diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/rfc/rfc1539.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/rfc/rfc1539.txt | 1235 |
1 files changed, 1235 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/rfc/rfc1539.txt b/doc/rfc/rfc1539.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4de989c --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/rfc/rfc1539.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1235 @@ + + + + + + +Network Working Group G. Malkin +Request for Comments: 1539 Xylogics, Inc. +Obsoletes: 1391 October 1993 +FYI: 17 +Category: Informational + + + The Tao of IETF + A Guide for New Attendees of the Internet Engineering Task Force + + +Status of this Memo + + This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does + not specify an Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is + unlimited. + + +Abstract + + Over the last two years, the attendance at Internet Engineering Task + Force (IETF) Plenary meetings has grown phenomenally. Approximately + 38% of the attendees are new to the IETF at each meeting. About 33% + of those go on to become regular attendees. When the meetings were + smaller, it wasn't very difficult for a newcomer to get to know + people and get into the swing of things. Today, however, a newcomer + meets many more new people, some previously known only as the authors + of Request For Comments (RFC) documents or thought provoking email + messages. + + The purpose of this For Your Information (FYI) RFC is to explain to + the newcomers how the IETF works. This will give them a warm, fuzzy + feeling and enable them to make the meeting more productive for + everyone. This FYI will also provide the mundane bits of information + which everyone who attends an IETF meeting should know. + + +Acknowledgments + + The IETF Secretariat is made up of the following people: Steve Coya + (Executive Director of the IETF), Cynthia Clark, Lois Keiper, Debra + Legare, John Stewart, and Megan Davies Walnut. These are the people + behind the Registration Table, and the success, of the IETF meetings. + I thank them for their hard work, and for their input and review of + this document. Thanks also to Vinton Cerf, Christian Huitema, and + Jon Postel for their review and comments. And, as always, special + thanks to April Marine and Joyce Reynolds. + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 1] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + +Table of Contents + + Section 1 - The "Fun" Stuff + What is the IETF? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 + Humble Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 + The Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 + IETF Mailing Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 + Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 + Newcomers' Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 + Dress Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 + Seeing Spots Before Your Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 + Terminal Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 + Social Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 + Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 + Other General Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 + + Section 2 - The "You've got to know it" Stuff + Registration Bullets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 + Mailing Lists and Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 + Important Email Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 + IETF Proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 + InterNIC Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 + Be Prepared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 + RFCs and Internet-Drafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 + Frequently Asked Questions (and Their Answers) . . . . . . . 16 + Pointers to Useful Documents and Files . . . . . . . . . . . 17 + + Section 3 - The "Reference" Stuff + Tao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 + IETF Area Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 + Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 + References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 + Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 + Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 + + +What is the IETF? + + The Internet Engineering Task Force is a loosely self-organized group + of people who make technical and other contributions to the + engineering and evolution of the Internet and its technologies. It + is the principal body engaged in the development of new Internet + Standard specifications. Its mission includes: + + o Identifying, and proposing solutions to, pressing operational and + technical problems in the Internet; + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 2] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + o Specifying the development or usage of protocols and the near-term + architecture to solve such technical problems for the Internet; + + o Making recommendations to the Internet Engineering Steering Group + (IESG) regarding the standardization of protocols and protocol + usage in the Internet; + + o Facilitating technology transfer from the Internet Research Task + Force (IRTF) to the wider Internet community; and + + o Providing a forum for the exchange of information within the + Internet community between vendors, users, researchers, agency + contractors, and network managers. + + The IETF Plenary meeting is not a conference, although there are + technical presentations. The IETF is not a traditional standards + organization, although many standards are produced. The IETF is the + volunteers who meet three times a year to fulfill the IETF mission. + + There is no membership in the IETF. Anyone may register for and + attend any meeting. The closest thing there is to being an IETF + member is being on the IETF or Working Group mailing lists (see the + IETF Mailing Lists section). This is where the best information + about current IETF activities and focus can be found. + + +Humble Beginnings + + The first IETF meeting was held in January, 1986 at Linkabit in San + Diego with 15 attendees. The 4th IETF, held at SRI in Menlo Park in + October, 1986, was the first at which non-government vendors + attended. The concept of Working Groups (WG) was introduced at the + 5th IETF meeting at the NASA Ames Research Center in California in + February, 1987. The 7th IETF, held at MITRE in McLean, Virginia in + July, 1987, was the first meeting with over 100 attendees. + + The 14th IETF meeting was held at Stanford University in July, 1989. + It marked a major change in the structure of the IETF universe. The + IAB (then Internet Activities Board, now Internet Architecture + Board), which until that time oversaw many Task Forces, changed its + structure to leave only two: the IETF and the IRTF. The IRTF is + tasked to consider the long-term research problems in the Internet. + The IETF also changed at that time. + + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 3] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + After the Internet Society (ISOC) was formed in January 1992, the IAB + proposed to ISOC that the IAB's activities should take place under + the auspices of the Internet Society. During INET92, in Kobe, Japan, + the ISOC Trustees approved a new charter for the IAB to reflect the + proposed relationship. + + A recent first for the IETF was its first European meeting. In July, + 1993, the IETF met in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The U.S./non-U.S. + attendees split was nearly 50/50. + + +The Hierarchy + + To completely understand the structure of the IETF, it is useful to + understand the overall structure in which the IETF resides. There + are four groups in the structure: the ISOC and its Board of Trustees + (BOT), the IAB, the IESG, and the IETF itself. + + Internet standardization is an organized activity of the ISOC. The + ISOC is a professional society that is concerned with the growth and + evolution of the worldwide Internet, with the way in which the + Internet is and can be used, and with the social, political, and + technical issues which arise as a result. The BOT is responsible for + approving appointments to the IAB from among the nominees submitted + by the IETF nominating committee. + + The IAB is a technical advisory group of the ISOC. It is chartered + to provide oversight of the architecture of the Internet and its + protocols, and to serve, in the context of the Internet Standards + process, as a body to which the decisions of the IESG may be + appealed. The IAB is responsible for approving appointments to the + IESG from among the nominees submitted by the IETF nominations + committee. + + The IESG is responsible for technical management of IETF activities + and the Internet Standards process. As part of the ISOC, it + administers the process according to the rules and procedures which + have been ratified by the ISOC BOT. The IESG is directly responsible + for the actions associated with entry into and movement along the + IETF "standards track", including final approval of specifications as + Internet Standards. + + + + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 4] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + The IETF is divided into nine functional Areas. They are: + Applications, Internet Services, Network Management, Operational + Requirements, Routing, Security, Service Applications, Transport, and + User Services. Each Area has at least one Area Director. There is + also an Area Director who oversees Standards Management. The Area + Directors, along with the IETF Chair, form the IESG. Phillip Gross + has been the IETF Chair since the IETF's 7th meeting. He founded the + IESG and serves as its Chair as well. + + Each Area has several Working Groups. A Working Group is a group of + people who work under a charter to achieve a certain goal. That goal + may be the creation of an informational document, the creation of a + protocol standard, or the resolution of problems in the Internet. + Most Working Groups have a finite lifetime. That is, once a Working + Group has achieved its goal, it disbands. As in the IETF, there is + no official membership for a Working Group. Unofficially, a Working + Group member is somebody who's on that Working Group's mailing list; + however, anyone may attend a Working Group meeting (see the Be + Prepared section below). + + Areas may also have Birds of a Feather (BOF) groups. They generally + have the same goals as Working Groups, except