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+Internet Architecture Board (IAB) L. Eggert
+Request for Comments: 7827 NetApp
+Category: Informational March 2016
+ISSN: 2070-1721
+
+
+ The Role of the IRTF Chair
+
+Abstract
+
+ This document briefly describes the role of the Chair of the Internet
+ Research Task Force (IRTF), discusses its duties, and outlines the
+ skill set a candidate for the role should ideally have.
+
+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 a candidate for any level of Internet
+ Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.
+
+ Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
+ and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
+ http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7827.
+
+Copyright Notice
+
+ Copyright (c) 2016 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
+ (http://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.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Eggert Informational [Page 1]
+
+RFC 7827 The Role of the IRTF Chair March 2016
+
+
+Table of Contents
+
+ 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
+ 2. Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
+ 2.1. Strategic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
+ 2.2. Administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
+ 2.3. IAB Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
+ 3. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
+ 4. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
+ Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
+ Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
+
+1. Introduction
+
+ The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) focuses on longer-term
+ research issues related to the Internet, while its sister
+ organization, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), focuses on
+ the shorter-term issues of engineering and standards making.
+
+ The IRTF consists of a number of topical and long-term Research
+ Groups (RGs). These groups work on issues related to Internet
+ protocols, applications, architecture, and technology. RGs have the
+ stable long-term membership that is needed to promote the development
+ of research collaboration and teamwork in exploring research issues.
+ Individual contributors participate in the IRTF, rather than
+ representatives of organizations.
+
+ [RFC2014] details the procedures by which RGs operate. [RFC4440]
+ discusses a view from the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) on the
+ IRTF and its relationship to the IETF. The RFC Editor publishes
+ documents from the IRTF and its RGs in the IRTF Stream [RFC5743].
+
+ The IRTF Chair is appointed by the IAB [RFC2014] for two-year terms
+ and manages the IRTF in consultation with the Internet Research
+ Steering Group (IRSG) and -- for some types of decisions -- the IAB.
+ The IRSG membership includes the IRTF Chair, the chairs of the
+ various RGs, and other individuals ("members at large") from the
+ research community selected by the IRTF Chair.
+
+ There is no general appeals process defined for the IRTF. However,
+ [RFC2014] states that when an RG disagrees with the IRTF Chair's
+ decision to close the group, it can appeal to the IAB. Since the
+ IRTF Chair serves at the discretion of the IAB, it has been current
+ practice to generalize this special case in [RFC2014]: any grievances
+ related to the IRTF Chair can be taken to the IAB, and it takes
+ appropriate measures.
+
+
+
+
+
+Eggert Informational [Page 2]
+
+RFC 7827 The Role of the IRTF Chair March 2016
+
+
+2. Duties
+
+ This section discusses the various duties of the IRTF Chair and
+ outlines the skill set a candidate for the role should ideally have.
+
+2.1. Strategic
+
+ Arguably, the most important part of the duties of the IRTF Chair is
+ strategic and concerns shaping the purpose and scope of the IRTF, by
+ making decisions about which RGs to charter, which RGs to terminate,
+ and which other activities or efforts the IRTF should organize or
+ affiliate itself with in order to further its charter and increase
+ the interaction and collaboration between network research,
+ engineering, operations, and standardization.
+
+ For some new RGs, the research and engineering community brings a
+ proposal to the IRTF Chair for discussion. However, it is common for
+ the IRTF Chair to identify a new area of research that is considered
+ of importance to the Internet, actively motivate people in the
+ research and engineering community to consider the formation of an
+ RG, and help them navigate the process for doing so.
+
+ In order to be able to fulfill this duty, it is important for the
+ IRTF Chair to be involved in both the academic research community as
+ well as engineering or operational communities. Without a
+ demonstrated history of participation in these often somewhat
+ isolated communities, it will be very difficult to identify areas of
+ academic research that are suitable for being brought into the IRTF.
+ A good network of contacts in these communities will be very helpful
+ in identifying and motivating potential RG chairs and participants.
+
+ Involvement in the academic research community can be demonstrated in
+ various ways -- a publication record, membership in conference
+ program and organizational committees, participation in publicly
+ funded collaborative research projects, etc.
+
+ In addition to chartering new RGs, it is equally important for the
+ IRTF to end RGs that have run out of energy, are focused on issues no
+ longer considered important for the Internet, or are otherwise not
+ operating well. Careful communication and good people skills are
+ essential in order to explain the reasons for concluding an RG. The
+ same skill set is also useful when explaining to proponents of a new
+ RG why their request is being denied.
