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Session Date/Time: 15 Mar 2026 06:00
NEWPARTICIPANT
Summary
The New Participant Program (Sessions 5 and 6) provided an in-depth overview of the IETF's document lifecycle—from Internet-Drafts (IDs) to Request for Comments (RFCs)—and the community-driven governance and social structures of the organization. Key topics included the technical formats and tools for document authoring, the various publication streams and statuses, the Nominating Committee (NomCom) process, and the mechanisms for dispute resolution and appeals.
Key Discussion Points
Session 5: Internet Drafts and RFCs
Presenters: Alice Russo and Alexey Melnikov Materials: Internet Drafts and RFCs
- RFC Series Overview: RFCs are stable, archival documents. The authoritative repository, rfc-editor.org, is undergoing a redesign to improve accessibility and device compatibility.
- Document Evolution and Formats:
- Historically, RFCs were plain text (ASCII) with fixed widths.
- Modern RFCs (since approximately RFC 8650) use an XML source (RFC XML v3) to generate HTML, PDF, and TXT formats.
- The HTML format is now the preferred version for readers as it includes post-publication metadata (e.g., "Obsoleted by" or "Updated by" headers) and supports Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG).
- Internet-Drafts (IDs): These are temporary, evolving documents with a six-month expiration. Anyone can submit an ID; submission grants certain rights to the IETF Trust.
- Document Status and Subseries:
- Standards Track: Proposed Standard (the entry point for most protocols) and Internet Standard (high maturity/interoperability).
- Non-Standards Track: Informational, Experimental, Best Current Practice (BCP), and Historic.
- Subseries: RFCs may also carry secondary designations such as STD (Internet Standard) or BCP (Best Current Practice).
- Publication Streams: Documents originate from one of five streams: IETF (Working Group/IESG approved), IAB, IRTF (Research), Editorial, or Independent Submission (managed by the Independent Submissions Editor, currently Eliot Lear).
- Authoring Tools:
- authors.ietf.org and authortools.ietf.org provide templates and validation.
- kramdown-rfc: A recommended Markdown flavor that converts to the required RFC XML format.
- IDNits: A tool used to check for common formatting and reference errors before submission.
- Auth48: Alice Russo explained the final stage of publication where authors have a "48-hour" (flexible) window to review edits from the RFC Production Center for technical correctness before the document is assigned an RFC number and published.
Session 6: Power of the Community
Presenter: Harald Alvestrand Materials: Power of the Community
- Individual Participation: The IETF community is composed of individuals, not company representatives. All power resides in the community of volunteers.
- The Nominating Committee (NomCom):
- Governed by RFC 3797, the NomCom consists of 10 randomly selected volunteers from the community.
- They are responsible for selecting the leadership (IESG, IAB, LLC Board, and Trust).
- The process is strictly confidential to ensure candid feedback and deliberation.
- Professional Conduct and Harassment:
- Discussions must focus on ideas, not individuals.
- The Ombudsteam provides a confidential channel for reporting harassment or unprofessional behavior.
- Dispute Resolution and Appeals:
- Disagreements should first be addressed informally with Working Group chairs or Area Directors (ADs).
- Formal appeals can be based on process violations or technical errors.
- Appeal Chain: IESG → IAB (for technical matters) → ISOC Board (for process violations by the IAB).
- Rough consensus does not mean unanimity; "being in the rough" means a participant's objection was heard but the group decided to move forward regardless.
Wrap-Up and Meeting Logistics
Presenter: New Participant Program Coordinator
- Quick Connections: An opportunity for new participants to meet IETF leadership on the 40th floor.
- HotRFC: A session for rapid-fire lightning talks on new ideas.
- IETF Plenary: The mid-week meeting where the IAB, IESG, and LLC report to the community and hold open-mic sessions.
- Support: Participants are encouraged to use the help desks (RFC Editor, IANA, etc.) and contact
support@ietf.orgfor assistance.
Decisions and Action Items
- New Website Launch: The RFC Editor website (rfc-editor.org) is scheduled for a full replacement in 2024 to improve document discovery and rendering.
- Submission Resumption: Internet-Draft submissions, which are suspended two weeks prior to a meeting, were noted to resume during the meeting week to facilitate real-time updates based on session discussions.
Next Steps
- New participants are encouraged to complete the post-meeting survey to improve future iterations of the New Participant Program.
- Participants interested in leadership roles should watch for the NomCom call for volunteers in future cycles.