that they have no + charter and usually only meet once or twice. BOFs are often held to + determine if there is enough interest to form a Working Group. + + +IETF Mailing Lists + + Anyone who plans to attend an IETF meeting should join the IETF + announcements mailing list. This is where all of the meeting + information, new and revised Internet-Draft and RFC announcements, + IESG Recommendations, and Last Calls are posted. People who'd like + to "get technical" may also join the IETF discussion list, + "ietf@cnri.reston.va.us". This was the only list before the + announcement list was created and is where discussions of cosmic + significance are held (most Working Groups have their own mailing + lists for discussions relating to their work). To join the IETF + announcement list, send a request to: + + ietf-announce-request@cnri.reston.va.us + + To join the IETF discussion list, send a request to: + + ietf-request@cnri.reston.va.us + + To join both of the lists, simply send a single message, to either + "-request" address, and indicate that you'd like to join both lists. + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 5] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + Do not, ever, under any circumstances, for any reason, send a request + to join a list to the list itself! The thousands of people on the + list don't need, or want, to know when a new person joins. + Similarly, when changing email addresses or leaving a list, send your + request only to the "-request" address, not to the main list. This + means you!! + + The IETF discussion list is unmoderated. This means that anyone can + express their opinions about issues affecting the Internet. However, + it is not a place for companies or individuals to solicit or + advertise. Only the Secretariat can send a message to the + announcement list. + + Even though the IETF mailing lists "represent" the IETF membership at + large, it is important to note that attending an IETF meeting does + not automatically include addition to either mailing list. + + +Registration + + As previously mentioned, all meeting announcements are sent to the + IETF announcement list. Within the IETF meeting announcement is a + Registration Form and complete instructions for registering, + including, of course, the cost. The Secretariat highly recommends + that attendees preregister. Early registration, which ends about one + month before the meeting, carries a lower registration fee. As the + size of the meetings has grown, so has the length of the lines at the + registration desk. Fortunately, there are three lines: + "preregistered and prepaid" (which moves very quickly), + "preregistered and on-site payment" (which moves a little more + slowly), and "registration and on-site payment" (take a guess). + + Registration is open all week. However, the Secretariat highly + recommends that attendees arrive for early registration, beginning at + 6:00 P.M. (meeting local time), on the Sunday before the opening + plenary. Not only will there be fewer people, but there will also be + a reception at which people can get a byte to eat. If the + registration lines are long, one can eat first and try again when the + lines are shorter. + + Registered attendees (and there isn't any other kind) receive a + Registration Packet. It contains a general orientation sheet, the + At-A-Glance sheet, a list of Working Group acronyms, the most recent + Agenda, and a name tag. The At-A-Glance is a very important + reference and is used throughout the week. It contains Working + Group/BOF room assignments and a map of room locations. Attendees + who prepaid will also find their receipt in their packet. + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 6] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + +Newcomers' Orientation + + Newcomers are encouraged to attend the IETF Newcomers' Orientation. + As the name implies, it is an orientation for first time attendees to + IETF meetings. The orientation is organized and conducted by the + IETF Secretariat and is intended to provide useful introductory + information. The Secretariat tries to keep the orientation session + informal, and is usually successful at it. + + The orientation is typically 30-45 minutes long and covers a number + of topics: what's in the attendee packets, what all the dots on name + tags mean, and how to read the At-A-Glance. There is also discussion + about the organization of the IETF: Working Groups and their Areas, + and the IESG. There is ample time at the end for questions. The + Secretariat also provides handouts which include the text from the + IETF Overview and a list of important files maintained on the IETF + Shadow directories. + + The orientation is held on Sunday afternoon and ends about 30 mintues + before the Registration Reception. However, attending the + orientation does NOT mean you can go to the reception early! + + +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 + 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!). + + +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: + + red - IAB member + yellow - IESG member + blue - Working Group/BOF chair + green - Local host + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 7] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + Local hosts are the people