    Network Working Group                                   IETF Secretariat
    Request for Comments: 1718                                          CNRI
    Obsoletes: 1539, 1391                                          G. Malkin
    FYI: 17                                                   Xylogics, Inc.
    Category: Informational                                    November 1994

                                The Tao of IETF
        A Guide for New Attendees of the Internet Engineering Task Force

    Status of this Memo

       This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
       not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
       unlimited.

    Abstract

       Over the last two years, the attendance at Internet Engineering Task
       Force (IETF) plenary meetings has grown phenomenally.  Approximately
       one third of the attendees are new to the IETF at each meeting, and
       many of those go on to become regular attendees.  When the meetings
       were smaller, it wasn't very difficult for a newcomer to get into the
       swing of things.  Today, however, a newcomer meets many more new
       people, some previously known only as the authors of documents or
       thought provoking e-mail messages.

       The purpose of this For Your Information (FYI) RFC is to explain to
       the newcomers how the IETF works.  This will give them a warm, fuzzy
       feeling and enable them to make the meeting more productive for
       everyone.  This FYI will also provide the mundane bits of information
       which everyone who attends an IETF meeting should know.

    On-line Availability

       Due to the nature of this document, it can become outdated quite
       quickly.  To overcome this problem, a WorldWide Web version has been
       created that is constantly maintained (the URL is listed below).  If
       you have a WWW client (such as Mosaic), it is suggested that you view
       the on-line version in lieu of this document.  This document will be
       republished as an FYI RFC every year to year-and-a-half to help those
       who do not have access to the WorldWide Web.

       URL for this document: <http://www.ietf.cnri.reston.va.us/tao.html>.
       URL for IETF: <http://www.ietf.cnri.reston.va.us/home.html>.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 1]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    Table of Contents

       Section 1 - The "Fun" Stuff
          What is the IETF? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
          Humble Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
          The Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
          IETF Mailing Lists  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
          Registration  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
          Newcomers' Orientation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
          Dress Code  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
          Seeing Spots Before Your Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
          Terminal Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
          Social Event  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
          Agenda  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
          Other General Things  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9

       Section 2 - The "You've got to know it" Stuff
          Registration Bullets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
          Mailing Lists and Archives  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
          Important E-mail Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
          IETF Proceedings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
          InterNIC Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
          Be Prepared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
          RFCs and Internet-Drafts  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
          Frequently Asked Questions (and Their Answers)  . . . . . . . 17
          Pointers to Useful Documents and Files  . . . . . . . . . . . 18

       Section 3 - The "Reference" Stuff
          Tao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
          IETF Area Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
          Acronyms  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
          Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
          References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
          Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
          Authors' Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

    What is the IETF?

       The Internet Engineering Task Force is a loosely self-organized group
       of people who make technical and other contributions to the
       engineering and evolution of the Internet and its technologies.  It
       is the principal body engaged in the development of new Internet
       standard specifications.  Its mission includes:

       o  Identifying, and proposing solutions to, pressing operational and
          technical problems in the Internet;

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 2]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       o  Specifying the development or usage of protocols and the near-term
          architecture to solve such technical problems for the Internet;

       o  Making recommendations to the Internet Engineering Steering Group
          (IESG) regarding the standardization of protocols and protocol
          usage in the Internet;

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

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

       The IETF meeting is not a conference, although there are technical
       presentations.  The IETF is not a traditional standards organization,
       although many specifications are produced that become standards.  The
       IETF is made up of volunteers who meet three times a year to fulfill
       the IETF mission.

       There is no membership in the IETF.  Anyone may register for and
       attend any meeting.  The closest thing there is to being an IETF
       member is being on the IETF or working group mailing lists (see the
       IETF Mailing Lists section).  This is where the best information
       about current IETF activities and focus can be found.

    Humble Beginnings

       The 1st IETF meeting was held in January, 1986 at Linkabit in San
       Diego with 15 attendees.  The 4th IETF, held at SRI in Menlo Park in
       October, 1986, was the first at which non-government vendors
       attended.  The concept of working groups was introduced at the 5th
       IETF meeting at the NASA Ames Research Center in California in
       February, 1987.  The 7th IETF, held at MITRE in McLean, Virginia in
       July, 1987, was the first meeting with over 100 attendees.

       The 14th IETF meeting was held at Stanford University in July, 1989.
       It marked a major change in the structure of the IETF universe.  The
       IAB (then Internet Activities Board, now Internet Architecture
       Board), which until that time oversaw many "task forces," changed its
       structure to leave only two: the IETF and the IRTF.  The IRTF is
       tasked to consider the long-term research problems in the Internet.
       The IETF also changed at that time.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 3]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       After the Internet Society (ISOC) was formed in January, 1992, the
       IAB proposed to ISOC that the IAB's activities should take place
       under the auspices of the Internet Society.  During INET92 in Kobe,
       Japan, the ISOC Trustees approved a new charter for the IAB to
       reflect the proposed relationship.

