RFC 2028 (rfc2028) - Page 2 of 7
The Organizations Involved in the IETF Standards Process
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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.
Hovey & Bradner Best Current Practice