RFC 1310 (rfc1310) - Page 2 of 23
The Internet Standards Process
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 1310 Internet Standards Process March 1992
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Internet Standards
This memo documents the process currently used for the
standardization of Internet protocols and procedures.
The Internet, a loosely-organized international collaboration of
autonomous, interconnected networks, supports host-to-host
communication through voluntary adherence to open protocols and
procedures defined by Internet Standards. There are also many
isolated internets, i.e., sets of interconnected networks, that
are not connected to the Internet but use the Internet Standards.
The architecture and technical specifications of the Internet are
the result of numerous research and development activities
conducted over a period of two decades, performed by the network
R&D community, by service and equipment vendors, and by government
agencies around the world.
In general, an Internet Standard is a specification that is stable
and well-understood, is technically competent, has multiple,
independent, and interoperable implementations with operational
experience, enjoys significant public support, and is recognizably
useful in some or all parts of the Internet.
The principal set of Internet Standards is commonly known as the
"TCP/IP protocol suite". As the Internet evolves, new protocols
and services, in particular those for Open Systems Interconnection
(OSI), have been and will be deployed in traditional TCP/IP
environments, leading to an Internet that supports multiple
protocol suites. This document concerns all protocols,
procedures, and conventions used in the Internet, not just the
TCP/IP protocols.
In outline, the process of creating an Internet Standard is
straightforward: a specification undergoes a period of development
and several iterations of review by the Internet community and
perhaps revision based upon experience, is adopted as a Standard
by the appropriate body (see below), and is published.
In practice, the process is somewhat more complicated, due to (1)
the number and type of possible sources for specifications; (2)
the need to prepare and revise a specification in a manner that
preserves the interests of all of the affected parties; (3) the
importance of establishing widespread community agreement on its
technical content; and (4) the difficulty of evaluating the
utility of a particular specification for the Internet community.
IAB