Network Working Group O. Kolkman (Ed.) Internet-Draft Intended status: Informational J. Halpern (Ed.) Expires: November 1, 2011 Ericsson IAB April 30, 2011 RFC Editor Model (Version 2) draft-iab-rfc-editor-model-v2-01 Abstract The RFC Editor performs a number of functions that may be carried out by various persons or entities. The RFC Editor model described in this document divides the responsibilities for the RFC Series into four functions: The RFC Series Editor, the Independent Submission Editor, the RFC Production Center, and the RFC Publisher. The function of the Independent Submission Editor is defined here. The IAB oversight by way of delegation to the RFC Series Oversight Board is described. This document reflects 1 year of experience with RFC Editor Model version 1. Status of This Memo This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet- Drafts is at http://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/. 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." This Internet-Draft will expire on November 1, 2011. Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2011 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved. This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 1] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License. Table of Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. Administrative Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.1. Expenses for the RFC Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. RFC Editor Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3.1. RFC Series Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3.1.1. Executive Management of the Publication and Production function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3.1.2. Representation of the RFC Series . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3.1.2.1. Representation to the IETF . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3.1.2.2. External Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.1.3. Development of RFC Production and RFC Access . . . . . 10 3.1.4. Development of the RFC Series . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.1.5. Workload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.1.6. Qualifications and Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.2. Independent Submission Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 3.3. RFC Production Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 3.4. RFC Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 4. Committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 4.1. RFC Series Oversight Committee (RSOC) . . . . . . . . . . 15 4.1.1. RSOC composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 4.1.2. Disagreements Among RFC Editor Entities . . . . . . . 17 4.1.2.1. Issues with Contractual Impact . . . . . . . . . . 17 4.2. Independent Submission Stream Editorial Board . . . . . . 18 5. IANA considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 6. Security considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 7. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 8. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 8.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 8.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Appendix A. Internet Draft editing details . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A.1. Section 00->01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A.2. Section 01->02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A.3. Section 02->03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 A.4. section 03->04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 A.5. section 04->05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 A.6. section 05->06 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 A.7. section 06->07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 A.8. section 07->08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 A.9. v2-00->v2-01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 2] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 1. Introduction The IAB, on behalf of the Internet technical community, is concerned with ensuring the continuity of the RFC Series, orderly RFC Editor succession, maintaining RFC quality, and RFC document accessibility. The IAB is also sensitive to the concerns of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) about providing the necessary services in a cost effective and efficient manner. The definition of the RFC series is described in RFC 4844 [RFC4844]. Section 3.1 defines "RFC Editor": | 3.1. RFC Editor | | Originally, there was a single person acting as editor of the RFC | Series (the RFC Editor). The task has grown, and the work now | requires the organized activity of several experts, so there are RFC | Editors, or an RFC Editor organization. In time, there may be | multiple organizations working together to undertake the work | required by the RFC Series. For simplicity's sake, and without | attempting to predict how the role might be subdivided among them, | this document refers to this collection of experts and organizations | as the "RFC Editor". | | The RFC Editor is an expert technical editor and series editor, | acting to support the mission of the RFC Series. As such, the RFC | Editor is the implementer