]> The IETF Chair May Delegate NetApp
Stenbergintie 12 B Kauniainen 02700 FI lars@eggert.org https://eggert.org/
IETF This document proposes that the IETF Chair may delegate some of their responsibilities to other Area Directors, and updates several existing RFCs to enable that. About This Document The latest revision of this draft can be found at . Status information for this document may be found at . Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at .
Introduction Throughout the history of the IETF, the role of the IETF Chair has always been filled by a single person. None of the foundational documents of the organization precisely define the role, but most are written with an understanding that the role is filled by a single person who is then tasked with numerous responsibilities. The expired Internet-Draft attempted to define the role of the IETF Chair more precisely but was not taken forward. Few documents explicitly say that the IETF Chair may delegate some of these responsibilities. Over time, this has created a situation where even a full-time commitment by a single person may no longer be sufficient to fulfill all of these roles and duties. Also, the role of the IETF Chair is a single point of failure for the organization, with no defined processes for allowing others to quickly and/or temporarily take over aspects of the role if the IETF Chair becomes partially or fully unable to serve. (The defined process is that for "mid-term vacancies" per , which can take up to six weeks to complete and only allows for the permanent replacement of the IETF Chair by another individual.) Single bottlenecks like this have obvious scaling and fault tolerance issues. This document hence proposes to explicitly allow the IETF Chair to delegate some of their responsibilities to one or more other Area Directors. It leaves it up to each IETF Chair to determine if they would like to delegate some of their responsibilities, and if so, which ones, to whom and when. One model that is specifically enabled by this proposal, but is not required or even recommended, is a separation of the roles of the IETF Chair from that of the IESG Chair, allowing another Area Director to take over the chairperson role of the IESG and its associated responsibilities. It also enables delegation of the IETF Chair's full IAB membership and delegation or sharing of the role of the General Area Director. Specifically, with these changes, it should be possible for the IESG to request the selection of a General Area Director who is not at the same time also the IETF Chair, to whom the IETF Chair may then delegate some of their responsibilities, such as chairing the IESG. There must be community transparency about which roles the IETF Chair has delegated to which other Area Director, and for which time. This transparency can be guaranteed in several ways, such as through the IESG website or public email. Such operational details are out of the scope of this document.
Emergency Stand-In This section describes who may stand in for the IETF Chair in case of emergency if they become unable to fulfill their duties.
Background As described in , the IETF Chair role is at the moment a single point of failure for the organization. In an emergency that incapacitated the IETF Chair, a recall petition followed by executing a "mid-term vacancy" replacement would need to be executed to name a new IETF Chair. This process will likely take several weeks at best, during which time there is no defined stand-in for the IETF Chair.
Proposal This document proposes that in the case the IETF Chair becomes incapacitated, the IAB Chair will automatically assume the role of the IETF Chair. If the IAB Chair is unable to do so, the IETF Chair role will automatically fall to the Chair of the IETF Administration LLC. As soon as the NomCom appoints a new IETF Chair this emergency delegation ends.
Separating the IETF Chair and IESG Chair Roles This section analyzes which RFCs imply that the IETF Chair and IESG Chair roles need to be filled by the same person, and makes suggestions for updates that would allow a separation.
Background is surprisingly silent on the role of the IETF Chair, only mentioning it in as part of the terminology:
  • Area Director - The manager of an IETF Area. The Area Directors along with the IETF Chair comprise the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) - A group comprised of the IETF Area Directors and the IETF Chair. (...)
Similarly, the role of the IESG Chair is only briefly mentioned in as part of how process failures are handled:
  • If an individual should disagree with an action taken by the IESG in this process, that person should first discuss the issue with the IESG Chair. If the IESG Chair is unable to satisfy the complainant then (...)
does not require the IETF Chair to also fulfill the role of IESG Chair. , the earlier revision of the standards process that obsoletes, is an Informational RFC and does include text to that effect, however:
  • The IESG is composed of the IETF Area Directors and the chairperson of the IETF, who also serves as the chairperson of the IESG.
is likely the basis for , a BCP that includes similar text:
  • The IESG is composed of the IETF Area Directors and the chair of the IETF, who also serves as the chair of the IESG.
, a BCP that obsoletes , retains that text and also states that the IETF Chair is the Area Director for the General Area:
  • The IESG is composed of the ADs and the IETF Chair. The IETF Chair also chairs the IESG and is the AD for the General Area.
, an Informational RFC containing an Internet Security Glossary, contains this text under the "Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)" glossary item:
  • The part of the ISOC responsible for technical management of IETF activities and administration of the Internet Standards Process according to procedures approved by the ISOC Trustees. Directly responsible for actions along the "standards track", including final approval of specifications as Internet Standards. Composed of IETF Area Directors and the IETF chairperson, who also chairs the IESG. (RFC 2026)
Proposal To allow the IETF Chair to delegate the role of IESG Chair to another AD (as arguably intended to be allowed by ), the following updates to existing RFCs are proposed:
  1. Remove the sentence "The IETF Chair also chairs the IESG and is the AD for the General Area." from .
  2. Change the clause "The IETF chair, who is also the chair of the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)" in the second sentence of to "The IETF chair or their delegate". (This is also part of the suggestions in .)
