[dns-operations] What is the most pressing need for DNS these days?

[Keith Mitchell]

Edward Lewis wrote:

> DNAME is one proposed tool to 'solve' internationalized domain names 
> (IDN).  Not a firm decision, but in preparation the defining document 
> of DNAME (RFC 2672) has holes and needs to be fixed.
> 
> The comment that the IETF ought to stick to the important stuff first 
> stuck with me.  So I want to ask, in an operational setting, what is 
> the important work needed for DNS?
> 
> Is DNSSEC more or less important than progress on IDN, for example? 

ISTM that lack of progress on IDN is one of the major political
footballs commonly booted around as being a reason why ICANN is not
demonstrating adequate stewardship of the DNS internationally, at least
amongst non-ASCII countries (though not particularly myself).

Lack of trust in ICANN can also be seen as one obstacle to getting the
root signed. So possibly it would help the DNSSEC efforts to remove the
IDN goal-block.

OTOH, the parties preventing ICANN from signing the root may well be
different from those for whom IDN is an issue, nor is it guaranteed that
 solving the IDN issue will get the root signed - it is probably
necessary but unlikely to be sufficient.

More significantly, deploying IDN without improved underlying security
is likely to create a whole bunch of issues.

I guess the real question is where are the big wins here - which work
items can be tackled early with least resource expenditure that will
enable other priority items both technical and political ?

Keith