handling the editorial management of the | RFC Series, in accordance with the defined processes. In addition, | the RFC Editor is expected to be the expert and prime mover in | discussions about policies for editing, publishing, and archiving | RFCs. RFC 4844 makes no attempt to explore the internal organization of the RFC Editor. However, RFC 4844 envisions changes in the RFC Editor organizational structure. In discussion with the Internet community, the IAB considered changes that increase flexibility and operational support options, provides for the orderly succession of the RFC Editor, and ensures the continuity of the RFC series, while maintaining RFC quality, maintaining timely processing, ensuring document accessibility, reducing costs, and increasing cost transparency. The model set forth below is the result of those discussions and the experience gained since, as described immediately below, and examines the internal organization of the RFC Editor, while remaining consistent with RFC 4844. This version of the document also reflects the discussions, as described below, that have occurred since the first efforts to clarify that internal organization. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 3] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 Note that RFC 4844 uses the term "RFC Editor function" or "RFC Editor" as the collective set of responsibilities for which this memo provides a model for internal organization. This memo defines the term "RFC Series Editor" or "Series Editor" for one of the organizational components. The RFC Editor model was first approved in October 1, 2008 and has evolved since. During the implementation of version 1 of the model [RFC5620] it was quickly realized that the role of the RSE and the oversight responsibilities needed to be structured differently. In order to gain experience with 'running code' a transitional RFC Series Editor was hired who analyzed the managerial environment and provided recommendations. This version of the model is based on his recommendations and the subsequent discussion on the rfc-interest list. The document, and the resulting structures, will be modified as needed through normal procedures. The RSE, and the IAB, through the RFC oversight committee (see Section 4.1), will continue to monitor discussions within the community about potential adjustments to the RFC Editor model and recognizes that the process described in this document may need to be adjusted to align with any changes that result from such discussions, hence the version number in the title. 2. Administrative Implementation The model is constructed in such a way that it sets boundary conditions on whether these functions are to be implemented jointly or under separate contractual arrangements. The exact implementation is a responsibility of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC, [RFC4071]) in cooperation with the RFC Series Editor. 2.1. Expenses for the RFC Editor The expenses discussed in this document are not new expenses. They have been and remain part of the IETF Administrative Support Activity (IASA, [RFC4071]) budget. 3. RFC Editor Model The RFC Editor model divides the responsibilities for the RFC Series into the following components: o RFC Series Editor ("RSE"). o Independent Submission Editor ("ISE"). Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 4] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 o RFC Production Center. o RFC Publisher. The structure and relationship of the components of the RFC Series Production and Process is schematically represented by the figure below (the picture does not depict oversight and escalation relations). Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 5] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 +--------------+ | | | IAB | | | +----V--------V+ +.RFC Editor....|........V.................+ . | . +------------+ . +-----------V-+ +-----------+ . | | . | RFC | | | . | Community | . | Series | | RFC | . | at <------> Oversight <--> Series | . | Large | . | Committee | | Editor | . | | . | | | | . +------------+ . +-------------+ +-V-------V-+ . +...............+ | | . . | | . +-----------+ +-------------+ . +----V--+ +V--------+ . +-----+ | Community | | Independent | . | RFC | | | . | E | | at +---> Submission +---> | | RFC | . | n | | Large | | Editor | . | P | | | . | d | | | | | . | r | | P | . | | +-----------+ +-------------+ . | o +-->| u +-----> U | +-----------+ +-------------+ . | d | | b | . | s | | | | | . | u | | l | . | e | | IAB +---> IAB +---> c | | i | . | r | | | | | . | t | | s | . | s | +-----------+ +-------------+ . | i | | h | . | | +-----------+ +-------------+ . | o | | e | . | & | | | | | . | n | | r | . | | | IRTF +---> IRSG +---> | | | . | R | | | | | . | C | | | . | e | +-----------+ +-------------+ . | e | | | . | a | +-----------+ +-------------+ . | n | | | . | d | | | | | . | t | | | . | e | | IETF +---> IESG +---> e | | | . | r | | | | | . | r | | | . | s | +-----------+ +-------------+ . +-------+ +---------+ . +-----+ . . +..........................