Search Cornell

Network Registry, DNSDB, and NUBB database synchronization

For details about the purpose and schedule of these changes, see the announcement.
Initial synchronization is now scheduled for Thursday, March 23, 2006.

• DNSDB netadmins and NUBB netadmins
• data of record resides in DNSDB
• maintained by netadmins via DNSDB
• NUBB database updated overnight
• to jumpstart, NUBB netadmins will be added to DNSDB netadmins
• NUBB newrates folks will no longer be able to add netadmins


• Network Registry machine user and NUBB Subscriber ID
• data of record resides in Network Registry (DNSDB)
• maintained by netadmins via DNSDB
• visible to user, netadmin, NOC, and Security Team
• NUBB database updated overnight
• to jumpstart, NUBB data will fill in missing data in Network Registry
• NUBB billing coordinators will no longer be able to fill in subscriber ID


• NUBB account number, NUBB description, and NUBB subnet account
• data of record resides in NUBB but can be updated via DNSDB
• maintained by Billing Coordinators via NUBB
• visible to subscriber ID, netadmin, and Billing Coordinator in NUBB
• synchronized via datestamp with DNSDB overnight with appropriate audit log
• maintained by netadmins via DNSDB
• visible to user, netadmin, NOC, and Security Team in DNSDB
• synchronized via datestamp with NUBB overnight with appropriate audit log
• to jumpstart, NUBB data will be uploaded to DNSDB


• Other new DNSDB host fields: location, serial#, and custom
• data of record resides in DNSDB
• maintained by netadmins via DNSDB
• visible to user, netadmin, NOC, and Security Team in DNSDB
• purpose: to help with recordkeeping for units that do not have their own network databases; these fields are not used by CIT and may be defined according to the needs of any department that chooses to use them


• What happens when the data doesn't match
• if DNSDB receives account information from NUBB about a non-existent host it gets emailed to the network administrator
• as more networks register hosts for network registry compliance this should happen less often

Changes announced Feb. 22, 2006

• We are moving the daily synchronization into the night so changes made one day will be available in both systems when folks arrive in the morning.
• We are doing full dumps of account data from NUBB into DNSDB every day to prevent the data from getting out of sync.
• There is a new button "Click here for NUBB data page for [this subnet]" on the subnet page which will show you the data pulled in from NUBB. Check it ou on http://dnsdb-test.cit.cornell.edu.

Announcement of Changes in NUBB, DNSDB

The following message was sent to the net-admin-l and telecoord-l mailing lists on Tuesday, January 18, 2005

On Feb. 3 [rescheduled for March 23, 2006, between 5 and 7 a.m.], the Network Registry (DNSDB) will become the database of record for most network billing information and will update NUBB. CIT is making these changes to comply with Cornell's Policy 5.7, Network Registry, and to create a single "data of record" source.

If you currently have subscriber IDs in NUBB that are not in DNSDB (Network Registry), please be advised that the information in the NUBB subscriber IDs will be deleted. Those people will be unable to access NUBB until they are registered in DNSDB.

If your hosts are currently in both NUBB and DNSDB, please be advised that these changes will occur:

• if the DNSDB machine user field is filled in, it will overwrite the NUBB subscriber ID field.
• if the DNSDB machine user field is empty, it will be populated with the NUBB subscriber ID information.

You can preview the new systems at dnsdb-test.cit.cornell.edu and test.nubb.cornell.edu . We welcome your comments.

Please read on for specific details on what is changing.

What will be affected for billing and telecommunications coordinators?

1. You will continue to use NUBB to enter host account numbers, descriptions, and subnet accounts. Or your network administrator (if you have one) can be asked to do that via DNSDB (Network Registry).
   
   
2. You will no longer be able to fill in the NUBB subscriber ID.
   
   
3. Managers who want to see NUBB data will have to be added either as NUBB billing coordinators or as DNSDB network administrators.
   
   
4. The following NUBB fields are affected:
   - netadmin
   - subscriber ID
   - host description
   - host account number
   - default subnet account number
   See http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/support/hostreg/nubbsync.html for details.

What will be different for network administrators?

1. NUBB network administrators who are not already DNSDB (Network Registry) network administrators will be added automatically. DNSDB will be the database of record for all fields except the NUBB account, description, and subnet account.
   
   
2. You will now be able to use DNSDB to add or update NUBB accounts, descriptions, and subnet accounts. You can disable this feature, if desired, on a subnet by subnet basis by e-mailing hostmaster@cornell.edu.
   
   
3. You can no longer list yourself as the DNSDB machine user or NUBB subscriber ID for a host unless you are the primary user or, if it's a shared device, you are the admninistrator. This is per Cornell's Network Registry policy.
   
   
4. The DNSDB machine user and NUBB subscriber ID fields can no longer be different. In the past, some network administrators did that to protect privacy. However, the Network Registry policy prohibits that practice. Instead, the DNSDB machine user field will only be viewable by network administrators, CIT's Network Operations Center (NOC), and CIT's Security Team. The NUBB subscriber ID field will be viewable by those same groups plus the user.
   
   
5. Managers who want to see NUBB data will have to be added either as NUBB billing coordinators or as DNSDB network administrators.
   
   
6. The following NUBB fields are affected:
   - netadmin
   - subscriber ID
   - host description
   - host account number
   - default subnet account number
   See http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/support/hostreg/nubbsync.html for details.

For more information

• DNSDB (Network Registry) http://networkregistry.cornell.edu
• NUBB http://nubb.cornell.edu
• NUBB/DNSDB synchronization http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/support/hostreg/nubbsync.html
  
  
• Questions about NUBB: ncs-os@cornell.edu
  
• Questions about Network Registry: hostmaster@cornell.edu
• Questions about NUBB/DNSDB synchronization: hostmaster@cornell.edu