| < draft-iesg-charter-01.txt | draft-iesg-charter-02.txt > | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network Working Group H. Alvestrand | Network Working Group H. Alvestrand | |||
| Internet-Draft Cisco Systems | Internet-Draft Cisco Systems | |||
| Expires: July 7, 2003 January 6, 2003 | Expires: October 8, 2003 April 9, 2003 | |||
| An IESG charter | An IESG charter | |||
| draft-iesg-charter-01 | draft-iesg-charter-02 | |||
| Status of this Memo | Status of this Memo | |||
| This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with | This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with | |||
| all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026. | all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026. | |||
| Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering | Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering | |||
| Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that | Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that | |||
| other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet- | other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet- | |||
| Drafts. | Drafts. | |||
| skipping to change at page 1, line 31 ¶ | skipping to change at page 1, line 31 ¶ | |||
| and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any | and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any | |||
| time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference | time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference | |||
| material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." | material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." | |||
| The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at http:// | The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at http:// | |||
| www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt. | www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt. | |||
| The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at | The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at | |||
| http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html. | http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html. | |||
| This Internet-Draft will expire on July 7, 2003. | This Internet-Draft will expire on October 8, 2003. | |||
| Copyright Notice | Copyright Notice | |||
| Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003). All Rights Reserved. | Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003). All Rights Reserved. | |||
| Abstract | Abstract | |||
| This memo gives a charter for the Internet Engineering Steering Group | This memo gives a charter for the Internet Engineering Steering Group | |||
| (IESG), a management function of the Internet Engineering Task Force | (IESG), a management function of the Internet Engineering Task Force | |||
| (IETF). | (IETF). | |||
| It is meant to document the charter of the IESG as presently | It is meant to document the charter of the IESG as presently | |||
| understood (Jan 2003). | understood. | |||
| Discussion of this memo is encouraged on the POISED mailing list | Discussion of this memo is encouraged on the POISED mailing list | |||
| <poised@lists.tislab.com> | <poised@lists.tislabs.com> | |||
| STATUS NOTE (to be removed from RFC): | ||||
| This document is intended for publication as an Informational | ||||
| document, detailing the instructions to the IESG that the IESG thinks | ||||
| it has been operating under. It does not claim to represent | ||||
| consensus of the IETF that this is the right set of instructions to | ||||
| the IESG. At this time (spring 2003), the structure of the IETF is | ||||
| undergoing reevaluation, and the result is likely to include changes | ||||
| to the IESG's role; spending time to get IETF consensus that this | ||||
| document represents the IETF consensus on what the IESG should do, | ||||
| which a BCP publication would indicate, seems like a less than useful | ||||
| exercise. | ||||
| 1. Introduction | 1. Introduction | |||
| 1.1 The role of the IESG | 1.1 The role of the IESG | |||
| The Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) is the operational and | The Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) is the group that | |||
| technical management function of the Internet Engineeering Task Force | exists to perform the overarching operational and technical | |||
| (IETF). | management functions of the Internet Engineeering Task Force (IETF). | |||
| It is tasked with making the management decisions about working | As part of this function, the IESG is tasked with making the | |||
| groups in the IETF, and with the final review and approval of | management decisions about working groups in the IETF, and with the | |||
| documents published as IETF standards-track documents. | final review and approval of documents produced by Working Groups and | |||
| documents published as IETF standards-track documents, and review of | ||||
| other candidates for RFC publication. | ||||
