Internet-Draft | RFC Editor Model v3 | August 2021 |
Saint-Andre | Expires 26 February 2022 | [Page] |
This document describes Version 3 of the RFC Editor model. As specified here, the model divides the responsibilities for the RFC Series into two high-level functions: policy definition governing the Series as a whole, and policy implementation through publication of documents in the Series. The policy definition function is the responsibility of the RFC Series Working Group (RSWG), which produces policy proposals that are subject to approval by the RFC Series Approval Board (RSAB). The policy implementation function is primarily the responsibility of the RFC Production Center (RPC), under the ultimate authority of the IETF Administration Limited Liability Company (LLC).¶
This document reflects experience gained with version 1 of the RFC Editor Model as specified in RFC 5620 and with version 2 as specified in RFC 6635 and RFC 8728.¶
This document obsoletes RFC 8728.¶
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 https://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 26 February 2022.¶
Copyright (c) 2021 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 (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.¶
NOTE: This document is a work in progress. Although it is intended to describe consensus forged in the RFC Editor Future Development Program, many aspects are not yet settled; as a result, this document contains proposals and conjectures that do not yet have consensus in the Program. Where possible, open issues are identified herein to foster discussion.¶
Documents in the Request for Comments (RFC) series have been continually published since 1969 [RFC8700]. The RFC series is described in [RFC8729]. RFC 8729 uses the term "RFC Editor function" or "RFC Editor" to identify the collective set of responsibilities for publishing documents in the RFC series.¶
The processes and organizational models for publication of RFCs have changed significantly over the years. Most recently, in 2009 [RFC5620] defined the RFC Editor Model (Version 1) and in 2012 [RFC6635] defined the RFC Editor Model (Version 2), since modified slightly in 2020 by [RFC8728].¶
In order to provide a sustainable basis for continued publication of the RFC series, this document describes Version 3 of the RFC Editor model, which divides the responsibilities for the RFC Series into two high-level functions: policy definition governing the Series as a whole, and policy implementation through publication of documents in the Series. The policy definition function is the responsibility of the RFC Series Working Group (RSWG), which produces policy proposals that are subject to approval by the RFC Series Approval Board (RSAB). The policy implementation function is primarily the responsibility of the RFC Production Center (RPC), under the ultimate authority of the IETF Administration Limited Liability Company (LLC) [RFC8711].¶
This document obsoletes RFC 8728 by making a full update to the RFC Editor Model, changing the responsibilities of existing bodies and functions, and introducing new functions (see Section 7 of this document for a summary of the changes from Version 2).¶
Version 2 of the RFC Editor Model [RFC8728] specified a structure consisting of the RFC Series Editor, the RFC Production Center, and the RFC Publisher, with oversight provided by the RFC Series Oversight Committee (RSOC) on behalf of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB).¶
Discussion within the RFCED-Future Program has led in the direction of a more consensus-oriented structure (similar in some respects to the structure of technical work within the IETF or IRTF) that retains roles for specialized expertise in document editing and publication.¶
The policy definition function is performed by the RFC Series Working Group (RSWG), which produces policy proposals that are subject to approval by the RFC Series Approval Board (RSAB), after which such policies are formally established. The RSWG is an open working group (as described below) that seeks input and participation from a wide range of persons who have an interest in the RFC Series. The RSAB consists of appointed members who represent the various RFC streams [RFC8728] as well as an expert in technical publishing, the RFC Series Editor/Advisor (RSEA).¶
The policy implementation function is performed by the RFC Production Center (RPC), under the ultimate authority of the IETF Administration Limited Liability Company (IETF LLC).¶
In short:¶
The remainder of this document describes the model in greater detail.¶
Policies governing the RFC series as a whole shall be defined in the open through proposals that are generated by and discussed within the RFC Series Working Group (RSWG) and then approved by the RFC Series Approval Board (RSAB).¶
Policies under the purview of the RSWG and RSAB might include but are not necessarily limited to document formats, processes for publication and dissemination of RFCs, and overall management of the RFC series.¶