who can answer questions about the + terminal room, restaurants, and points of interest in the area. + + Some people have Gold Stars on their name tags. The stars indicate + that those people chaired Working Groups or BOFs in the IETF Area + which submitted all of its Working Group/BOF Minutes and Area Report + from the previous meeting first. The stars are the Secretariat's way + of saying "Thank You" for providing the necessary information + quickly. + + 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. + + To make life simpler for the Secretariat, Registration Packets are + also coded with little colored dots. These are only for Secretariat + use, so nobody else needs to worry about them. Please, don't peel + them off your packet and put them on your name tag. + + +Terminal Room + + One of the most important (depending on your point of view) things + the local host does is provide Internet access to the meeting + attendees. In general, the 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 which 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. + + +Social Event + + Another of the most important things organized and managed by the + local hosts is the IETF social event. The social event has become + something of a tradition at the IETF meetings. It has been + immortalized by Marshal Rose with his reference to "many fine lunches + and dinners" [ROSE], and by Claudio and Julia Topolcic with their + rendition of "Nerds in Paradise" on a pink T-shirt. + + Newcomers to the IETF are encouraged to attend the social event. + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 8] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + Everyone is encouraged to wear their name tags. The social event is + designed to give people a chance to meet on a social, rather than + technical, level. + + 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. + + +Agenda + + The Agenda for the IETF meetings is a very fluid thing. It is sent, + in various forms, to the IETF announcement list three times prior to + the meeting. 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 printers. + + The Secretariat will announce Agenda changes during the morning + plenary sessions. Changes will also be posted on the bulletin board + near the IETF Registration Table (not the hotel registration desk). + + Assignments for breakout rooms (that's where the Working Groups and + BOFs meet) and a map showing the room locations make up the At-A- + Glance sheet (included in the Registration Packets). Room + assignments are as flexible as the Agenda. Some Working Groups meet + multiple times during a meeting and every attempt is made to have a + Working Group meet in the same room each session. Room assignment + changes are not necessarily permanent for the week. Always check the + At-A-Glance first, then the bulletin board. When in doubt, check + with a member of the Secretariat at the Registration Table. + + +Other General Things + + The opening Plenary on Monday morning is the most heavily attended + session. It is where important introductory remarks are made, so + people are encouraged to attend. + + 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! + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 9] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + 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. + + 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 sessions 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. + + +Registration Bullets + + Registration is such an important topic, that it's in this RFC twice! + This is the "very important registration bullets" section. + + o To attend an IETF meeting: you have to register and you have to + pay the registration fee. + + o All you need to do to be registered is to send in a completed + Registration Form. + + o You may register by mail, email or fax. Generally, email and fax + registration forms will be accepted until 1:00 P.M. ET on the + Friday before the meeting. + + o You may preregister and pay, preregister and pay later, + preregister and pay on-site, or register and pay on-site. + + o To get the lower registration fee, you must register by the early + registration deadline (about one month before the meeting). You + can still pay later or on-site. + + o If you don't register by the early registration deadline, a late + fee is added. + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 10] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + o Everyone pays the same fees. There are no educational or group + discounts. There are no discounts for attending only part of the + week. + + o Register only ONE person per registration form. Substitutions are + NOT allowed. + + o You may register then pay later, but you may not pay then register + later. Payment MUST be accompanied by a completed registration + form. + + o Purchase orders are NOT accepted. DD Form 1556 is accepted. + Invoice for payment cannot be accepted. + + o Refunds are subject to a $20 service charge. Late fees will not + be refunded. + + o The registration fee covers a copy of the meeting's Proceedings, + Sunday evening reception (cash bar), a daily continental + breakfast, and daily coffee breaks. + + +Mailing Lists and Archives + + As previously mentioned, the IETF announcement and discussion mailing + lists are the central mailing lists for IETF activities. However, + there are many other mailing lists related to IETF work. For + example, every Working Group has its own discussion list. In + addition, there are some long-term technical debates which have been + moved off of the IETF list onto lists created specifically for those + topics. It is highly recommended that everybody follow the + discussions on the mailing lists of the Working Groups which they + wish to attend. The more work that is done on the mailing lists, the + less work that will need to be done at the meeting, leaving time for + cross pollination (i.e., attending Working Groups outside one's + primary area of interest in order to broaden one's perspective). + + The mailing lists also provide a forum for those who wish to follow, + or contribute to, the Working Groups' efforts, but cannot attend the + IETF meetings. + + All IETF discussion lists have a "-request" address which handles the + administrative details of joining and leaving the list. It is + generally frowned upon when such administrivia appears on the + discussion mailing list. + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 11] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + Most IETF discussion lists are archived. That is, all of the + messages sent to the list are automatically stored on a host for + anonymous FTP access. To find out where a particular list is + archived, send a message to the list's "-request" address, NOT to the + list itself. + + +Important Email Addresses + + There are some important IETF email addresses with which everyone + should be familiar. They are all located at "cnri.reston.va.us" + (e.g., "ietf-info@cnri.reston.va.us"). To personalize things, the + names of the Secretariat staff who respond to the messages are given + for each address. + + o ietf-info general queries about the IETF - + Cynthia Clark, Debra Legare, John Stewart, + and Megan Davies Walnut + + o ietf-rsvp queries about meeting locations and fees, + emailed Registration Forms - + Debra Legare + + o proceedings queries about previous Proceedings availability, + orders for copies of the Proceedings - + Debra Legare + + o ietf-announce-request + requests to join/leave IETF announcement list - + Cynthia Clark + + o ietf-request requests to join/leave IETF discussion list - + Cynthia Clark + + o internet-drafts Internet-Draft submissions and queries - + Cynthia Clark + + o iesg-secretary John Stewart + + o ietf-secretariat Steve Coya + + + + + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 12] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + +IETF Proceedings + + The IETF Proceedings are compiled in the two months following each + IETF meeting. The Proceedings usually start with a message from + Steve Coya, the Executive Director of the IETF. Each contains the + final (hindsight) Agenda, an IETF overview, a report from the IESG, + Area and Working Group reports, network status briefings, slides from + the protocol and technical presentations, and the attendees list. + The attendees list includes an attendee's name, affiliation, work + phone number, work fax number, and email address, as provided on the + Registration Form. + + A copy of the Proceedings will be sent to everyone who registered for + the IETF. The cost is included in the registration fee. The + Proceedings are sent to the mailing addresses provided on the + Registration Forms. + + For those who could not attend a meeting but would like a copy of the + Proceedings send a check for $35 (made payable to CNRI) to: + + Corporation for National Research Initiatives + Attn: Accounting Department - IETF Proceedings + 1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 100 + Reston, VA 22091 + + Please indicate which meeting Proceedings you would like to receive + by specifying the meeting date (e.g., July 1993) or meeting number + and location (e.g., 27th meeting in Amsterdam). Availability of + previous meetings' Proceedings is limited, so ask BEFORE sending + payment. + + +InterNIC Archives + + There is a tremendous amount of material available for those who + follow the work of the IETF. To make it easier to know what to read + to prepare for a meeting, the InterNIC has established a document + archive. Beginning about one month prior to an IETF meeting, Working + Group/BOF Chairs and Area Directors put documents relevent to the + discussions to be held into the archives. Those people who plan to + attend a Working Group/BOF session should check the archives for + documents which need to be read. The documents are left in the + archives for about two months after the end of the IETF meeting. + + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 13] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + On the host "ds.internic.net", documents are stored in the directory + "/pub/current-ietf-docs" under subdirectories named for each Area and + then for each Working Group. For example, a document for the NISI + Working Group, which is in the User Services Area, would be stored as + "current-ietf-docs/usv/nisi/nisi-doc1.txt". Each Area will also have + a subdirectory called "bof", where documents to be discussed in BOF + sessions will be placed. A directory called "plenary" will also be + created under "/pub/current-ietf-docs" to put documents or viewgraphs + related to a plenary session. Any filename conflicts will be + resolved by the archive administrator working with the submitter of + the document via email. + + It is important to note that the service is provided by the InterNIC + and that the documents are submitted by the people who work on them. + The IETF Secretariat does not manage or monitor the archive service. + + Access via anonymous FTP: + + Anonymous FTP to ds.internic.net + Change directory to /pub/current-ietf-docs + Browse and get the document of interest + + Access via GOPHER (from a Gopher client): + + Point to gopher.internic.net + Select menu item 4, InterNIC Directory and Database Services ... + Then menu item named "Internet Documentation (RFC's FYI's, etc.)