Internet DRAFT - draft-eggert-irtf-rfc2014bis

draft-eggert-irtf-rfc2014bis







Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)                            L. Eggert
Internet-Draft                                                    NetApp
Obsoletes: 2014 (if approved)                          November 23, 2018
Intended status: Informational
Expires: May 27, 2019


             IRTF Research Group Guidelines and Procedures
                    draft-eggert-irtf-rfc2014bis-05

Abstract

   The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) has responsibility for
   organizing groups to investigate research topics related to the
   Internet protocols, applications, and technology.  IRTF activities
   are organized into Research Groups.  This document describes the
   guidelines and procedures for formation and operation of IRTF
   Research Groups.  It describes the relationship between IRTF
   participants, Research Groups, the Internet Research Steering Group
   (IRSG) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB).  The basic duties
   of IRTF participants, including the IRTF Chair, Research Group Chairs
   and IRSG members are defined.

   This document obsoletes RFC2014.

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
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   Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
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   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 May 27, 2019.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2018 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.





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   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   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  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
     1.1.  IRTF Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     1.2.  IRTF and Intellectual Property Rights . . . . . . . . . .   5
   2.  Research Group Formation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     2.1.  Criteria for Formation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
     2.2.  Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   3.  Research Group Operation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
     3.1.  Meeting Planning  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     3.2.  Meeting Venue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
     3.3.  Meeting Management  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   4.  Research Group Termination  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
   5.  Staff Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     5.1.  IRTF Chair  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
     5.2.  IRSG Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     5.3.  Research Group Chair  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
     5.4.  Research Group Editor/Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
   6.  Research Group Documents  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     6.1.  Meeting Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
     6.2.  Request For Comments (RFC)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
   7.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
   8.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
   9.  Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
   10. References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
     10.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
     10.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
   Appendix A.  Changes from RFC2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  16
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17

1.  Introduction

   This document defines guidelines and procedures for Internet Research
   Task Force (IRTF) Research Groups.  It obsoletes [RFC2014], which
   originally documented them.  The IRTF focuses on longer term research
   issues related to the Internet, while its parallel organization, the
   Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), focuses on shorter term
   issues of engineering and standards making.



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   The IRTF is composed of a number of focused, long-term, small
   Research Groups.  These groups work on topics related to Internet
   protocols, applications, architecture and technology.  Research
   Groups are expected to have the stable, long-term membership needed
   to promote the development of research collaboration and teamwork in
   exploring research issues.  Participation is by individual
   contributors, rather than by representatives of organizations.

   The IRTF is managed by the IRTF Chair in consultation with the
   Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG).  The IRSG membership
   includes the IRTF Chair, the chairs of the various Research Groups
   and possibly other individuals ("members-at-large") from the research
   community.

   The IRTF Chair is appointed by the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
   [RFC2850][IAB], the Research Group chairs are appointed as part of
   the formation of Research Groups (as detailed below) and the IRSG
   members-at-large are chosen by the IRTF Chair in consultation with
   the rest of the IRSG and on approval by the IAB.

   In addition to managing the Research Groups, the IRSG MAY from time
   to time hold topical workshops focusing on research areas of
   importance to the evolution of the Internet, or more general
   workshops to, for example, discuss research priorities from an
   Internet perspective.

   This document defines procedures and guidelines for the formation and
   operation of Research Groups in the IRTF.  The duties of the IRTF
   Chair, the Research Group Chairs and IRSG members are also described;
   the first is also described in more detail in [RFC7827].  Except for
   members-at-large of the IRSG, there is no general participation in
   the IRTF, only participation in a specific Research Group.  However,
   since around 2010, the IRTF has begun to hold "open meetings" during
   IETF meetings [IRTFOPEN], and a mailing list was created for
   discussion of IRTF-wide topics [IRTF-DISCUSS], both allowing the
   community to engage with the IRTF.

   [RFC4440] provides additional important background information that
   the readers of this document should familiarize themselves with.
   [RFC7418] provides an introduction to the IRTF for IETF participants,
   focusing on the differences between the two organizations.

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119].






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1.1.  IRTF Approach

   The reader is encouraged to study The Internet Standards Process
   [RFC2026] to gain a complete understanding of the philosophy,
   procedures and guidelines of the IETF and its approach to standards
   making.

   The IRTF does not set standards, and thus has somewhat different and
   complementary philosophy and procedures.  In particular, an IRTF
   Research Group is expected to be long-lived, producing a sequence of
   "products" over time.  The products of a Research Group (often
   abbreviated as "RG") are research results that may be disseminated by
   publication in scholarly journals and conferences, as white papers
   for the community, as Informational RFCs, and so on.  In addition, it
   is expected that any concrete technologies developed in a Research
   Group will be brought to the IETF as input to IETF Working Group(s)
   or in the form of birds-of-a-feather (BoF) sessions for possible
   standardization.  However, Research Group input carries no more
   weight than other community input, and goes through the same
   standards setting process as any other proposal.

   IRTF Research Groups are formed to encourage research in areas of
   importance to the evolution of the Internet.  Clearly, anyone may
   conduct such research, whether or not they are members of a Research
   Group.  The expectation is that by sponsoring Research Groups, the
   IRTF can foster cross-organizational collaboration, help to create
   "critical mass" in important research areas, and add to the
   visibility and impact of the work.

   IRTF Research Groups may have open or closed memberships.  Limited
   membership may be advantageous to the formation of the long term
   working relationships that are critical to successful collaborative
   research.  However, limited membership MUST be used with care and
   sensitivity to avoid unnecessary fragmentation of the work of the
   research community.  Allowing limited membership is in stark contrast
   to IETF Working Groups, which are always open; this contrast reflects
   the different goals and environments of the two organizations -
   research vs. standards setting.

   To ameliorate the effects of closed membership, all Research Groups
   are REQUIRED to regularly report progress to the community, and are
   encouraged to hold occasional open meetings (most likely co-located
   with IETF meetings).  In addition, the IRTF may host open plenaries
   at regular IETF meetings during which research results of interest to
   the community are presented.  Finally, multiple Research Groups
   working in the same general area may be formed, if appropriate.





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   Even more than the IETF, the work of the IRSG is expected to be
   marked by informality.  The goal is to encourage and foster valuable
   research, not to add burdensome bureaucracy to the endeavor.

1.2.  IRTF and Intellectual Property Rights

   The IRTF follows the IETF Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
   disclosure rules, as described in Section 3.2 of [RFC5743].  This is
   a summary of these rules as they relate to IRTF research group
   discussions, mailing lists and Internet Drafts:

   o  If a participant includes their own or their employer's IPR in a
      contribution to an IRTF research group, then they must file an IPR
      disclosure with the IETF.

   o  If a participant recognizes their own or their employer's IPR in
      someone else's contribution and they are participating in the
      discussions in the research group relating to that contribution,
      then they must file an IPR disclosure with the IETF.  Even if they
      are not participating in the discussion, the IRTF still requests
      that they file an IPR disclosure with the IETF.

   o  Finally, the IRTF requests that a participant file an IPR
      disclosure with the IETF if they recognize IPR owned by others in
      any IRTF contribution.

   Participants may file an IPR disclosure here:
   http://www.ietf.org/ipr/file-disclosure

   See [RFC8179] for definitions of "IPR" and "contribution" and for the
   detailed rules (substituting "IRTF" for "IETF").

2.  Research Group Formation

   Research Groups are the activity centers in the IRTF.  A Research
   Group is typically created to address a research area related to
   Internet protocols, applications, architecture or technology area.
   Research Groups have the stable, long-term membership needed to
   promote the development of research collaboration and teamwork in
   exploring research issues.  Participation is by individual
   contributors, rather than by representatives of organizations.

   A Research Group may be established at the initiative of an
   individual or group of individuals.  Anyone interested in creating an
   IRTF Research Group MUST submit a charter for the proposed group to
   the IRTF Chair along with a list of proposed founding members.  The
   charter SHALL be reviewed by the IRSG and then forwarded to the IAB




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   for approval.  If approved, the charter is placed on the IRTF Web
   site.

