rfc1603.txt

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Network Working Group                                          E. Huizer
Request for Comments: 1603                                    SURFnet bv
Category: Informational                                       D. Crocker
                                                  Silicon Graphics, Inc.
                                                              March 1994


                           IETF Working Group
                       Guidelines and Procedures

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  This memo
   does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
   this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

   The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has responsibility for
   developing and reviewing specifications intended as Internet
   Standards. IETF activities are organized into working groups (WGs).
   This document describes the guidelines and procedures for formation
   and operation of IETF working groups. It describes the formal
   relationship between IETF participants WG and the Internet
   Engineering Steering Group (IESG). The basic duties of IETF
   participants, including WG Chair and IESG Area Directors are defined.

Table of Contents

   1.   INTRODUCTION..............................................  2
     1.1. IETF approach to standardization........................  3
     1.2. Acknowledgments.........................................  4
   2.   WORKING GROUP (WG) FORMATION..............................  5
     2.1. Criteria for formation..................................  5
     2.2. Charter.................................................  6
     2.3. Charter review & approval...............................  9
     2.4. Birds of a feather (BOF)................................  9
   3.   WORKING GROUP OPERATION................................... 11
     3.1. Session planning........................................ 11
     3.2. Session venue........................................... 12
     3.3. Session management...................................... 14
     3.4. Contention and appeals overview......................... 15
   4.   WORKING GROUP TERMINATION................................. 16
   5.   STAFF ROLES............................................... 17
     5.1. WG Chair................................................ 17
     5.2. WG Editor/Secretary..................................... 19
     5.3. WG Facilitator.......................................... 19
     5.4. Design teams............................................ 19



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     5.5. Area Consultant......................................... 19
     5.6. Area Director........................................... 20
     5.7. Area Directorate........................................ 21
   6.   WORKING GROUP DOCUMENTS................................... 21
     6.1. Session documents....................................... 21
     6.2. IETF meeting document archive........................... 21
     6.3. Internet-Drafts (I-D)................................... 23
     6.4. Request For Comments (RFC).............................. 24
     6.5. Submission of documents................................. 24
     6.6. Review of documents..................................... 25
   7.   SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS................................... 26
   8.   REFERENCES................................................ 26
   9.   AUTHORS' ADDRESSES........................................ 27
   APPENDIX:  SAMPLE WORKING GROUP CHARTER........................ 28

1.   INTRODUCTION

   This document defines guidelines and procedures for Internet
   Engineering Task Force working groups.  The Internet is a loosely-
   organized international collaboration of autonomous, interconnected
   networks; it supports host-to-host communication through voluntary
   adherence to open protocols and procedures defined by Internet
   Standards, a collection of which are commonly known as "the TCP/IP
   protocol suite". The Internet Standards Process is defined in [1].
   Development and review of potential Internet Standards from all
   sources is conducted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

   The IETF is a large, open community of network designers, operators,
   vendors, users, and researchers concerned with the Internet and the
   technology used on it. The IETF is managed by its Internet
   Engineering Steering Group (IESG) whose membership includes an IETF
   Chair, responsible for oversight of general IETF operations, and Area
   Directors, each of whom is responsible for a set of IETF activities
   and working groups. The IETF Executive Director and IESG Secretary
   are ex-officio participants, as are the IAB Chair and a designated
   Internet Architecture Board (IAB) member.  At present there are 10
   areas, though the number and purview of areas changes over time:

            User Services               (USV)
            Applications                (APP)
            Service Applications        (SAP)
            Transport Services          (TSV)
            Internet                    (INT)
            Routing                     (RTG)
            Network Management          (MGT)
            Operational Requirements    (OPS)
            Security                    (SEC)
            Standards & Processes       (STD)



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   Most areas have an advisory group or directorate.  The specific name
   and the details of the role for each group differs from area to area,
   but the primary intent is that the group assist the Area Director,
   e.g., with the review of specifications produced in the area. An
   advisory group is formed by an Area Director (AD) and comprises
   experienced members of the IETF and technical community represented
   by the area.  A small IETF Secretariat provides staff and
   administrative support for the operation of the IETF.

   The primary activities of the IETF are performed by committees known
   as working groups. There are currently more than 60 of these.
   Working groups tend to have a narrow focus and a lifetime bounded by
   completion of a specific task, although there are exceptions.

   There is no formal membership in the IETF.  Participation is open to
   all.  This participation may be by on-line contribution, attendance
   at face-to-face sessions, or both.  Anyone from the Internet
   community who has the time and interest is urged to participate in
   IETF meetings and any of its on-line working group discussions.
   Participation is by individual technical contributors, rather than by
   formal representatives of organizations.

   This document defines procedures and guidelines for formation and
   operation of working groups in the IETF. It defines the relations of
   working groups to other bodies within the IETF. The duties of working
   group Chairs and Area Directors with respect to the operation of the
   working group are also defined.  The document uses: "shall", "will",
   "must" and "is required" where it describes steps in the process that
   are essential, and uses: "suggested", "should" and "may" are where
   guidelines are described that are not essential, but are strongly
   recommended to help smooth WG operation.

1.1. IETF approach to standardization

   The reader is encouraged to study The Internet Standards Process [1].
   Familiarity with this document is essential for a complete
   understanding of the philosophy, procedures and guidelines described
   in this document.