+ Structure of RFC Series production and process. Figure 1 In this model documents are produced and approved through multiple document streams. The four that now exist are described in [RFC4844]. Documents from these streams are edited and processed by the Production Center and published by the Publisher. The RFC Series Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 6] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 Editor will exercise executive management over the activities of the RFC Publisher and the RFC Production Center (which can be seen as back office functions) and will be the entity that: o Provides Executive Management for the overall operation of the RFC Editor, including the Production and Publication components. o Represents the RFC Series and the RFC Editor Function within the IETF and externally. o Is responsible for planning and seeing to the execution of improvements in the RFC Editor Production and Access Processes. o Leads the community in the development of improvements to the RFC Series. These responsibilities are defined below, although the specific work items under them are a matter for the actual employment contract and its Statement of Work. The IAB and IAOC maintain their chartered responsibility as defined in [RFC2850] and [RFC4071]. More details on the oversight by the IAB via the RFC Series Oversight Committee (RSOC) can be found in Section 4.1. Therefore, the RSE does not have the direct authority to hire or fire RFC Editor contractors or personnel. Serious issues, such as those that might be detected during the RSE annual review of the production facility, would be brought by the RSE to the RSOC, and escalated from there if appropriate. 3.1. RFC Series Editor The RFC Series Editor is the individual with overall responsibility for the quality, continuity, and evolution of the RFC Series. While that individual may, in the future, have assistants; at present there are no staff other than those associated with the RFC Series Production and Publication facility. The RSE is appointed by the IAB, but formally hired by the IAOC. The IAB delegates the direct oversight over the RSE to the RSOC, which it appoints. 3.1.1. Executive Management of the Publication and Production function With respect to the Publication and Production functions, the RSE provides input to the IASA budget, statements of work, and manages vendor selection processes. The RSE performs annual reviews of the Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 7] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 Production and Publication function which are then provided to the RSOC and the IASA. Vendor selection is done in cooperation with the streams and under final authority of the IASA. Concretely: o The RSE owns and develops the work definition (the SOW) and manages the vendor search processes. The work definition is created within the (budgetary) boundary condition that are negotiated with IASA and takes into account the RSE's requirements and community input. o The RSE manages the evaluation process of the bids against the SOW and then provides a recommendation to the IASA. o Final vendor selection is done by the IASA in close consultation with the RSE to ensure that contract terms and other arrangements are consistent with the SOW, consistent with the both RSE's and contractor's requirements to satisfy the contract. The IASA has the responsibility to approve the total RSE budget (and the authority to deny it). The RSE has the responsibility to manage all the series functions within that budget. It is assumed that there is a level of cooperation between RSE and IASA that allows decisions by the IASA to be 'pro forma'. In case of disagreement, the IAB will attempt to mediate the issue. If no mutual agreement can be reached, the IAB will make the final decision. When budgets have been assigned by IASA the RSE is responsible for managing the RFC Editor to operate within those budgets. If production needs change, the RSE is responsible for working with the production facility to determine what the correct response should be. If they agree that a budgetary change is needed, that needs to be taken to the IAD and the IAOC. The RSE primarily supervises the on-going performance of the vendors without asserting direct operational responsibility. However, the RSE has operational responsibilities for issues that raise above the responsibilities of the publication or publication functions such as cross stream coordination of priorities and other issues. When the RSE needs to take extra-budgetary or out-of contract measures those actions will be coordinated with IASA. The RSE is also responsible for creating documentation and structures that will allow for the RFC Series' continuity when circumstances engender the need for the execution of the publication and/or Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 8] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 production functions by other vendors. For this type of responsibility the RSE is expected to cooperate closely with the IASA and the various streams. To prevent actual or apparent problems with conflicts of interest or judgment, the RSE is barred from having any ownership, advisory, or other relationship to the vendors executing the Publication or Production functions except as specified elsewhere in this document. If necessary, an exception can be made after public disclosure of those relationships and with the explicit permission of the IAB and IASA. 3.1.2. Representation of the RFC Series The RSE is the primary representative of the RFC Series. This representation is important both internally, relative to the IETF, and externally. 