Given that clients cache DNS responses (including iterative responses
from root servers), having DNS in space would be a nice-to-have, but
it's not the most pressing issue IMHO.
A far bigger problem is that a direct-to-site model like Starlink's
essentially rules out placing CDN servers in close proximity to web
clients. For those unfamiliar with them: CDNs (content delivery
networks, which now carry a huge percentage of Internet content traffic)
work by redirecting HTTP(S) requests for content to a CDN server that's
in closer topological (and, by inference, physical) proximity to your
web browser. That keeps repeated requests for the same content off
expensive and scarce long-distance bandwidth while allowing for fast TCP
cwnd growth due to the low RTT in the branch- and (thus collectively)
bandwidth-rich local ISP networks. But that doesn't work for Starlink:
There's no way to prevent everyone watching the same cat video via
Starlink in your area from having to take up scarce space segment
bandwidth each time the video is viewed. And we're talking serious data
volumes here, unlike for DNS.
You could, in principle, put CDN servers onto the satellites, but that
would require the many earthly CDN providers to (a) persuade Elon that
this is a good idea, (b) buy the service off SpaceX as it's unlikely
they'll be given rack space on the Starlink fleet, and (c) you'd need a
lot of storage capacity on each satellite in space, with a much reduced
probability of a cache hit, since the fact that the satellites move
across pretty much the whole globe over time, your next cat video
download for your mates in town might need to come from a different
satellite, and the satellite you currently talk to needs to cache not
just stuff you and your neighbours like, but also stuff everyone else
around the globe likes. So make that Chilean soap operas over Ukraine,
Danish comedy for Australia, Aussie Rules Footy for the US Midwest, and
so on... Or maybe quietly can the concept altogether.
On 16/04/2023 11:56 am, Rodney W. Grimes via Starlink wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 14, 2023 at 12:36?PM David Lang <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > On Fri, 14 Apr 2023, Rodney W. Grimes via Starlink wrote:
> >
> > >> I keep wondering when or if Nasa will find a way to move their DNS
> > >> root server "up there" . DNS data is not all that much... it is the
> > >> original distributed database...
> > >
> > > As others have pointed out a "root server" may not be very
advantages,
> > > but what I think would be far better is to put up a couple of
anycast
> > > recursive caching resolvers, aka 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4
<http://8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4>
and almost anyone
> > > can do that, including starlink itself.
> >
> > I believe that the root servers are all (or almost all) anycast
nowdays.
>
> Anycast is perfect for an orbital DNS.
BUTT, root servers are NOT recursive or caching, they serve a very
small limitited set of data that changes at low frequency (I am
not sure of the current rate of updates, but it use to be only
once daily.)
Anyone can bring up there own replicate of a root server locally,
I do, and have for 2 decades, its a rather trivial thing to setup
and maintain. But unlike a root, I also turn on recursision and
caching.
Again IMHO, a caching recursive any cast server ala 8.8.8.8
<http://8.8.8.8>
would
be far more useful than just a stock "root server."
> --
> AMA March 31:
https://www.broadband.io/c/broadband-grant-events/dave-taht
<https://www.broadband.io/c/broadband-grant-events/dave-taht>
> Dave T?ht CEO, TekLibre, LLC
--
Rod Grimes [email protected]
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Dr. Ulrich Speidel
School of Computer Science
Room 303S.594 (City Campus)
The University of Auckland
[email protected]
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~ulrich/
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