Comcast files "recommended practices" draft RFC with IETF for DNS Redirection

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>
Date: July 9, 2009 5:06:02 PM EDT
To: "'NNSquad'" <nnsquad () nnsquad org>, "'David Farber'"  
<dave () farber net>
Subject: Comcast files "recommended practices" draft RFC with IETF for  
DNS Redirection

http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-livingood-dns-redirect-00

I note that this draft RFC proposes practices that routinely return  
*valid* responses to erroneous DNS lookups, and encourage an opt-out  
policy rather than an opt-in policy.

The sole justification is that the default way that a browser such as  
Firefox or IE would present an error message is inadequate for users,  
thus an ISP should take matters into its own hands to fix that  
cosmetic problem, rather than asking the browser vendors to do a  
better job!

And the side effects identified do not include the impact on http  
requests not generated by typing into web browsers, but instead used  
as part of "web 2.0" service apis and other uses of port 80 that do  
not arise from end users typing into the url bar of their browser.

One might ask why the sole justification given  for this misuse of DNS  
to patch an application weakness is the only one?

And even more so, why this is such an urgent problem that ISPs must  
fix it via a flawed and risky solution, rather than the makers of  
browsers fixing it in the most logical place?

The potential to disrupt non web-browser features is noted in the  
"draft RFC", but instead of a balanced analysis of benefits and costs  
to other uses, the draft is silent.  In fact, the draft refers to this  
as "enhanced" functionality.

I expect the wiser heads at the IETF to prevail....  This is a  
solution to a non-existent "problem", with bad side effects.

While this is not exactly the same as directing a misdialed phone call  
to call a Caribbean phone company number with the consequent  and  
unavoidable billing charge to the user, it seems very close to that  
sort of thing - a surprise to all application developers, and a  
modification to the expected semantics of directory lookup.







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