L-Root server installed at Web Werks Mumbai

India’s Web Werks Contributes to More Responsive and Resilient Internet with L-Root Instance in Mumbai, India The second L-Root instance in India has been successfully installed in Mumbai, increasing the Domain Name System's (DNS) overall fault tolerance and its resilience against certain types of cyber threats, such as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

The launch of the L-Root server node is a joint operation between ICANN and Web Werks, a Carrier neutral Indian Datacenter Provider located in Mumbai, who supplied the necessary equipment for the installation of the new L-Root node. Web Werks also provided the colocation in their datacenter and the bandwidth needed for the node's operation.

"We are very pleased to host India's second L-Root instance. Decentralizing important Internet infrastructure in India is one of our missions under InternetFirst Philosophy. We are already hosting major DNS root servers and mission critical IT infrastructure for the largest content and CDN providers of the world. We believe that this L-Root instance will also increase the quality of Internet in the country, because part of DNS translation can be done locally and minimize DNS-related delays," said Web Werks CEO, Nikhil Rathi.

Nishant Rathi, President of Web Werks added, "InternetFirst is a Web Werks initiative to participate and deliver on Digital India campaign launched and promoted by our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi."

"I am very pleased with our partnership with Web Werks. We have a very close working relationship with India's key Internet stakeholders and I am happy to facilitate the deployment of another root server instance in India," said Samiran Gupta, ICANN's Head of India.

This cooperation signifies an effort between ICANN and Web Werks to enhance the security, stability and resiliency of the DNS for Indian Internet users and reduce the response time experienced when making DNSqueries.

"ICANN is pleased to augment the number of L-Root instances in India. We appreciate the tremendous effort from Web Werks in hosting the L-Root. Their work speaks volumes to their commitment to both the Domain NameSystem and the stability and resiliency of the global Internet," said Terry Manderson, Director of DNS Engineering at ICANN. There are 13 "root" DNS servers, identified by the letters A through M — the "L" root server operated by ICANNbeing one. Computers typically communicate with each other using numeric addresses, while humans find it easier to use and remember names (for instance, users typically remember the domain name "ICANN.ORG" more easily than the Internet Protocol address, 2620:0:2d0:200::7). The DNS translates domain names into addresses and the root servers provide the pointers to the servers for top-level domains (the last part of domain names, for example, "ORG" in "ICANN.ORG").

Spreading the service that provides these pointers out geographically by duplicating the root servers leads to a more resilient, dispersed system that reduces the risk of users being taken offline by a problem or attack and reduces the time it takes to look up names on the Internet.

For more information about L-root, please visit www.dns.icann.org/.

###

Media Contacts ICANN Liana Teo Head of Communications, Asia Pacific Singapore Tel: +65 6816 1259 Email: liana.teo@icann.org Web Werks Vivin Varghese Meleadan Sr. Peering Manager Tel: +91 7506277576 / +91 022 40500632 Email: vivin.v@webwerks.in

About ICANN ICANN's mission is to coordinate and ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet identifier system. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an identifier into your computer - a name or a number. That identifier has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that supports and coordinates participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. ICANN promotes competition and develops policy on some of the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the top level of the Internet's identifier systems, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

About Web Werks

Web Werks is an India-based India Data Center and Cloud Service Provider with 5 Tier III and Tier IV Data Centers. Web Werks started in the year 1996 and since has successfully delivered solutions to over 5000 global clients through their Global Delivery centers spread across the globe. Under our InternetFirst Philosophy, we are already hosting major DNS root servers and mission critical IT infrastructure for World's largest content and CDN providers to improve our Indian Internet Infrastructure and make it affordable and accessible. Learn more at www.webwerks.in