rfc3160.txt

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   bleeding edge of networking, particularly in the areas of routing and
   switching, the more likely it is that you will be able to learn and
   contribute at an IETF meeting.

2.9.3  Networking Hardware and Software Vendors

   The image of the IETF being mostly ivory tower academics may have
   been true in the past, but the jobs of typical attendees are now in
   industry.  In most areas of the IETF, employees of vendors are the
   ones writing the protocols and leading the Working Groups, so it's
   completely appropriate for vendors to attend.  If you create Internet
   hardware or software, and no one from your company has ever attended
   an IETF meeting, it behooves you to come to a meeting if for no other



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   reason than to tell the others how relevant the meeting was or was
   not to your business.

   This is not to say that companies should close up shop during IETF
   meeting weeks so everyone can go to the meeting.  Marketing folks,
   even technical marketing folks, are usually safe in staying away from
   the IETF as long as some of the technical people from the company are
   at the meeting.  Similarly, it isn't required, or likely useful, for
   everyone from a technical department to go, particularly if they are
   not all reading the Internet Drafts and following the Working Group
   mailing lists.  Many companies have just a few designated meeting
   attendees who are chosen for their ability to do complete and useful
   trip reports.

2.9.4  Academics

   IETF meetings are often excellent places for computer science folk to
   find out what is happening in the way of soon-to-be-deployed
   protocols.  Professors and grad students (and sometimes overachieving
   undergrads) who are doing research in networking or communications
   can get a wealth of information by following Working Groups in their
   specific fields of interest.  Wandering into different Working Group
   meetings can have the same effect as going to symposia and seminars
   in your department.

2.9.5  Computer Trade Press

   If you're a member of the press and are considering attending IETF,
   we've prepared a special section of the Tao just for you -- please
   see Section 8.2.

2.10  Proceedings

   IETF proceedings are compiled in the two months following each
   meeting, and are available on the web, on CD, and in print.  Be sure
   to look through a copy -- the proceedings are filled with information
   about IETF that you're not likely to find anywhere else.  For
   example, you'll find snapshots of most WG charters at the time of the
   meeting, giving you a better understanding of the evolution of any
   given effort.

   The proceedings usually start with an informative (and highly
   entertaining) message from Steve Coya, the Executive Director of the
   IETF.  Each volume of contains the final (hindsight) agenda, an IETF
   overview, area and Working Group reports, and slides from the
   protocol and technical presentations.  The Working Group reports and
   presentations are sometimes incomplete, if the materials haven't been
   turned in to the Secretariat in time for publication.



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   An attendee list is also included, and contains names, affiliations,
   work and fax phone numbers, and e-mail addresses as provided on the
   registration form.  For information about obtaining copies of the
   proceedings, see the Web listing at
   http://www.ietf.org/proceedings/directory.html.

2.11  Other General Things

   The IETF Secretariat, and IETFers in general, are very approachable.
   Never be afraid to approach someone and introduce yourself.  Also,
   don't be afraid to ask questions, especially when it comes to jargon
   and acronyms!

   Hallway conversations are very important.  A lot of very good work
   gets done by people who talk together between meetings and over
   lunches and dinners.  Every minute of the IETF can be considered work
   time (much to some people's dismay).

   A "bar BOF" is an unofficial get-together, usually in the late
   evening, during which a lot of work gets done over drinks.  Bar BOFs
   spring up in many different places around an IETF meeting, such as
   restaurants, coffee shops, and (if we are so lucky) pools.

   It's unwise to get between a hungry IETFer (and there isn't any other
   kind) and coffee break brownies and cookies, no matter how
   interesting a hallway conversation is.

   IETFers are fiercely independent.  It's safe to question opinions and
   offer alternatives, but don't expect an IETFer to follow orders.

   The IETF, and the plenary session in particular, are not places for
   vendors to try to sell their wares.  People can certainly answer
   questions about their company and its products, but bear in mind that
   the IETF is not a trade show.  This does not preclude people from
   recouping costs for IETF-related t-shirts, buttons and pocket
   protectors.

   There is always a "materials distribution table" near the
   registration desk.  This desk is used to make appropriate information
   available to the attendees (e.g., copies of something discussed in a
   Working Group session, descriptions of online IETF-related
   information, etc.).  Please check with the Secretariat before placing
   materials on the desk; the Secretariat has the right to remove
   material that they feel is not appropriate.







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3.0 Working Groups

   The vast majority of the IETF's work is done in many "Working
   Groups;" at the time of this writing, there are about 115 different
   WGs.  (The term "Working Group" is often seen capitalized, but
   probably not for a very good reason.)  BCP 25, "IETF Working Group
   Guidelines and Procedures," is an excellent resource for anyone
   participating in WG discussions.

   A WG is really just a mailing list with a bit of adult supervision.
   You "join" the WG by subscribing to the mailing list; all mailing
   lists are open to anyone.  Some IETF WG mailing lists only let
   subscribers to the mailing list post to the mailing list, while
   others let anyone post.  Each Working Group has one or two chairs.

