Defining the Role and Function of IETF Protocol Parameter Registry Operators
RFC 8722

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Internet Architecture Board (IAB)                      D. McPherson, Ed.
Request for Comments: 8722                                Verisign, Inc.
Obsoletes: 6220                                          O. Kolkman, Ed.
Category: Informational                                             ISOC
ISSN: 2070-1721                                          J. Klensin, Ed.
                                                                        
                                                          G. Huston, Ed.
                                                                   APNIC
                                                           February 2020

   Defining the Role and Function of IETF Protocol Parameter Registry
                               Operators

Abstract

   Many Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) protocols make use of
   commonly defined values that are passed in messages or packets.  To
   ensure consistent interpretation of these values between independent
   implementations, there is a need to ensure that the values and
   associated semantic intent are uniquely defined.  The IETF uses
   registry functions to record assigned protocol parameter values and
   their associated semantic intentions.  For each IETF protocol
   parameter, it is current practice for the IETF to delegate the role
   of Protocol Parameter Registry Operator to a nominated entity.  This
   document provides a description of, and the requirements for, these
   delegated functions.  This document obsoletes RFC 6220 to replace all
   references to the IETF Administrative Support Activity (IASA) and
   related structures with those defined by the IASA 2.0 Model.

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for informational purposes.

   This document is a product of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
   and represents information that the IAB has deemed valuable to
   provide for permanent record.  It represents the consensus of the
   Internet Architecture Board (IAB).  Documents approved for
   publication by the IAB are not candidates for any level of Internet
   Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 7841.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8722.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2020 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.

Table of Contents

   1.  Overview
   2.  Roles and Responsibilities Concerning IETF Protocol Parameter
           Registries
     2.1.  Protocol Parameter Registry Operator Role
     2.2.  IAB Role
     2.3.  IESG Role
     2.4.  Role of the IETF Trust
     2.5.  Role of the IETF Administration Limited Liability Company
   3.  Miscellaneous Considerations
   4.  Security Considerations
   5.  IANA Considerations
   6.  Informative References
   IAB Members at the Time of Approval
   Acknowledgements
   Authors' Addresses

1.  Overview

   Many IETF protocols make use of commonly defined values that are
   passed within messages or packets.  To ensure consistent
   interpretation of these values between independent implementations,
   there is a need to ensure that the values and associated semantic
   intent are uniquely defined.  The IETF uses registries to record each
   of the possible values of a protocol parameter and their associated
   semantic intent.  These registries, their registration policy, and
   the layout of their content are defined in the so-called "IANA
   Considerations" sections of IETF documents.

   The organizational separation between the IETF and its Protocol
   Parameter Registry Operators parallels ones that are fairly common
   among standards development organizations (SDOs) although less common
   among technology consortia and similar bodies.  These functions have
   been separated into different organizations for several reasons.
   They include dealing with administrative issues, addressing concerns
   about maintaining an adequate distance between basic policy and
   specific allocations, and avoiding any potential conflicts of
   interest that might arise from commercial or organizational
   relationships.  For example, most ISO and ISO/IEC JTC1 standards that
   require registration activities specify a Registration Authority (RA)
   or Maintenance Agency (MA) that, in turn, control the actual
   registration decisions.  The databases of what is registered for each
   standard may then be maintained by a secretariat or database function
   associated with the RA or MA or, less frequently, by the secretariat