+
+ The Applied Networking Research Prize (ANRP) is a joint award of the
+ Internet Society (ISOC) and an example of a strategic initiative that
+ since its inception in 2011 has turned into more of an administrative
+ duty. The IRTF Chair and an ISOC representative pick and chair the
+
+
+
+Eggert Informational [Page 3]
+
+RFC 7827 The Role of the IRTF Chair March 2016
+
+
+ ANRP selection committee, which advertises the ANRP, encourages
+ community nominations for the prizes, and reviews nominations and
+ selects prize winners. The IRTF Chair and the ISOC representative
+ also mentor the ANRP winners, who are often IETF newcomers, and
+ introduce them to other attendees who may have an interest in their
+ work.
+
+ Chairmanship of the ANRP selection committee also relies on strong
+ ties to the academic research community, to identify suitable
+ selection committee members and to encourage nominations for suitable
+ work that is published in a given year. The selection committee
+ operates similar to a program committee for an academic conference
+ (more specifically, it performs a function similar to the selection
+ of a best paper award). It is therefore useful if the IRTF Chair has
+ firsthand experience serving on program committees, and ideally,
+ chairing them.
+
+2.2. Administrative
+
+ A good fraction of the duties of the IRTF Chair are administrative.
+ Some of them may be permanently or temporarily delegated to other
+ IRSG members, but they ultimately always remain the IRTF Chair's
+ responsibility.
+
+ Some of those are related to publishing RFCs on the IRTF Stream, such
+ as ensuring sufficient review, so that documents published are of
+ good quality; scheduling the required Internet Engineering Steering
+ Group (IESG) review [RFC5742]; and following up with the IESG, IANA,
+ and the RFC Editor during and after the publication process.
+
+ Other administrative duties include reviewing and approving requests
+ from the RGs for time slots during IETF meetings or interim meetings
+ elsewhere, ensuring that meeting materials are submitted on schedule,
+ maintaining the IRTF web site, and -- in cooperation with the RG
+ chairs -- ensuring that the IETF Datatracker correctly reflects the
+ status of the various IRTF-related documents.
+
+ The IRTF Chair appoints, replaces, and manages the RG chairs and the
+ IRSG, and follows the research work of the chartered and proposed RGs
+ to a degree that is sufficient to let them develop an understanding
+ on whether they are generally operating well.
+
+ The IRTF Chair also defines the operational procedures for the IRTF
+ (in the boundaries defined by [RFC2014]) and the IRSG. At the
+ moment, these procedures are captured as a set of wiki pages
+ [IRTF-WIKI], and it is the duty of the IRTF Chair to refine and
+ update these descriptions as procedures evolve. When process
+ questions on the IRSG or in an RG arise (e.g., on IPR, liaison
+
+
+
+Eggert Informational [Page 4]
+
+RFC 7827 The Role of the IRTF Chair March 2016
+
+
+ statements, consensus procedures, copyright, plagiarism, document
+ publication, etc.), the IRTF Chair is frequently consulted and needs
+ to have sufficient familiarity in the area to provide a definitive
+ answer, or at least be able to identify an external party for further
+ consultation.
+
+ The IRSG tries to schedule a working dinner during each IETF meeting,
+ and the IRTF Chair is responsible for organizing the agenda and a
+ suitable venue.
+
+ The IRTF Chair provides a status report on the IRTF to the IAB on a
+ monthly basis and also writes a regular column for the IETF Journal
+ [IETF-JOURNAL] on recent IRTF-related events.
+
+ During each IETF meeting, the IRTF Chair is responsible for
+ organizing and chairing the "IRTF Open Meeting", during which topics
+ related to the IRTF are presented and discussed. This includes a
+ report by the IRTF Chair on the status of the IRTF and its RGs (an
+ abbreviated version of this report is also usually given during the
+ IETF technical plenary) as well as other presentations from RGs, ANRP
+ prize winners, individuals wishing to propose new RGS, or others.
+
+ These administrative duties are very similar to part of the duties of
+ an Area Director (AD) in the IETF and require the same set of
+ organizational and communication skills [IESG-EXP]. They also
+ require a regular time commitment throughout the year, the ability to
+ attend most of the IETF meetings in person, as well as some other
+ related travel.
+
+ The IRTF Chair regularly interacts with the ADs and the IESG for
+ document reviews, planning IETF meeting agendas, and providing input
+ on various IETF efforts and topics. The IRTF Chair also regularly
+ interacts with the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) and
+ the IETF Secretariat for meeting planning, budgeting, and other
+ organizational purposes. In addition, the IRTF Chair also interacts
+ with the Tools Team to provide input on how IETF tools can best
+ support the operation of the IRTF. Finally, the IRTF Chair is the
+ owner of the IRTF Stream of RFCs and is hence part of the group that
+ reviews the RFC Editor's performance and operation; also, the IRTF
+ Chair engages with the Independent Submission Editor in cases where
+ submissions on the Independent Stream have relationships to the IRTF.