| 1.2 Historic note | 1.2 Historic note | |||
| The role of the IESG in the IETF management structure has been | The role of the IESG in the IETF management structure has been | |||
| largely constant since 1992, when the structure of the Internet | largely constant since 1992, when the structure of the Internet | |||
| standards process was defined by RFC 1310 (which was later updated by | standards process was defined by RFC 1310 (which was later updated by | |||
| RFC 1602, RFC 1871 and RFC 2026). | RFC 1602, RFC 1871 and RFC 2026). | |||
| Some of the functions were also defined in RFC 1603 (which was later | Some of the functions were also defined in RFC 1603, Working Group | |||
| updated by RFC 2418). | Guidelines, which was later updated by RFC 2418 [2]. | |||
| As the community has grown, and the IESG has gathered experience, the | As the community has grown, and the IESG has gathered experience, the | |||
| way in which the IESG approaches its tasks has varied considerably, | ways in which the IESG has approeched its tasks have varied | |||
| but the tasks have remained relatively constant. | considerably, but the tasks have remained relatively constant. | |||
| This document describes the tasks assigned to the IESG. It does not | This document describes the tasks assigned to the IESG. It does not | |||
| attempt to describe the procedures the IESG uses to accomplish these | attempt to describe the procedures the IESG uses to accomplish these | |||
| tasks; that is done in other memos. | tasks; that is done elsewhere - consult the IESG's Web pages on the | |||
| IETF Website for more information. | ||||
| 2. The composition of the IESG | 2. The composition of the IESG | |||
| The IESG has the following members: | The IESG has the following members: | |||
| o The IETF Chair, who is also the General AD | o The IETF Chair, who may also function as an Area Director when | |||
| appropriate | ||||
| o The Area Directors for the IETF Areas | o The Area Directors for the IETF Areas | |||
| o The IAB Chair and the IETF Executive Director, as ex-officio | o The IAB Chair and the IETF Executive Director, as ex-officio | |||
| members of the IESG. | members of the IESG. | |||
| o Liaisons | o Liaisons | |||
| The Chair and the Area Directors are selected by the IETF NomCom | The IETF Chair and the Area Directors are selected by the IETF NomCom | |||
| according to the procedures of RFC 2282 (Nomcom procedures). | according to the procedures of BCP 10 [3] (Nomcom procedures). | |||
| The IETF Executive Director is appointed by the IETF Chair, and is | ||||
| charged with running the IETF Secretariat; traditionally, this | ||||
| position has been held by a person employed full-time by the | ||||
| organization performing the secretariat function. | ||||
| The Liaison positions exist to facilitate the work of the IETF by | ||||
| expediting communication with other entities involved in the IETF | ||||
| process; which positions to have is decided by the IESG. | ||||
| The liaisons are selected as appropriate by the bodies they | ||||
| represent. At the time of this writing, the liaisons present | ||||
| represent the following bodies: | ||||
| The RFC Editor | The RFC Editor | |||
| The IANA | The IANA | |||
| The IAB | The IAB | |||
| In addition, members of the IETF Secretariat are subscribed to the | In addition, members of the IETF Secretariat are subscribed to the | |||
| mailing list and present in the IESG meetings as needed in order to | mailing list and present in the IESG meetings as needed in order to | |||
| serve as a support function. | serve as a support function. | |||
| Decisions of the IESG are made by the IETF Chair and the Area | Decisions of the IESG are made by the IETF Chair and the Area | |||
| Directors. | Directors. All IESG members can participate in the IESG's | |||
| discussions. | ||||
| 3. The IESG role in working group management | 3. Procedural issues | |||
| 3.1 Working group creation | While the IESG is generally free to set its own procedures, some | |||
| parts of the procedures are properly part of its charter. These are | ||||
| given here. | ||||
| The formation of working groups is described in RFC 2418 section 2. | 3.1 Decision making | |||
| The normal case is that a working group is requested by members of | The IESG attempts to reach all decisions unanimously. If unanimity | |||
| the IETF community. | cannot be achieved, the chair may conduct informal polls to determine | |||
| consensus. The IESG may make decisions and take action if at least | ||||
| two thirds of the members concur and there are no more than two | ||||
| dissents. | ||||
| Each area director is responsible for ensuring that a working group | For the purpose of judging consensus, only the IETF Chair and the | |||
| being chartered is relevant, has achievable goals and constitutes an | Area Directors are counted. | |||
| acceptable risk, has sufficient interest and so on. The charter is | ||||
