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Route server configuration times reduced considerably

We have completed deployment of our local (non-authoritative) Internet Route Registry (IRR) mirror, which has already yielded some impressive benefits for members. 

Route server configuration generation and update times have been cut from approximately 15 minutes to approximately one minute. These times apply to the removal of prefix-set expansion from configuration updates as we currently do not filter on prefix-sets. But even with prefix-set generation included, the generation and update times are now only about 5 minutes – this is one-third of what they used to be! 

Additionally, generation/update runs are no longer failing due to connectivity issues or rate limiting by upstream IRR database providers. This was a consistent issue we were running into, especially when an out-of-cycle update was requested by a member to incorporate a change to their allowed ASNs or prefixes. 

Power remediation works completed at QV1

We successfully completed power remediation works at QV1 on 18 October, following several power disruptions to the facility in recent months. Over what seemed like a never–ending night we installed a new UPS with better monitoring, a new automatic transfer switch and a new mechanical bypass for the UPS, as well as additional improvements to the redundancy of power feeds to each rack to eliminate single points of failure. This new equipment and configuration are designed to ensure a reliable source of power to all racks in the WA–IX room during power disruptions to the wider QV1 building. We thank everyone for their patience in waiting for this work to happen, but we wanted to make sure it went in right, which of course meant appropriate supervision of the work as it happened. 

Speeches, cake cutting and socialising – must be the WA-IX event!

To quote Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, ‘Oh, what a night’. Thank you to all who came and celebrated an incredible milestone – 25 years! The evening began with the AGM and quickly moved into the more informal, celebratory portion – WA-IX’s 25th birthday celebration. With a great turnout, we enjoyed the opening remarks from our wonderful CEO, Narelle Clark, followed by a very passionate Welcome to Country delivered by Elder Len Collard – we even received a traditional emblem showing permission for IAA to operate on Whadjuk Nyungar country. Chief Digital Officer Jonas Petersen from the WA Government soon followed with a great speech, finishing off with the incredible Michael Malone talking about WAIA and WA-IX and what it meant for the fledgeling ISP industry.    

The evening buzzed with excitement, and food and drinks continued to flow until the big, delicious WA-IX cake was cut. Michael Malone, Narelle Clark, Anna Protoolis, James Bromberger and Mark Dignam gathered around and finished marking the celebration as they all cut it together.  The evening ended with a couple of special mentions and went straight back into lively chatter. It really was a wonderful celebration, and we hope you all enjoyed it – event photos are now available to view in the Photo Gallery.  

Cheers to 25 years!  

IAA staff members at a strategy session

What happened at the Staff Day?

Working remotely from home and being spread across 3 states and at times several countries can be a convenient way to work, but it’s always nice to meet the people you chat to on screen. Our team (well, most of us) was lucky enough to enjoy a day together. It started with a very productive planning session; we worked through all the things we would like the future rollouts of the portal to include, and ended with a tour of the QV1 basement: home to some of WA-IX’s equipment, and our point of origin.  

The day continued with a very competitive and adrenalin-filled go-karting session, bringing out the inner drifter and thrill seeker in most of the staff. After plenty of laughs, a few minor crashes and a group photo, we moved on to enjoy the late afternoon in the sun playing a few games of lawn bowls. 

 

 

 

WiTWA Tech [+] Conference 2022

This year the incredible Women in Technology WA (WiTWA) team are once again running their annual Tech [+] Conference and Awards events. We are proud to be supporting this event as Silver sponsors and would like to invite members to check out these events. The theme this year is ‘Driving sustainable change’ and includes a great line-up of speakers.  

The Tech [+] Conference is WiTWA’s unique offering to the WA tech [+] community. Spend a day meeting WiTWA role models, members, community, and supporters while enjoying the sessions delivered by prominent national and international speakers.  

Date: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Time: 8:00am – 5:45pm (followed by networking drinks)
Location: Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre 

The Tech [+] Awards night takes place the following day in the evening and was created to shine a light on diversity, equity and inclusivity for women who work in tech roles and organisations involved with education advocacy and research in technology-related fields.
Date: Friday, 18 November 2022
Time: 6:45pm – midnight
Location: Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre 

If you would like to attend one or both of these fantastic events, please head to the WitWA website for more details or to purchase tickets.  

Whose responsibility is it anyway?

While the review of the amendments to the Model Defamation Provisions is still ongoing, the recently closed consultation into the liability of Internet intermediaries for online defamatory material has indicated that Internet Service Providers will likely be granted a statutory exemption from liability. This comes off the back of the work IAA did, along with other industry representatives, in the last round of consultations regarding this matter. IAA has consistently argued that since ISPs merely providing access do not deal with content, the law should recognise this. While there was some opposition to the proposed exemption during an industry workshop, with suggestions that ISPs should rely on available defences instead, IAA has maintained in its submission that the exemption is necessary to provide ISPs with greater clarity and assurance when it comes to defamation law.  We have also asked that those involved in the mechanics and operation of other infrastructure services, such as DNS, should similarly be exempt. 

Words from our Public Policy frontier

IAA’s Public Policy Advisory Panel met for its third quarter meeting on 7 September. While two panellists were unfortunately unable to attend, the Panel had a very spirited meeting, getting into the nitty gritty of telco legislation and the policy context. Sophia (IAA Policy Officer) gave an update on the consultations IAA have responded to since the last meeting (no less than 9!), as well as an overview of other work the policy team have been up to, including meetings with regulatory bodies and NBN Co, forums the team have participated in and publications that have been released. The Panel then discussed upcoming consultations and provided much guidance; sharing their knowledge on the various policy areas that will be of relevance in the coming months, and perspectives on where IAA should devote its focus.  

IAA is extremely grateful to the Panel members who dedicate their time to guide IAA’s advocacy work.  

Have you submitted your asset information?

The last chance to complete your asset registration under the new carrier licence condition and determination for eligible CSPs is 8 October 2022. Under this new determination, telcos must provide the Department of Home Affairs’ Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre (CISC) with operational information in relation to their telecommunications assets. Where an entity holds a direct interest of at least 10% or a controlling stake in the asset, information about the interest and control in the asset must also be reported.   

An ‘asset’ is defined to be a tangible asset owned or operated by a carrier/eligible carriage service provider and is used to supply a carriage service. It does not refer to typical termination equipment on customer premises. An asset can be thought of by way of an analogy – the entire car as opposed to the individual components that make up the motor vehicle. Please visit the CISC website for further information. We have also created this helpful guide to assist you.  

What’s that white USB thingy?

Our AusNOG swag bag item seemed to cause quite a stir this year with us trying to keep the packaging simple.  Well…they are USB Data Blockers. We’ve all been caught short of charge when out and about, so these small devices sit between your phone and public (including hotel) USB power stations and outlets, acting as a shield between the public USB connection and your device. These wonderful things restrict hackers from accessing your data. How? Hackers can rig charging stations so they can ‘juice jack’ your data through data pins. These pins allow hackers to find a pathway into your device/s. Data blockers are designed to block these pins ensuring that your data doesn’t flow. So, now that you know what they are, and how they work, please use them, even when bludging that bit of charge from a mate’s computer. We’ve got more and will be handing them out at our next few events.  

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