DNSSEC Lookaside Validation (DLV) Reference Page

What is DLV?

DLV is an easy way to configure trust anchors in DNSSEC-aware resolvers.  It allows site administrators to set up a single repository for DNSSEC trust anchors instead of having to configure a large set on each DNSSEC-aware resolver.  It also allows resolvers to outsource DNSSEC trust anchor management to other organizations. 

Why use it?

To gain benefit from DNSSEC, resolver operators must configure each resolver with "trust anchors" (public keys) for each zone they want to validate unless they have already configured a trust anchor for one of the zone's ancestors, and there's a secure delegation chain all the way down to the zone in question.  And each of those preconfigured trust anchors must be actively maintained.  At the moment, with the root and most TLDs unsigned, that's an unwieldy chore.  DLV helps reduce the configuration burden for each resolver.

How can I try it?

Take at look at the existing DLV registries:
IKS GmbH

Where's the specification?

RFC 5074
RFC 4431, describing the DLV typecode.

What else has been written about DLV?

Deploying DNSSEC Without a Signed Root, a Carnegie Mellon tech report discussing the design of DLV in more detail

Copyright 2006 Samuel Weiler