With the new system, we are well prepared to handle a continued increase in domain names, we can automatize more and shorten the time it takes to process requests, and the registrars have more control of their data. For the domain name holders, the new system offers the option of securing their domains better, e.g. setting a password that protects against unwanted
transfers.
The system, which has had the project name "Draupne", has been under development since 2007. That was when it became clear that the old system would not scale for the increasing volume of requests, new requirements and needs. Systems like this cannot be found on the shelf in a store, so we had to develop it in-house. Fortunately for us, the Austrian registry, nic.at, had a business model very similar to ours, so we chose to base our development on a core from their system. We have also had some help from their developers, but most of the work has been done by Norid's own technicians. In addition to the system and its support systems, we have had to develop information and support schemes for the registrars.
At present, we do not have a complete overview of how many working hours we have put into developing and rolling out the system, but one thing is very clear: The amount of resources put into it far exceeds the first estimates we made. The system is very complex. It handles an infrastructure that is of critical importance to our society, and we had to turn over every last stone
more than once to make sure that no data would be lost during conversion, that all functions and support systems would work, and that the system would cope with load over a prolonged period. We cannot confirm the latter until the system has been up and running for some time, but so far, so good.