       The IETF met in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in July, 1993. This was
       the the first IETF meeting held in Europe, and the US/non-US attendee
       split was nearly 50/50.  A second European meeting is scheduled for
       July 1995 in Stockholm, Sweden.

    The Hierarchy

       To completely understand the structure of the IETF, it is useful to
       understand the overall structure in which the IETF resides.  There
       are four groups in the structure: the ISOC and its Board of Trustees,
       the IAB, the IESG and the IETF itself.

       The Internet Society is a professional society that is concerned with
       the growth and evolution of the worldwide Internet, with the way in
       which the Internet is and can be used, and with the social,
       political, and technical issues which arise as a result.  The ISOC
       Trustees are responsible for approving appointments to the IAB from
       among the nominees submitted by the IETF nominating committee.

       The IAB is a technical advisory group of the ISOC.  It is chartered
       to provide oversight of the architecture of the Internet and its
       protocols, and to serve, in the context of the Internet standards
       process, as a body to which the decisions of the IESG may be
       appealed.  The IAB is responsible for approving appointments to the
       IESG from among the nominees submitted by the IETF nominations
       committee.

       The IESG is responsible for technical management of IETF activities
       and the Internet standards process.  As part of the ISOC, it
       administers the process according to the rules and procedures which
       have been ratified by the ISOC Trustees.  The IESG is directly
       responsible for the actions associated with entry into and movement
       along the Internet "standards track," including final approval of
       specifications as Internet Standards.

       The IETF is divided into eight functional areas.  They are:
       Applications, Internet, Network Management, Operational Requirements,
       Routing, Security, Transport and User Services.  Each area has one or
       two area directors.  The area directors, along with the IETF/IESG
       Chair, form the IESG.  Paul Mockepetris is the current IETF/IESG
       Chair.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 4]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       Each area has several working groups.  A working group is a group of
       people who work under a charter to achieve a certain goal.  That goal
       may be the creation of an Informational document, the creation of a
       protocol specification, or the resolution of problems in the
       Internet.  Most working groups have a finite lifetime.  That is, once
       a working group has achieved its goal, it disbands.  As in the IETF,
       there is no official membership for a working group.  Unofficially, a
       working group member is somebody who is on that working group's
       mailing list; however, anyone may attend a working group meeting (see
       the Be Prepared section below).

       Areas may also have Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions.  They
       generally have the same goals as working groups, except that they
       have no charter and usually only meet once or twice.  BOFs are often
       held to determine if there is enough interest to form a working
       group.

    IETF Mailing Lists

       Anyone who plans to attend an IETF meeting should join the IETF
       announcement mailing list.  This is where all of the meeting
       information, Internet-Draft and RFC announcements, and IESG Protocol
       Actions and Last Calls are posted.  People who would like to "get
       technical" may also join the IETF discussion list,
       "ietf@cnri.reston.va.us".  This is where discussions of cosmic
       significance are held (most working groups have their own mailing
       lists for discussions related to their work).  To join the IETF
       announcement list, send a request to:

            ietf-announce-request@cnri.reston.va.us

       To join the IETF discussion list, send a request to:

            ietf-request@cnri.reston.va.us

       To join both of the lists, simply send a single message, to either
       "-request" address, and indicate that you'd like to join both lists.

       Do not, ever, under any circumstances, for any reason, send a request
       to join a list to the list itself!  The thousands of people on the
       list don't need, or want, to know when a new person joins.
       Similarly, when changing e-mail addresses or leaving a list, send
       your request only to the "-request" address, not to the main list.
       This means you!!

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 5]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       The IETF discussion list is unmoderated.  This means that anyone can
       express their opinions about issues affecting the Internet.  However,
       it is not a place for companies or individuals to solicit or
       advertise.  Only the Secretariat can send messages to the
       announcement list.

       Even though the IETF mailing lists "represent" the IETF membership at
       large, it is important to note that attending an IETF meeting does
       not automatically include addition to either mailing list.

    Registration

       As previously mentioned, all meeting announcements are sent to the
       IETF announcement list.  Within the IETF meeting announcement is a
       registration form and complete instructions for registering,
       including, of course, the cost.  The Secretariat highly recommends
       that attendees preregister.  Early registration, which ends about one
       month before the meeting, carries a lower registration fee.  As the
       size of the meetings has grown, so has the length of the lines at the
       registration desk.  There are two lines: "paid" (which moves very
       quickly), and "not paid" (which moves slowly).

       Registration is open all week.  However, the Secretariat highly
       recommends that attendees arrive for early registration, beginning at
       18:00 (meeting local time), on the Sunday before the opening plenary.
       Not only will there be fewer people, but there will also be a
       reception at which people can get a bite to eat.  If the registration
       lines are long, one can eat first and try again when the lines are
       shorter.

