Session Date/Time: 13 Sep 2022 18:00

TOOLS

Summary

The TOOLS working group meeting covered several critical infrastructure updates and ongoing projects. Key discussions included the phased takedown of the FTP service, the removal of email list feeds into Zulip to avoid duplicate archives, and the retirement of legacy web services (idnets, rscdiff) with redirection to modern Author Tools. The group also discussed the ongoing policy implications of handling author names in BibXML, the planned shutdown of the Jabber server, and updates on non-com reporting and Mailman 3 migration.

Key Discussion Points

RPC Production Blocking Issues: Discussion of RPC production blocking issues will now primarily occur at the RPAP (RFC Production Advisory Team) meetings. The TOOLS call will only raise a red flag for major issues disrupting production changes.
FTP Service Takedown:
- The final steps for the FTP service takedown are in progress.
- Roman has prepared a "tombstone" document to be served by the FTP server, indicating no files are present and directing users to alternative locations.
- The document now only requires adding a pointer to an RFC.
- Decision: Upon Roman finalizing the tombstone file, Robert will hand it off to Glenn for implementation, which will involve configuring the FTP server to only serve this specific file.
Zulip Email List Archives:
- Concern was raised about the current practice of feeding email lists into Zulip, creating a second copy of email archives and complicating archive management.
- Proposal: Send a message to the community announcing the plan to remove these email streams from Zulip (either completely removing or archiving them within Zulip) due to uptake issues and archive duplication problems.
- Rich Stahls, a proponent of the feature, understands the issues and has no problem with its removal.
- The IESG supports the principle of a single archive copy.
- Decision: Robert will send a message to the community regarding the removal of email list feeds into Zulip, and, after a couple of weeks, execute the removal/archiving.
Retirement of Legacy Web Services (idnets, rscdiff):
- Several long-running web services at www.ietf.org (ID Nits, RFC Diff), built using the ancient PyHT environment, are being retired.
- Modern replacements exist at Author Tools (id.ietf.org/idiff, id.ietf.org/idtool).
- A suggestion to add a file browsing feature to the new ID Nits tool was noted as potentially easy to implement.
- Proposal: Redirect the old services to Author Tools.
- Decision: Send a community announcement about the upcoming redirection of www.ietf.org services (idnets, rscdiff) to Author Tools, with implementation planned in approximately two weeks. The announcement should include the redirection of www.ietf.org as well.
tools.ietf.org Redirects:
- tools.ietf.org currently uses temporary redirects.
- Decision: Glenn confirmed it is acceptable to switch existing temporary redirects to permanent ones. Any new redirects will initially be temporary for a few weeks before becoming permanent.
BibXML initials-last-name Issue:
- A bug in the data tracker's BibXML production currently provides initials and last names for versioned drafts but not for unversioned drafts (this will be fixed).
- A broader discussion is needed regarding the policy of forcing structured names (initials/last name) for authors in the face of diverse global naming conventions, which can lead to difficulties with collation and cultural inappropriateness.
- Suggestion: This policy discussion, with potential implications for all tooling and a shift towards a "name blob" approach, should be driven by the RSW (RFC Series Working Group) for policy setting, with TOOLS participation.
Jabber Server Shutdown:
- Decision: The multi-user chat Jabber server (jabber.ietf.org) will be shut down. Archives will be maintained, and efforts will be made to import historical Jabber logs from working group meetings into the data tracker as meeting artifacts.
Non-Conference (non-com) Reporting:
- The non-com calculation currently lacks information on whether participants picked up their badges on-site.
- Action Item: The system needs modification to incorporate badge pickup data from the secretariat, and this information will be back-casted for previous hybrid meetings.
Asynchronous Draft Submission API: Martin Thompson is expected to be the first significant user of this API with his GitHub template repository tooling. Implementation is anticipated in the next couple of weeks upon his return from travel.
DNS Configuration Project: Paul Waters, Wes Whittaker, Robert, and Glenn are collaborating on a plan to revise DNS entry assignment mechanics, aiming to reduce TTLs and increase signing frequency.
Trust and Private Keys: It was clarified that the IETF Trust holds ownership of private keys for Internet Draft signatures, while Glenn holds the private keys for DNS and other operational credentials.
Mailman 3 Migration: This project, initially planned for this fall, has not yet started and is now expected to extend well into next year. Robert will communicate this revised timeline to relevant bodies.
Data Tracker Requiring Fully Expanded Draft Submissions:
- The data tracker will eventually require fully expanded XML submissions (without x-includes).
- The system will ensure authors can continue to work with unexpanded formats, review the expanded output, and potentially allow for storing both expanded and unexpanded versions.
- The RPC's need for unexpanded XML will be addressed in the implementation plan.

Decisions and Action Items

RPC Production Issues: Discussion moved to RPAP; TOOLS will only raise major disruption flags.
FTP Takedown: Roman to finalize tombstone document; Robert to hand off to Glenn for implementation (configure FTP to serve only the tombstone file).
Zulip Email Archives: Robert to draft and send a community message regarding the planned removal of email list feeds into Zulip (remove/archive) within two weeks.
Legacy Web Services Retirement: Robert to send a community announcement about redirecting www.ietf.org services (idnets, rscdiff) to Author Tools in approximately two weeks.
tools.ietf.org Redirects: Glenn to switch existing temporary redirects to permanent.
Jabber Server: Confirmed shutdown of jabber.ietf.org multi-user chat server.
Non-com Reporting: Update system to incorporate badge pickup data from the secretariat for hybrid meetings.
Mailman 3 Migration: Communicate to stakeholders that this project will extend into next year.

Next Steps

BibXML Name Handling: Engage the RSW for a policy discussion on moving away from structured names (initials/last name) in author metadata towards a more flexible "name blob" approach.
Future Meeting Format: The group will experiment with a hybrid approach for future calls: brief item-by-item walkthroughs of the agenda, pausing for questions on each item, rather than presenting a full section and then asking for questions.
Agenda Contributions: Participants are encouraged to actively add missing items or potential discussion points to the agenda in advance of meetings to ensure comprehensive coverage.