The Day the Internet Stood Still (PCGH-Retro, July 17)

…1997: The internet is constantly growing. In March 1997, bonnyview.com was the millionth domain name registered. The network became an important economic factor, revolutionizing trade and communication. The decentralized structures of the worldwide network have so far proved to be able to cope with the unrestrained expansion and also make it immune to occasional server failures. But on July 17, it became apparent that the network structure, which had been considered fail-safe until then, was vulnerable.

The Domain Name System (DNS) ensures that every Internet address in the network via which a server can be reached can be assigned a name in addition to the IP number. At the heart of DNS are the root name servers, thirteen systems spread around the world. In the morning hours of July 17, a software error at Network Solutions, which is responsible for administering the .com, .net and .org domains, led to an incorrect address database. The technician on duty ignores the system warnings and uploads the data to seven of the thirteen root servers as he does every day. This is where the chaos begins: for hours, most of the web pages are not accessible, e-mails are not delivered – the network almost comes to a standstill. Only when Network Solutions imports an error-free backup does the situation return to normal. The incident goes down in history as the largest internet outage – and what’s more: it destroys the myth of the fail-safe network.