   More importantly, each WG has a charter that the WG is supposed to
   follow.  The charter states the scope of discussion for the Working
   Group, as well as its goals.  The WG's mailing list and face-to-face
   meetings are supposed to focus on just what is in the charter, and
   not to wander off on other "interesting" topics.  Of course, looking
   a bit outside the scope of the WG is occasionally useful, but the
   large majority of the discussion should be on the topics listed in
   the charter.  In fact, some WG charters actually specify what the WG
   will not do, particularly if there were some attractive but nebulous
   topics brought up during the drafting of the charter.  The list of
   all WG charters makes interesting reading for folks who want to know
   what the different Working Groups are supposed to be doing.

3.1 Working Group Chairs

   The role of the WG chairs is described in both BCP 11 and BCP 25.
   Basically, their job is to keep the discussion moving forward towards
   the milestones in the WG charter -- usually publication of one or
   more RFCs.  They are not meant to be taskmasters, but are responsible
   for assuring positive forward motion and preventing random wandering.

   As you can imagine, some Working Group chairs are much better at
   their jobs than others.  When a WG has fulfilled its charter, it is
   supposed to cease operations.  (Most WG mailing lists continue on
   after a WG is closed, still discussing the same topics as the Working
   Group did.)  In the IETF, it is a mark of success that the WG closes
   up because it fulfilled its charter.  This is one of the aspects of
   the IETF that newcomers who have experience with other standards
   bodies have a hard time understanding.  However, some WG chairs never
   manage to get their WG to finish, or keep adding new tasks to the
   charter so that the Working Group drags on for many years.  The
   output of these aging WGs is often not nearly as useful as the




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   earlier products, and the messy results are sometimes called
   "degenerative Working Group syndrome."

   One important role of the chair is to decide which Internet Drafts
   get published as "official" Working Group drafts, and which don't.
   In practice, there is actually not much procedural difference between
   WG drafts and independent drafts; for example, many WG mailing lists
   also discuss independent drafts (at the discretion of the WG chair).
   Procedures for Internet Drafts are covered in much more detail later
   in this document.

   WG chairs are strongly advised to go to the new chairs' training
   lunch the first day of the IETF meeting.  If you're interested in
   what they hear there, take a look at the slides at
   http://www.ietf.org/wgchair/index.htm.

3.2  Getting Things Done in a Working Group

   One fact that confuses many novices is that the face-to-face WG
   meetings are much less important in the IETF than they are in most
   other organizations.  Any decision made at a face-to-face meeting
   must also gain consensus on the WG mailing list.  There are numerous
   examples of important decisions made in WG meetings that are later
   overturned on the mailing list, often because someone who couldn't
   attend the meeting pointed out a serious flaw in the logic used to
   come to the decision.

   Another aspect of Working Groups that confounds many people is the
   fact that there is no formal voting.  The general rule on disputed
   topics is that the Working Group has to come to "rough consensus,"
   meaning that a very large majority of those who care must agree.  The
   exact method of determining rough consensus varies from Working Group
   to Working Group.  The lack of voting has caused some very long
   delays for some proposals, but most IETF participants who have
   witnessed rough consensus after acrimonious debates feel that the
   delays often result in better protocols.  (And, if you think about
   it, how could you have "voting" in a group that anyone can join, and
   when it's impossible to count the participants?)

3.3  Preparing for Working Group Meetings

   The most important thing that everyone (newcomers and seasoned
   experts) should do before coming to a face-to-face meeting is to read
   the Internet Drafts and RFCs beforehand.  WG meetings are explicitly
   not for education:  they are for developing the group's documents.
   Even if you do not plan to say anything in the meeting, you should
   read the group's documents before attending so you can understand
   what is being said.



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   It's up to the WG chair to set the meeting agenda, usually a few
   weeks in advance.  If you want something discussed at the meeting, be
   sure to let the chair know about it.  The agendas for all the WG
   meetings are available in advance (see
   http://www.ietf.org/meetings/wg_agenda_xx.html, where 'xx' is the
   meeting number), but many WG chairs are lax (if not totally
   negligent) about turning them in.

   The Secretariat only schedules WG meetings a few weeks in advance,
   and the schedule often changes as little as a week before the first
   day.  If you are only coming for one WG meeting, you may have a hard
   time booking your flight with such little notice, particularly if the
   Working Group's meeting changes schedule.  Be sure to keep track of
   the current agenda so you can schedule flights and hotels.  But, when
   it comes down to it, you probably shouldn't be coming for just one WG
   meeting.  It's likely that your knowledge could be valuable in a few
   WGs, assuming that you've read the drafts and RFCs for those groups.

   If you're giving a presentation at a face-to-face meeting, you should
   probably come with a few slides prepared.  Projectors for laptop-
   based presentations are available in all the meeting rooms.  And
   here's a tip for your slides:  don't put your company's logo on every
   one, even though it's common practice outside the IETF.  The IETF
   frowns on this kind of corporate advertising, and most presenters
   don't even put their logo on their opening slide.  The IETF is about
   technical content, not company boosterism.

3.4  Working Group Mailing Lists

   As we mentioned earlier, the IETF announcement and discussion mailing