Network Working Group                                           R. Hovey
Request for Comments: 2028                 Digital Equipment Corporation
BCP: 11                                                       S. Bradner
Category: Best Current Practice                       Harvard University
                                                           October 1996


       The Organizations Involved in the IETF Standards Process

Status of this Memo

  This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the
  Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
  improvements.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

  This document describes the individuals and organizations involved in
  the IETF.  This includes descriptions of the IESG, the IETF Working
  Groups and the relationship between the IETF and the Internet
  Society.

1. Documents controlling the process

1.1 The IETF Standards Process

  The process used by the Internet community for the standardization of
  protocols and procedures is described in [B].  That document defines
  the stages in the standardization process, the requirements for
  moving a document between stages and the types of documents used
  during this process.  It also addresses the intellectual property
  rights and copyright issues associated with the standards process.

2. Key individuals in the Process

2.1  The Request for Comments Editor

  The RFC publication series [B] is managed by an Editor (which may in
  practice be one or more individuals) responsible both for the
  mechanics of RFC publication and for upholding the traditionally high
  technical and editorial standards of the RFC series.

  The functions of the RFC Editor are performed by one or more
  individuals or organizations selected in accordance with the
  procedures defined by the RFC Editor charter [G].






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2.2 The Working Group Chair

  Each IETF Working Group is headed by a chair (or by co-chairs) with
  the responsibility for directing the group's activities, presiding
  over the group's meetings, and ensuring that the commitments of the
  group with respect to its role in the Internet standards process are
  met. In particular, the WG chair is the formal point of contact
  between the WG and the IESG, via the Area Director of the area to
  which the WG is assigned.

  The details on the selection and responsibilites of an IETF Working
  Group chair can be found in [A].

2.3  The Document Editor

  Most IETF Working Groups focus their efforts on a document, or set of
  documents, that capture the results of the group's work.  A Working
  Group generally designates a person or persons to serve as the Editor
  for a particular document.  The Document Editor is responsible for
  ensuring that the contents of the document accurately reflect the
  decisions that have been made by the working group.

  As a general practice, the Working Group Chair and Document Editor
  positions are filled by different individuals to help ensure that the
  resulting documents accurately reflect the consensus of the Working
  Group and that all processes are followed.

3. Key organizations in the Process

  The following organizations and organizational roles are involved in
  the Internet standards process.  Contact information is contained in
  Appendix A.

3.1  Internet Engineering Task Force

  The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is an open international
  community of network designers, operators, vendors and researchers
  concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the
  smooth operation of the Internet.  It is the principal body engaged
  in the development of new Internet Standard specifications.

3.2 IETF Working Groups

  The technical work of the IETF is done in its Working Groups, which
  are organized by topics into several Areas (e.g., routing, network
  management, security, etc.) under the coordination of Area Directors.
  Working Groups typically have a narrow focus and a lifetime bounded
  by completion of a specific task.



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  For all purposes relevant to the Internet Standards development
  process, membership in the IETF and its Working Groups is defined to
  be established solely and entirely by individual participation in
  IETF and Working Group activities. Participation in the IETF and its
  Working Groups is by individual technical contributors rather than by
  formal representatives of organizations.

  Anyone with the time and interest to do so is entitled and urged to
  participate actively in one or more IETF Working Groups and to attend
  IETF meetings which are held three times a year.  In most cases
  active Working Group participation is possible through electronic
  mail alone.  Internet video conferencing is also being used to allow
  for remote participation.

  To ensure a fair and open process, participants in the IETF and its
  Working Groups must be able to disclose, and must disclose to the
  Working Group chairs any relevant current or pending intellectual
  property rights that are reasonably and personally known to the
  participant if they participate in discussions about a specific
  technology.

  New Working Groups are established within the IETF by explicit
  charter.  The guidelines and procedures for the formation and
  operation of IETF working groups are described in detail in [A].

  A Working Group is managed by one or more Working Group chairs (see
  section 2.2).  It may also include editors of documents that record
  the group's work (see section 2.3). Further details of Working Group
  operation are contained in [A]

  IETF Working Groups display a spirit of cooperation as well as a high
  degree of technical maturity;  IETF participants recognize that the
  greatest benefit for all members of the Internet community results
  from cooperative development of technically superior protocols and
  services.

3.3  IETF Secretariat

  The administrative functions necessary to support the activities of
  the IETF are performed by a Secretariat consisting of the IETF
  Executive Director and his or her staff. The IETF Executive Director
  is the formal point of contact for matters concerning any and all
  aspects of the Internet standards process, and is responsible for
  maintaining the formal public record of the Internet standards
  process [B].






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3.4  Internet Society

  The Internet Society (ISOC) is an international organization
  concerned with the growth and evolution of the worldwide Internet and
  with the social, political, and technical issues that arise from its
  use.  The ISOC is an organization with individual and organizational
  members.  The ISOC is managed by a Board of Trustees elected by the
  worldwide individual membership.