       Registered attendees (and there isn't any other kind) receive a
       registration packet.  It contains a general orientation sheet, the
       at-a-glance sheet, a list of working group acronyms, the most recent
       agenda and a name tag.  The at-a-glance is a very important reference
       and is used throughout the week.  It contains working group and BOF
       room assignments and a map of room locations.  Attendees who prepaid
       will also find their receipt in their packet.

    Newcomers' Orientation

       Newcomers are encouraged to attend the IETF Newcomers' Orientation.
       As the name implies, it is an orientation for first-time attendees to
       IETF meetings.  The orientation is organized and conducted by the
       IETF Secretariat and is intended to provide useful introductory
       information.  The IETF Secretariat is made up of Cynthia Clark, Steve
       Coya, Debra Legare, John Stewart and Megan Walnut.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 6]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       The orientation is typically about an hour long and covers a number
       of topics: what's in the attendee packets, what all the dots on name
       tags mean and how to read the at-a-glance.  There is also discussion
       about the structure of the IETF and the Internet standards process.
       There is ample time at the end for questions.  The Secretariat also
       provides handouts which include an overview of the IETF, a list of
       important files available on-line and hard copies of the slides of
       the "structure and standards" presentation.

       The orientation is held on Sunday afternoon before the registration
       reception.  However, attending the orientation does NOT mean you can
       go to the reception early!

    Dress Code

       Since attendees must wear their name tags, they must also wear shirts
       or blouses.  Pants or skirts are also highly recommended.  Seriously
       though, many newcomers are often embarrassed when they show up Monday
       morning in suits, to discover that everybody else is wearing t-
       shirts, jeans (shorts, if weather permits) and sandals.  There are
       those in the IETF who refuse to wear anything other than suits.
       Fortunately, they are well known (for other reasons) so they are
       forgiven this particular idiosyncrasy.  The general rule is "dress
       for the weather" (unless you plan to work so hard that you won't go
       outside, in which case, "dress for comfort" is the rule!).

    Seeing Spots Before Your Eyes

       Some of the people at the IETF will have a little colored dot on
       their name tag.  A few people have more than one.  These dots
       identify people who are silly enough to volunteer to do a lot of
       extra work.  The colors have the following meanings:

          blue   - working group/BOF chair
          green  - local Host
          red    - IAB member
          yellow - IESG member

       Local hosts are the people who can answer questions about the
       terminal room, restaurants and points of interest in the area.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 7]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       Some people have gold stars on their name tags.  The stars indicate
       that those people chaired working groups or BOFs in the IETF area
       which submitted all of its working group/BOF minutes and area report
       from the previous meeting first.  The stars are the Secretariat's way
       of saying "thank you" for providing the necessary information
       quickly.

       It is important that newcomers to the IETF not be afraid to strike up
       conversations with people who wear these dots.  If the IAB and IESG
       members and working group and BOF chairs didn't want to talk to
       anybody, they wouldn't be wearing the dots in the first place.

       In addition, members of the Secretariat wear blue tinted name badges
       so they can be spotted at a distance.

       To make life simpler for the Secretariat, registration packets are
       also coded with little colored dots.  These are only for Secretariat
       use, so nobody else needs to worry about them.  Please, don't peel
       them off your packet and put them on your name tag.

    Terminal Room

       One of the most important (depending on your point of view) things
       the local host does is provide Internet access to the meeting
       attendees.  In general, the connectivity is excellent.  This is
       entirely due to the Olympian efforts of the local hosts, and their
       ability to beg, borrow and steal.  The people and companies who
       donate their equipment, services and time are to be heartily
       congratulated and thanked.

       While preparation far in advance of the meeting is encouraged, there
       may be some unavoidable "last minute" things which can be
       accomplished in the terminal room.  It may also be useful to people
       who need to make trip reports or status reports while things are
       still fresh in their minds.

    Social Event

       Another of the most important things organized and managed by the
       local hosts is the IETF social event.  The social event has become
       something of a tradition at the IETF meetings.  It has been
       immortalized by Marshal T. Rose with his reference to "many fine
       lunches and dinners" [ROSE], and by Claudio and Julia Topolcic with
       their rendition of "Nerds in Paradise" on a pink T-shirt.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 8]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       Sometimes, the social event is a computer or high-tech related event.
       At the Boston IETF, for example, the social was dinner at the
       Computer Museum.  Other times, the social might be a dinner cruise or
       a trip to an art gallery.

       Newcomers to the IETF are encouraged to attend the social event.
       Everyone is encouraged to wear their name tags.  The social event is
       designed to give people a chance to meet on a social, rather than
       technical, level.

    Agenda

       The agenda for the IETF meetings is a very fluid thing.  It is sent,
       in various forms, to the IETF announcement list three times prior to
       the meeting.  The final agenda is included in the registration
       packets.  Of course, "final" in the IETF doesn't mean the same thing
       as it does elsewhere in the world.  The final agenda is simply the
       version that went to the printers.