The RFC Series Working Group (RSWG) shall formulate proposals regarding policies that govern the RFC series. The intent is that the RSWG operate in a way similar to working groups in the IETF and research groups in the IRTF. Therefore, all RSWG meetings shall be open to any participant, subject to intellectual property policies which must be consistent with those of the IETF as specified in BCP 78 [RFC5378] and BCP 79 [RFC8179].¶
The RSWG shall operate by rough consensus, a mode of operation informationally described in [RFC7282].¶
When the RSWG is formed, all discussions shall take place on an open email discussion list. Subsequently, the RSWG may decide by rough consensus to also use additional tooling (e.g., GitHub as specified in [RFC8874]), forms of communication (e.g., in-person or online meetings), and working methods (e.g., design teams) as long as they are consistent with [RFC2418].¶
All interested persons are welcome to participate in the RSWG (subject to anti-harassment policies as described below). This includes participants in the IETF and IRTF, IAB and IESG members, RFC authors, individuals who use RFCs in procurement decisions, and the like. The IETF LLC Board members, staff, and the IETF Executive Director are invited to participate as community members in the RSWG to the extent permitted by any relevant IETF LLC policies. Members of the RSAB are also expected to participate actively.¶
The RSWG shall have two chairs, one appointed by the IESG and the other appointed by the IAB. When the RSWG is formed, the chair appointed by the IESG shall serve for a term of one (1) year and the chair appointed by the IAB shall serve for a term of two (2) years; thereafter, chairs shall serve for a term of two (2) years, with no term limits on renewal. The appointing bodies shall determine their own processes for making these appointments, such as provision for an open nominations period. Community members who have concerns about the performance of an RSWG chair should direct their feedback to the relevant appointing body. Each appointing body shall have the power to replace its appointed chair at its discretion at any time, with the replacement serving the remainder of the original chair'soriginal chair's term.¶
It is the responsibility of the chairs to encourage rough consensus within the RSWG and to follow that consensus in their decision making, for instance regarding advancement of proposals to the RSAB.¶
NOTE: This section is intended to address ISSUE #9, ISSUE #14, ISSUE #16, ISSUE #41, ISSUE #44, ISSUE #68, and ISSUE #72.¶
The RFC Series Approval Board (RSAB) shall act as the approving body for proposals generated within the RSWG. The sole function of RSAB is to review policy proposals generated by the RSWG; it shall have no independent authority to formulate policy on its own. It is expected that the RSAB will respect the rough consensus of the RSWG wherever possible, without ceding its review function.¶
The voting members of the RSAB shall be as follows:¶
The appointing bodies shall determine their own processes for appointing delegates, such as provision for an open nominations period. If it becomes necessary to replace such a delegate for any reason, then for the sake of continuity the appointing body should name a new delegate to complete the former delegate's term.¶
To ensure the smooth functioning of the RFC Series, the RSAB shall include the IETF Executive Director as a non-voting member since the IETF LLC is ultimately responsible for the operation of the policy implementation function. The RSAB may at its discretion include additional non-voting members, for instance a liaison from the RPC.¶
Whenever a new stream is created, the document that creates the stream shall specify if a voting member representing that stream shall also be added to the RSAB, along with any rules and processes related to that representative (e.g., whether the representative is a member of the body responsible for the stream or an appointed delegate thereof.¶
The RSAB shall annually choose a chair from among its members using a method to be determined by the RSAB.¶
The RSAB is expected to operate via email, in-person meetings, teleconferencing systems, and any additional tooling it deems necessary.¶
The RSAB shall keep a public record of its proceedings, including minutes of all meetings and a record of all decisions.¶
The RSAB shall announce plans and agendas for their meetings on the RFC Editor website and by email to the RSWG at least a week before such meetings. The meetings shall be open for public attendance and the RSAB may consider allowing open participation. If the RSAB needs to discuss a confidential matter in executive session, that part of the meeting shall be private to the RSAB, but must be noted on the agenda, and must be documented in the minutes with as much detail as the confidentiality requirements permit.¶
NOTE: This section is intended to address ISSUE #9, ISSUE #38, ISSUE #50, ISSUE #53, and ISSUE #71.¶
The intent is to provide an open forum by which policies related to the RFC series are defined and evolved. The general expectation is that all interested parties will participate in the RSWG, and that only under extreme circumstances should RSAB members need to hold "CONCERN" positions as described below.¶
Because policy issues can be difficult and contentious, RSWG participants and RSAB members are strongly encouraged to work together in a spirit of good faith and mutual understanding to achieve rough consensus (see [RFC7282]). In particular, RSWG members are encouraged to take RSAB concerns seriously, and RSAB members are encouraged to clearly express their concerns early in the process and to be responsive to the community. All parties are encouraged to respect the value of each stream and the long term health and viability of the RFC series.¶
This process is intended to be one of continuous consultation. RSAB members should consult with their constituent stakeholders (e.g., authors, editors, tool developers, and consumers of RFCs) on an ongoing basis, so that when the time comes to consider a proposal, there should be no surprises. Appointing bodies are expected to establish whatever processes they deem appropriate to facilitate this goal.¶
The following process shall be used to formulate or modify processes related to the RFC series:¶
Anyone holding a "CONCERN" position must explain their concern to the community in detail. The explanation may or may not be actionable.¶
A CONCERN may be made for two reasons:¶
No CONCERN should ever come as a surprise to the RSWG.¶
When a community call for comment is made, the RSAB sends a notice containing:¶
Notices will always be sent to the rfc-interest mailing list. The RSAB and RSWG should also send notices to other communities that may be interested in or impacted by a proposal as they see fit, following policies for those fora as appropriate. Notices are also to be made available and archived on the rfc-editor.org web site, and other communication channels can be established for notices (e.g., using an RSS feed, social media).¶
A comment period will not last less than two weeks. Comments will be publicly archived on the rfc-editor.org web site.¶
Appeals of RSWG decisions shall be made to the RSAB. Decisions of the RSWG can only be appealed on grounds of failure to follow the correct process. Appeals should be made within 30 days of any action, or in the case of failure to act, of notice having been given to the RSWG. The RSAB will then decide if the process was followed and will direct RSWG chairs as to what procedural actions are required.¶
Appeals of RSAB decisions shall be made to the IAB and should be made within thirty (30) days of public notice of the relevant RSAB decision (typically, when minutes are posted). The appeals body shall decide whether a process failure occurred and what if any corrective action should take place.¶
NOTE: This section is intended to address ISSUE #16 and ISSUE #36.¶
The IETF anti-harassment policy also applies to the RSWG and RSAB, which strive to create and maintain an environment in which people of many different backgrounds are treated with dignity, decency, and respect. Participants are expected to behave according to professional standards and demonstrate appropriate workplace behavior. See also [RFC7154], [RFC7776], and [RFC8716].¶
NOTE: Discussion continues within the RFCED-Future Program regarding the roles and responsibilities of an expert in technical publication processes. To retain flexibility (e.g., as to whether this individual plays more of an advisory role or more of a singular leadership role), this document temporarily refers to the individual as the "RFC Series Editor/Advisor" ("RSEA").¶
The RFC Series Editor/Advisor (RSEA) is a senior technical publishing professional who will apply their deep knowledge of technical publishing processes to the RFC series.¶
The primary responsibilities of the RSEA are as follows:¶
Matters on which the RSEA might be consulted could include proposed changes to the RFC style guide [RFC7322], RFC formatting in general, web presence, copyright matters, archiving policy, and dissemination and cataloguing of RFCs.¶
Whether the RSEA role is structured as a contractual or employee relationship is a matter for the IETF LLC and the IETF Executive Director to determine.¶
NOTE: This section is intended to address ISSUE #12 and ISSUE #24.¶
The IETF LLC will form a selection committee, including members from the community, that will be responsible for making a recommendation to the IETF LLC for the RSEA role. The selection committee will take into account the role definition as well as any other information that the committee deems necessary or helpful in making its decision. The IETF LLC is responsible for contracting or employment of the RSEA.¶
Periodically, the IETF LLC will evaluate the performance of the RSEA, including a call for confidential input from the community. The IETF LLC will produce a draft performance evaluation for the RSAB (not including the RSEA), which will provide feedback to the IETF LLC.¶
Publication of RFCs shall continue to be handled by the RFC Production Center (RPC) function in accordance with high-level policies currently in force or yet to be defined following the processes specified in the foregoing sections of this document.¶
