RFC 2028 (rfc2028) - Page 3 of 7
The Organizations Involved in the IETF Standards Process
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 2028 IETF Organizations October 1996
For all purposes relevant to the Internet Standards development
process, membership in the IETF and its Working Groups is defined to
be established solely and entirely by individual participation in
IETF and Working Group activities. Participation in the IETF and its
Working Groups is by individual technical contributors rather than by
formal representatives of organizations.
Anyone with the time and interest to do so is entitled and urged to
participate actively in one or more IETF Working Groups and to attend
IETF meetings which are held three times a year. In most cases
active Working Group participation is possible through electronic
mail alone. Internet video conferencing is also being used to allow
for remote participation.
To ensure a fair and open process, participants in the IETF and its
Working Groups must be able to disclose, and must disclose to the
Working Group chairs any relevant current or pending intellectual
property rights that are reasonably and personally known to the
participant if they participate in discussions about a specific
technology.
New Working Groups are established within the IETF by explicit
charter. The guidelines and procedures for the formation and
operation of IETF working groups are described in detail in [A].
A Working Group is managed by one or more Working Group chairs (see
section 2.2). It may also include editors of documents that record
the group's work (see section 2.3). Further details of Working Group
operation are contained in [A]
IETF Working Groups display a spirit of cooperation as well as a high
degree of technical maturity; IETF participants recognize that the
greatest benefit for all members of the Internet community results
from cooperative development of technically superior protocols and
services.
3.3 IETF Secretariat
The administrative functions necessary to support the activities of
the IETF are performed by a Secretariat consisting of the IETF
Executive Director and his or her staff. The IETF Executive Director
is the formal point of contact for matters concerning any and all
aspects of the Internet standards process, and is responsible for
maintaining the formal public record of the Internet standards
process [B].
Hovey & Bradner Best Current Practice