| the result of a negotiation between the AD and the prospective | The IESG may decide that other procedures for reaching a decision are | |||
| chairs, with review by the IAB and approval by the IESG. Normally, | apporpriate under specific conditions. Such other procedures may | |||
| there will be communication with the community of interest for the | include: | |||
| working group too. | ||||
| o Assertions of IETF consensus, such as when evaluating a standards | ||||
| action. Here, in addition to the technical quality of the | ||||
| specification, the IESG has to evaluate the community opinion | ||||
| about the specification's subject matter; this has to happen with | ||||
| due notice and opportunity for community feedback. | ||||
| o IESG actions in areas where the IESG has the authority to take | ||||
| action. This does not need special rules. | ||||
| o AD actions taken with the advice and consent of the IESG; the IESG | ||||
| is expected to be kept informed, and gives comment, but the | ||||
| authority to act is delegated to the AD. | ||||
| o AD action; cases where an AD can take independent action without | ||||
| the need to consult the IESG first. | ||||
| The IESG may reach decisions by face to face meeting, teleconference, | ||||
| Internet communication, or any combination of the above. | ||||
| 3.2 Openness and confidentiality | ||||
| The IESG publishes the record of decisions from all its meetings on | ||||
| the Internet, and conducts an open meeting at every IETF meeting. It | ||||
| publishes all its final decisions as RFCs, Internet Drafts or | ||||
| messages to the IETF-announce mailing list, with copies kept on the | ||||
| IETF website where appropriate. | ||||
| The IESG also discusses its business privately as a group, using any | ||||
| means of its choice, including email. Records of those discussions | ||||
| are not required to be made public. This is believed to be vital in | ||||
| permitting a frank exchange of viewpoints and worries, allowing | ||||
| people to speak out freely on topics known to be controversial, and | ||||
| permitting people to change their minds based on presented arguments. | ||||
| Decisions and their justification are a matter of public record. | ||||
| However, discussion of personnel matters and possibly legal and | ||||
| financial matters may sometimes be required to be kept confidential, | ||||
| and the chair may, with the consent of the full members, exclude | ||||
| liaison and ex officio members whose presence is seen as | ||||
| inappropriate for the particular discussion from such discussions. | ||||
| The chair may also apply exclusion to full members who have a serious | ||||
| conflict of interest on an issue. Members can also choose to recuse | ||||
| themselves from discussion of an issue, or refrain from casting a | ||||
| vote on an issue, if they feel that is appropriate. | ||||
| 4. The IESG role in working group management | ||||
| The IESG is in charge of managing the working group process. While | ||||
| the process of running a working group is delegated to the working | ||||
| group chairs, the IESG is in charge of those processes that are | ||||
| beyond the scope of the working group chair's role. Most of these | ||||
| functions are delegated by the IESG to a single Area Director - the | ||||
| "responsible Area Director" for the group. | ||||
| 4.1 Working group creation | ||||
| The formation of working groups is described in BCP 25 [2] section | ||||
| 2; this document does not repeat the text there, but gives some more | ||||
| details of IESG actions. | ||||
| A WG may be requested by members of the IETF community, who addresse | ||||
| the request to an AD that the requesters feel is the appropriate AD | ||||
| for the task, or the formation can be initiated by an AD. The IESG | ||||
| may assign the prospective working group to another AD if the IESG | ||||
| thinks that is best. | ||||
| The AD is responsible for ensuring that a working group being | ||||
| chartered fulfils the criteria for WG formation given in BCP 25. The | ||||
| charter is the result of a negotiation between the AD and the | ||||
| community of interest, with review and advice by the rest of the IESG | ||||
| and the IAB. | ||||
| The AD is also responsible for selecting chairs for the working group | The AD is also responsible for selecting chairs for the working group | |||
| that he thinks will be up to the task. | which the AD thinks will be up to the task. | |||
| All charters for proposed working groups are announced to the | All charters for proposed working groups are announced to the | |||
| community at large before the IESG makes a decision. | community at large when the IESG thinks that the charter is ready for | |||
| review, but before the IESG makes a final decision on chartering the | ||||
| The BOF procedure described in RFC 2418 section 2.4 also requires | WG. The final decision to charter a WG is an IESG decision. | |||