All matters of budget, timetable and impact on its performance targets, are between the RPC and IETF LLC.¶
The RPC shall report regularly to the RSAB, RSWG, and broader community regarding the contents and progress of its work program and any key risks or issues affecting it.¶
In the event that the RPC is required to make a decision without consultation that would normally deserve consultation, or makes a decision against the advice of the RSAB, then it must notify the RSAB.¶
This document does not specify the exact relationship between the IETF LLC and the RPC function; for example, the RPC function could be provided by a separate corporate entity under contract to the IETF LLC, it could be performed by employees of the IETF LLC, or the IETF LLC could work with independent contractors for some or all aspects of the RPC function. The exact relationship is a matter for the IETF LLC and the IETF Executive Director to determine.¶
The IETF LLC has authority over negotiating performance targets for the RPC and also has responsibility for ensuring that those targets are adhered to. The IETF LLC is empowered to appoint a manager or to convene a committee to complete these activities.¶
If individuals or groups within the community have concerns about the performance of the RPC, they can request that the IETF LLC look into the matter. Even if the IETF LLC opts to delegate this activity, concerns should be raised with the IETF LLC. The IETF LLC is ultimately responsible to the community via the mechanisms outlined in its charter.¶
Under and consistent with the high-level policies defined for the RFC Series in general or particular streams, the RPC shall define more particular policies regarding matters related to the editorial preparation and final publication and dissemination of RFCs. Examples include:¶
The exact implementation of the administrative and contractual activities described here are a responsibility of the IETF LLC.¶
Vendor selection is done in cooperation with the streams and under the final authority of the IETF LLC.¶
The IETF LLC develops the work definition (the Statement of Work) for the RPC and manages the vendor selection process. The work definition is created within the IETF LLC budget and takes into account the stream managers and community input.¶
The process to select and contract for an RFC Production Center and other RFC-related services, is as follows:¶
The expenses discussed in this document are not new expenses. They have been and remain part of the IETF LLC budget.¶
The RFC Series portion of the IETF LLC budget shall include funding to support the RSE/A, RFC Production Center, and the Independent Stream.¶
The IETF LLC has the responsibility to approve the total RFC Editor budget (and the authority to deny it). All relevant parties must work within the IETF LLC budgetary process.¶
This document creates the Editorial Stream. Any and all future documents produced by the RSWG and approved by the RSAB shall be published in the Editorial Stream.¶
The requirements and process for creating any additional RFC streams are out of scope in this document.¶
NOTE: This section is intended to address ISSUE #22 and ISSUE #73.¶
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 IETF LLC 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.¶
The same security considerations as those in [RFC8729] 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, originals that are not machine-readable) need to be secured against any kind of data storage failure.¶
The IETF LLC should take these security considerations into account during the implementation and enforcement of the RFC Editor component contracts.¶
The RSWG and RSAB together provide a public process by which policies for the RFC series can be defined. It is expected that these bodies will therefore cover some of the responsibilities of the RFC Series Editor under Version 2.¶
In practice, the relationships and lines of authority and responsibility between the IAB, RSOC, and RSE have proved unwieldy and somewhat opaque. To overcome some of these issues, this document dispenses with the RSOC.¶
This document has no actions for IANA.¶
Portions of this document were borrowed from [RFC5620], [RFC6635], [RFC8728], and earlier proposals within the RFCED-Future Program by Martin Thomson, Brian Carpenter, and Michael StJohns. Thanks to the chairs of the Program, Eliot Lear and Brian Rosen, for their leadership and assistance. Thanks also for feedback and proposed text and feedback to Jari Arkko, Sarah Banks, Scott Bradner, Carsten Bormann, Nevil Brownlee, Ben Campbell, Jay Daley, Martin Duerst, Lars Eggert, Adrian Farrel, Stephen Farrell, Sandy Ginoza, Bron Gondwana, Joel Halpern, Wes Hardaker, Bob Hinden, Russ Housley, Christian Huitema, Ole Jacobsen, John Klensin, Mirja Kuehlewind, Ted Lemon, John Levine, Lucy Lynch, Andrew Malis, Larry Masinter, S. Moonesamy, Mark Nottingham, Tommy Pauly, Colin Perkins, Julian Reschke, Eric Rescorla, Adam Roach, Alice Russo, Doug Royer, Rich Salz, Tim Wicinski, and Nico Williams.¶