3.1.2.1. Representation to the IETF The RSE is the primary point of contact the IETF on matters other than the practicalities of producing individual RFCs (which are worked with the RFC Production staff.) This includes providing suitable reports to the community at large; providing email contact for policy questions and inputs; and enabling and participating in suitable on-line forums for discussion of issues related to the RFC Series. Due to the history and nature of the interaction between the RSE and the IETF, certain principles must be understood and adhered to by the RSE in his or her interactions with the community. These apply to the representation function, as well as to the leadership the RSE provides in Production and Series Development. 3.1.2.1.1. Volunteerism The vast majority of Internet technical community work is led, initiated, and done by community volunteers, including oversight, policy-making, and direct production of, for example, many software tools. The Series Editor role relies on volunteer participation and needs to support the vitality and effectiveness of volunteer participation. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 9] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 3.1.2.1.2. Policy Authority All decisions are to be made in the overall interest of the community. The community is the arbiter of policy. The RSE must consult with the community on policy issues. The RSE works with the community to achieve policy that meets the overall quality, continuity, and evolution goals the RSE is charged with meeting. As described below in Section 4.1 the RSE reports the results of such interactions to the RSOC, including the specific recommendations on policy. This enables the RSOC to provide the oversight the IAB is required to apply, as well as to confirm that the IETF community has been properly consulted and considered in making policy. 3.1.2.2. External Representation From time to time, individuals or organizations external to the IETF need a contact person to talk to about the RFC Series. The RSE is that individual. Over time, the RSE should determine what if any means should be employed to increase end-user awareness of the series, and to reinforce the stature of the Series, and will be the contact point for outside parties seeking information on the Series or the Editor. 3.1.3. Development of RFC Production and RFC Access Closely related to providing executive management to the RFC Production and Publication functions is the need to develop and improve those functions. The RSE is responsible for ensuring that such ongoing development takes place. This effort must include the dimensions of document quality, timeliness of production, and accessibility of results. It must also specifically take into account issues raised by the IETF community. 3.1.4. Development of the RFC Series In order to develop the RFC Publication series the RSE is expected to develop a relationships with the Internet technical community. With that community, the Editor is expected to engage in a process of articulating and refining a vision for the Series and its continuous evolution. Concretely: Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 10] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 The RSE is responsible for the coordination of discussion on Series evolution among the Series' Stream participants and the broader Internet technical community. In time the RSE is expected to develop and refine a vision for the RFC Series, including examining: the technical specification series, as it continues to evolve. The RSE is expected to take a broad view and be be looking for the best ways to evolve the series for the benefit of the entire Internet Community. As such, the RSE may even consider evolution beyond the historical 'by engineers for engineers' emphasis; and and its publication-technical environment: looking at whether it should be slowly changing in terms of publication and archiving techniques; particularly to better serve the communities that produce and depend on the RFC Series. For example, all of those communities have been slowly changing to include significant multi-lingual and non-native-English populations. Another example is that some of these constituencies also have a shifted to include significant groups of members whose primary focus is on the constraints and consequences of network engineering, rather than a primary interest in the engineering issues themselves. The RSE will develop consensus versions of vision and policy documents which will be approved by the RFC Series Oversight Committee (Section 4.1). For this type of responsibility the RSE cooperates closely with the community and under oversight of the RSOC and thus ultimately under oversight of the IAB. 3.1.5. Workload The job is expected initially to take on average half of an FTE (approx 20 hrs per week), with the workload per week near full time during IETF weeks, over 20 hours per week in the first few months of the engagement, and higher during special projects. 