| approval from the relevant AD. A BOF is not required to start a | ||||
| working group, and a BOF may be held without the purpose being to | ||||
| create a working group. BOFs are also often discussed with the IESG | ||||
| and IAB. | ||||
| If an AD determines that it is needed, the AD can initiate the | The BOF procedure described in BCP 25 [2] section 2.4 also requires | |||
| formation of a working group. | approval from the relevant AD (the one who got the request or the AD | |||
| that the IESG thinks is the right AD to manage the task). A BOF is | ||||
| not required to start a working group, and a BOF may be held without | ||||
| the purpose being to create a working group. BOFs are also often | ||||
| discussed with the IESG and IAB. | ||||
| 3.2 Working group management | 4.2 Working group management | |||
| The role of the Area Director in WG management is described in RFC | The role of the Area Director in WG management is described in BCP 25 | |||
| 2418 section 6.7. The AD is responsible for making sure the working | [2] section 6.7. The AD is responsible for making sure the working | |||
| groups stay focused on the charter tasks, make forward progress, are | groups stay focused on the charter tasks, make forward progress, are | |||
| coordinated with the rest of the area, and (with the IESG) | coordinated with the rest of the area, and are coordinated with the | |||
| coordinated with the rest of the IETF. | rest of the IETF. The ADs help each other with maintaining cross- | |||
| area coordination. | ||||
| In a well functioning working group, main responsibility for these | In a well functioning working group, main responsibility for these | |||
| things rests with the chairs; the AD will normally be able to | things rests with the chairs; the AD will normally be able to | |||
| concentrate on supporting the working group chairs' work. | concentrate on supporting the working group chairs' work. | |||
| When a WG finds that it is essential that work gets done which is not | When a WG finds that it is essential that work gets done which is not | |||
| on its charter, the AD, consulting with the rest of the IESG as | on its charter, the AD, consulting with the rest of the IESG as | |||
| required, is responsible for figuring out whether to add it to their | required, is responsible for figuring out whether to add it to their | |||
| charter, add it to another group's charter, task someone outside the | charter, add it to another group's charter, task someone outside the | |||
| WG to work on it, or initiate creation of another WG. | WG to work on it, or initiate creation of another WG. | |||
| Substantive changes to the body of a WG's charter require the | ||||
| approval of the IESG. | ||||
| The Area Director is also responsible for picking and, when | The Area Director is also responsible for picking and, when | |||
| necessary, replacing working group chairs. This is usually done in | necessary, replacing working group chairs. This is done in | |||
| consultation with the IESG. | consultation with the IESG, but the decision is made by the | |||
| responsible AD. | ||||
| 4. The IESG role in document review | 4.3 Working group termination | |||
| 4.1 Working group documents | Terminating a WG is a decision of the responsible AD. | |||
| This role is described in RFC 2418 section 7.5, and RFC 2026 section | A working group may be shut down when its work is completed, or when | |||
| 6. The IESG role is one of review and approval. | the AD concludes that letting the working group continue its work | |||
| does not contribute to the IETF's forward progress. | ||||
| 4.2 Non-working group documents | The decision to terminate a working group must be announced, and the | |||
| reasons should be clearly given. | ||||
| 4.2.1 Standards-track | 5. The IESG role in document review | |||
| This role is described in RFC 2026 section 6. Such documents are | The IESG is expected to ensure that the documents are of a sufficient | |||
| submitted to the IESG, which will assign them to a relevant area | quality for release as RFCs, that they describe their subject matter | |||
| director. The IESG is responsible for determining: | well, and that there are no outstanding engineering issues that | |||
| should be addressed before publication. The degree of review will | ||||
| vary with the intended status and perceived importance of the | ||||
| documents. | ||||
| When there are problems or solutions that occur frequently, the IESG | ||||
| may publish documents describing the problems and how to avoid them, | ||||
| such as "IANA considerations" (BCP 26 [8]), or publish web pages with | ||||
| commonly used guidelines. | ||||
| Rules - stuff that the community is expected to follow - are decided | ||||
| by IETF consensus processing and commonly published as BCP RFCs. | ||||
| Guidance to the community that is of a more ephemeral and less | ||||
| normative nature is decided by the IESG and published on the IESG's | ||||
| Web pages. | ||||