  Internet standardization is an organized activity of the ISOC, with
  the Board of Trustees being responsible for ratifying the procedures
  and rules of the Internet standards process [B].

  The way in which the members of the ISOC Board of Trustees are
  selected, and other matters concerning the operation of the Internet
  Society, are described in the ISOC By Laws [C].

3.5 Internet Engineering Steering Group


  The Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) is the part of the
  Internet Society responsible for the management of the IETF technical
  activities.  It administers the Internet Standards process according
  to the rules and procedures defined in [B].  The IESG is responsible
  for the actions associated with the progression of technical
  specification along the "standards track" including the initial
  approval of new Working Groups and the final approval of
  specifications as Internet Standards.  The IESG is composed of the
  IETF Area Directors and the chair of the IETF, who also serves as the
  chair of the IESG.

  The members of the IESG are nominated by a nominations committee (the
  Nomcom), and are approved by the IAB.  See [E] for a detailed
  description of the Nomcom procedures. Other matters concerning its
  organization and operation, are described in the IESG charter [does
  not yet exist].

3.6  Internet Architecture Board

  The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) is chartered by the Internet
  Society Trustees to provide oversight of the architecture of the
  Internet and its protocols.  The IAB appoints the IETF chair and is
  responsible for approving other IESG candidates put forward by the
  IETF nominating committee. The IAB is also responsible for reviewing
  and approving the charters of new Working Groups that are proposed
  for the IETF.

  The IAB provides oversight of the process used to create Internet



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  Standards and serves as an appeal board for complaints of improper
  execution of the standards process [B]. In general it acts as source
  of advice to the IETF, the ISOC and the ISOC Board of Trustees
  concerning technical, architectural, procedural, and policy matters
  pertaining to the Internet and its enabling technologies.

  The members of the IAB are nominated by a nominations committee (the
  Nomcom), and are approved by the ISOC board.  See [E] for a detailed
  description of the Nomcom procedures.  The membership of the IAB
  consists of members selected by the Nomcom process and the IETF chair
  sitting as a ex-officio member.  Other matters concerning its
  organization and operation, are described in the IAB charter [D].

3.7  Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

  Many protocol specifications include numbers, keywords, and other
  parameters that must be uniquely assigned.  Examples include version
  numbers, protocol numbers, port numbers, and MIB numbers. The
  Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is responsible for
  assigning the values of these protocol parameters for the Internet.
  The IANA publishes tables of all currently assigned numbers and
  parameters in RFCs entitled "Assigned Numbers" [E]. The IANA
  functions as the "top of the pyramid" for DNS and Internet Address
  assignment establishing policies for these functions.

  The functions of the IANA are performed by one or more individuals or
  organizations selected in accordance with the procedures defined by
  the IANA charter [F].

3.8 Internet Research Task Force

  The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) is not directly involved in
  the Internet standards process.  It investigates topics considered to
  be too uncertain, too advanced, or insufficiently well-understood to
  be the subject of Internet standardization.  When an IRTF activity
  generates a specification that is sufficiently stable to be
  considered for Internet standardization, the specification is
  processed through the IETF using the rules in this document.

  The IRTF is composed of individual Working Groups, but its structure
  and mode of operation is much less formal than that of the IETF, due
  in part to the fact that it does not participate directly in the
  Internet standards process.  The organization and program of work of
  the IRTF is overseen by the Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG),
  which consists of the chairs of the IRTF Working Groups.  Details of
  the organization and operation of the IRTF and its Working Groups may
  be found in [H].




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4. Security Considerations

  Security is not addressed in this memo.

5. References

  [A]  Huizer,E. and D. Crocker, "IETF Working Group Guidelines and
  Procedures", RFC 1603, March 1994.

  [B] Bradner, S., Editor, "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision
  3", RFC 2026, October 1996.

  [C] By - Laws for the Internet Society, as amended:
  gopher://info.isoc.org/00/isoc/basic_docs/bylaws.txt

  [D]  Huitema, C. and the IAB, "Charter of the Internet  Architecture
  Board (IAB)", RFC 1601, March 1994.

  [E] Galvin, J (Ed.), "IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and
  Recall Process: Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees",
  RFC 2027, October 1996.

  [F] IANA Charter, Work in Progress.

  [G] RFC Editor Charter, Work in Progress.

  [H] IRTF Charter, RFC 2014, October 1996.

5. Authors' Addresses:

  Richard Hovey
  Digital Equipment Corporation
  1401 H Street NW
  Washington DC 20005

  Phone:  +1 202 383 5615
  EMail:  [email protected]

  Scott Bradner
  Harvard University
  1350 Mass Ave. Rm 813
  Cambridge MA 02138

  Phone: +1 617 495 3864
  EMail: [email protected]






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Appendix A - Contact Information

  IETF - [email protected], http://www.ietf.org

  IESG - [email protected], http://www.ietf.org/iesg.html

  IAB - [email protected], http://www.iab.org/iab

  RFC Editor - [email protected], http://www.isi.edu/rfc-editor

  IANA - [email protected], http://www.iana.org/iana/








































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