3.1.6. Qualifications and Selection The RFC Series Editor is a senior technology professional with the following qualifications: 1. Executive management experience suitable to managing the requirements outlined elsewhere in this document and the many Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 11] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 aspects of this role, and to coordinating the overall RFC Editor process. 2. Good understanding of the English language and technical terminology related to the Internet. 3. Good communication skills. 4. Experience with editorial processes. 5. Ability to develop strong understanding of the IETF and RFC process. 6. Independent worker. 7. Experience as an RFC author desired. As described below (Section 4.1) the IAB appoints the RSOC and delegates authority to it. One of the first responsibilities of the RSOC will be to define in detail the solicitation and selection process for the next RSE. The RSOC is expected to document to the community the process it selects. Upon completion of selection, the RSOC should determine the best way to preserve this information for future use. 3.2. Independent Submission Editor The Independent Submission Editor (ISE) is the head of the Independent Submission Stream of RFCs, as defined by [RFC4844]. While formally part of the RFC Editor function, the Independent Stream and the Independent Submission Editor are not under the authority or direction of the RSE. As noted below, the ISE is appointed by and is responsible directly to the IAB. The Independent Submission Editor is an individual who may have assistants and who is responsible for: 1. Maintaining technical quality of the Independent Submission stream. 2. Reviewing, approving, and processing Independent Submissions. 3. Forwarding draft RFCs in the Independent Submission Stream to the RFC Production Center. 4. Reviewing and approving Independent Submissions RFC errata. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 12] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 5. Coordinating work and conforming to general RFC Series policies as specified by the IAB and RSE. 6. Providing statistics and documentation as requested by the RSE and/or IAOC. The Independent Submission Editor is a senior position for which the following qualifications are desired: 1. Technical competence, i.e., broad technical experience and perspective across the whole range of Internet technologies and applications, and specifically, the ability to work effectively with portions of that spectrum in which no personal expertise exists. 2. Thorough familiarity with the RFC series. 3. An ability to define and constitute advisory and document review arrangements. If those arrangements include an Editorial Board similar to the current one or some equivalent arrangement, assess the technical competence of potential Editorial Board members. 4. Good standing in the technical community, in and beyond the IETF. 5. Demonstrated editorial skills, good command of the English language, and demonstrated history of being able to work effectively with technical documents and materials created by others. 6. The ability to work effectively in a multi-actor environment with divided authority and responsibility similar to that described in this document. The Independent Submission Editor may seek support from an advisory board (see Section 4.2) and may form a team to perform the activities needed to fulfill their responsibilities. The individual with the listed qualifications will be selected by the IAB after input is collected from the community. An approach similar to the one used by the IAB to select an IAOC member every other year as described in [RFC4333] should be used. While the ISE itself is considered a volunteer function, the IAB considers maintaining the Independent Submission stream within the RFC Series part of the IAB's supported activities, and will include the expenses made for the support of the ISE in its IASA-supported budget. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 13] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 3.3. RFC Production Center RFC Production is performed by a paid contractor, and the contractor responsibilities include: 1. Editing inputs from all RFC streams to comply with the RFC Style Manual, under the direction of the RSE; 2. Creating records of edits performed on documents; 3. Identifying where editorial changes might have technical impact and seeking necessary clarification; 4. Engaging in dialog with authors, document shepherds, IANA, and/or stream-dependent contacts when clarification is needed; 5. Creating records of dialog with document authors; 6. Requesting advice from the RFC Series Editor as needed; 7. Providing suggestions to the RFC Series Editor as needed; 8. Providing sufficient resources to support reviews of RFC Publisher performance by the RFC Series Editor and external reviews of the RFC Editor initiated by the IAB or IAOC; 9. Coordinating with IANA to perform protocol parameter registry actions; 10. Assigning RFC numbers; 11. Establishing publication readiness of each document through communication with the authors, document shepherds, IANA and/or stream-dependent contacts, and, if needed, with the RFC Series Editor; 12. Forwarding ready-to-publish documents to the RFC Publisher; 13. Forwarding records of edits and author dialog to the RFC Publisher so these can be preserved; 14. Liaising with the streams as needed. All these activities will be done under the general direction, but not day to day management, of the RSE and need some level of coordination with various submission streams and the RSE. The RFC Production Center contractor is to be selected by the IAOC Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 14] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 through an RFP process. The IAOC will seek a bidder who, among other things, is able to provide a professional, quality, timely, and cost effective service against the established style and production guidelines. Contract terms, including length of contract, extensions and renewals, shall be as defined in an RFP. The opportunity to bid shall be broadly available. 