| 5.1 Working group documents | ||||
| This role is described in BCP 25 [2] section 7.5 and 8, and BCP 9 [1] | ||||
| section 6. The IESG role is one of review and approval. | ||||
| 5.2 Non-working group documents | ||||
| 5.2.1 Standards-track documents | ||||
| This role is described in BCP 9 [1] section 6. Such documents are | ||||
| submitted to the IESG, which will assign them to a relevant AD. The | ||||
| IESG is responsible for determining: | ||||
| o Whether or not the specification is appropriate for standards | o Whether or not the specification is appropriate for standards | |||
| track | track | |||
| o Whether or not the specification needs review by one or more | o Whether or not the specification needs review by one or more | |||
| existing WGs | existing WGs | |||
| o Whether or not the quality of the specification is adequate | o Whether or not the quality of the specification is adequate | |||
| The IESG may recommend that a document submitted for standards-track | The IESG will either approve or disapprove of the publication of the | |||
| publication instead be published as Experimental or Informational. | document on the standards track; no document can be published on the | |||
| standards track without IESG approval. | ||||
| 4.2.2 Informational and Experimental | The IESG may decide that a document submitted for standards-track | |||
| publication should instead be published as Experimental or | ||||
| Informational, or that a document submitted for Proposed standard | ||||
| should be published as BCP, or vice versa. | ||||
| These documents are usually submitted to the RFC Editor in accordance | 5.2.2 Informational and Experimental documents | |||
| with the procedures of RFC 2026 section 4.2.3 and RFC 2418 section 8. | ||||
| The IESG is asked to review all documents submitted in this fashion | ||||
| for conflicts with the IETF standards process or work done in the | ||||
| IETF community; this is a modification of the RFC 2026 procedure, and | ||||
| documented in RFC 2418 section 8. | ||||
| The IESG may recommend that the document be reviewed by a working | These documents are normally submitted to the RFC Editor in | |||
| group, that the document be published with an IESG note indicating | accordance with the procedures of BCP 9 [1] section 4.2.3 and BCP 25 | |||
| issues such as conflict with the IETF standards process, or may | [2] section 8. The IESG is asked to review all documents submitted | |||
| recommend that the document not be published. | in this fashion for conflicts with the IETF standards process or work | |||
| done in the IETF community; this is a modification of the BCP 9 [1] | ||||
| procedure, and documented in BCP 25 [2] section 8. | ||||
| 4.3 IESG review procedures | The IESG may recommend that the document be published as-is, that it | |||
| be reviewed by a working group, that the document be published with | ||||
| an IESG note indicating issues such as conflict with the IETF | ||||
| standards process, or may recommend that the document not be | ||||
| published. | ||||
| If the document is referred to a WG, the WG can recommend that the | ||||
| document be adopted as a WG document, that it be published (possibly | ||||
| with comments), or that the IESG recommend to the RFC Editor that it | ||||
| not be published. The responsible AD for the WG is responsible for | ||||
| getting a response from the WG in a timely manner. | ||||
| NOTE IN DRAFT: The following text tries to capture the occasional | ||||
| practice of processing individual documents through the IESG without | ||||
| first going through the RFC Editor. It is not clear that the | ||||
| description is accurate, so this may change. The IESG is discussing. | ||||
| When an AD decides that an Informational or Experimental document is | ||||
| of particular importance to the community, the AD may also choose to | ||||
| put it directly before the IESG. This document will then be | ||||
| processed in the same fashion as an Informational or Experimental | ||||
| document from a working group. | ||||
| 5.3 IESG review procedures | ||||
| The IESG review procedure is defined by the IESG. | The IESG review procedure is defined by the IESG. | |||
| For all documents, the IESG assigns a specific AD the responsibility | ||||
| for the document; that AD will normally review the document, and | ||||
| possibly ask for revisions to it to address obvious problems, before | ||||
| asking the entire IESG to consider it. | ||||
| The IESG has web pages as part of the IETF web (www.ietf.org); | The IESG has web pages as part of the IETF web (www.ietf.org); | |||
| current details of procedures should be published there. | current details of procedures, as well as the means of finding the | |||
| responsible AD for any document, are published there. | ||||
| 5. The IESG role in area management | 6. The IESG role in area management | |||
| The IETF divides its work into a number of areas, each comprising | The IETF divides its work into a number of areas, each comprising | |||
