RFC 2028 (rfc2028) - Page 2 of 7

The Organizations Involved in the IETF Standards Process

RFC 2028                   IETF Organizations               October 1996


2.2 The Working Group Chair

   Each IETF Working Group is headed by a chair (or by co-chairs) with
   the responsibility for directing the group's activities, presiding
   over the group's meetings, and ensuring that the commitments of the
   group with respect to its role in the Internet standards process are
   met. In particular, the WG chair is the formal point of contact
   between the WG and the IESG, via the Area Director of the area to
   which the WG is assigned.

   The details on the selection and responsibilites of an IETF Working
   Group chair can be found in [A].

2.3  The Document Editor

   Most IETF Working Groups focus their efforts on a document, or set of
   documents, that capture the results of the group's work.  A Working
   Group generally designates a person or persons to serve as the Editor
   for a particular document.  The Document Editor is responsible for
   ensuring that the contents of the document accurately reflect the
   decisions that have been made by the working group.

   As a general practice, the Working Group Chair and Document Editor
   positions are filled by different individuals to help ensure that the
   resulting documents accurately reflect the consensus of the Working
   Group and that all processes are followed.

3. Key organizations in the Process

   The following organizations and organizational roles are involved in
   the Internet standards process.  Contact information is contained in
   Appendix A.

3.1  Internet Engineering Task Force

   The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is an open international
   community of network designers, operators, vendors and researchers
   concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the
   smooth operation of the Internet.  It is the principal body engaged
   in the development of new Internet Standard specifications.

3.2 IETF Working Groups

   The technical work of the IETF is done in its Working Groups, which
   are organized by topics into several Areas (e.g., routing, network
   management, security, etc.) under the coordination of Area Directors.
   Working Groups typically have a narrow focus and a lifetime bounded
   by completion of a specific task.



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