17.9 IETF

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The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is comprised of users, researchers, service providers, and vendors of hardware and software; it focuses on Internet protocol (IP) “based solutions. The IETF is chartered by the Internet Society (ISOC), and receives guidance from the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IES) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB). In 2001, the IETF consisted of the following subject areas:

• Applications

• General

• Internet

• Operations and management

• Routing

• Security

• Sub-IP

• Transport

• User services

Altogether, there are about 100 working groups. The IETF develops specifications called requests for comments (RFCs) which proceed in stages from less formal to more formal (proposed, draft, and full standard). To progress forward, evidence of multiple interoperable implementations must be provided. The IETF procedures are documented in RFC 2026. The IETF may be reached at phone: [phone], http://www.ietf.org.

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