       The Secretariat will announce agenda changes during the morning
       plenary sessions.  Changes will also be posted on the bulletin board
       near the IETF registration desk (not the hotel registration desk).

       Assignments for breakout rooms (where the working groups and BOFs
       meet) and a map showing the room locations make up the at-a-glance
       sheet (included in the registration packets).  Room assignments are
       as flexible as the agenda.  Some working groups meet multiple times
       during a meeting and every attempt is made to have a working group
       meet in the same room each session.  Room assignment changes are not
       necessarily permanent for the week.  Always check the at-a-glance
       first, then the bulletin board.  When in doubt, check with a member
       of the Secretariat at the registration desk.

    Other General Things

       The opening plenary on Monday morning is the most heavily attended
       session.  It is where important introductory remarks are made, so
       people are encouraged to attend.

       The IETF Secretariat, and IETFers in general, are very approachable.
       Never be afraid to approach someone and introduce yourself.  Also,
       don't be afraid to ask questions, especially when it comes to jargon
       and acronyms!

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                 [Page 9]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       Hallway conversations are very important.  A lot of very good work
       gets done by people who talk together between meetings and over
       lunches and dinners.  Every minute of the IETF can be considered work
       time (much to some people's dismay).

       A "bar BOF" is an unofficial get-together, usually in the late
       evening, during which a lot of work gets done over drinks.

       It's unwise to get between a hungry IETFer (and there isn't any other
       kind) and coffee break brownies and cookies, no matter how
       interesting a hallway conversation is.

       IETFers are fiercely independent.  It's safe to question opinions and
       offer alternatives, but don't expect an IETFer to follow orders.

       The IETF, and the plenary sessions in particular, are not places for
       vendors to try to sell their wares.  People can certainly answer
       questions about their company and its products, but bear in mind that
       the IETF is not a trade show.  This does not preclude people from
       recouping costs for IETF related t-shirts, buttons and pocket
       protectors.

       There is always a "materials distribution table" near the
       registration desk.  This desk is used to make appropriate information
       available to the attendees (e.g., copies of something discussed in a
       working group session, description of on-line IETF-related
       information, etc.).  Please check with the Secretariat before placing
       materials on the desk; the Secretariat has the right to remove
       material that they feel is not appropriate.

    Registration Bullets

       Registration is such an important topic that it's in this RFC twice!
       This is the "very important registration bullets" section.

       o  To attend an IETF meeting you have to register and you have to pay
          the registration fee.

       o  All you need to do to be registered is to send in a completed
          registration form.

       o  You may register by mail, e-mail or fax.  Generally, e-mail and
          fax registration forms will be accepted until 13:00 US/Eastern on
          the Thursday before the meeting.

       o  You may preregister and pay, preregister and pay later,
          preregister and pay on-site, or register and pay on-site.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 10]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       o  To get the lower registration fee, you must register by the early
          registration deadline (about one month before the meeting).  You
          can still pay later or on-site.

       o  If you don't register by the early registration deadline, a late
          fee is added.

       o  Everyone pays the same fees.  There are no educational or group
          discounts.  There are no discounts for attending only part of the
          week.

       o  Register only ONE person per registration form.  Substitutions are
          NOT allowed.

       o  You may register then pay later, but you may not pay then register
          later.  Payment MUST be accompanied by a completed registration
          form.

       o  Purchase orders are NOT accepted.  DD Form 1556 is accepted.
          Invoice for payment cannot be accepted.

       o  Refunds are subject to a US$20 service charge.  Late fees will not
          be refunded.

       o  The registration fee covers Sunday evening reception (cash bar), a
          daily continental breakfast and daily coffee breaks.

    Mailing Lists and Archives

       As previously mentioned, the IETF announcement and discussion mailing
       lists are the central mailing lists for IETF activities.  However,
       there are many other mailing lists related to IETF work.  For
       example, every working group has its own discussion list.  In
       addition, there are some long-term technical debates which have been
       moved off of the IETF list onto lists created specifically for those
       topics.  It is highly recommended that everybody follow the
       discussions on the mailing lists of the working groups which they
       wish to attend.  The more work that is done on the mailing lists, the
       less work that will need to be done at the meeting, leaving time for
       cross pollination (i.e., attending working groups outside one's
       primary area of interest in order to broaden one's perspective).

       The mailing lists also provide a forum for those who wish to follow,
       or contribute to, the working groups' efforts, but cannot attend the
       IETF meetings.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 11]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       All IETF discussion lists have a "-request" address which handles the
       administrative details of joining and leaving the list.  It is
       generally frowned upon when such administrivia appears on the
       discussion mailing list.

       Most IETF discussion lists are archived.  That is, all of the
       messages sent to the list are automatically stored on a host for
       anonymous FTP access.  To find out where a particular list is
       archived, send a message to the list's "-request" address, NOT to the
       list itself.

    Important E-mail Addresses

       There are some important IETF e-mail addresses with which everyone
       should be familiar.  They are all located at "cnri.reston.va.us"
       (e.g., "ietf-info@cnri.reston.va.us").  To personalize things, the
       names of the Secretariat staff who currently respond to the messages
       are given for each address.

       o ietf-info         general queries about the IETF - Cynthia Clark,
                           Debra Legare, John Stewart, and Megan Walnut

       o ietf-rsvp         queries about meeting locations and fees,
                           e-mailed registration forms - Debra Legare

       o proceedings       queries about ordering hard copies of previous
                           proceedings, and general questions about on-line
                           proceedings - Debra Legare and John Stewart

       o ietf-request      requests to join/leave IETF lists - Cynthia Clark

       o internet-drafts   Internet-Draft submissions and queries - Cynthia
                           Clark and John Stewart

       o iesg-secretary    John Stewart

       o ietf-secretariat  Steve Coya

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 12]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    IETF Proceedings

       The IETF proceedings are compiled in the two months following each
       IETF meeting.  The proceedings usually start with a message from
       Steve Coya, the Executive Director of the IETF.  Each contains the
       final (hindsight) agenda, an IETF overview, a report from the IESG,
       area and working group reports, network status briefings, slides from
       the protocol and technical presentations and the attendees list.  The
       attendees list includes names, affiliations, work and fax phone
       numbers and e-mail addresses as provided on the registration form.

       Folks who register and pay to attend the IETF are eligible to receive
       a hard copy of the proceedings. They must indicate so on the line
       provided on the registration form.  The proceedings are sent to the
       mailing addresses provided on the registration forms.  Please notify
       the Secretariat immediately if your address information changes after
       the meeting ends so you can be assured of receiving your copy.

       For those who could not attend a meeting but would like a copy of the
       proceedings, send a check for US$35 (made payable to CNRI) to:

          Corporation for National Research Initiatives
          Attn: Accounting Department - IETF Proceedings
          1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 100
          Reston, VA   22091
          USA

       Please indicate which meeting proceedings you would like to receive
       by specifying the meeting date (e.g., July 1993) or meeting number
       and location (e.g., 27th meeting in Amsterdam).  Availability of
       previous meetings' proceedings is limited, so ask BEFORE sending
       payment.

       The proceedings are also available on-line via:

       o Gopher: <gopher@ietf.cnri.reston.va.us>
       o WorldWide Web: <http://www.ietf.cnri.reston.va.us/home.html>
       o Anonymous FTP: <ftp.ietf.cnri.reston.va.us> in /ietf-online-
          proceedings

       People are encouraged to use the on-line version of the proceedings
       to save paper and money, as well as to have the Internet community
       use its own technology.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 13]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    InterNIC Archives

       There is a tremendous amount of material available for those who
       follow the work of the IETF.  To make it easier to know what to read
       to prepare for a meeting, the InterNIC has established a document
       archive.  Beginning about one month prior to an IETF meeting, working
       group/BOF chairs and area directors put documents relevant to the
       discussions to be held into the archives.  Those people who plan to
       attend a working group/BOF session should check the archives for
       documents which need to be read.  The documents are left in the
       archives for about two months after the end of the IETF meeting.

       On the host "ds.internic.net", documents are stored in the directory
       "/pub/current-ietf-docs" under subdirectories named for each area and
       then for each working group.  For example, a document for the NISI
       Working Group, which is in the User Services Area, would be stored as
       "current-ietf-docs/usv/nisi/nisi-doc1.txt".  Each area will also have
       a subdirectory called "bof", where documents to be discussed in BOF
       sessions will be placed.  A directory called "plenary" will also be
       created under "/pub/current-ietf-docs" to put documents or viewgraphs
       related to a plenary session.  Any filename conflicts will be
       resolved by the archive administrator working with the submitter of
       the document via e-mail.

       It is important to note that the service is provided by the InterNIC
       and that the documents are submitted by the people who work on them.
       The IETF Secretariat does not manage or monitor the archive service.

       Access via anonymous FTP:

          Anonymous FTP to ds.internic.net
          Change directory to /pub/current-ietf-docs
          Browse and get the document of interest

       Access via Gopher (from a Gopher client):

          Point to gopher.internic.net
          Select the "InterNIC Directory and Database Services ..." item
          Then menu item named "Internet Documentation (RFCs FYIs, etc.)/"
          Lastly menu item named "Current IETF Conference Documents (...)/"

       If you do not have a Gopher client, use the InterNIC's public-access
       Gopher client.  Simply telnet to "gopher.internic.net" and login as
       "gopher" (no password required).

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 14]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    Be Prepared

       This topic cannot be stressed enough.  As the IETF grows, it becomes
       more and more important for attendees to arrive prepared for the
       working group meetings they plan to attend.  This doesn't apply only
       to newcomers--everybody should come prepared.

       Being prepared means having read the documents which the working
       group or BOF chair has distributed.  It means having followed the
       discussions on the working group's mailing list or having reviewed
       the archives.  For the working group/BOF chairs, it means getting all
       of the documents out early (i.e., several weeks) to give everybody
       time to read them and announcing an agenda and sticking to it.

       At the chair's discretion, some time may be devoted to bringing new
       working group attendees up to speed.  In fact, long lived working
       groups have occasionally held entire sessions which were introductory
       in nature.  As a rule, however, a working group is not the place to
       go for training.  Observers are always welcome, but they must realize
       that the work effort cannot be delayed for education.  Anyone wishing
       to attend a working group for the first time might seek out the chair
       prior to the meeting and ask for some introduction.

       Another thing for everybody to consider is that working groups go
       through phases.  In the initial phase (say, the first two meetings),
       all ideas are welcome.  The idea is to gather all the possible
       solutions together for consideration.  In the development phase, a
       solution is chosen and developed.  Trying to reopen issues which were
       decided more than a couple of meetings back is considered bad form.
       The final phase (the last two meetings) is where the "spit and
       polish" are applied to the architected solution.  This is not the
       time to suggest architectural changes or open design issues already
       resolved.  It's a bad idea to wait until the last minute to speak out
       if a problem is discovered.  This is especially true for people whose
       excuse is that they hadn't read the documents until the day before a
       comments period ended.

       Time at the IETF meetings is a precious thing.  Working groups are
       encouraged to meet between IETF meetings, either in person or by
       video or telephone conference.  Doing as much work as possible over
       the mailing lists would also reduce the amount of work which must be
       done at the meeting.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 15]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    RFCs and Internet-Drafts

       Originally, RFCs were just what the name implies:  requests for
       comments.  The early RFCs were messages between the ARPANET
       architects about how to resolve certain problems.  Over the years,
       RFCs became more formal.  It reached the point that they were being
       cited as standards, even when they weren't.

       To help clear up some confusion, there are now two special sub-series
       within the RFCs: FYIs and STDs.  The For Your Information RFC sub-
       series was created to document overviews and topics which are
       introductory.  Frequently, FYIs are created by groups within the IETF
       User Services Area.  The STD RFC sub-series was created to identify
       those RFCs which do in fact specify Internet standards.

       Every RFC, including FYIs and STDs, have an RFC number by which they
       are indexed and by which they can be retrieved.  FYIs and STDs have
       FYI numbers and STD numbers, respectively, in addition to RFC
       numbers.  This makes it easier for a new Internet user, for example,
       to find all of the helpful, informational documents by looking for
       the FYIs amongst all the RFCs.  If an FYI or STD is revised, its RFC
       number will change, but its FYI or STD number will remain constant
       for ease of reference.

       There is also an RTR subseries of RFCs for Reseaux Associes pour la
       Recherche Europeenne (RARE) Technical Reports.  These are technical
       reports developed in the RARE community that are published as RFCs to
       provide easy access to the general Internet community.

       Internet-Drafts are working documents of the IETF.  Any group or
       individual may submit a document for distribution as an Internet-
       Draft.  These documents are valid for six months, and may be updated,
       replaced or obsoleted at any time.  Guidelines require that an
       expiration date appear on every page of an Internet-Draft.  It is not
       appropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite
       them, other than as "working drafts" or "works in progress."

       For additional information, read the following documents:

       o  Request for Comments on Request for Comments [RFC 1111]
       o  F.Y.I. on F.Y.I: Introduction to the F.Y.I notes [FYI1]
       o  Introduction to the STD Notes [RFC 1311]
       o  Guidelines to Authors of Internet-Drafts [GAID]
       o  The Internet Activities Board [RFC 1160]
       o  The Internet Standards Process [RFC 1602]
       o  Internet Official Protocol Standards [STD1]

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 16]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    Frequently Asked Questions (and Their Answers)

       Q: My working group moved this morning.  Where is it now?
       A: Check the at-a-glance sheet and the message board for
          announcements.

       Q: Where is room 'foo'?
       A: Check the map on the at-a-glance sheet.  An enlarged version is on
          the bulletin board.

       Q: Where can I get a copy of the proceedings?
       A: If you have registered and paid to attend an IETF meeting simply
          indicate you wish to receive a hardcopy of the proceedings and it
          will be mailed to you.  For on-line retrieval refer to "IETF
          Proceedings" section which appears on page thirteen of this RFC.
          Both the hardcopy and on-line version of the proceedings are
          generally available two months after the meeting.

       Q: When is on-site registration?
       A: On-site registration is first possible from 18:00 to 20:00 on the
          Sunday night before the meeting starts. The IETF registration desk
          will be set up in the same room in which the reception is held.
          On-site registration on Monday begins at 8:00, Tuesday through
          Friday at 8:30, and is open until 18:00 every day but Friday.

       Q: Where is lunch served?
       A: The meeting does not include lunch or dinner.  Ask a local host
          (somebody with a green dotted badge) for a recommendation.

       Q: Where are the receipts for the social event?
       A: The social is not managed by the IETF Secretariat.  Ask a local
          host.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 17]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    Pointers to Useful Documents and Files

       This is a list of documents and files that provide useful information
       about the IETF meetings, working groups and documentation.  These
       files reside in the "ietf" directory on the anonymous FTP sites
       listed below.  File names beginning with "0" (zero) pertain to IETF
       meetings; these may refer to a recently held meeting if the first
       announcement of the next meeting has not yet been sent to the IETF
       mailing list.  File names beginning with "1" (one) contain general
       IETF information.  This is only a partial list of the available
       files.  (The 'yymm' below refers to the year and month.)

       o  0mtg-agenda.txt                Agenda for the meeting
       o  0mtg-at-a-glance-yymm.txt      Logistics information for the meeting
       o  0mtg-rsvp.txt                  Meeting registration form
       o  0mtg-sites.txt                 Future meeting sites and dates
       o  0mtg-multicast-guide-yymm.txt  Schedule for MBone-multicast sessions
       o  0mtg-traveldirections-yymm.txt Directions to the meeting site
       o  0tao.txt                       This document

       o  1directories.txt               IETF shadow directory locations and
                                         contents
       o  1id-guidelines.txt             Guidelines to authors of Internet-
                                         Drafts
       o  1ietf-description.txt          Short description of the IETF and
                                         IESG, including a list of area
                                         directors
       o  1nonwg-discuss.txt             A list of mailing lists relevant to
                                         the IETF, but not associated with
                                         working groups
       o  1proceedings-request.txt       A proceedings order form
       o  1wg-summary.txt                List of all working groups, by
                                         area, including the chair(s) and
                                         mailing list
       o  1wg-summary-by-acronym.txt     Same as above, but sorted by
                                         acronym
       o  1wg-charter.txt                Abbreviated versions of all current
                                         working group charters
       o  1wg-charters-by-acronym.txt    Same as above, but sorted by
                                         acronym

       Additionally, the full charters and minutes of the working groups and
       BOFs are archived under the "ietf" directory (see 1directories.txt
       for a complete explanation).

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 18]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       All of these documents are available by anonymous FTP from the
       following primary sites (there may be closer shadow sites, so check
       with your network administrator):

       o  Europe:         nic.nordu.net (192.36.148.17)
       o  Pacific Rim:    munnari.oz.au (128.250.1.21)
       o  US/East Coast:  ds.internic.net (198.49.45.10)
       o  US/West Coast:  ftp.isi.edu (128.9.0.32)

       These files are also available through the Internet Gopher on host
       "gopher.ietf.cnri.reston.va.us" and the WorldWide Web server at URL
       <http://www.ietf.cnri.reston.va.us/home.html>.

       Residing on the same archive sites are the RFCs and Internet-Drafts.
       They are in the "rfc" and "internet-drafts" directories,
       respectively.  The file "1rfc_index.txt" contains the latest
       information about the RFCs (e.g., which have been obsoleted by
       which).  In general, only the newest version of an Internet-Draft is
       available.

       All of the files, RFCs and Internet-Drafts are also available via e-
       mail from various mail servers.  To to get the IETF agenda,
       Internet-Draft abstracts and RFC 1150 from the mail server at the
       InterNIC, for example, you would send the following message:

          To: mailserv@ds.internic.net             Message header
          Subject: anything you want

          FILE /ietf/0mtg-agenda.txt               Body of the message
          FILE /internet-drafts/1id-abstracts.txt
          FILE /rfc/rfc1150.txt
          PATH jdoe@anywhere.edu

       Where FILE specifies the name of a file to be returned and PATH is an
       optional command that specifies the e-mail address to which the
       file(s) should be sent.  The file(s) can be returned in one or more
       MIME messages by adding the command "ENCODING mime" to the top of the
       message.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 19]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       RFCs may also be retrieved via e-mail from ISI's RFC-Info server at
       "rfc-info@isi.edu".  To get a specific RFC, include the following in
       the body of the message:

          Retrieve: RFC
          Doc-ID: RFC0951

       This example would cause a copy of RFC 951 (the leading zero in the
       Doc-ID is required) to be e-mailed to the requestor.  To get a list
       of available RFCs which match certain criteria, include the following
       in the body of the message:

          LIST: RFC
          Keywords: gateway

       This example would e-mail a list of all RFCs with "gateway" in the
       title or as an assigned keyword.  To get information on other ways to
       get RFCs:

          HELP: ways_to_get_rfcs

    Tao

       Pronounced "dow", Tao means "the way."  It is the basic principle
       behind the teachings of Lao-tse, a Chinese master. Its familiar
       symbol is the black and white Yin-Yang circle.

