Templates for Internet Drafts Containing MIB Modules
draft-harrington-text-mib-doc-template-06

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Abstract

This memo references three annotated templates for IETF documents that contain the definition of MIB modules. It is intended to reduce the work of the editors of such documents, making these documents more uniform and easier to read and review, thus furthering the quality of such documents and expediting their publication.

Table of Contents

1.  Introduction
2.  Overview
3.  Security Considerations
4.  IANA Considerations
5.  Contributors
6.  Normative References

1.  Introduction

This memo references three annotated templates for IETF documents that contain the definition of MIB modules. It is intended to reduce the work of the editors of such documents, making these more uniform and easier to read and review, thus furthering the quality of such documents and expediting their publication.

2.  Overview

The MIB Doctors directorate has produced three templates specifically aimed at internet-drafts containing MIB modules. The templates are available at the IETF Tools web site, listed as "Templates for MIB Module Documents".

• The first is an XML template for editors that use XML2RFC. Some advice echoing guidelines from RFC4181 is embedded in comments.
• A second template is a text template for MIB documents with advice embedded in the document.
• A third template is a plain text template with no advice included.

The templates were developed to make IETF documents that contain MIB modules more consistent. This makes it easier for a MIB Doctor and other IETF participants to review the document. There are a number of MUSTs in the templates, especially in the advice; these usually refer to IESG requirements for internet drafts, and MIB Doctors are likely to check for these requirements.

The templates contain boilerplates that are required for IETF MIB module documents. It has been common practice for editors to use existing MIB module documents as templates. This approach has problems because boilerplates and other required elements change over time. The templates referenced by this document will be made available on the IETF Tools web site, and occasionally updated to reflect the latest requirements. The most up-to-date revisions of the templates are available at http://www.tools.ietf.org.

The templates contain sections that describe the purpose and organization of the MIB module, and the relationship between this MIB module and other MIB modules. This makes it easier for MIB Doctors to understand the MIB module, which speeds the review process.

Editors should read RFC4181 "Guidelines for Authors and Reviewers of MIB Documents" [RFC4181] (Heard, C., “Guidelines for Authors and Reviewers of MIB Documents,” September 2005.) which describes best current practices for MIB module document editing.

The document templates do not include a template for the MIB module itself. Tools to validate MIB modules typically require that the MIB module be separated from the surrounding document. The MIB Doctors feel that the simplest approach is to develop the MIB module outside the document that contains the surrounding text, and then include the MIB module into the surrounding document written using the templates.

3.  Security Considerations

This memo recommends templates for editing; it has no direct impact on network security. The templates include boilerplates and associated advice for writing the Security Considerations section of an Internet Draft that documents a MIB module.

4.  IANA Considerations

This memo includes no request to IANA.

5.  Contributors

These templates are based on contributions from the MIB Doctors, especially Juergen Schoenwaelder, Dave Perkins, C.M.Heard and Randy Presuhn.

6. Normative References

Author's Address

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