IETF Working Group Guidelines and Procedures
RFC 1603

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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

Huizer & Crocker                                                [Page 1]
RFC 1603             IETF Working Group Guidelines            March 1994

     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: