Network Working Group R. Droms INTERNET DRAFT Bucknell University Obsoletes: February 1996 Expires August 1996 Procedure for Defining New DHCP Options Status of this memo This document is an Internet-Draft. 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.'' To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the ``1id-abstracts.txt'' listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa), nic.nordu.net (Europe), munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim), ds.internic.net (US East Coast), or ftp.isi.edu (US West Coast). Abstract The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) provides a framework for passing configuration information to hosts on a TCP/IP network. Configuration parameters and other control information are carried in tagged data items that are stored in the 'options' field of the DHCP message. The data items themselves are also called "options." This document describes the procedure for defining new DHCP options. The procedure will guarantee that: * allocation of new option numbers is coordinated from a single authority, * new options are reviewed for technical correctness and appropriateness, and * documentation for new options is complete and published. Droms [Page 1] DRAFT Procedure for Defining New DHCP Options February 1996 Procedure The author of a new DHCP option will follow these steps to obtain acceptance of the option as a part of the DHCP Internet Standard: 1. The author devises the new option. 2. The author requests a number for the new option from IANA. 3. The author documents the new option, using the newly obtained option number, as an Internet Draft. 4. The author submits the Internet Draft for review through the IETF standards process as defined in "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1). The new option will be submitted for eventual acceptance as an Internet Standard. 5. The new option progresses through the IETF standards process; the new option will be reviewed by the Dynamic Host Configuration Working Group (if that group still exists), or as an Internet Draft not submitted by an IETF working group. 6. If the new option fails to gain acceptance as an Internet Standard, the assigned option number will be returned to IANA for reassignment. Acceptance and publication If this procedure is accepted, it will be added to the DHCP options specification as an Appendix. Security Considerations Security issues are not discussed in this memo. Author's Address Ralph Droms Computer Science Department 323 Dana Engineering Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA 17837 Phone: (717) 524-1145 EMail: droms@bucknell.edu Droms [Page 2]