Network Working Group                                         S. Crocker
Request for Comments #53                                      UCLA
                                                             9 June 70


                    An Official Protocol Mechanism


During the Spring Joint Computer Conference in Atlantic City, Larry
Roberts, Barry Wessler, Cordell Green, Jon Postel and I discussed rules
for establishing and modifying an official Host-Host protocol.

The following decisions were made:

     1.  A new set of documents will be created.  This set of
         documents will specify the official Host-Host protocol.  When
         it becomes appropriate, these documents will be maintained at
         the Network Information Center on SRI's computer.

     2.  I will distribute proposals for the initial version of the
         official protocol and all subsequent changes as NWG/RFC's.
         These proposals will be formulated from suggestions made by
         any interested parties.

     3.  After a proposal for a change in the official protocol
         has been issued as an NWG/RFC, networkers are requested to
         respond with approval, criticism, etc.  A cutoff date will be
         included with each protocol.

     4.  After the cutoff date, one of two situations will prevail.
         Either the proposal will have been substantially accepted by
         the network community, or substantial criticism will have been
         generated.  In the latter case, the process stops and no
         change occurs to the official protocol.

     5.  If the proposal has been substantially accepted, the
         proposal, together with its minor revisions will be forwarded
         to the ARPA office.  Barry Wessler or his successor will then
         either approve or disapprove the whole proposal.  His decision
         will be returned to me by letter.

     6.  After the ARPA office approves the proposal, I will send
         out the new protocol (as mentioned in item 1 above).

The first version of an official protocol will be proferred this month.

      [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
[ into the online RFC archives by Kathy de Graaf 2/98 ]



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