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ZDNet / Open Source / Story
Linux.conf.au hits domain disaster
The website of Australia's annual Linux conference has become temporarily inaccessible scant months before the event because of policy confusion over whether or not it is allowed to use its long-standing domain name.
Linux.conf.au is the only active site in Australia to use a .conf.au web address, which was designed for conferences but has not been available for new registrants for some years.
An unexpected server configuration change is believed to have rendered the site inaccessible. Attempts to visit the site result in an "address not found" error message.
Organisers of the next Linux.conf.au event, which will take place in Hobart in January 2009, have been forced to utilise an alternative address as the outage coincides with the main registration period for the conference.
"Don't let a mere domain issue deprive you of the chance to attend," an RSS posting (which points possible attendees to the alternative marchsouth.org domain) earlier this week noted.
The registries for the vast majority of Australian top-level domains (such as .com.au and .net.au) are now managed by AusRegistry under a contract with the Australia Domain Names Administrator (auDA). However, .conf.au remains under the control of Melbourne University computer technician Robert Elz, who originally set up the Australian domain name policy.
Similar incidents have occurred with previous events. "When we tried to get this sorted out last year auDA assured us it was all under control," said Donna Benjamin, who helped organise last year's conference in Melbourne. "The truth is it isn't."
auDA officials did not respond to requests for comment on the current policy. In 2006, auDA said it was actively exploring the possibility of more actively promoting the .conf.au domain, but there has been little evidence of subsequent activity.
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Robert Elz a "Melbourne University computer technician" ??? - MARKED AS SPAM BY AKISMET
I suggest people check out Robert's entry on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Elz
BTW, he now lectures in Thailand at the Price of Songkla University
Scott Colwell October 23rd, 2008Poor Change Management
Whether or not you agree with the 'conf.au' domain being able to be used or not, this incident represents poor Change Management practices on behalf of the controller of the domain.
Excellent Change Management is a hallmark of professional, mature organisations and their ability to govern. auDA in particular has a responsibility to act here - as the governing body of the .au namespace.
Had this occurred in a commercial space, it is foreseeable the legal action would be taken (due to lost business). The fact that this has occurred for a not for profit organisation should not detract from the seriousness of the issue, and the impetus of auDA to act.
The way this issue pans out will be seen as a precedent in Australian internet history.
Kathy Reid October 23rd, 2008ZDNet Australia Live
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I get it
They want to make money from a non-profit and profit related conferences. The '.conf.au' domain you could charge large renewal fee cause considered a special/unique domain name.
Reason why I said this for the past year. The .au domain owners/controllers been explorer the possibility of opening .Au domain up. So Business can have a unique top-level domains (Builder.au or oc.au for example )
No Robert Elz is just a nutter who likes to take a stance
No, the problem is TRULY "Melbourne University computer technician Robert Elz" in that Robert Elz refused a bona fide registered non-profit ORG that I sought to register as a .org.au name for six years... He took application fees, never gave a reason, indeed never replied... just never acted.
I put a formal complaint to AuDA and heard that Elz had also refused parties such as the United Nations from claiming they were an 'org', so I should not take it personally.
Of course I don't care about whether one takes it personally or not, it's a bit like having a zealot causing mayhem in any other important piece of national infrastructure. There may be a good reason for someone to want to protest by sitting down in the middle of the Hume Highway, but the police would have them removed within an hour. In the case of AuDA, they have only been making small attempts at removing Robert from Australia's top level domain management for the past decade... It ought be a great embarrassment to the Fed Dept of Communications, AuDA and the University of Melbourne alike. In fact I think a valid case could be made for invoking the new/tougher anti-terrorism laws to enforce a 'stepping down' else removal from ALL roles.
Fix it!