| working groups that relate to that area's focus. (RFC 2418 section | working groups that relate to that area's focus. (BCP 25 [2] section | |||
| 1). The area structure is defined by the IESG, and may be changed by | 1). The area structure is defined by the IESG, and the IESG can add | |||
| the IESG. The IESG decides which areas groups belong to. When | areas, redefine areas, merge areas or close down areas. | |||
| reassigning areas, the IESG can move responsibility for areas between | ||||
| IESG members, but the IESG can only add new members through the | ||||
| nomcom process. | ||||
| The primary task of area management is done by one or two area | Changes to the area structure affect the IETF in many ways; decisions | |||
| directors per area. An area director may be advised by one or more | to change the area structure are taken in consultation with the | |||
| directorates, which is selected and chaired by the area director (RFC | community | |||
| 2418 section 1). Directorates may be specific to an area, specific | ||||
| to a technology, or chartered in some other fashion. | ||||
| The ADs for an area are responsible for making sure the WGs in the | When changing the area structure, the IESG can decide which ADs are | |||
| area are well coordinated, that there is coverage for the | responsible for new and changed areas, including making one sitting | |||
| AD responsible for multiple areas, but the IESG can only add new | ||||
| members through the nomcom process. | ||||
| The primary task of area management is done by one or two Area | ||||
| Directors per area. An AD may be advised by one or more | ||||
| directorates, which are selected and chaired by the AD (BCP 25 [2] | ||||
| section 1). Directorates may be specific to an area, specific to a | ||||
| technology, or chartered in some other fashion. | ||||
| The ADs for an area are jointly responsible for making sure the WGs | ||||
| in the area are well coordinated, that there is coverage for the | ||||
| technologies needed in the area, and that the challenges that are | technologies needed in the area, and that the challenges that are | |||
| most important to the Internet in that area are indeed being worked | most important to the Internet in that area are indeed being worked | |||
| on. | on. | |||
| To that end, they may charter working groups, suggest modifications | The IESG decides which areas working groups belong to. | |||
| to working group charters, encourage people to work on specific work | ||||
| items within or outside working groups, or even shut down working | ||||
| groups that are not performing an useful function. | ||||
| 6. Other IESG roles | 7. Other IESG roles | |||
| 6.1 Staff supervision | 7.1 Staff supervision | |||
| The IESG is the main body responsible for supporting the IETF Chair | The IETF Chair has primary responsibility for supervising the work of | |||
| in supervising the work of the IETF Secretariat. | the IETF Executive Director and the IETF Secretariat, with the advice | |||
| and consent of the IESG, the IAB Chair and the ISOC president. | ||||
| The supervision of the IANA and the RFC Editor is handled by the IAB. | The supervision of the IANA and RFC-Editor functions is handled by | |||
| the IAB. | ||||
| 6.2 Process management | 7.2 Process management | |||
| The IESG is responsible for making sure the IETF process is | The IESG is responsible for making sure the IETF process is | |||
| functional in all aspects. This includes taking responsibility for | functional in all aspects. This includes taking responsibility for | |||
| initiating consideration of updates of the process when required, as | initiating consideration of updates to the process when required, as | |||
| well as addressing obvious miscarriages of process even when it does | well as addressing obvious miscarriages of process even when they do | |||
| not fall into the categories described above. | not fall into the categories described above. | |||
| 6.3 External relations | 7.3 External relations | |||
| The main responsibility for handling external relations rests with | The responsibility for handling external relations rests with the | |||
| the IAB, as described in the IAB Charter (RFC 2850). However, when | IAB, as described in the IAB Charter (RFC 2850). However, when | |||
| technical cooperation is required, it is essential that the work be | technical cooperation is required, it is essential that the work be | |||
| coordinated with the relevant ADs. This often means that ADs will | coordinated with the relevant ADs. This often means that ADs will | |||
| function in a liaison role with other organizations, but the same | function in a liaison role with other organizations, but the IAB may | |||
| function may also be done by others when that seems more appropriate. | decide that the same function may also be done by others when it | |||
| decides that this is more appropriate. | ||||