   This process allows the IRTF Chair considerable freedom in how to
   decide to charter new work, and different approaches have been tried.
   One approach seems to have worked well recently, and is therefore
   briefly described here as an example: Under this approach, the IRTF
   Chair permits the proponents of new Research Groups to start a
   mailing list under the irtf.org domain, schedule meetings during IETF
   weeks and elsewhere for their new group, and otherwise act as if they
   were already formally chartered.  These RGs are referred to as
   "Proposed RGs" in the IETF Datatracker, on the meeting agenda, etc.
   and while they often create a wiki page for themselves, their charter
   is not posted on the IRTF web site, in order to distinguish them from
   officially chartered RGs.  After roughly a year, the IRTF Chair
   reviews the progress, activity levels and general operation of the
   Proposed RG, and decides to formally charter or abandon the effort.

2.1.  Criteria for Formation

   In determining whether it is appropriate to create a Research Group,
   the IRTF Chair, the IRSG and the IAB SHALL consider several issues:

   o  Is the research area that the Research Group plans to address
      clear and relevant for the Internet community?

   o  Will the formation of the Research Group foster work that would
      not be done otherwise?  For instance, membership drawn from more
      than a single institution, more than a single country, and so on,
      is to be encouraged.

   o  Do the Research Group's activities overlap with those of another
      Research Group?  If so, it may still be appropriate to create the
      Research Group, but this question must be considered carefully
      since subdividing efforts often dilutes the available technical
      expertise.

   o  Is there sufficient interest and expertise in the Research Group's
      topic with at least several people willing to expend the effort
      that is likely to produce significant results over time?  Research
      Groups require considerable effort, including management of the
      Research Group process, editing of Research Group documents, and
      contribution to the document text.

   The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) SHALL also review the charter
   of the proposed Research Group to determine the relationship of the
   proposed work to the overall architecture of the Internet Protocol
   Suite.



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2.2.  Charter

   A charter is a contract between a Research Group and the IRTF to
   conduct research in the designated area.  Charters MAY be
   renegotiated periodically to reflect changes to the current status,
   organization or goals of the Research Group.

   The formation of a Research Group requires a charter, which is
   initially negotiated between a prospective Research Group Chair and
   the IRTF Chair.  When the prospective Chair and the IRTF Chair are
   satisfied with the charter form and content, it becomes the basis for
   forming a Research Group.

   A IRTF Research Group charter consists of five sections:

   1.  Research Group Name

       A Research Group name SHOULD be reasonably descriptive or
       identifiable.  Additionally, the group SHALL define a short
       acronym (consisting of printable US-ASCII characters) to
       reference the group in the IRTF directories, mailing lists, and
       general documents.  The name and acronym MUST NOT conflict with
       any past or existing IETF or IRTF names and acronyms.  It is
       helpful if the acronym ends with "RG", to help distinguish
       Research Groups from IETF Working Groups.

   2.  Chair(s)

       The Research Group may have a small number of Chair(s) to perform
       the administrative functions of the group.  The email address(es)
       of the Chair(s) SHALL be included.

   3.  Mailing list(s)

       Each Research Group SHALL have an address (possibly a Chair's)
       for members of the Internet community to send queries regarding
       the Research Group.  For instance, for requests to join the
       group.

       A Research Group, whether limited-membership or open, SHALL have
       an Internet mailing list open to all interested parties.  This
       list is used for an open discussion of the issues and
       announcements of results as they become available.  Included
       SHOULD be the address to which an interested party sends a
       subscription request for the interest list and the procedures to
       follow when subscribing, and the location of the interest mailing
       list archive.  It is RECOMMENDED that this mailing list be hosted




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       under the irtf.org domain, so its archive will remain available
       in the future.

       It is expected that a limited-membership Research Group MAY also
       have a mailing list limited to the regular meeting participants
       on which substantial part of the work of a Research Group is
       likely to be conducted via e-mail.

   4.  Membership Policy

       The Charter MUST define the membership policy (whether open or
       limited), and the procedure to apply for membership in the group.
       While limited membership is permitted, it is in no way encouraged
       or required.

   5.  Description of Research Group

       The focus and intent of the group SHALL be set forth briefly.  By
       reading this section alone, an individual should be able to
       decide whether this group is relevant to their own work.  The
       first paragraph SHOULD give a brief summary of the research area,
       basis, goal(s) and approach(es) planned for the Research Group.
       This paragraph will frequently be used as an overview of the
       Research Group's effort.

       To facilitate evaluation of the intended work and to provide on-
       going guidance to the Research Group, the charter SHALL describe
       the proposed research and SHALL discuss objectives and expected
       impact with respect to the Internet Architecture.

3.  Research Group Operation

   Research Groups are autonomous and each determines most of the
   details of its own operation with respect to session participation,
   reaching closure, norms of behavior, etc.  Since the products are
   research results, not Internet standards, consensus of the group is
   not required.  Rather, the measure of success is the quality and
   impact of the research results.

   A number of procedural questions and issues will arise over time, and
   it is the function of the Research Group Chairs to manage the group
   process, keeping in mind that the overall purpose of the group is to
   make progress towards realizing the Research Group's goals and
   objectives.

   There are few hard and fast rules on organizing or conducting
   Research Group activities, but a set of guidelines and practices have
   evolved over time that have proven successful.  These are listed



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   here, with actual choices typically determined by the Research Group
   members and a Chair.

3.1.  Meeting Planning

   For coordinated, structured Research Group interactions, a Chair MUST
   publish to the group mailing list a draft agenda well in advance of
   the actual meeting.  The agenda needs to contain at least:

   o  The items for discussion;

   o  The estimated time necessary per item; and

   o  A clear indication of what documents the participants will need to
      read before the meeting in order to be well prepared.

   A Research Group will conduct much of its business via its electronic
   mail distribution list(s).  It is also likely to meet periodically to
   accomplish those things that are better achieved in more interactive
   meetings, such as brainstorming, heated altercations, etc.  Meetings
   MAY be scheduled as telephone conference, video teleconference, or
   face-to-face (physical) meetings.

   It is REQUIRED that all Research Group meetings be recorded in
   written minutes, to keep informed members who were not present and
   the community at large and to document the proceedings for present
   and future members.  These minutes SHOULD include the agenda for the
   meeting, an account of the high points of the discussion, and a list
   of attendees.  Unless the Research Group chair decides otherwise, the
   minutes SHOULD be sent to the interest list and made available
   through other channels, e.g., the IETF proceedings web pages.

3.2.  Meeting Venue

   Each Research Group SHALL determine the balance of email and face-to-
   face meetings that is appropriate for making progress on its goals.

   Electronic mail permits the easiest and most affordable
   participation; face-to-face meetings often permit better focus, more
   productive debate and enhanced working relationships.

   Face-to-face meetings are encouraged to be held co-located with the
   regular IETF meetings to minimize travel, since IRTF members are
   often also active in the IETF, and to encourage the cross-
   fertilization that occurs during hallway and after-hours
   interactions.  Furthermore, as described above, even limited-
   membership Research Groups are encouraged to hold occasional open




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   meetings; an IETF meeting would serve as an ideal venue for such an
   event.

   Face-to-face meetings that are collocated with academic conferences
   or workshops have also worked well for some Research Groups,
   particularly those with substantial academic participation.  Such
   groups are still encouraged to occasionally collocate a meeting with
   an IETF meeting, in order to facilitate the cross-fertilization
   between research and engineering that the IRTF is chartered to
   stimulate.

3.3.  Meeting Management

   The challenge of managing Research Group meetings is to balance the
   need for consideration of the various issues, opinions and approaches
   against the need to allow forward progress.  The Research Group, as a
   whole, has the final responsibility for striking this balance.

4.  Research Group Termination

   If, at some point, it becomes evident that a Research Group is not
   making progress in the research areas defined in its charter, or
   fails to regularly report the results of its research to the
   community, the IRTF Chair can either:

   1.  Require that the group recharter to refocus on a different set of
       problems,

   2.  Request that the group choose new Chair(s), or

   3.  Disband the group.

   The IRTF Chair is encouraged to make this decision after consulting
   with the RG.  However, if the RG disagrees with the chair's decision,
   it MAY appeal to the IAB.

5.  Staff Roles

   Research Groups require considerable care and feeding.  In addition
   to general participation, successful Research Groups benefit from the
   efforts of participants filling specific functional roles.

5.1.  IRTF Chair

   The IRTF Chair is responsible for ensuring that Research Groups
   produce coherent, coordinated, architecturally consistent and timely
   output as a contribution to the overall evolution of the Internet
   architecture.  In addition to the detailed tasks related to Research



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   Groups outlined below, the IRTF Chair MAY also from time to time
   arrange for topical workshops attended by the IRSG and perhaps other
   experts in the field.

   Planning

      The IRTF Chair monitors the range of activities.  This may include
      encouraging the formation of Research Groups directly, rather than
      waiting for proposals from IRTF participants.

   Coordination of Research Groups

      The IRTF Chair coordinates the work done by the various Research
      Groups.

   Reporting

      The IRTF Chair reports on IRTF progress to the to the IAB and the
      wider Internet community.

   Progress tracking

      The IRTF Chair tracks and manages the progress of the various
      Research Groups with the aid of a regular status report on
      documents and accomplishments from the Research Group Chairs.  The
      resulting reports are made available to the community at large at
      regular intervals.  The IRTF Chair MAY use the IETF Datatracker to
      manage the status of Internet Drafts authored by the various
      Research Groups [RFC6322].

5.2.  IRSG Member

   Members of the IRSG are responsible for advising the IRTF Chair on
   the chartering of new Research Groups and other matters relating to
   the smooth operation of the IRTF.  They are also responsible for
   helping review documents that are being published on the IRTF Stream
   [RFC5743].  In addition, most IRSG members are also Research Group
   chairs.

5.3.  Research Group Chair

   A Research Group Chair is concerned with making forward progress in
   the areas under investigation, and has wide discretion in the conduct
   of Research Group business.  A Chair MUST ensure that a number of
   tasks are performed, either directly or by others assigned to the
   tasks.  This encompasses at the very least the following:

   Ensuring the Research Group process and content management



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      A Chair has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that a Research
      Group achieves forward progress.  For some Research Groups, this
      can be accomplished by having a Chair perform all management-
      related activities.  In other Research Groups - particularly those
      with large or divisive participation - it is helpful to allocate
      process and/or secretarial functions to other participants, after
      approval from the IRTF Chair.  Process management pertains
      strictly to the style of Research Group interaction and not to its
      content.  Research Group Chairs remain responsible for all actions
      a Secretary performs on their behalf.

   Moderate the Research Group email list

      A Chair SHOULD attempt to ensure that the discussions on a list
      are relevant and do not devolve to "flame" attacks or rat-hole
      into technical trivia.  A Chair SHOULD make sure that discussions
      on the list are summarized and that the outcome is well documented
      (to avoid repetition).

   Organize, prepare and chair face-to-face and on-line formal meetings


      A Chair SHOULD plan and announce meetings well in advance.  (See
      Section 3.1 for procedures.)

   Communicate results of meetings

      A Chair and/or Secretary MUST ensure that minutes of a meeting are
      taken and published to the participants.

   Distribute the work

      It is expected that all Research Group participants will actively
      contribute to the work of the group.  Research Group membership is
      expected to be a long-term commitment by a set of motivated
      members of the research community.  Of course, at any given time,
      more of the work is likely to be done by a few participants with
      particular interests, set of skills and ideas.  It is the task of
      the Chair to motivate enough experts to allow for a fair
      distribution of the workload.

   Document development

      Research Groups produce documents and documents need authors.
      However, authorship of papers related to the work of a Research
      Group is one of the primary reasons that researchers become
      members, so finding motivated authors should not be a problem.  It
      is up to the Research Group to decide the authorship of papers



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      resulting from Research Group activities.  In particular,
      authorship by the entire group is not required.  The Research
      Group Chair MAY use the IETF Datatracker to manage the status of
      Internet Drafts authored by the group [RFC6322].

   Document publication

      The IRTF Chair, RG Chair and/or Secretary SHALL work with the
      IESG, IANA and the RFC Editor to ensure documents to be published
      as RFCs conform with RFC publication requirements, such as the
      conflict review defined in [RFC5742] and to coordinate any
      editorial changes suggested by the RFC Editor.