+ A good understanding of the purpose and procedures of these different
+ bodies and a good working relationship with the individuals serving
+ on them are important.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Eggert Informational [Page 5]
+
+RFC 7827 The Role of the IRTF Chair March 2016
+
+
+2.3. IAB Membership
+
+ The IRTF Chair serves as an "ex officio" member of the IAB [RFC2850]
+ and is expected to participate in IAB discussions and activities
+ alongside the NomCom-appointed IAB members.
+
+ This duty benefits from expertise that is similar to those of full
+ IAB members [IAB-EXP] and requires a similar time and travel
+ commitment, for example, to attend IAB retreats, relevant IAB
+ workshops, as well as other meetings the IAB is participating in or
+ organizing. Per [IAB-EXP], "it is desirable for IAB members to have
+ technical leadership experience, operational management backgrounds,
+ research or academic backgrounds, implementation experience, and
+ experience in other bodies involved in Internet governance."
+
+ The IRTF Chair frequently provides input to "birds of a feather"
+ (BoF) sessions, either as an ex officio IAB member (i.e., as a "BoF
+ shepherd") or because it may be unclear whether a proposed effort
+ should be started as an IETF WG or an IRTF RG.
+
+3. Security Considerations
+
+ This document raises no security considerations.
+
+4. Informative References
+
+ [IAB-EXP] NomCom 2015, "Desired Expertise: Member of the Internet
+ Architecture Board", 2015,
+ <https://datatracker.ietf.org/nomcom/2015/
+ requirements/#iab-member>.
+
+ [IESG-EXP] NomCom 2015, "Generic IESG Member Expertise", August 2015,
+ <http://trac.tools.ietf.org/group/iesg/trac/wiki/
+ GenericExpertise?version=18>.
+
+ [IETF-JOURNAL]
+ Internet Society, "The IETF Journal",
+ <http://www.internetsociety.org/publications/
+ ietf-journal>.
+
+ [IRTF-WIKI]
+ Internet Research Task Force, "IRTF Wiki",
+ <http://trac.tools.ietf.org/group/irtf/trac/wiki>.
+
+ [RFC2014] Weinrib, A. and J. Postel, "IRTF Research Group Guidelines
+ and Procedures", BCP 8, RFC 2014, DOI 10.17487/RFC2014,
+ October 1996, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2014>.
+
+
+
+
+Eggert Informational [Page 6]
+
+RFC 7827 The Role of the IRTF Chair March 2016
+
+
+ [RFC2850] Internet Architecture Board and B. Carpenter, Ed.,
+ "Charter of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)",
+ BCP 39, RFC 2850, DOI 10.17487/RFC2850, May 2000,
+ <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2850>.
+
+ [RFC4440] Floyd, S., Ed., Paxson, V., Ed., Falk, A., Ed., and IAB,
+ "IAB Thoughts on the Role of the Internet Research Task
+ Force (IRTF)", RFC 4440, DOI 10.17487/RFC4440, March 2006,
+ <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4440>.
+
+ [RFC5742] Alvestrand, H. and R. Housley, "IESG Procedures for
+ Handling of Independent and IRTF Stream Submissions",
+ BCP 92, RFC 5742, DOI 10.17487/RFC5742, December 2009,
+ <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5742>.
+
+ [RFC5743] Falk, A., "Definition of an Internet Research Task Force
+ (IRTF) Document Stream", RFC 5743, DOI 10.17487/RFC5743,
+ December 2009, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5743>.
+
+Acknowledgments
+
+ Robert Sparks, Brian Trammell, Stephen Farrell, Niels ten Oever, Dirk
+ Kutscher, Aaron Falk, Jana Iyengar, Mat Ford, Adrian Farrel, Barry
+ Leiba, and Dave Thaler provided suggestions that improved this
+ document.
+
+ Lars Eggert has received funding from the European Union's Horizon
+ 2020 research and innovation program 2014-2018 under grant agreement
+ No. 644866 ("SSICLOPS"). This document reflects only the author's
+ views, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use
+ that may be made of the information it contains.
+
+Author's Address
+
+ Lars Eggert
+ NetApp
+ Sonnenallee 1
+ Kirchheim bei Muenchen 85551
+ Germany
+
+ Phone: +49 151 120 55791
+ Email: lars@netapp.com
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Eggert Informational [Page 7]
+