   The goals of the process are summarized in [1]:

     "In general, an Internet Standard is a specification that is
     stable and well-understood, is technically competent, has
     multiple, independent, and interoperable implementations
     with operational experience, enjoys significant public
     support, and is recognizably useful in some or all parts of
     the Internet.
     ...



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     "In outline, the process of creating an Internet Standard is
     straightforward: a specification undergoes a period of
     development and several iterations of review by the Internet
     community and perhaps revision based upon experience, is
     adopted as a Standard by the appropriate body (see below),
     and is published.

     "In practice, the process is somewhat more complicated, due
     to (1) the number and type of possible sources for
     specifications; (2) the need to prepare and revise a
     specification in a manner that preserves the interests of
     all of the affected parties;  (3) the importance of
     establishing widespread community agreement on its technical
     content; and (4) the difficulty of evaluating the utility of
     a particular specification for the Internet community.
     ...
     "These procedures are explicitly aimed at developing and
     adopting generally-accepted practices.  Thus, a candidate
     for Internet standardization is implemented and tested for
     correct operation and interoperability by multiple,
     independent parties, and utilized in increasingly demanding
     environments, before it can be adopted as an Internet
     Standard."

   The IETF standardization process has been marked by informality.  As
   the community of participation has grown it has become necessary to
   document procedures, while continuing to avoid unnecessary
   bureaucracy.  This goals of this balancing act are summarized in [1]
   as:

     "The procedures that are described here provide a great deal
     of flexibility to adapt to the wide variety of circumstances
     that occur in the Internet standardization process.
     Experience has shown this flexibility to be vital in
     achieving the following goals for Internet standardization:

           *    high quality,
           *    prior implementation and testing,
           *    openness and fairness, and
           *    timeliness."

1.2. Acknowledgments

   Much of this document is due to the copy-and-paste function of a word
   processor.  Several passages have been taken from the documents cited
   in the reference section. The POISED WG provided discussion and
   comments. Three people deserve special mention, as especially large
   chunks of their documents have been integrated into this one:  Vint



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   Cerf [7] from whom we borrowed the description of the IETF; and Greg
   Vaudreuil and Steve Coya who provided several paragraphs.  Also, John
   Stewart and Steve Crocker did a truly stellar job of proof-reading.
   However, all the errors you'll find are probably ours.

2.  WORKING GROUP (WG) FORMATION

   IETF working groups (WGs) are the primary mechanism for development
   of IETF specifications and guidelines, many of which are intended as
   standards or recommendations. A working group may be established at
   the initiative of an Area Director (AD) or it may be initiated by an
   individual or group of individuals. Anyone interested in creating an
   IETF working group must obtain the advice and consent of the
   appropriate IETF Area Director under whose direction the working
   group would fall and must proceed through the formal steps detailed
   in this section.

   A working group is typically created to address a specific problem or
   produce a deliverable (a guideline, standards specification, etc.)
   and is expected to be short-lived in nature.  Upon completion of its
   goals and achievement of its objectives, the working group as a unit
   is terminated. Alternatively at the discretion of the IESG, Area
   Director, the WG Chair and the WG participants, the objectives or
   assignment of the working group may be extended by enhancing or
   modifying the working group's charter.

2.1. Criteria for formation

   When determining whether it is appropriate to create a working group,
   the Area Director and the IESG will consider several issues:

   -    Are the issues that the working group plans to address clear
        and relevant for the Internet community?

   -    Are the goals specific and reasonably achievable, and
        achievable within the time frame specified by the
        milestones?

   -    What are the risks and urgency of the work, to determine the
        level of attention required?

   -    Do the working group's activities overlap with those of
        another working group? If so, it may still be appropriate to
        create the working group, but this question must be
        considered carefully by the Area Directors as subdividing
        efforts often dilutes the available technical expertise.





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   -    Is there sufficient interest and expertise in the working
        group's topic with at least several people willing to expend
        the effort to produce the desired result (e.g., a protocol
        specification)?  Working groups require considerable effort,
        including management of the working group process, editing
        of working group documents, and contribution to the document
        text.  IETF experience suggests that these roles typically
        cannot all be handled by one person; four or five active
        participants are typically required.

   -    Does a base of interested consumers (end users) appear to
        exist for the planned work?  Consumer interest can be
        measured by participation of end-users within the IETF
        process, as well as by less direct means.

   Considering the above criteria, the Area Director will decide whether
   to pursue the formation of the group through the chartering process.

2.2. Charter

   The formation of a working group requires a charter which is
   primarily negotiated between a prospective working group Chair and
   the relevant Area Director, although final approval is made by the
   IESG and all charters are reviewed by the Internet Architecture Board
   (IAB).  A charter is a contract between a working group and the IETF
   to perform a set of tasks.  A charter:

   1.   Lists relevant administrative aspects of the working group;

   2.   Specifies the direction or objectives of the working group
        and describes the approach that will be taken to achieve the
        goals; and

   3.   Enumerates a set of milestones together with time frames for
        their completion.

   When the prospective Chair, the Area Director and the IESG Secretary
   are satisfied with the charter form and content, it becomes the basis
   for forming a working group. The AD may require an initial draft of a
   charter to be available prior to holding an exploratory Birds of a