IETF Overview


The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the protocol engineering,
development, and standardization arm of the Internet Architecture Board
(IAB). The IETF began in January 1986 as a forum for technical
coordination by contractors for the then US Defense Advanced Projects
Agency (DARPA), working on the ARPANET, US Defense Data Network (DDN),
and the Internet core gateway system.  Since that time, the IETF has
grown into a large open international community of network designers,
operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the
Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet.

The IETF mission includes:


  1. Identifying and proposing solutions to pressing operational and
     technical problems in the Internet;

  2. Specifying the development or usage of protocols and the near-term
     architecture, to solve technical problems for the Internet;

  3. Facilitating technology transfer from the Internet Research Task
     Force (IRTF) to the wider Internet community; and

  4. Providing a forum for the exchange of relevant information within
     the Internet community between vendors, users, researchers, agency
     contractors, and network managers.


Technical activity on any specific topic in the IETF is addressed within
working groups.  All working groups are organized roughly by function
into nine areas.  Each is led by one or more area directors who have
primary responsibility for that one area of IETF activity.  Together
with the Chair of the IETF/IESG, these technical directors, and the
Director for Standards and Process, compose the Internet Engineering
Steering Group (IESG).


The current areas and directors which compose the IESG are:


IETF/IESG Chair              Paul Mockapetris    pvm@isi.edu
Applications                 Erik Huizer         Erik.Huizer@SURFnet.nl
                             John Klensin        Klensin@infoods.unu.edu
Internet                     Stev Knowles        stev@ftp.com
                             Claudio Topolcic    topolcic@bbn.com
IP: Next Generation          Scott Bradner       sob@harvard.edu
                             Allison Mankin      mankin@cmf.nrl.navy.mil
Network Management           Marshall Rose       mrose.iesg@dbc.mtview.ca.us
Operational Requirements     Scott Bradner       sob@harvard.edu
                             Michael O'Dell      mo@uunet.uu.net
Routing                      Joel Halpern        jhalpern@newbridge.com
Security                     Jeff Schiller       jis@mit.edu
Transport                    Allison Mankin      mankin@cmf.nrl.navy.mil
User Services                Joyce K. Reynolds   jkrey@isi.edu
Standards and Process        A. Lyman Chapin     lyman@bbn.com


The IETF has a Secretariat, headquartered at the Corporation for
National Research Initiatives in Reston, Virginia, with the following
staff:


IETF Executive Director            Steve Coya      scoya@cnri.reston.va.us
IESG Secretary                     John Stewart    jstewart@cnri.reston.va.us
IETF Meeting Coordinator           Megan Walnut    mwalnut@cnri.reston.va.us
IETF Proceedings Editor            Debra Legare    dlegare@cnri.reston.va.us
IETF Internet-Drafts Administrator Cynthia Clark   cclark@cnri.reston.va.us


The working groups conduct business during plenary meetings of the IETF,
during meetings outside of the IETF, and via electronic mail on mailing
lists established for each group.  The IETF holds 4.5 day meetings three
times a year.  These meetings are composed of working group sessions,
technical presentations, network status reports, working group
reporting, and an open IESG meeting.  A Proceedings of each IETF plenary
is published, which includes reports from each area, each working group,
and each technical presentation.  The Proceedings include a summary of
all current standardization activities.

Meeting reports, charters (which include the working group mailing
lists), and general information on current IETF activities are available
on-line for anonymous FTP from several Internet hosts, including
ds.internic.net.