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VeriSign speeds up registry changes

The registry will update its domain name system servers every few seconds, rather than just twice a day.

CNET News staff
VeriSign said Thursday it will update its domain name system servers every few seconds, instead of twice a day.

With this "rapid updates" policy, the Internet domain name registry said, people who seek new .com and .net domain registrations will be able to launch Web sites more quickly. Similarly, people who intend to change their hosting servers or modify domain name registrations can do so with less disruption in service.

"We're pleased to be able to offer upgraded services to the .com and .net DNS (domain name system) and help registrars, Internet service providers and all domain industry service providers better manage their customers' needs and reduce the potential for downtime to Web sites," Raynor Dahlquist, VeriSign's acting vice president for naming and directory services, said in a statement.

Under a contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, VeriSign operates the master database of all .com and .net domains and collects a few dollars a year for each domain name from the approximately 200 ICANN-accredited registrars that sell domain names to the public.

Each day, VeriSign handles more than 14 billion DNS queries. More than 35 million domain names for .com and .net exist.