  3. Remove the clause "who also chairs the IESG" from the "Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)" glossary item in .
Delegation of the IAB Membership This section analyzes which RFCs contain text about the full IAB membership of the IETF Chair, and makes suggestions for updates that would allow delegation of the IAB membership.
Background requires the IETF Chair to be a full member of the IAB:
  • The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) shall consist of thirteen full members, composed of the chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and of twelve sitting members.
contains a similar statement as part of the second item in a list of "oral traditions" recorded for "consideration by future NomComs":
  • No person should serve both on the IAB and as an Area Director, except the IETF Chair whose roles as an IAB member and Area Director of the General Area are set out elsewhere.
says:
  • The IETF Chair is also a member of the IAB, and the Chair of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) is an ex officio member.
Proposal To allow the IETF Chair to delegate their full IAB membership to another AD, the following updates to existing RFCs are suggested:
  1. Add "or their Delegate Area Director" at the end of the clause "composed of the chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)" in .
  2. Add "With the publication of RFCXXXX, IETF guidance on this issue has changed as described there." to the second bullet item in .
  3. Change the sentence "The IETF Chair is also a member of the IAB, and the Chair of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) is an ex officio member." to "The Chair of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) is an ex officio member of the IAB." in .
Delegation of the General Area Director Role This section analyzes which RFCs contain text about the responsibility of the IETF Chair to also serve as Area Director of the General Area, and makes suggestions for updates that would allow delegation of or sharing of the role.
Background states that the IETF Chair is the General Area Director:
  • The IETF Chair, who also functions as the General Area Director when this area is active
also makes a similar statement:
  • The IETF Chair also chairs the IESG and is the AD for the General Area.
Proposal To allow the IETF Chair to delegate the Area Director role of the General Area, the following updates to existing RFCs are suggested:
  1. Replace "who also functions as the General Area Director" with "who may also function as a General Area Director or may share that role with or delegate that role to another Area Director" in .
  2. Change the clause "The IETF chair, who is also the chair of the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)" in the second sentence of to "The IETF chair or their delegate". (This is also part of the suggestions in .)
Other Updates This section collects updates to some text in existing RFCs that has become stale.
Staff Supervision says
  • The IETF Chair has primary responsibility for supervising the work of the IETF Secretariat, with the advice and consent of the IESG, the IAB Chair and the ISOC president.
With the publication of , this responsibility has moved to the IETF Executive Director. The proposal is to update to remove the sentence above.
Other Roles This section briefly summarizes other roles the IETF Chair has, but which require no updates, usually because delegation is already permitted.
Liaison Statements says
  • Liaison statements are only sent on the initiative of the IETF chair, the IAB chair, IETF Area Directors, or IETF working group chairs.
says
  • For a liaison statement generated on behalf of the IETF as a whole, the IETF Chair must have generated or must agree with the sending of the liaison statement. If the liaison statement is not sent by the IETF Chair, then his or her agreement must be obtained in advance and confirmed by copying the IETF Chair on the message.
The combination of these two statements already allows another Area Director to send a liaison statement on behalf of the IETF with IETF Chair approval.
Transgressions of the IETF Guidelines for Conduct says "An individual can report transgressions of the guidelines for conduct to the IETF Chair or the IESG." However, does not define any reactions the IETF Chair or the IESG should or may take, so the IETF Chair only acts as a recipient here.
Managing the Ombuds- and Moderator Teams The IETF Chair is tasked with managing the constituency of the ombudsteam and the moderator team of the IETF discussion list . This document does not suggest any changes here, but the community may consider allowing delegation of either of these responsibilities if revisions of or are undertaken.
Serving on the IETF LLC Board suggests that the IETF Chair, or a delegate selected by the IESG, will serve on the Board of Directors of the IETF Administration LLC. Because delegation of that role is already explicitly allowed, no changes are suggested here.
Security Considerations The usual security considerations do not apply to this document.
IANA Considerations This document has no IANA actions.