   The publication process has been changing over the years and is
   expected to continue to change on occasion.  In addition, the IRTF
   Chair has freedom to decide how IRTF documents are reviewed and
   approved before being sent onward for publication.  For at least the
   last ten years, the detailed publication process has been documented
   on a wiki page [IRTF-RFCs].

5.4.  Research Group Editor/Secretary

   Taking minutes and editing jointly-authored Research Group documents
   often is performed by a specifically-designated participant or set of
   participants appointed by an RG Chair and approval from the IRTF
   Chair.

6.  Research Group Documents

6.1.  Meeting Documents

   All relevant documents for a meeting (including the final agenda)
   SHOULD be published and be made available as Internet Drafts at least
   two weeks before a meeting starts.  If a meeting is collocated with
   an IETF meeting, the agenda and document submission deadlines
   communicated for that IETF meeting take precedence.

   It is strongly RECOMMENDED that a Research Group Chair make sure that
   all meeting materials are made available via the IETF Datatracker's
   proceedings system, which also handles "interim" meetings not
   collocated with IETF meetings.  All relevant documents (including the
   final agenda and the minutes of the meeting) SHOULD be placed there.
   This has the advantage that all participants can retrieve all files
   and thus make sure they have all relevant documents.







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6.2.  Request For Comments (RFC)

   The work of an IRTF Research Group usually results in publication of
   research papers and other documents, as well as Informational or
   Experimental Request For Comments (RFCs).  The RFC series is the
   archival publication record for the Internet community.  Since 2009,
   IRTF RFCs have been published on a separate IRTF Document Stream
   [RFC5743].  A document can be written by individuals in a Research
   Group, by the group as a whole with a designated Editor, or by others
   not involved with the IRTF.  The designated author(s) need not
   include the group Chair(s).  Initial publication as an Internet Draft
   is preferred, if only to facilitate review, before asking for RFC
   publication.

   NOTE: The RFC series is a publication mechanism only and publication
   does not determine the status of a document.  Status is determined
   through separate, explicit status labels.  In other words, the reader
   is reminded that all Internet Standards are published as RFCs, but
   NOT all RFCs specify standards.

   The RFC's authors are expected to work with the RFC Editor to meet
   all formatting, review and other requirements that the RFC Editor,
   IAB or IESG may impose.  [RFC5743] describes the approach that
   Research Groups follow when they want to publish RFCs on the IRTF
   Stream.  In summary, after the group has decided that a given
   document is ready, a Chair initiates an IRSG Review.  After approval
   by the IRSG, the IESG reviews the document for conflicts with the
   Internet Standards Process as described in [RFC5742].  After the IESG
   review concludes, the document undergoes final publication
   preparation at the RFC Editor.

7.  IANA Considerations

   This document has no IANA considerations.

8.  Security Considerations

   Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

9.  Acknowledgments

   This document is based on the October 1996 RFC "IRTF Research Group
   Guidelines and Procedures" by A.  Weinrib [RFC2014], which in turn
   was based on the March 1994 RFC "IETF Working Group Guidelines and
   Procedures" by E.  Huizer and D.  Crocker [RFC1603].

   Lars Eggert has received funding from the European Union's Horizon
   2020 research and innovation program 2014-2018 under grant agreement



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   No. 644866 ("SSICLOPS").  This document reflects only the authors'
   views and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that
   may be made of the information it contains.

10.  References

10.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2014]  Weinrib, A. and J. Postel, "IRTF Research Group Guidelines
              and Procedures", BCP 8, RFC 2014, DOI 10.17487/RFC2014,
              October 1996, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2014>.

   [RFC2026]  Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision
              3", BCP 9, RFC 2026, DOI 10.17487/RFC2026, October 1996,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2026>.

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC5742]  Alvestrand, H. and R. Housley, "IESG Procedures for
              Handling of Independent and IRTF Stream Submissions",
              BCP 92, RFC 5742, DOI 10.17487/RFC5742, December 2009,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5742>.

   [RFC8179]  Bradner, S. and J. Contreras, "Intellectual Property
              Rights in IETF Technology", BCP 79, RFC 8179,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8179, May 2017,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8179>.

10.2.  Informative References

   [IAB]      IAB, "Internet Architecture Board Description", n.d.,
              <https://www.iab.org/about/description/>.