| 7. Procedural issues | ||||
| While the IESG is generally free to set its own procedures, some | ||||
| parts of the procedures are properly part of its charter. These are | ||||
| given here. | ||||
| 7.1 Decision taking | ||||
| The IESG attempts to reach all decisions unanimously. If unanimity | ||||
| cannot be achieved, the chair may conduct informal polls to determine | ||||
| consensus. The IESG may make decisions and take action if at least | ||||
| seven members concur and there are no more than two dissents. | ||||
| For the purpose of judging consensus, only the IETF Chair and the | ||||
| Area Directors are counted. | ||||
| (NOTE: This rule is new, and has not been tried. Its inclusion here | 7.4 Appeals actions | |||
| is only done to get around the "how do we decide about a challenge to | ||||
| the rules" problem.) | ||||
| The IESG may reach decisions by face to face meeting, teleconference, | The formal appeals procedure is described in BCP 9 [1] section 6.5. | |||
| Internet communication, or any combination of the above. | ||||
| 7.2 Openness and confidentiality | Most decisions by a working group chair can be appealed to the AD, | |||
| and decisions by an individual AD can be appealed to the IESG. | ||||
| The IESG publishes minutes of all its meetings on the Internet, and | Decisions of the IESG can be appealed to the IAB. | |||
| conducts an open meeting at every IETF meeting. It publishes all its | ||||
| findings as RFCs, Internet Drafts or messages to the IETF-announce | ||||
| mailing list. However, discussion of personnel matters and possibly | ||||
| legal and financial matters may sometimes be required to be kept | ||||
| confidential, and the chair may, with the consent of the full | ||||
| members, exclude liaison and ex officio members from such | ||||
| discussions. | ||||
| 8. Security considerations | 8. Security considerations | |||
| The security of the Internet depends on standards giving proper | The security of the Internet depends on standards giving proper | |||
| thought to security. Apart from that, there seem to be no | thought to security. Apart from that, there seem to be no | |||
| considerations of security relevant to this memo. | considerations of security relevant to this memo. | |||
| References | 9. Acknowledgements | |||
| [1] Chapin, A., "The Internet Standards Process", RFC 1310, March | ||||
| 1992. | ||||
| [2] Huitema, C. and P. Gross, "The Internet Standards Process -- | This work has been supported, aided and abetted by the whole IESG of | |||
| Revision 2", RFC 1602, March 1994. | the time of writing, and has benefitted from many other comments. | |||
| [3] Huizer, E. and D. Crocker, "IETF Working Group Guidelines and | Thanks to David Putzolu, Pekka Savola, John Klensin, Margaret | |||
| Procedures", RFC 1603, March 1994. | Wasserman, Brian Carpenter, Fred Baker, Jonne Soininen and all others | |||
| who provided comments on various versions of this document! | ||||
| [4] Postel, J., "Addendum to RFC 1602 -- Variance Procedure", BCP 2, | Normative references | |||
| RFC 1871, November 1995. | ||||
| [5] Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3", BCP | [1] Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3", BCP | |||
| 9, RFC 2026, October 1996. | 9, RFC 2026, October 1996. | |||
| [6] Bradner, S., "IETF Working Group Guidelines and Procedures", BCP | [2] Bradner, S., "IETF Working Group Guidelines and Procedures", BCP | |||
| 25, RFC 2418, September 1998. | 25, RFC 2418, September 1998. | |||
| [7] Galvin, J., "IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and Recall | [3] Galvin, J., "IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and Recall | |||
| Process: Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees", BCP | Process: Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees", BCP | |||
| 10, RFC 2282, February 1998. | 10, RFC 2282, February 1998. | |||
| Informative references | ||||
| [4] Chapin, A., "The Internet Standards Process", RFC 1310, March | ||||
| 1992. | ||||
| [5] Huitema, C. and P. Gross, "The Internet Standards Process -- | ||||
| Revision 2", RFC 1602, March 1994. | ||||
| [6] Huizer, E. and D. Crocker, "IETF Working Group Guidelines and | ||||
| Procedures", RFC 1603, March 1994. | ||||
| [7] Postel, J., "Addendum to RFC 1602 -- Variance Procedure", BCP 2, | ||||
| RFC 1871, November 1995. | ||||
| [8] Narten, T. and H. Alvestrand, "Guidelines for Writing an IANA | ||||
| Considerations Section in RFCs", BCP 26, RFC 2434, October 1998. | ||||
| Author's Address | Author's Address | |||
| Harald Tveit Alvestrand | Harald Tveit Alvestrand | |||
| Cisco Systems | Cisco Systems | |||
| Weidemanns vei 27 | Weidemanns vei 27 | |||
| Trondheim 7043 | Trondheim 7043 | |||
| NO | NO | |||
| EMail: harald@alvestrand.no | EMail: harald@alvestrand.no | |||
| End of changes. 65 change blocks. | ||||
| 147 lines changed or deleted | 314 lines changed or added | |||
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