Session Date/Time: 15 Mar 2026 01:30
NEWPARTICIPANT
Summary
The New Participant Program at IETF 125 provided a comprehensive orientation for first-time attendees. The program covered the organizational structure of the IETF, methods of participation via mailing lists and tools, the technical standards development lifecycle, and the role of the IETF Hackathon in validating "running code." The sessions emphasized the IETF’s bottom-up, individual-driven nature and its reliance on rough consensus rather than formal voting.
Key Discussion Points
Session 1: Introduction to the IETF
Presenter: Jay Daley Slides: New Participant Program - Session 1 - Introduction to the IETF
- Mission and Culture: The IETF focuses on market-based adoption of technical standards. Participants act as individuals, not company representatives. The organization is transparent; sessions are recorded, and mailing lists are archived publicly.
- Organizational Structure:
- IESG (Internet Engineering Steering Group): Responsible for standards process and technical management. Chaired by Roman Danyliw.
- IAB (Internet Architecture Board): Focuses on long-term architecture and external liaisons. Chaired by Dhruv Dhody.
- IRTF (Internet Research Task Force): Focused on long-term research (e.g., Crypto, Human Rights). Chaired by Dirk Kutscher.
- IETF LLC: The administrative and legal entity managed by Jay Daley.
- IETF Trust: Manages Intellectual Property (IPR).
- Policies: The "Note Well" governs IPR disclosure and professional conduct. Participants must disclose known patents relevant to standards under discussion.
- Demographics: Analysis of participant data shows a median age of 45-54, low female participation (under 10%), and a growing presence from the Asia-Pacific region.
Session 2: Participation in the IETF
Presenter: Bron Gondwana Slides: New Participant Program - Session 2 - Participation in the IETF
- Mailing Lists: The primary medium for IETF work. While meetings facilitate relationship building, all final decisions must be confirmed on the mailing lists.
- Datatracker: The central tool for managing drafts, tracking working group (WG) progress, and viewing meeting agendas.
- Remote Participation: Meetecho is the bespoke tool for integrated audio, video, and queue management. Zulip provides persistent chat for WGs.
- Professional Etiquette: Participants are encouraged to read drafts before sessions to contribute effectively. Building personal technical credibility is the primary way to gain influence.
Session 3: Standards Development Process
Presenter: Barry Leiba Slides: New Participant Program - Session 3 - Standards Development
- The Lifecycle of a Document:
- Individual Draft: An author submits an initial idea (e.g., draft-authorname-topic).
- WG Adoption: If the WG agrees the work is in scope, it becomes a WG draft (e.g., draft-ietf-wgname-topic).
- Rough Consensus: Chairs judge when a document has addressed all technical objections. "Humming" or Meetecho show-of-hands are used to gauge the room, but are not formal votes.
- IESG Review: Area Directors (ADs) review and ballot on the document. A "DISCUSS" ballot blocks progress until specific technical concerns are resolved.
- RFC Publication: After approval, the RFC Production Center edits and publishes the document as an RFC.
- RFC Categories: Standards Track (Proposed Standard), Best Current Practice (BCP), Informational, and Experimental.
- Key References: RFC 7282 (On Consensus), RFC 8890 (The Internet is for End Users), and RFC 9620 (Human Rights Considerations).
- New Work: Potential work can be socialized via BoFs (Birds of a Feather) or DISPATCH working groups.
Session 4: Introduction to the Hackathon
Presenter: Benno Overeinder Slides: New Participant Program - Session 4 - Introduction to the Hackathon
- Purpose: To promote "running code" as a counterpart to specification writing. It helps identify ambiguities in drafts and tests interoperability between different implementations.
- Participation: Projects are organized via a public Wiki. Each project has a "Champion" who acts as a point of contact.
- Outcomes: Results are presented in 2-minute "pitches" at the end of the weekend and shared with the broader community during the Monday Hackdemo Happy Hour.
Decisions and Action Items
- Attendance Tracking: All participants are required to scan the Meetecho QR codes in each session to be included in the "bluesheets."
- New Work Assistance: The IAB announced a "New Work Help Desk" located in the hallway to assist participants with early-stage ideas (Monday 11:30 and Thursday 16:00).
- Diversity Initiatives: The "Sisters" program was highlighted as a support network for women in the IETF, including dedicated breakfast and lunch events.
Next Steps
- Networking: Participants were encouraged to attend the "Quick Connections" session to meet IETF leadership.
- Socialization: New participants should attend the Welcome Reception and "Hot RFC" lightning talks to identify areas of interest.
- Tool Engagement: Participants should log into the Datatracker and subscribe to relevant WG mailing lists to follow post-meeting consensus calls.