Internet Assigned Numbers Authority facts for kids

"IANA" redirects here. For other uses, see IANA (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

Abbreviation	IANA
Founded	December 1988; 36 years ago (1988-12)
Founder	U.S. Department of Commerce
Focus	Manage DNS zones
Headquarters	12025 Waterfront Drive, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536, USA
Location	Playa Vista, Los Angeles, United States
Owner	ICANN
Manager	Kim Davies

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is like the traffic controller for the internet. It's a group that makes sure unique numbers and names are given out correctly. This helps all the computers and devices around the world talk to each other smoothly.

IANA handles things like IP addresses, which are like phone numbers for computers. It also manages parts of the Domain Name System (DNS), which turns website names (like wikipedia.org) into IP addresses. Think of it as keeping the internet's address book organized.

Today, IANA is part of ICANN, a non-profit group created in 1998. Before that, a person named Jon Postel mostly managed IANA from the University of Southern California.

There are also five regional Internet registries (RIRs). They help IANA by giving out internet numbers to smaller groups. These smaller groups, called local Internet registries, then give them to internet service providers (ISPs) and other users.

What IANA Does: Keeping the Internet Organized
IANA's Story
How IANA is Watched Over
Who Has Managed IANA
See also

What IANA Does: Keeping the Internet Organized

IANA is in charge of giving out special names and numbers. These are used in the rules (called protocols) that make the internet work. These rules are written in documents called Request for Comments (RFCs). IANA works closely with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to do this.

For big internet resources like IP addresses and domain names, IANA also sets up rules for how they are given out. This is because these resources are used by so many different people and organizations.

IANA assigns "Internet numbers." These are unique codes given to internet resources. They are also used in the rules that help computers connect online. IP addresses and autonomous system (AS) numbers are good examples.

Managing IP Addresses

IPv6 addresses are given out by IANA, RIRs, and ISPs.

IANA gives out blocks of IP addresses to the regional Internet registries (RIRs). Each RIR is responsible for a different part of the world. Together, the RIRs formed the Number Resource Organization. This group helps them work together and make sure rules are the same everywhere.

The RIRs then divide these address blocks into smaller pieces. They give these smaller pieces to internet service providers and other groups in their areas. IANA used to give out many IPv4 addresses. But since there are no more new IPv4 addresses left, IANA no longer gives them out. It still gives out IPv6 addresses.

Handling Domain Names

IANA manages the information for the root nameservers. These servers are at the very top of the Domain Name System (DNS) tree. This job involves working with groups that manage top-level domains (like .com or .org). It also works with the people who run the root nameservers and ICANN's policy makers.

Since 2010, the root zone has been protected with a special security system called DNSSEC. IANA is important for managing the keys for this system. This includes holding special "signing ceremonies." At these events, trusted people meet to create the keys that keep the internet secure. These trusted people are chosen from the wider DNS community. They cannot be connected to ICANN or its partners.

IANA also runs special internet addresses like int (for international groups) and arpa (for internet functions).

Assigning Protocol Numbers

IANA keeps lists of different internet protocols and their settings. It helps register new protocols. As of 2015, there were over 2,800 such lists.

Time Zone Database

The IANA time zone database stores information about time differences and rules for different parts of the world. This helps computers and other devices show the correct time.

IANA took over managing this database in October 2011. This happened after a court case caused the previous source of the database to shut down.

Language Subtag Registry

The IANA Language Subtag Registry helps identify different languages and their variations online. It was created by the IETF and is maintained by IANA.

IANA's Story

IANA started informally. Jon Postel and Joyce K. Reynolds did many technical jobs for the early internet, called the ARPANET. They worked at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute.

In 1972, Vint Cerf and Jon Postel asked people to create a list of "socket numbers." These numbers helped different programs on the network communicate. Postel later called himself the "czar of socket numbers."

The name "IANA" first appeared in an official document in 1988. But the work and the name were used much earlier. One document from 1990 said that "Throughout its entire history, the Internet system has employed a central Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)..."

In 1995, a company called Network Solutions was allowed to charge a fee for domain names. Part of this money was supposed to go to improve the internet. Many people were unhappy that one company had so much power. They looked to IANA for a solution. Postel tried to make IANA a more official organization. He passed away unexpectedly about two years later.

Jon Postel managed IANA from the very beginning of the ARPANET until his death in October 1998. He worked for almost 30 years to manage important parts of the internet. After he passed away, Joyce K. Reynolds, who had worked with him, helped move IANA's work to ICANN.

From 1988, the U.S. government funded IANA through a contract. This contract ended in April 1997 but was extended.

On December 24, 1998, the University of Southern California agreed to transfer the IANA project to ICANN. This change officially happened on January 1, 1999. IANA then became a part of ICANN.

In June 1999, the IETF and ICANN signed an agreement. It described the tasks IANA would do for the IETF. The U.S. Department of Commerce also made an agreement with ICANN in February 2000 for ICANN to perform the IANA functions.

In October 2013, leaders of several internet organizations released a statement. It was called the Montevideo Statement on the Future of Internet Cooperation. They were worried about spying and wanted to make ICANN and IANA more global. They wanted all countries to have an equal say. This desire came after news about government surveillance programs.

In April 2014, a plan for international internet governance was suggested. It was called the NetMundial Initiative. This plan was developed by ICANN's CEO and others. The meeting where it was proposed created a statement that supported making decisions by agreement. It also said that ICANN should be under international control by September 2015. Some governments, like Russia and China, wanted more government control over the internet.

How IANA is Watched Over

From 1998 to 2016, ICANN managed IANA under a contract with the United States Department of Commerce (DOC). The Department of Commerce also watched over IANA's work. They checked changes made to the DNS root zone to make sure IANA followed its rules. The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) could end the agreement with ICANN if needed.

In 1998, ICANN and the Department of Commerce agreed to work together. Their goal was to move the internet's domain name and addressing system to the private sector.

In August 2006, the U.S. Department of Commerce extended its contract with ICANN for five more years. Since ICANN manages a worldwide resource, there were ideas to separate IANA's work from ICANN.

On October 1, 2009, the agreement between ICANN and the U.S. Department of Commerce ended. It was replaced by a new agreement. On March 14, 2014, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it planned to give control of key internet functions to the global internet community.

In August 2016, ICANN created a new non-profit group called Public Technical Identifiers. This group was set up to take over the IANA functions. The Department of Commerce confirmed that the conditions for this change had been met. So, on September 30, 2016, the contract between the U.S. Department of Commerce and ICANN ended. The responsibility for IANA's work officially moved to the private sector.

Who Has Managed IANA

In 1972, Jon Postel and Joyce K. Reynolds.
In 1998, Joyce K. Reynolds.
In 2003, Doug Barton.
In 2005, David Conrad (engineer).
In 2010, Elise Gerich.
In 2018, Kim Davies.