/" + Lastly menu item named "Current IETF Conference Documents (...)/" + + If you do not have a Gopher client, use the InterNIC's public-access + Gopher client. Simply telnet to "gopher.internic.net" and login as + "gopher" (no password required). + + +Be Prepared + + This topic cannot be stressed enough. As the IETF grows, it becomes + more and more important for attendees to arrive prepared for the + Working Group meetings they plan to attend. This doesn't apply only + to newcomers; everybody should come prepared. + + Being prepared means having read the documents which the Working + Group or BOF Chair has distributed. It means having followed the + discussions on the Working Group's mailing list or having reviewed + the archives. For the Working Group/BOF Chairs, it means getting all + of the documents out early (i.e., several weeks) to give everybody + time to read them and announcing an agenda and sticking to it. + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 14] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + At the Chair's discretion, some time may be devoted to bringing new + Working Group attendees up to speed. In fact, long lived Working + Groups have occasionally held entire sessions which were introductory + in nature. As a rule, however, a Working Group is not the place to + go for training. Observers are always welcome, but they must realize + that the work effort cannot be delayed for education. Anyone wishing + to attend a Working Group for the first time might seek out the Chair + prior to the meeting and ask for some introduction. + + Another thing, for everybody, to consider is that Working Groups go + through phases. In the initial phase (say, the first two meetings), + all ideas are welcome. The idea is to gather all the possible + solutions together for consideration. In the development phase, a + solution is chosen and developed. Trying to reopen issues which were + decided more than a couple of meetings back is considered bad form. + The final phase (the last two meetings) is where the "spit and + polish" are applied to the architected solution. This is not the + time to suggest architectural changes or open design issues already + resolved. It's a bad idea to wait until the last minute to speak out + if a problem is discovered. This is especially true for people whose + excuse is that they hadn't read the documents until the day before a + comments period ended. + + Time at the IETF meetings is a precious thing. Working Groups are + encouraged to meet between IETF meetings, either in person or by + video or telephone conference. Doing as much work as possible over + the mailing lists would also reduce the amount of work which must be + done at the meeting. + +RFCs and Internet-Drafts + + Originally, RFCs were just what the name implies; they were requests + for comments. The early RFCs were messages between the ARPANET + architects about how to resolve certain problems. Over the years, + RFCs became more formal. It reached the point that they were being + cited as standards, even when they weren't. + + To help clear up some confusion, there are now two special sub-series + within the RFCs: FYIs and STDs. The For Your Information RFC sub- + series was created to document overviews and topics which are + introductory. Frequently, FYIs are created by groups within the IETF + User Services Area. The STD RFC sub-series was created to identify + those RFCs which do in fact specify Internet Standards. + + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 15] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + Every RFC, including FYIs and STDs, have an RFC number by which they + are indexed and by which they can be retrieved. FYIs and STDs have + FYI numbers and STD numbers, respectively, in addition to RFC + numbers. This makes it easier for a new Internet user, for example, + to find all of the helpful, informational documents by looking for + the FYIs amongst all the RFCs. If an FYI or STD is revised, its RFC + number will change, but its FYI or STD number will remain contant for + ease of reference. + + There is also an RTR subseries of RFCs for Reseaux Associes pour la + Recherche Europeenne (RARE) Technical Reports. These are technical + reports developed in the RARE community that are published as RFCs to + provide easy access to the general Internet community. + + Internet-Drafts (I-D) are working documents of the IETF. Any group + (e.g., Working Group, BOF) or individual may submit a document for + distribution as an I-D. An