rfc3160.txt

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   Working Group sessions.

   For many people, IETF meetings are a breath of fresh air when
   compared to the standard computer industry conferences.  There is no
   exposition hall, few tutorials, and no big-name industry pundits.
   Instead, there is lots of work, as well as a fair amount of time for
   socializing.  IETF meetings are of little interest to sales and
   marketing folks, but of high interest to engineers and developers.



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RFC 3160                    The Tao of IETF                  August 2001


   Most IETF meetings are held in North America, because that's where
   most of the participants are from; however, meetings are held on
   other continents about once every year or two.  The past few meetings
   have had about 2,500 attendees.  There have been over 50 IETF
   meetings so far, and a list of upcoming meetings is available on the
   IETF web pages, http://www.ietf.org/meetings/0mtg-sites.txt.

   Newcomers to IETF face-to-face meetings are often in a bit of shock.
   They expect them to be like other standards bodies, or like computer
   conferences.  Fortunately, the shock wears off after a day or two,
   and many new attendees get quite animated about how much fun they are
   having.  One particularly jarring feature of recent IETF meetings is
   the use of wireless Internet connections throughout the meeting
   space.  It is common to see half the people in a WG meeting reading
   e-mail or perusing the web during presentations they find
   uninteresting.

2.1 Registration

   To attend an IETF meeting you have to register and you have to pay
   the registration fee.  The meeting site and advance registration are
   announced about two months ahead of the meeting -- earlier if
   possible.  An announcement goes out via e-mail to the IETF-announce
   mailing list, and information is posted on the IETF web site,
   http://www.ietf.org, that same day.

   To pre-register, you must submit your registration on the Web.  You
   may pre-register and pre-pay, pre-register and return to the Web site
   later to pay with a credit card, pre-register and pay on-site at the
   meeting, or register and pay on-site.  To get a lower registration
   fee, you must pay by the early registration deadline (about one week
   before the meeting).  The registration fee covers all of the week's
   meetings, the Sunday evening reception (cash bar), daily continental
   breakfasts, and afternoon coffee breaks.

   Credit card payments on the web are encrypted and secure, or, if you
   prefer, you can use PGP to send your payment information to the
   Registrar ([e-mail]).

   Registration is open throughout the week of the meeting.  However,
   the Secretariat highly recommends that attendees arrive for early
   registration, beginning at noon on Sunday and continuing throughout
   the 5:00 Sunday evening reception.  The reception is a popular event
   where you can get a bite to eat and socialize with other early
   arrivals.






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RFC 3160                    The Tao of IETF                  August 2001


   Registered attendees (and there aren't any other kind) receive a
   registration packet.  It contains much useful information, including
   a general orientation sheet, the most recent agenda, and a name tag.
   Attendees who pre-paid will also find their receipt in their packet.
   It's worth noting that neither attendee names and addresses or IETF
   mailing lists are ever offered for sale.

2.2 Newcomers' Orientation

   Newcomers are encouraged to attend the Newcomers' Orientation, which
   is especially designed for first-time attendees.  The orientation is
   organized and conducted by the IETF Secretariat, and is intended to
   provide useful introductory information.  The orientation is
   typically about 30 minutes long and covers what's in the attendee
   packets, what all the dots on name tags mean, the structure of the
   IETF, and many other essential and enlightening topics for new
   IETFers.

   Immediately following the Newcomers' Orientation is the IETF
   Standards Process Orientation.  This session demystifies much of the
   standards process by explaining what stages a document has to pass
   through on its way to becoming a standard, and what has to be done to
   advance to the next stage.  The Standards Process Orientation also
   lasts about 30 minutes.

   There is ample time at the end for questions.  The Secretariat also
   provides handouts that include an overview of the IETF, a list of
   important files available online, and hard copies of the slides of
   the "IETF Structure and Internet Standards Process" presentation.
   These very useful slides are also available online at www.ietf.org
   under "Additional Information".

   The orientation is held on Sunday afternoon before the 5:00 p.m.
   reception (check the agenda for exact time and location).  Be advised
   that attending the orientation does NOT mean you can go to the
   reception early!

2.3 Dress Code

   Since attendees must wear their name tags, they must also wear shirts
   or blouses.  Pants or skirts are also highly recommended.  Seriously
   though, many newcomers are often embarrassed when they show up Monday
   morning in suits, to discover that everybody else is wearing t-
   shirts, jeans (shorts, if weather permits) and sandals.  There are
   those in the IETF who refuse to wear anything other than suits.
   Fortunately, they are well known (for other reasons) so they are





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RFC 3160                    The Tao of IETF                  August 2001


   forgiven this particular idiosyncrasy.  The general rule is "dress
   for the weather" (unless you plan to work so hard that you won't go
   outside, in which case, "dress for comfort" is the rule!).

