RFC 1718 (rfc1718) - Page 1 of 23
The Tao of IETF - A Guide for New Attendees of the Internet Engineering Task Force
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group IETF Secretariat
Request for Comments: 1718 CNRI
Obsoletes: 1539, 1391 G. Malkin
FYI: 17 Xylogics, Inc.
Category: Informational November 1994
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
one third of the attendees are new to the IETF at each meeting, and
many of those go on to become regular attendees. When the meetings
were smaller, it wasn't very difficult for a newcomer to get into the
swing of things. Today, however, a newcomer meets many more new
people, some previously known only as the authors of documents or
thought provoking e-mail 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.
On-line Availability
Due to the nature of this document, it can become outdated quite
quickly. To overcome this problem, a WorldWide Web version has been
created that is constantly maintained (the URL is listed below). If
you have a WWW client (such as Mosaic), it is suggested that you view
the on-line version in lieu of this document. This document will be
republished as an FYI RFC every year to year-and-a-half to help those
who do not have access to the WorldWide Web.
URL for this document: .
URL for IETF: .
Internet Engineering Task Force