3.4. RFC Publisher The RFC Publisher responsibilities include: 1. Announcing and providing on-line access to RFCs. 2. Providing on-line system to submit RFC Errata. 3. Providing on-line access to approved RFC Errata. 4. Providing backups. 5. Providing storage and preservation of records. 6. Authenticating RFCs for legal proceedings. All these activities will be done under the general direction, but not day to day management, of the RSE and need some level of coordination with various submission streams and the RSE. The vendor selection by the IAOC is through an RFP process. This may be part of the same contract as the RFC Production center, or may be separate, as decided by the IAOC. 4. Committees 4.1. RFC Series Oversight Committee (RSOC) The IAB is responsible for oversight over the RFC Series. In order to provide continuity over periods longer than the nomcom appointment cycle and assure that oversight is informed through subject matter experts the IAB will establish a group that implements oversight for the IAB, the RFC Series Oversight Committee (RSOC). The RSOC will act with authority delegated from the IAB: In general it will be the RSOC that will approve consensus policy and vision documents as developed by the RSE in collaboration with the community. In those general cases the IAB is ultimately responsible for Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 15] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 oversight and acts as a body for appeal and resolution. For all aspects that affect the RSE itself (e.g. hiring and firing) the RSOC prepares recommendations for the IAB but final decision is the responsibility of the IAB. For instance the RSOC would: o perform annual reviews of the RSE and reports to the IAB. o manage RSE candidate selection and advises the IAB on candidate appointment (in other words select the RSE, subject to IAB approval) It is expected that such oversight by the IAB is a matter of due diligence and that the reports and recommendations from the RSOC are approached as if they are binding. RSOC members are expected to recognize potential conflicts of interest and behave accordingly. There is one aspect in which the RSOC will work with the IASA: the remuneration of the RSE itself. The RSOC will propose a budget for approval to the IASA. The RSOC will be responsible to ensure that the RFC Series is run in a transparent and accountable manner. The RSOC shall develop and publish its own rules of order. 4.1.1. RSOC composition The RSOC will operate under the authority of the IAB, with the IAB retaining final responsibility. The IAB will delegate authority and responsibility to the RSOC as appropriate and as RSOC and RSE relationships evolve. The RSOC will include people who are not current IAB members. Currently, this is aligned with the IAB Program structure. The IAB will designate the membership of the RSOC with the goals of preserving effective stability, keeping it small enough to be effective, but large enough to provide general Internet Community expertise, specific IETF expertise, Publication expertise, and stream expertise. Members serve at the pleasure of the IAB and are expected to bring a balance between short and long term perspective. Specific input about, and recommendations of, members will be sought from the streams, the IASA, and the RSE. The RSE and a person designated to represent the IASA will serve as ex-officio members of the RSOC but either or both can be excluded from its discussions if necessary. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 16] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 4.1.2. Disagreements Among RFC Editor Entities If during the execution of their activities, a disagreement arises over an implementation decision made by one of the entities in the model, any relevant party should first request a review and reconsideration of the decision. If that party still disagrees after the reconsideration, that party may ask the RSE to decide or, especially if the RSE is involved, that party may ask the IAB Chair (for a technical or procedural matter) or IAD (for an administrative or contractual one) to mediate or appoint a mediator to aid in the discussions, although neither is obligated to do so. All parties should work informally and in good faith to reach a mutually agreeable conclusion. If such a conclusion is not possible through those informal processes, then the matter must be registered with the RFC Series Oversight Committee. The RSOC may choose to offer advice to