   [IRTF-DISCUSS]
              IRTF, "IRTF General and New-Work Discussion List", n.d.,
              <https://www.irtf.org/mailman/listinfo/irtf-discuss>.

   [IRTF-RFCs]
              IRTF, "IRTF RFC Process", n.d.,
              <http://trac.tools.ietf.org/group/irtf/trac/wiki/
              IRTF-RFCs>.

   [IRTFOPEN]
              IRTF, "IRTF Open Meeting", n.d.,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/irtfopen/about/>.



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   [RFC1603]  Huizer, E. and D. Crocker, "IETF Working Group Guidelines
              and Procedures", RFC 1603, DOI 10.17487/RFC1603, March
              1994, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1603>.

   [RFC2850]  Internet Architecture Board and B. Carpenter, Ed.,
              "Charter of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)",
              BCP 39, RFC 2850, DOI 10.17487/RFC2850, May 2000,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2850>.

   [RFC4440]  Floyd, S., Ed., Paxson, V., Ed., Falk, A., Ed., and IAB,
              "IAB Thoughts on the Role of the Internet Research Task
              Force (IRTF)", RFC 4440, DOI 10.17487/RFC4440, March 2006,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4440>.

   [RFC5743]  Falk, A., "Definition of an Internet Research Task Force
              (IRTF) Document Stream", RFC 5743, DOI 10.17487/RFC5743,
              December 2009, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5743>.

   [RFC6322]  Hoffman, P., "Datatracker States and Annotations for the
              IAB, IRTF, and Independent Submission Streams", RFC 6322,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC6322, July 2011,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6322>.

   [RFC7418]  Dawkins, S., Ed., "An IRTF Primer for IETF Participants",
              RFC 7418, DOI 10.17487/RFC7418, December 2014,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7418>.

   [RFC7827]  Eggert, L., "The Role of the IRTF Chair", RFC 7827,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC7827, March 2016,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7827>.

Appendix A.  Changes from RFC2014



















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   +-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+
   | Rev | Changes                                                     |
   +-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+
   | -05 | More feedback from Niels ten Oever. Fixed typos. RFC5793 -> |
   |     | RFC8179. Converted to kramdown-rfc2629.                     |
   |     |                                                             |
   | -04 | Addressed feedback from Mat Ford, Niels ten Oever and       |
   |     | Martin Thomson.                                             |
   |     |                                                             |
   | -03 | Changed the stream to IRTF and status to Informational, per |
   |     | discussion with the IAB at the Cambridge, MA retreat. Added |
   |     | funding acknowledgment.                                     |
   |     |                                                             |
   | -02 | Added text about and reference to [RFC7418]. Add pointer to |
   |     | IRTF RFC process wiki. More wordsmithing.                   |
   |     |                                                             |
   | -01 | Use [RFC2119] terms instead of local definitions. Fix       |
   |     | idnits (missing IANA section, say that we obsolete          |
   |     | [RFC2014], etc.) Update obsoleted references. Update        |
   |     | acknowledgments. Remove text about the Internet Monthly     |
   |     | Report (IMR). Remove text that says that a RG should have   |
   |     | 4-5 members, and that proposed charters should include the  |
   |     | names of such "charter members". Add suggestion that RG     |
   |     | acronyms end in "RG". Change recommendation that RGs have   |
   |     | 1-2 chairs to instead say "a small number", to allow cases  |
   |     | where more than two chairs are useful. Update text on IRTF  |
   |     | RFC Stream publication [RFC5742][RFC5743]. Add text on IRTF |
   |     | IPR policies. Add pointers and text to [RFC4440] and        |
   |     | [RFC6322].                                                  |
   |     |                                                             |
   | -00 | Document contains the entire, unmodified contents of        |
   |     | [RFC2014], except for (1) boilerplate and layout changes    |
   |     | that are due to the conversion to xml2rfc and (2) changed   |
   |     | author information. It is being submitted so that it will   |
   |     | be easier to view diffs of the content changes that will be |
   |     | introduced in subsequent versions.                          |
   +-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+

Author's Address

   Lars Eggert
   NetApp

   Email: lars@netapp.com
   URI:   https://eggert.org/






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