Network Working Group R. Bush Internet-Draft IIJ Updates: 2026 (if approved) T. Narten Expires: April 18, 2004 IBM Corporation October 19, 2003 Clarifying when Standards Track Documents may Refer Normatively to Documents at a Lower Level draft-ymbk-downref-00.txt Status of this Memo This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026. 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 April 18, 2004. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003). All Rights Reserved. Abstract IETF procedures generally require that a standards track RFC may not have a normative reference to a document at a lower standards level. For example a standards track document may not have a normative reference to an informational RFC. There are needs for exceptions to this rule, often caused by the IETF using informational RFCs to describe non-IETF standards, or IETF-specific modes of use of such standards. This document clarifies the procedure used in these circumstances. Bush & Narten Expires April 18, 2004 [Page 1] Internet-Draft Docment Down-Ref Clarification October 2003 1. Normative References Expected to be to Equal or Higher Level The Internet Standards Process [RFC2026] Section 4.2.4 specifies: Standards track specifications normally must not depend on other standards track specifications which are at a lower maturity level or on non standards track specifications other than referenced specifications from other standards bodies. One intent is to avoid creating a perception that a standard is more mature than it actually is. 2. The Need for Downward References There are a number of circumstances where a reference to a document at a lower maturity level may be needed. o A standards track document may need to refer to a protocol developed by an external body but modified, adapted, or profiled by an IETF informational RFC, for example MD5 [RFC1321] and HMAC [RFC2104]. Note that this does not override the IETF's duty to see that the specification is indeed sufficiently clear to enable creation of interoperable implementations. o A standards document may need to refer to a proprietary protocol, and the IETF normally documents proprietary protocols using informational RFCs. o A migration or co-existence document may need to define a standards track mechanism for migration from, and/or co-existence with, an historic protocol, a proprietary protocol, or possibly a non-standards track protocol. o There are exceptional procedural or legal reasons which force the target of the normative reference to be an informational or historical RFC, or for it to be at a lower standards level than the referring document. 3. The Procedure to be Used For Standards Track or BCP documents requiring normative reference to documents of lower maturity, the normal IETF Last Call procedure will be issued, with the need for the downward reference explicitly documented in the Last Call itself. Any community comments on the appropriateness of downward references will be considered by the IESG as part of its deliberations. Once a specific precedent has been set (i.e., the same exception has been made for a particular reference a Bush & Narten Expires April 18, 2004 [Page 2] Internet-Draft Docment Down-Ref Clarification October 2003 few times), the need for an explicit mention of the issue during Last Call may be waived. This procedure should not be used when the document to which the reference is being made could be advanced to the appropriate category. I.e., this is not intended as an easy way out of normal process. 4. Security Considerations This document is not known to create any new vulnerabilities for the internet. On the other hand, inappropriate or excessive use of the process might be considered a down-grade attack on the quality of IETF standards, or worse, on the rigorous review of security aspects of standards. 5. Acknowlegnemts This document is the result of discussion within the IESG, with particular contribution by Harald Alvestrand, Steve Bellovin, Scott Bradner, Ned Freed, Jeff Schiller, and Bert Wijnen. Normative References [RFC2026] Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3", BCP 9, RFC 2026, October 1996. Informative References [RFC1321] Rivest, R., "The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm", RFC 1321, April 1992. [RFC2104] Krawczyk, H., Bellare, M. and R. Canetti, "HMAC: Keyed-Hashing for Message Authentication", RFC 2104, February 1997. Authors' Addresses Randy Bush IIJ 5147 Crystal Springs Bainbrisge Island, WA 98110 US Phone: +1 206 780 0431 EMail: randy@psg.com URI: http://psg.com/~randy/ Bush & Narten Expires April 18, 2004 [Page 3] Internet-Draft Docment Down-Ref Clarification October 2003 Thomas Narten IBM Corporation P.O. Box 12195 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2195 US Phone: +1 919 254 7798 EMail: narten@us.ibm.com Bush & Narten Expires April 18, 2004 [Page 4] Internet-Draft Docment Down-Ref Clarification October 2003 Intellectual Property Statement The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any intellectual property 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; neither does it represent that it has made any effort to identify any such rights. 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This document and the information contained herein is provided on an "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION Bush & Narten Expires April 18, 2004 [Page 5] Internet-Draft Docment Down-Ref Clarification October 2003 HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Acknowledgement Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the Internet Society. Bush & Narten Expires April 18, 2004 [Page 6]