the RSE or more general advice to the parties involved and may ask the RSE to defer a decision until it formulates its advice. However, if a timely decision cannot be reached through discussion, mediation, and mutual agreement, the Series Editor is expected to make whatever decisions are needed to ensure the smooth functioning of the RFC Editor function; those decisions are final. RSE decisions of this type are limited to the functioning of the process and evaluation of whether current policies are appropriately implemented in the decision or need adjustment. In particular, it should be noted that final decisions about the technical content of individual documents are the exclusive responsibility of the stream approvers for those documents, as shown in the illustration in Figure 1. If informal agreements cannot be reached, then formal RSOC review and decision making may be required. If so, the the RSE must identify the issues involved to the community, so that the community is aware of the situation. The RSE will the report the issue to the RSOC for formal resolution by the RSOC with confirmation by the IAB in its oversight capacity. IAB and community discussion of any patterns of disputes are expected to inform future changes to Series policies including possible updates to this document. 4.1.2.1. Issues with Contractual Impact If a disagreement or decision has immediate or future contractual consequences, the Series Editor must identify the issue to the IAOC and, if the RSOC has provided advice, forward that advice as well. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 17] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 After the IAOC has notified the IAB, the IAD as guided by the IAOC, with advice provided by the Series Editor, has the responsibility to resolve these contractual issues. 4.2. Independent Submission Stream Editorial Board The Independent Submission Editor is supported by an Editorial Board for the review of Independent Submission stream documents. This board is known as the Independent Submission Stream Editorial Board. This volunteer Editorial Board exists at the pleasure of the ISE, and the members serve at the pleasure of the ISE. The existence of this board is simply noted within this model, and additional discussion of such is considered out of scope of this document. 5. IANA considerations This document defines several functions within the overall RFC Editor structure, and it places the responsibility for coordination of registry value assignments with the RFC Production Center. The IAOC will facilitate the establishment of the relationship between the RFC Production Center and IANA. This document does not create a new registry nor does it register any values in existing registries, and no IANA action is required. 6. Security considerations The same security considerations as those in RFC 4844 apply. The processes for the publication of documents must prevent the introduction of unapproved changes. Since the RFC Editor maintains the index of publications, sufficient security must be in place to prevent these published documents from being changed by external parties. The archive of RFC documents, any source documents needed to recreate the RFC documents, and any associated original documents (such as lists of errata, tools, and, for some early items, non- machine readable originals) need to be secured against failure of the storage medium and other similar disasters. The IAOC should take these security considerations into account during the implementation of this RFC Editor model. 7. Acknowledgments The RFC Editor model was conceived and discussed in hallways and on mail lists. The first iteration of the text on which this document is based was first drafted by Leslie Daigle, Russ Housley, and Ray Pelletier. In addition to the members of the IAOC and IAB in conjunction with those roles, major and minor contributions were made Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 18] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 by (in alphabetical order): Bob Braden, Brian Carpenter, Sandy Ginoza, Alice Hagens, Joel M. Halpern, Alfred Hoenes, Paul Hoffman, John Klensin, Subramanian Moonesamy, and Jim Schaad. The IAOC members at the time the RFC Editor model was approved were (in alphabetical order): Fred Baker, Bob Hinden, Russ Housley, Ole Jacobsen, Ed Juskevicius, Olaf Kolkman, Ray Pelletier (non-voting), Lynn St.Amour, and Jonne Soininen. In addition, Marshall Eubanks was serving as the IAOC Scribe. The IAB members at the time the initial RFC Editor model was approved were (in alphabetical order): Loa Andersson, Gonzalo Camarillo, Stuart Cheshire, Russ Housley, Olaf Kolkman, Gregory Lebovitz, Barry Leiba, Kurtis Lindqvist, Andrew Malis, Danny McPherson, David Oran, Dave Thaler, and Lixia Zhang. In addition, the IAB included two ex- officio members: Dow Street, who was serving as the IAB Executive Director, and Aaron Falk, who was serving as the IRTF Chair. The IAB members at the time the this RFC was approved were (in alphabetical order): Marcelo Bagnulo, Gonzalo Camarillo, Stuart Cheshire, Vijay Gill, Russ Housley, John Klensin, Olaf Kolkman, Gregory Lebovitz, Andrew Malis, Danny McPherson, David Oran, Jon Peterson, and Dave Thaler. 