Network Working Group Internet Activities Board
Request for Comments: 1310 Lyman Chapin, Chair
March 1992
The Internet Standards Process
Status of this Memo
This informational memo presents the current procedures for creating
and documenting Internet Standards. Distribution of this memo is
unlimited.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................. 2
1.1. Internet Standards ....................................... 2
1.2. Organization ............................................. 3
2. THE INTERNET STANDARDS PROCESS ............................... 4
2.1. Introduction ............................................. 4
2.2. The Internet Standards Track ............................. 5
2.3. Requests for Comments (RFCs) ............................. 5
2.4. Internet Drafts .......................................... 6
2.5. Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) ................ 7
2.6. Review and Approval ...................................... 8
2.7. Entering the Standards Track ............................. 9
2.8. Advancing in the Standards Track ......................... 9
2.9. Revising a Standard ...................................... 10
3. NOMENCLATURE ................................................. 10
3.1 Types of Specifications .................................. 10
3.2 Standards Track Maturity Levels .......................... 12
3.3 Non-Standards Track Maturity Levels ...................... 13
3.4 Requirement Levels ....................................... 14
4. EXTERNAL STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS ........................ 15
5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ................................. 17
6. PATENT POLICY ................................................ 17
6.1 Statement from Patent Holder ............................. 18
6.2 Record of Statement ...................................... 18
6.3 Notice ................................................... 18
6.4 Identifying Patents ...................................... 19
7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND REFERENCES ............................... 19
APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY ............................................. 20
APPENDIX B: UNRESOLVED ISSUES .................................... 21
Security Considerations .......................................... 23
Author's Address ................................................. 23
IAB