting its use to our own autonomous system. After seeing that we were achieving faster response times and that it was working properly in our network, we began operating it as a global root-server so that neighboring autonomous systems (Ecuadorian ISPs) would be able to query it.

Is the server being used by the CEDIA network and receiving traffic from other peers in the region? Is it working with IPv4 and IPv6?

The root server installed at CEDIA is serving the region over both IPv4 and IPv6. The following chart shows how its use is distributed among the two versions of the IP protocol:

What DNS traffic is the server generating?

The root server that is currently installed produces very little traffic and has a peak of 15 Mbps, which does not affect network performance and significantly improves the community’s browsing experience.

Are there any other root servers installed in Ecuador?

D, E, F and L servers had previously been installed in Ecuador. Currently, CEDIA hosts a copy of the I root server, the first in the country and one that substantially improves the resolution of top-level domain names in Ecuador.

What are the advantages of installing this copy of the I root server in a university network?

Because each of the institutions that comprise an academic and research network produces a high number of top-level DNS queries, setting up the root-server service allows distributing the query load among the different root servers in the country. This improves response speeds for the institutions that are part of the academic network and distributes the national load among the existing servers, thus improving the service not only internally but throughout Ecuador.