I-D is valid for six months. Guidelines + require that an expiration date appear on every page of an I-D. An + I-D may be updated, replaced or obsoleted at any time. It is not + appropriate to use I-Ds as reference material or to cite them, other + than as a "working draft" or "work in progress". + + For additional information, read the following documents: + + o Request for Comments on Request for Comments [RFC1111] + o F.Y.I. on F.Y.I: Introduction to the F.Y.I notes [FYI1] + o Introduction to the STD Notes [RFC1311] + o Guidelines to Authors of Internet Drafts [GAID] + o The Internet Activities Board [RFC1160] + o The Internet Standards Process [RFC1310] + o Internet Official Protocol Standards [STD1] + + +Frequently Asked Questions (and Their Answers) + + Q: My Working Group moved this morning. Where is it now? + A: Not all room assignment changes are permanent. Check the At-A- + Glance sheet and the message board for announcements. + + Q: Where is Room A? + A: Check the map on the At-A-Glance sheet. An enlarged version is on + the bulletin board. + + Q: Where can I get a copy of the Proceedings? + A: The Proceedings are automatically sent to each attendee about two + months after the meeting. + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 16] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + Q: When is on-site registration? + A: The IETF registration table is set up Sunday night from 6:00 p.m. + - 8:00 p.m. and Monday - Thursday from about 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. + Starting time in the mornings and Friday's hours may vary + depending on the meeting schedule. + + Q: Where is lunch served? + A: The meeting does not include lunch or dinner. Ask a local host + (somebody with a green dotted badge) for a recommendation. + + Q: Where are the receipts for the social event? + A: The social is not managed by the IETF Secretariat. Ask a local + host. + + +Pointers to Useful Documents and Files + + This is a list of documents and files that provide useful information + about the IETF meetings, Working Groups, and documentation. These + files reside in the "ietf" directory on the Anonymous FTP sites + listed below. Files with names beginning with "0" (zero) pertain to + IETF meetings. These may refer to a recently held meeting if the + first announcement of the next meeting has not yet been sent to the + IETF mailing list. Files with names beginning with "1" (one) contain + general IETF information. This is only a partial list of the + available files. + + o 0mtg-agenda.txt Agenda for the meeting + o 0mtg-at-a-glance.txt Logistics information for the meeting + o 0mtg-rsvp.txt Meeting registration form + o 0mtg-sites.txt Future meeting sites and dates + o 0mtg-traveldirections.txt Directions to the meeting site + o 0tao.txt This document + + o 1directories.txt The IETF Shadow directory locations and + contents. + o 1id-guidelines.txt Guidelines to Authors of Internet-Drafts + Contains information on writing and + submitting I-Ds. + o 1ietf-description.txt Short description of the IETF and IESG, + including a list of Area Directors. + o 1nonwg-discuss.txt A list of mailing lists created to + discuss specific IETF issues. + o 1proceedings-request.txt A Proceedings order form for the + current and previous meetings. + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 17] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + o 1wg-summary.txt List of all Working Groups, by Area, + including the name and address of the + chairperson, and the mailing list + address. + o 1wg-summary-by-acronym Same as above, but sorted by the + Working Groups' acronyms. + o 1wg-charter.txt Abbreviated versions of all current + Working Group charters. + o 1wg-charters-by-acronym Same as above, but sorted by the + Working Groups' acronyms. + + Additionally, the full charters and minutes of the Working Groups and + BOFs are archived in the "ietf" directory. + + All of these documents are available by anonymous FTP from the + following primary sites (there may be closer shadow sites, so check + with your network administrator): + + o North America Address: ds.internic.net (198.49.45.10) + o Pacific Rim Address: munnari.oz.au (128.250.1.21) + o Europe Address: nic.nordu.net (192.36.148.17) + + These files are also available through the Internet Gopher at + "ietf.cnri.reston.va.us". + + Residing on the same archive sites are the RFCs and Internet-Drafts. + They are in the "rfc" and "internet-drafts" directories, + respectively. The file "rfc-index.txt" contains the latest + information about the RFCs (e.g., which have been obsoleted by + which). In general, only the newest version of an Internet-Draft is + available. + + All of the files, RFCs and Internet-Drafts are also available via + email from various mail servers. To to get the IETF agenda, + Internet-Draft abstracts and RFC 1150 from the mail server at the + InterNIC, for example, you would send the following message: + + To: mailserv@ds.internic.net Message header + Subject: anything you want + + FILE /ietf/0mtg-agenda.txt Body of the message + FILE /internet-drafts/1id-abstracts.txt + FILE /rfc/rfc1150.txt + PATH jdoe@anywhere.us + + Where: FILE specifies the name of a file to be returned and PATH + specifies the email address to which the file(s) should be