Paul Vixie
Paul Vixie | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 23, 1963 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Computer scientist, software engineer |
| Known for | Design of DNS protocol, BIND, Vixie cron, anti-spam software |
| Notable work | BIND, Vixie cron, DHCP, sendmail |
Paul Vixie is a prominent American computer scientist recognized for his influential work in designing the Domain Name System (DNS) protocol, enhancing the reliability of DNS implementations, and advancing open source software projects. He pioneered the first effective commercial anti-spam solution and developed essential UNIX utilities such as SENDS, proxynet, rtty, and Vixie cron. Vixie also established Vixie Enterprises, a consultancy firm. By 2002, he had set a record for authoring the highest number of CERT advisories as a single contributor.
Early life
Born on May 23, 1963, in San Francisco, Paul A. Vixie attended George Washington High School but departed in 1980 after being informed he would need to repeat the 11th grade. Instead, he chose to begin working as a programmer at a consulting company. His initial computing experience was gained at City College of San Francisco, where he accessed Honeywell computer systems not available at his high school.
Career
Between 1988 and 1993, Vixie worked as a software engineer on BIND at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). After leaving DEC in 1994, he co-established the Internet Software Consortium (ISC) in 1996 alongside Rick Adams and Carl Malamud to maintain BIND and other Internet-related software. In 2004, ISC's responsibilities were transferred to a newly formed company with the same name. ISC currently manages the F root name server, while Vixie was also involved with the Open Root Server Network (ORSN) initiative.
In 1995, Vixie co-launched the Palo Alto Internet Exchange (PAIX). Following its acquisition by Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN) in 1999, he took on roles as CTO of MFN/AboveNet and subsequently president of PAIX. In 1998, he co-founded the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS), a California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting email spam.
Vixie has contributed numerous Request for Comments (RFCs), including Best Current Practice documents, and has authored various Unix programs. By 2002, he held the distinction of having authored more CERT advisories individually than anyone else, underscoring his significant role in cybersecurity.
He served as a judge for Mozilla Foundation’s 2008 "Download Day" event promoting Firefox 3, which sought to break a Guinness World Record for downloads. From 2005 to 2013, Vixie was on the board of trustees for the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), chairing it during 2009 and 2010. Additionally, he is a member of ICANN’s Security and Stability Advisory Committee.
In 2011, Vixie received a Ph.D. in computer science from Keio University. After nearly twenty years with ISC, he founded Farsight Security, Inc. in 2013 by spinning off ISC’s security division. He was honored as an Innovator in the Internet Hall of Fame in 2014.
Farsight Security was acquired by DomainTools in 2021. Since 2022, Vixie has been employed at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a Distinguished Engineer.
Realizations
Works
- Paul Vixie. Software Engineering, essay featured in Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution
- Paul Vixie and Frederick M. Avolio, Sendmail: Theory and Practice, Digital Press, 1995,
Patents
- US Patent 6581090: Method and system for transmitting information via the Internet (Inventors: Sverker Lindbo, Peter Löthberg, Paul Vixie), granted on 1996-10-14