MSK-IX has made it possible for the Coordination Center to use the backup registration system in Russia’s ccTLDs. MSK-IX is one of the Emergency Back-end Registry Operators (EBERO). The backup system was developed and is operated by MSK-IX to guarantee continuous operation of the addressing system for .RU and .РФ.
It is possible for the registry to switch to the backup system if the current operator of the registration system is unable to maintain the system’s key functions such as enabling registrars to interact with .RU and .РФ registers, make entries and obtain information from the registers, maintaining the data registration service (WHOIS), supporting DNS servers of the .RU and .РФ domains and managing the distribution of DNS zones. EBERO is an innovative feature of the New gTLD program that secures stable and failure-free operation of the global domain addressing system in general.
Back in 2019, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media issued instructions on the implementation of additional tools to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the addressing system and also to protect the rights of domain registrants and users by using extra protection for information about domain names and guaranteeing trouble-free functioning of the addressing system in general. The first essential stage of the project was to organize the regular depositing of the data from .RU and .РФ registers.
In late June 2021, the Coordination Center and MSK-IX successfully completed joint black box testing of the backup registration system. In July, the system was put in standby mode and is ready to temporarily take up the main functions of the .RU/.РФ registration systems.