Acknowledgments These individuals suggested improvements to this document:
  • Alvaro Retana
  • Brian Carpenter
 References Normative References IAB, IESG, IETF Trust, and IETF LLC Selection, Confirmation, and Recall Process: Operation of the IETF Nominating and Recall Committees The process by which the members of the IAB and IESG, some Trustees of the IETF Trust, and some Directors of the IETF Administration LLC (IETF LLC) are selected, confirmed, and recalled is specified in this document. This document is based on RFC 7437. Only those updates required to reflect the changes introduced by IETF Administrative Support Activity (IASA) 2.0 have been included. Any other changes will be addressed in future documents. This document obsoletes RFC 7437 and RFC 8318. The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3 This memo documents the process used by the Internet community for the standardization of protocols and procedures. It defines the stages in the standardization process, the requirements for moving a document between stages and the types of documents used during this process. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Entities Involved in the IETF Standards Process This document describes the individuals and organizations involved in the IETF standards process, as described in BCP 9. It includes brief descriptions of the entities involved and the role they play in the standards process. The IETF and its structure have undergone many changes since RFC 2028 was published in 1996. This document reflects the changed organizational structure of the IETF and obsoletes RFC 2028. Internet Security Glossary, Version 2 This Glossary provides definitions, abbreviations, and explanations of terminology for information system security. The 334 pages of entries offer recommendations to improve the comprehensibility of written material that is generated in the Internet Standards Process (RFC 2026). The recommendations follow the principles that such writing should (a) use the same term or definition whenever the same concept is mentioned; (b) use terms in their plainest, dictionary sense; (c) use terms that are already well-established in open publications; and (d) avoid terms that either favor a particular vendor or favor a particular technology or mechanism over other, competing techniques that already exist or could be developed. This memo provides information for the Internet community. Charter of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) Internet Architecture Board This memo documents the composition, selection, roles, and organization of the Internet Architecture Board. It replaces RFC 1601. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. An IESG charter This memo provides a charter for the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG), a management function of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It is meant to document the charter of the IESG as it is presently understood. This memo provides information for the Internet community. Informative References Tasks of the IETF Chair, IESG Chair, and General Area Director IBM This document describes tasks performed by the IETF Chair, the IESG Chair, and the Area Director of the General Area of the IETF. Its purpose is to inform the community of what these tasks are, and to allow the community to consider whether combining all these roles in one person is optimal. The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 2 Internet Architecture Board Internet Engineering Steering Group This document is a revision of RFC 1310, which defined the official procedures for creating and documenting Internet Standards. This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. The Organizations Involved in the IETF Standards Process This document describes the individuals and organizations involved in the IETF. This includes descriptions of the IESG, the IETF Working Groups and the relationship between the IETF and the Internet Society. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Structure of the IETF Administrative Support Activity, Version 2.0 The IETF Administrative Support Activity (IASA) was originally established in 2005. In the years since then, the needs of the IETF evolved in ways that required changes to its administrative structure. The purpose of this RFC is to document and describe the IETF Administrative Support Activity, version 2.0 (IASA 2.0). It defines the roles and responsibilities of the IETF Administration LLC Board (IETF LLC Board), the IETF Executive Director, and the Internet Society in the fiscal and administrative support of the IETF standards process. It also defines the membership and selection rules for the IETF LLC Board. This document obsoletes RFC 4071, RFC 4333, and RFC 7691. Guidelines for Acting as an IETF Liaison to Another Organization Whenever the IETF decides to enter into a liaison relationship with another organization, such as a Standards Development Organization (SDO), a consortium, or an industrial forum, a liaison manager is appointed. The procedures used by the IAB to establish and maintain liaison relationships between the IETF and other organizations are described in RFC 4052. This document expands on the role of liaison managers and liaison representatives, giving guidelines on their mandate and the expectations, tasks, and responsibilities placed on them. This memo provides information for the Internet community. IAB Processes for Management of IETF Liaison Relationships Internet Architecture Board This document discusses the procedures used by the IAB to establish and maintain liaison relationships between the IETF and other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), consortia and industry fora. This document also discusses the appointment and responsibilities of IETF liaison managers and representatives, and the expectations of the IAB for organizations with whom liaison relationships are established. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. IETF Guidelines for Conduct This document provides a set of guidelines for personal interaction in the Internet Engineering Task Force. The guidelines recognize the diversity of IETF participants, emphasize the value of mutual respect, and stress the broad applicability of our work. This document is an updated version of the guidelines for conduct originally published in RFC 3184. IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures IETF Participants must not engage in harassment while at IETF meetings, virtual meetings, or social events or while participating in mailing lists. This document lays out procedures for managing and enforcing this policy. This document updates RFC 2418 by defining new working group guidelines and procedures. This document updates RFC 7437 by allowing the Ombudsteam to form a recall petition without further signatories. IETF Discussion List Charter The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) discussion mailing list furthers the development and specification of Internet technology through the general discussion of technical, procedural, operational, and other topics for which no dedicated mailing lists exist. As this is the most general IETF mailing list, considerable latitude in terms of topics is allowed, but there are posts and topics that are unsuitable for this mailing list. This document defines the charter for the IETF discussion list and explains its scope. This document obsoletes RFC 3005 and updates RFC 3683. Guidelines for Writing RFC Text on Security Considerations All RFCs are required to have a Security Considerations section. Historically, such sections have been relatively weak. This document provides guidelines to RFC authors on how to write a good Security Considerations section. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.