Byron Holland's Perspectives on the Internet and Domain Space.

CIRA to redesign .CA registry system

Posted by: Byron Holland

This is an exciting week for us at CIRA. We announced that we will be launching a new system for registering and maintaining .CA domain names on October 12, 2010. Our new system will make registering and managing a .CA easier and simpler for both our customers and channel partners.

We’ve heard from the people who register .CA domain names that the process can be complicated, so we’ve simplified things. We’ve undertaken a wholesale redesign of the entire .CA registry system – not a single aspect has been left untouched, from technological processes to policies and business practices. Many of the policies that were considered complicated have been rewritten, and the business rules and technical processes that are currently cumbersome will be streamlined. Once we migrate to the new system, CIRA will operate one of the most efficient registries in the world.

This is, without doubt, the single largest project ever undertaken by CIRA. It is the result of two years’ work, and has involved almost every single CIRA employee.

We’re joining a growing number of ccTLDs who’ve adopted EPP, including .UK, .NL .CN, and many others. EPP is the industry standard. The majority of the 200 million domain names worldwide have been registered using EPP. It’s a known quantity, and is becoming the standard for domain name registrations as more and more registries are moving toward adopting it.

Why are we rewriting our system? First off, we’ve been the registry for .CA domain names for 10 years now. We’re about to surpass 1.5 million domain names registered, and our current registry simply wasn’t built to support that number of domain names. It’s time for us to make significant investments in our systems, our infrastructure and our people. Secondly, there are many benefits to the new registry system. The process to register and maintain .CA domain names will be easier and a lot more efficient. We’re also effectively removing ourselves from the day-to-day transactions of maintaining a .CA domain name.

Furthermore, unless .CA Registrants indicate otherwise, domain names will automatically be renewed on an annual basis; you won’t have to go through the renewals process every year. In the end, we will have a much more efficient, cost-effective registry that responds to the needs of .CA Registrants.

For more information about the registry rewrite and what it means to you, we’ve developed a list of frequently asked questions.

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