Evidence of Decreasing Internet Entropy: The Lack of Redundancy in DNS Resolution by Major Websites and Services

Samantha  Bates; John  Bowers; Shane  Greenstein; Jordi  Weinstock; Jonathan  Zittrain; Yunhan  Xu

Working Paper | 2018

Evidence of Decreasing Internet Entropy: The Lack of Redundancy in DNS Resolution by Major Websites and Services

by Samantha Bates, John Bowers, Shane Greenstein, Jordi Weinstock, Jonathan Zittrain and Yunhan Xu

Abstract

This paper analyzes the extent to which the internet’s global domain name resolution (DNS) system has preserved its distributed resilience given the rise of cloud-based hosting and infrastructure. We explore trends in the concentration of the DNS space since at least 2011. In addition, we examine changes in domains’ tendency to “diversify” their pool of nameservers—how frequently domains employ DNS management services from multiple providers rather than just one provider—a comparatively costless and therefore puzzlingly rare decision that could supply redundancy and resilience in the event of an attack or service outage affecting one provider.

Keywords: Internet; Infrastructure; Performance Effectiveness;

Language: English

Format: Print

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Citation:

Bates, Samantha, John Bowers, Shane Greenstein, Jordi Weinstock, Jonathan Zittrain, and Yunhan Xu. "Evidence of Decreasing Internet Entropy: The Lack of Redundancy in DNS Resolution by Major Websites and Services." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 24317, February 2018.

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The internet's structure and operations remain invisible to most economists. What determines the economic value of internet infrastructure and the incentives to improve it? What are the open research questions for the most salient policy issues? This article reviews the basic economics of internet infrastructure, focusing attention on the economic questions motivated by public aspirations for ubiquitous availability and widespread adoption of internet protocols.

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Evidence of Decreasing Internet Entropy: The Lack of Redundancy in DNS Resolution by Major Websites and Services

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