sent. + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 18] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + RFCs may also be retrieved, using email, from ISI's RFC-Info server + at "rfc-info@isi.edu". To get a specific RFC, include the following + in the body of the message: + + Retrieve: RFC + Doc-ID: RFC0951 + + This example would cause a copy of RFC 951 (the leading zero in the + Doc-ID is required) to be emailed to the requestor. To get a list of + available RFCs which match certain criteria, include the following in + the body of the message: + + LIST: RFC + Keywords: Gateway + + This example would email a list of all RFCs with "Gateway" in the + title, or as an assigned keyword, to the requestor. To get + information on other ways to get RFCs: + + HELP: ways_to_get_rfcs + +Tao + + Pronounced "Dow", Tao means "the Way." It is the basic principle + behind the teachings of Lao-tse, a Chinese master. Its familiar + symbol is the black and white Yin-Yang circle. + + +IETF Area Abbreviations + + APP Applications + INT Internet Services + MGT Network Management + OPS Operational Requirements + RTG Routing + SAP Service Applications + SEC Security + TSV Transport + USV User Services + + + + + + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 19] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + +Acronyms + + :-) Smiley face + ANSI American National Standards Institute + ARPA Advanced Research Projects Agency + ARPANET Advanced Research Projects Agency Network + AS Autonomous System + ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode + BGP Border Gateway Protocol + BOF Birds Of a Feather + BSD Berkeley Software Distribution + BTW By The Way + CCIRN Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks + CCITT International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Comittee + CIDR Classless Inter-Domain Routing + CIX Commercial Information Exchange + CNI Coalition for Networked Information + CREN The Corporation for Research and Educational Networking + DARPA U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (now ARPA) + DDN U.S. Defense Data Network + DISA U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency + EGP Exterior Gateway Protocol + FAQ Frequently Asked Question + FARNET Federation of American Research NETworks + FIX U.S. Federal Information Exchange + FNC U.S. Federal Networking Council + FQDN Fully Qualified Domain Name + FYI For Your Information (RFC) + GOSIP U.S. Government OSI Profile + IAB Internet Architecture Board + IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority + I-D Internet-Draft + IEN Internet Experiment Note + IESG Internet Engineering Steering Group + IETF Internet Engineering Task Force + IGP Interior Gateway Protocol + IMHO In My Humble Opinion + IMR Internet Monthly Report + InterNIC Internet Network Information Center + IR Internet Registry + IRSG Internet Research Steering Group + IRTF Internet Research Task Force + ISO International Organization for Standardization + ISOC Internet Society + ISODE ISO Development Environment + ITU International Telecommunication Union + MIB Management Information Base + MIME Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 20] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + + NIC Network Information Center + NIS Network Information Services + NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology + NOC Network Operations Center + NREN National Research and Education Network + NSF National Science Foundation + OSI Open Systems Interconnection + PEM Privacy Enhanced Mail + PTT Postal, Telegraph and Telephone + RARE Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne + RFC Request For Comments + RIPE Reseaux IP Europeenne + SIG Special Interest Group + STD Standard (RFC) + TLA Three Letter Acronym + TTFN Ta-Ta For Now + UTC Universal Time Coordinated + WG Working Group + WRT With Respect To + WYSIWYG What You See is What You Get + +References + + FYI1 Malkin, G., and J. Reynolds, "F.Y.I. on F.Y.I.", FYI 1, RFC + 1150, Proteon, USC/Information Sciences Institute, March + 1990. + + GAID "Guidelines to Authors of Internet Drafts", + 1id-guidelines.txt. + + ROSE Rose, M., "The Open Book: A Practical Perspective on OSI", + Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989. + + RFC1111 Postel, J., "Request for Comments on Request for Comments", + RFC 1111, USC/Information Sciences Institute, August 1989. + + RFC1160 Cerf, V., "The Internet Activities Board", RFC 1160, NRI, May + 1990. + + RFC1310 Chapin, L., Chair, "The Internet Standards Process", RFC + 1310, Internet Activities Board, March 1992. + + RFC1311 Postel, J., Editor, "Introduction to the STD Notes", RFC + 1311, USC/Information Sciences Institute, March 1992. + + STD1 Postel, J., Editor, "Internet Official Protocol Standards", + STD 1, RFC 1500, Internet Architecture Board, August 1993. + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 21] + +RFC 1539 The Tao of IETF October 1993 + + +Security Considerations + + Security issues are not discussed in this memo. + + +Author's Address + + Gary Scott Malkin + Xylogics, Inc. + 53 Third Avenue + Burlington, MA 01803 + + Phone: (617) 272-8140 + EMail: gmalkin@Xylogics.COM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Internet Engineering Task Force [Page 22] +
\ No newline at end of file |