2.4 Seeing Spots Before Your Eyes

   Some of the people at the IETF will have a little colored dot on
   their name tag.  A few people have more than one.  These dots
   identify people who are silly enough to volunteer to do a lot of
   extra work.  The colors have the following meanings:

      blue    -  Working Group/BOF chair
      green   -  Host group
      red     -  IAB member
      yellow  -  IESG member
      orange  -  Nominating Committee member

   (Members of the press wear orange-tinted badges.)

   Local hosts are the people who can answer questions about the
   terminal room, restaurants, and points of interest in the area.

   It is important that newcomers to the IETF not be afraid to strike up
   conversations with people who wear these dots.  If the IAB and IESG
   members and Working Group and BOF chairs didn't want to talk to
   anybody, they wouldn't be wearing the dots in the first place.

2.5 Terminal Room

   One of the most important (depending on your point of view) things
   the host does is provide Internet access for the meeting attendees.
   In general, wired and wireless connectivity is excellent.  This is
   entirely due to the Olympian efforts of the local hosts, and their
   ability to beg, borrow and steal.  The people and companies who
   donate their equipment, services and time are to be heartily
   congratulated and thanked.

   While preparation far in advance of the meeting is encouraged, there
   may be some unavoidable "last minute" things that can be accomplished
   in the terminal room.  It may also be useful to people who need to
   make trip reports or status reports while things are still fresh in
   their minds.  The terminal room provides workstations, one or two
   printers, and ports for laptops.








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RFC 3160                    The Tao of IETF                  August 2001


2.6 Meals and Other Delights

   Marshall Rose once remarked that the IETF was a place to go for "many
   fine lunches and dinners."  While it is true that some people eat
   very well at the IETF, they find the food on their own; lunches and
   dinners are not included in the registration fee.  The Secretariat
   does provide appetizers at the Sunday evening reception (not meant to
   be a replacement for dinner), continental breakfast every morning,
   and (best of all) cookies, brownies and other yummies during
   afternoon breaks.

   If you prefer to get out of the hotel for meals, the local host
   usually provides a list of places to eat within easy reach of the
   meeting site.

2.7 Social Event

   Another of the most important things organized and managed by the
   host is the IETF social event.  Sometimes, the social event is a
   computer or high-tech related event.  At the Boston IETF, for
   example, the social was dinner at the Computer Museum.  Other times,
   the social might be a dinner cruise or a trip to an art gallery.

   Newcomers to the IETF are encouraged to attend the social event.
   Everyone is encouraged to wear their name tags and leave their
   laptops behind.  The social event is designed to give people a chance
   to meet on a social, rather than technical, level.

2.8 Agenda

   The agenda for the IETF meetings is a very fluid thing.  It is sent,
   updated, to the IETF announcement list three times prior to the
   meeting, and is also available on the web.  The agenda for the 50th
   IETF, for example, is at http://www.ietf.org/meetings/agenda_50.html.
   The final agenda is included in the registration packets.  Of course,
   "final" in the IETF doesn't mean the same thing as it does elsewhere
   in the world.  The final agenda is simply the version that went to
   the printer.  The Secretariat will post agenda changes on the
   bulletin board near the IETF registration desk (not the hotel
   registration desk).

   Assignments for breakout rooms (where the Working Groups and BOFs
   meet) and a map showing the room locations are also shown on the
   agenda.  Room assignments can change as the agenda changes.  Some
   Working Groups meet multiple times during a meeting and every attempt
   is made to have a Working Group meet in the same room for each
   session.




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RFC 3160                    The Tao of IETF                  August 2001


2.9  Where Do I Fit In?

   The IETF is different things to different people.  There are many
   people who have been very active in the IETF who have never attended
   an IETF meeting.  You should not feel obligated to come to an IETF
   meeting just to get a feel for the IETF.  The following guidelines
   (based on stereotypes of people in various industries) might help you
   decide whether you actually want to come and, if so, what might be
   the best use of your time at your first meeting.

2.9.1  IS Managers

   As discussed throughout this document, an IETF meeting is nothing
   like any trade show you have attended.  IETF meetings are singularly
   bad places to go if your intention is to find out what will be hot in
   the Internet industry next year.  You can safely assume that going to
   Working Group meetings will confuse you more than it will help you
   understand what is happening, or will be happening, in the industry.

   This is not to say that no one from industry should go to IETF
   meetings.  As an IS manager, you might want to consider sending
   specific people who are responsible for technologies that are under
   development in the IETF.  As these people read the current Internet
   Drafts and the traffic on the relevant Working Group lists, they will
   get a sense of whether or not their presence would be worthwhile for
   your company or for the Working Groups.

2.9.2  Network Operators and ISPs

   Running a network is hard enough without having to grapple with new
   protocols or new versions of the protocols with which you are already
   dealing.  If you work for the type of network that is always using
   the very latest hardware and software, and you are following the
   relevant Working Groups in your copious free time, you might find
   attending the IETF meeting valuable.  The closer you are to the