    IETF Area Abbreviations

       APP      Applications
       INT      Internet Services
       IPNG     IP: Next Generation
       MGT      Network Management
       OPS      Operational Requirements
       RTG      Routing
       SEC      Security
       TSV      Transport
       USV      User Services

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 20]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

    Acronyms

       :-)      Smiley face
       ANSI     American National Standards Institute
       ARPA     Advanced Research Projects Agency
       ARPANET  Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
       AS       Autonomous System
       ATM      Asynchronous Transfer Mode
       BGP      Border Gateway Protocol
       BOF      Birds Of a Feather
       BSD      Berkeley Software Distribution
       BTW      By The Way
       CCIRN    Coordinating Committee for Intercontinental Research Networks
       CCITT    International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee
       CIDR     Classless Inter-Domain Routing
       CIX      Commercial Information Exchange
       CNI      Coalition for Networked Information
       CREN     The Corporation for Research and Educational Networking
       DARPA    US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (now ARPA)
       DDN      US Defense Data Network
       DISA     US Defense Information Systems Agency
       EGP      Exterior Gateway Protocol
       FAQ      Frequently Asked Question
       FARNET   Federation of American Research NETworks
       FIX      US Federal Information Exchange
       FNC      US Federal Networking Council
       FQDN     Fully Qualified Domain Name
       FYI      For Your Information (RFC)
       GOSIP    US Government OSI Profile
       IAB      Internet Architecture Board
       IANA     Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
       I-D      Internet-Draft
       IEN      Internet Experiment Note
       IESG     Internet Engineering Steering Group
       IETF     Internet Engineering Task Force
       IGP      Interior Gateway Protocol
       IMHO     In My Humble Opinion
       IMR      Internet Monthly Report
       InterNIC Internet Network Information Center
       IPng     IP: Next Generation
       IR       Internet Registry
       IRSG     Internet Research Steering Group
       IRTF     Internet Research Task Force
       ISO      International Organization for Standardization
       ISOC     Internet Society
       ISODE    ISO Development Environment
       ITU      International Telecommunication Union
       MIB      Management Information Base

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 21]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       MIME     Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
       NIC      Network Information Center
       NIS      Network Information Services
       NIST     National Institute of Standards and Technology
       NOC      Network Operations Center
       NREN     National Research and Education Network
       NSF      National Science Foundation
       OSI      Open Systems Interconnection
       PEM      Privacy Enhanced Mail
       PTT      Postal, Telegraph and Telephone
       RARE     Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne
       RFC      Request For Comments
       RIPE     Reseaux IP Europeenne
       SIG      Special Interest Group
       STD      Standard (RFC)
       TLA      Three Letter Acronym
       TTFN     Ta-Ta For Now
       UTC      Universal Time Coordinated
       WG       Working Group
       WRT      With Respect To
       WYSIWYG  What You See is What You Get

    Acknowledgments

       The IETF Secretariat would like to acknowledge the time and efforts
       of Gary Malkin who prepared the first version of this document (RFC
       1391), and coordinated all the changes in the first revision (RFC
       1539).  Without his help, this document might still be "in progress."

    References

       FYI1    Malkin, G., and J. Reynolds, "F.Y.I. on F.Y.I.", FYI 1, RFC
               1150, Proteon, USC/Information Sciences Institute, March
               1990.

       GAID    "Guidelines to Authors of Internet Drafts",
               1id-guidelines.txt.

       ROSE    Rose, M., "The Open Book: A Practical Perspective on OSI",
               Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1989.

       RFC1543 Postel, J., "Request for Comments on Request for Comments",
               RFC 1543, USC/Information Sciences Institute, August 1989.

       RFC1160 Cerf, V., "The Internet Activities Board", RFC 1160, NRI, May
               1990.

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 22]

    RFC 1718                    The Tao of IETF                November 1994

       RFC1602 Chapin, L., Chair, "The Internet Standards Process", RFC
               1602, Internet Activities Board, March 1992.

       RFC1311 Postel, J., Editor, "Introduction to the STD Notes", RFC
               1311, USC/Information Sciences Institute, March 1992.

       STD1    Postel, J., Editor, "Internet Official Protocol Standards",
               STD 1, RFC 1720, Internet Architecture Board, November 1994.

    Security Considerations

       Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

    Authors' Addresses

       The IETF Secretariat
       c/o Corporation for National Research Initiatives
       1895 Preston White Drive
       Suite 100
       Reston, VA  22091

       Phone:  +1 703 620 8990
       Fax:    +1 703 620 0913
       EMail:  ietf-info@cnri.reston.va.us

       Gary Scott Malkin
       Xylogics, Inc.
       53 Third Avenue
       Burlington, MA  01803

       Phone:  +1 617 272 8140
       EMail:  gmalkin@Xylogics.COM

    Internet Engineering Task Force                                [Page 23]