Network Working Group                                         S. BradnerRequest for Comments: 2418                                        EditorObsoletes: 1603                                       Harvard UniversityBCP: 25                                                   September 1998Category: Best Current Practice                           IETF Working Group                       Guidelines and ProceduresStatus 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.Copyright Notice   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.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 also describes the formal   relationship between IETF participants WG and the Internet   Engineering Steering Group (IESG) and the basic duties of IETF   participants, including WG Chairs, WG participants, and IETF Area   Directors.Table of Contents   Abstract .........................................................  1   1. Introduction ..................................................  2     1.1. IETF approach to standardization ..........................  4     1.2. Roles within a Working Group ..............................  4   2. Working group formation .......................................  4     2.1. Criteria for formation ....................................  4     2.2. Charter ...................................................  6     2.3. Charter review & approval .................................  8     2.4. Birds of a feather (BOF) ..................................  9   3. Working Group Operation ....................................... 10     3.1. Session planning .......................................... 11     3.2. Session venue ............................................. 11     3.3. Session management ........................................ 13     3.4. Contention and appeals .................................... 15Bradner                  Best Current Practice                  [Page 1]RFC 2418                Working Group Guidelines          September 1998   4. Working Group Termination ..................................... 15   5. Rechartering a Working Group .................................. 15   6. Staff Roles ................................................... 16     6.1. WG Chair .................................................. 16     6.2. WG Secretary .............................................. 18     6.3. Document Editor ........................................... 18     6.4. WG Facilitator ............................................ 18     6.5. Design teams .............................................. 19     6.6. Working Group Consultant .................................. 19     6.7. Area Director ............................................. 19   7. Working Group Documents ....................................... 19     7.1. Session documents ......................................... 19     7.2. Internet-Drafts (I-D) ..................................... 19     7.3. Request For Comments (RFC) ................................ 20     7.4. Working Group Last-Call ................................... 20     7.5. Submission of documents ................................... 21   8. Review of documents ........................................... 21   9. Security Considerations ....................................... 22   10. Acknowledgments .............................................. 23   11. References ................................................... 23   12. Editor's Address ............................................. 23   Appendix:  Sample Working Group Charter .......................... 24   Full Copyright Statement ......................................... 261. Introduction   The Internet, a loosely-organized international collaboration of   autonomous, interconnected networks, supports host-to-host   communication through voluntary adherence to open protocols and   procedures defined by Internet Standards.  There are also many   isolated interconnected networks, which are not connected to the   global Internet but use the Internet Standards. Internet Standards   are developed in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).  This   document defines guidelines and procedures for IETF working groups.   The Internet Standards Process of the IETF is defined in [1]. The   organizations involved in the IETF Standards Process are described in   [2] as are the roles of specific individuals.   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 primary activities of the IETF are   performed by committees known as working groups. There are currently   more than 100 working groups. (See the IETF web page for an up-to-   date list of IETF Working Groups - http://www.ietf.org.) Working   groups tend to have a narrow focus and a lifetime bounded by the   completion of a specific set of tasks, although there are exceptions.Bradner                  Best Current Practice                  [Page 2]RFC 2418                Working Group Guidelines          September 1998   For management purposes, the IETF working groups are collected   together into areas, with each area having a separate focus.  For   example, the security area deals with the development of security-   related technology.  Each IETF area is managed by one or two Area   Directors (ADs).  There are currently 8 areas in the IETF but the   number changes from time to time.  (See the IETF web page for a list   of the current areas, the Area Directors for each area, and a list of   which working groups are assigned to each area.)   In many areas, the Area Directors have formed an advisory group or   directorate.  These comprise experienced members of the IETF and the   technical community represented by the area.  The specific name and   the details of the role for each group differ from area to area, but   the primary intent is that these groups assist the Area Director(s),   e.g., with the review of specifications produced in the area.   The IETF area directors are selected by a nominating committee, which   also selects an overall chair for the IETF.  The nominations process   is described in [3].   The area directors sitting as a body, along with the IETF Chair,   comprise the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). The IETF   Executive Director is an ex-officio participant of the IESG, as are   the IAB Chair and a designated Internet Architecture Board (IAB)   liaison.  The IESG approves IETF Standards and approves the   publication of other IETF documents.  (See [1].)   A small IETF Secretariat provides staff and administrative support   for the operation of the IETF.   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 the 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.  When used in this document the key   words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD",   "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" are to be   interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [6].  RFC 2119 defines the use   of these key words to help make the intent of standards track   documents as clear as possible.  The same key words are used in thisBradner                  Best Current Practice                  [Page 3]RFC 2418                Working Group Guidelines          September 1998   document to help smooth WG operation and reduce the chance for   confusion about the processes.1.1. IETF approach to standardization   Familiarity with The Internet Standards Process [1] is essential for   a complete understanding of the philosophy, procedures and guidelines   described in this document.1.2. Roles within a Working Group   The document, "Organizations Involved in the IETF Standards Process"   [2] describes the roles of a number of individuals within a working   group, including the working group chair and the document editor.   These descriptions are expanded later in this document.2. Working group formation   IETF working groups (WGs) are the primary mechanism for development   of IETF specifications and guidelines, many of which are intended to   be standards or recommendations. A working group may be established   at the initiative of an Area Director 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 IETF   Area Director(s) in whose area the working group would fall and MUST   proceed through the formal steps detailed in this section.   Working groups are typically created to address a specific problem or   to produce one or more specific deliverables (a guideline, standards   specification, etc.).  Working groups are generally expected to be   short-lived in nature.  Upon completion of its goals and achievement   of its objectives, the working group is terminated. A working group   may also be terminated for other reasons (see section 4).   Alternatively, with the concurrence of the IESG, Area Director, the   WG Chair, and the WG participants, the objectives or assignment of   the working group may be extended by modifying the working group's   charter through a rechartering process (see section 5).2.1. Criteria for formation   When determining whether it is appropriate to create a working group,   the Area Director(s) and the IESG will consider several issues:    - Are the issues that the working group plans to address clear and      relevant to the Internet community?    - Are the goals specific and reasonably achievable, and achievable      within a reasonable time frame?Bradner                  Best Current Practice                  [Page 4]RFC 2418                Working Group Guidelines          September 1998    - What are the risks and urgency of the work, to determine the level      of effort 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.    - Is there sufficient interest within the IETF in the working      group's topic with enough 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 contributing to the document text.  IETF experience suggests      that these roles typically cannot all be handled by one person; a      minimum of four or five active participants in the management      positions are typically required in addition to a minimum of one      or two dozen people that will attend the working group meetings      and contribute on the mailing list.  NOTE: The interest must be      broad enough that a working group would not be seen as merely the      activity of a single vendor.    - Is there enough expertise within the IETF in the working group's      topic, and are those people interested in contributing in the      working group?    - 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.    - Does the IETF have a reasonable role to play in the determination      of the technology?  There are many Internet-related technologies      that may be interesting to IETF members but in some cases the IETF      may not be in a position to effect the course of the technology in      the "real world".  This can happen, for example, if the technology      is being developed by another standards body or an industry      consortium.    - Are all known intellectual property rights relevant to the      proposed working group's efforts issues understood?    - Is the proposed work plan an open IETF effort or is it an attempt      to "bless" non-IETF technology where the effect of input from IETF      participants may be limited?Bradner                  Best Current Practice                  [Page 5]RFC 2418                Working Group Guidelines          September 1998    - Is there a good understanding of any existing work that is      relevant to the topics that the proposed working group is to      pursue?  This includes work within the IETF and elsewhere.    - Do the working group's goals overlap with known work in another      standards body, and if so is adequate liaison in place?