Internet DRAFT - draft-galvin-maillists

draft-galvin-maillists







Network Working Group                                     J. Galvin, Ed.
Internet-Draft                                         eList eXpress LLC
Expires: December 21, 2006                                 June 19, 2006


                      IETF Mailing List Principles
                       draft-galvin-maillists-00

Status of this Memo

   By submitting this Internet-Draft, each author represents that any
   applicable patent or other IPR claims of which he or she is aware
   have been or will be disclosed, and any of which he or she becomes
   aware will be disclosed, in accordance with Section 6 of BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups.  Note that
   other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-
   Drafts.

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
   http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt.

   The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
   http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.

   This Internet-Draft will expire on December 21, 2006.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).

Abstract

   A model is suggested for guiding the management of IETF mailing
   lists, including a set of bullet points for the principles and
   structure of that guidance.  The IESG could use this to develop and
   evolve the procedures for the operation and use of IETF mailing
   lists.

Acknowledgements

   The following team of individuals worked together to develop the



Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 1]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


   ideas and concepts suggested in this document. draft (listed in
   alphabetical order): Brian E Carpenter, James M Galvin, Eric Gray,
   Martin Hannigan, Sam Hartman, Eliot Lear, Lucy E. Lynch, Margaret
   Wasserman.

Discussion of this Draft

   Please direct all comments, suggestions, and questions rearding this
   draft to the following IETF mailing list:

      ietf-maillists@lists.elistx.com

   To subscribe to that mailing list you may send a message with the
   single word "subscribe" in the body to:

      ietf-maillists-request@lists.elistx.com

   Alternatively, you may visit the web-based subscription manager at:

      <http://lists.elistx.com/subscribe>































Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 2]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


1.  Introduction

   o  Although the IETF has face-to-face meetings on a regular schedule,
      all official work of the IETF is conducted on its mailing lists.

   o  Need to create uniformity in the management of IETF mailing lists.

   o  Need to create some structure to assign authority and delegate
      responsibilities.

   o  Need to be flexible and allow for rapid evolution.








































Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 3]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


2.  Definitions

   o  mailing list - This is a generic term that refers to any IETF
      mailing list.  The following categories of IETF mailing lists are
      defined according to their expected operational characteristics,
      which may be changed with the approval of the relevant area
      director.

   o  administrative list - a category of mailing list for which
      subscriptions are by invitation only, e.g., iab, iesg, wgchairs,
      or a document design team list.

   o  announcement list - a category of mailing list for which messages
      are moderated according to relatively strict guidelines;
      subscriptions are open to anyone.  Examples include ietf-announce,
      i-d-announce, or irtf-announce.

   o  discussion list - a category of mailing list for which
      subscriptions are open to anyone, subscribers submit messages
      without restriction, and non-subscriber messages are moderated.
      Examples include working group mailing lists.

   o  open list - a mailing list characterized as "open" permits anyone
      to subscribe to receive messages.  Such a list may or may not
      permit subscribers or anyone else to submit messages.

   o  closed list - a mailing list characterized as "closed" restricts
      who may be subscribed to receive messages.  Such a list may or may
      not permit subscribers or anyone else to submit messages.

   o  list owner - this person is responsible for ensuring the mailing
      list exists, is operational, and is used in accordance with its
      charter.  Unless otherwise specified, for IETF working groups the
      working group chair is the list owner.

   o  list host - this person is responsible for the technical operation
      of the mailing list.  The list host MUST be someone who has all of
      the necessary privileges and expertise for the responsibility at
      and on the site where the mailing list is hosted.  If a mailing
      list is hosted in the "@ietf.org" domain then "webmaster@ietf.org"
      is the list host.

   o  list administrator - this person is responsible for administrative
      issues of the mailing list, including subscribe, unsubscribe, and
      archive issues not related to technical operations.

   o  list moderator - this person is responsible for message content
      submission issues of the mailing list.



Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 4]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


   o  list sergeant-at-arms - this person is responsible for behavior
      issues of those who submit messages to the mailing list.

















































Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 5]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


3.  Model

   o  Assign authority for the management of IETF mailing lists to the
      IESG.

   o  Community will develop a set of principles (a draft of some are
      proposed here) to be specified in a BCP to guide the management.

   o  IESG will develop policies and procedures for the management of
      IETF mailing lists.  The BCP (developed by the community) will
      specify a streamlined process for the announcement, review, and
      enactment of these policies and procedures.  Some policies and
      procedures already exist.

   o  IESG will create a group -- for example, a mailing list resolution
      committee or a mailing list directorate -- to which to delegate
      the responsibility of execution of the policies and procedures.
      This aligns well with existing procedures because it leaves the
      IESG in the appeals path, relieves the IESG of most of the
      adminstrative workload, and provides the desired uniformity in the
      management of mailing lists.

   o  The BCP would need to include appropriate guidance for the
      constitution of the group, the rules by which it operates, and the
      appeals process.


























Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 6]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


4.  Principles and Structure

   o  IESG has responsibility and authority to create, manage, and
      update mailing list management policies and procedures, and is the
      final arbiter in any dispute regarding the operation of an IETF
      mailing list, as detailed elsewhere in this document.

   o  Each IETF working group MUST have one open discussion list to use
      to conduct its business.  A working group MAY have one or more
      closed mailing list(s) for use by a design team, editors, or other
      sub-groups of the working group.

   o  Unless otherwise specified the working group chair is the owner of
      all the working group mailing lists.  The working group chair,
      with the approval of the relevant area director, is responsible
      for identifying one or more individuals to serve in the mailing
      list management roles defined elsewhere in this document.

   o  In general, each role SHOULD have more than one person assigned
      and a working group chair SHOULD NOT be the only person in a
      mailing list role, except that the working group chair may be the
      sole list owner.  Exceptions are only permitted with the approval
      of the relevant area director.

   o  Any action that effects the distribution or content of any message
      submitted for an IETF mailing list MUST be visible to and
      auditable by the subscribers of that mailing list and the IESG.
      Such actions MAY be visible to and auditable by the IETF
      community.  A subscriber MUST have reasonable access at all times.
      IESG access MAY be provided upon request to the working group
      chair or any mailing list role.

   o  Submitting messages to an IETF mailing list is a privilege not a
      right.  All submissions MUST be within scope and conform to
      reasonable and accepted standards of behavior for IETF mailing
      lists.  All such submissions MUST be distributed to all
      subscribers.  This privilege MAY be revoked.

   o  The IETF Secretariat maintains an archive of all mailing lists.
      The mailing list host MUST ensure that the central archive
      subscriber address remains subscribed to the mailing list.

   o  Anyone MUST be permitted to subscribe to receive messages
      distributed by any open working group mailing list.

   o  A working group's open mailing lists' archive MUST be publicly
      accessible.




Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 7]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


   o  It MUST be possible to subscribe or unsubscribe from an IETF
      mailing list using an email-based manager.  An IETF mailing list
      MAY include a web-based manager for managing subscriptions.

   o  All issues or appeals of any action or decision regarding the
      operation of an IETF mailing list MUST be addressed first to the
      working group chair.  If a satisfactory resolution is not
      forthcoming the issue may be referred to the "mailing list group".
      Decisions of the "mailing list group" may be appealed to the IESG.










































Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 8]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


5.  Mailing List Group

   o  Need discussion of how this group is constituted.  Options include
      serving at the pleasure of the general area director, selected by
      NOMCOM, drawn from the pool of working group chairs, some
      combination of all of the above, or something else entirely.

   o  Need discussion of its operation.  Suggestion is a consensus body
      whose deliberations are private but it must release a detailed
      decision that includes all relevant and appropriate documentation
      and supporting material.








































Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006               [Page 9]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


6.  Setting Policies and Procedures

   o  IESG has specified a few policies and procedures already.  A
      central location needs to be identified for collecting them and
      all future entries for ease of access.

   o  Need discussion of how policies and procedures are enacted.
      Suggestion is that the IESG announces them with a 4 week last
      call.  If there are no substantial issues then they automatically
      approve at the end of the 4 weeks.  This is similar to what has
      been done on many existing policies and procedures.








































Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006              [Page 10]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


Author's Address

   James M. Galvin (editor)
   eList eXpress LLC
   607 Trixsam Road
   Sykesville, MD  21784
   US

   Phone: +1 410-549-4619
   Fax:   +1 410-795-7978
   Email: galvin+ietf@elistx.com
   URI:   http://www.elistx.com/







































Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006              [Page 11]

Internet-Draft        IETF Mailing List Principles             June 2006


Intellectual Property Statement

   The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any
   Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to
   pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in
   this document or the extent to which any license under such rights
   might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has
   made any independent effort to identify any such rights.  Information
   on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be
   found in BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any
   assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an
   attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of
   such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this
   specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository at
   http://www.ietf.org/ipr.

   The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any
   copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary
   rights that may cover technology that may be required to implement
   this standard.  Please address the information to the IETF at
   ietf-ipr@ietf.org.


Disclaimer of Validity

   This document and the information contained herein are provided on an
   "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS
   OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
   ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
   INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
   INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED
   WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.


Copyright Statement

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2006).  This document is subject
   to the rights, licenses and restrictions contained in BCP 78, and
   except as set forth therein, the authors retain all their rights.


Acknowledgment

   Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
   Internet Society.




Galvin                  Expires December 21, 2006              [Page 12]