8. References 8.1. Normative References [RFC4844] Daigle, L. and Internet Architecture Board, "The RFC Series and RFC Editor", RFC 4844, July 2007. [RFC4071] Austein, R. and B. Wijnen, "Structure of the IETF Administrative Support Activity (IASA)", BCP 101, RFC 4071, April 2005. [RFC2850] Internet Architecture Board and B. Carpenter, "Charter of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)", BCP 39, RFC 2850, May 2000. 8.2. Informative References [RFC4333] Huston, G. and B. Wijnen, "The IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) Member Selection Guidelines and Process", BCP 113, RFC 4333, December 2005. [RFC5620] Kolkman, O. and IAB, "RFC Editor Model (Version 1)", RFC 5620, August 2009. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 19] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 Appendix A. Internet Draft editing details [This appendix is to be removed at publication] $Id: draft-iab-rfc-editor-model.xml 55 2009-06-08 12:32:59Z olaf $ A.1. Section 00->01 Added Sandy and Alice to the acknowledgment section, they were accidentally omitted Added text so that the selection mechanism is explicitly documented. The selection mechanism documents the use of an advisory committee and is explicit about the fact that the community expands beyond the IETF community. Modified the RFC Editor Function name to "RFC Series Editor" in order to minimize confusion between the collective of functions (RFC Editor) and the function (Series Editor). Added wording for specifying the technical competence needed by the indep.subm.editor as suggested by JCK Clarified the responsibilities of the production function in Section 3.3 Enumerated qualifications of the RFC Editor A.2. Section 01->02 Various nits corrected Inconsistency in the use of RFC Production house and RFC Production fixed: RFC Production Center used as term Oversight over RFC consistency with the style manual has been made explicit. Clarified that the Independent Submission Stream Editors budget is independent from the IETF/IASA. Improved the language that clarified that the RFC Series editors and Independent Submission Stream editor do not necessarily need to work without assistants, while they bear the responsibility. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 20] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 A.3. Section 02->03 Added Joel to the acknowledgments Added the Advisory committee charter as a FYI Added editorial skill and command of English as a requirement for the ISE In the responsibilities for the RFC series: Change "Participate in" to "Provide input in" for IAOC Review. This makes the text more implementation neutral. Typo: Model is consistent with RFC4844 instead of 4884 Added "Maintaining technical quality of the Independent Submission stream" as an explicit responsibility for the ISE. A.4. section 03->04 [omitted by accident] A.5. section 04->05 Introduced the concept of the RFC Series Advisory Group and reworked the text to take this into account. This also caused the renaming of the advisory group to an explicit "Independent Submission Stream Editorial Board". Rewrote the appeal process to take the RSAG into account Extended the appointment period to 3 years A.6. section 05->06 This version documents decisions made by the IAB during prior to approval during its April 27-28 retreat Addressed some nits Rewritten details of dispute resolution. Also stopped using the words appeal or dispute resolution as they have a specific meaning in the standards process The ISE's expenses are covered from the IASA budget. The envisioned size of the RSAG is changed from 6 to un-specified, the RSAG is allowed to advice on the size later Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 21] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 Rewrote/clarified requirements for RSE and ISE function A.7. section 06->07 Fixed nits Addressed some IAB concerns that were accidentally omitted in version 06 A.8. section 07->08 pen handed to Joel Halpern, added as Editor clarified text on RSE non-authority to hire and fire. Replaced structure diagram in section 3 with diagram developed by Glenn Kowack. Replaced responsibilities section (3) with a structure to match the ongoing SoW, with content largely derived by Olaf Kolkman. replaced RSAG section (4.1) with RSOC section, with new procedures and responsibilities. Removed description of 2009 selection process. A.9. v2-00->v2-01 Editorial corrections and reference additions. Rewriting text on the vision for the development of the RFC Series. Clean up the text explaining the relationship between RSE management and IAOC budgetary authority. cleaned up text to better explain the RSE's role in judging community policy consensus. Clarified the general but not day to day managerial relationship of the RSE with the production and publication factilities. Highlight special handling of disagreements with contractual implications. Clarify that the ISE is part of the RFC Editor function, but not under the authority of the RSE. Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 22] Internet-Draft RFC Editor Model (Version 2) April 2011 Authors' Addresses Olaf M. Kolkman EMail: olaf@nlnetlabs.nl Joel M. Halpern Ericsson EMail: joel.halpern@ericsson.com Internet Architecture Board EMail: iab@iab.org Kolkman (Ed.), et al. Expires November 1, 2011 [Page 23]