RFC 1150

F.Y.I. on F.Y.I. 💖

Introduction to the F.Y.I. Notes 🎀

Okay bestie, here's the title block tea ☕:

• It's from the Network Working Group and it's RFC 1150, which is also FYI: 1 🦋
• Written by G. Malkin at Proteon and J. Reynolds at ISI 🫶
• Dated March 1990 🌸
• No Obsoletes or Updates are listed, so it's standing on its own 💅

Status of this Memo 🎀

This RFC is the first in a new sub-series of RFCs called FYIs (For Your Information). It gives information to the Internet community and does not specify any standard. Distribution of this memo is unlimited 🌈

1. Introduction ✨

The FYI series is basically a central home base for info about anything Internet-related 🏡 Topics can be as wild as historical memos on "Why it was was done this way" or as practical as answers to the operational questions everyone keeps asking 🙈

FYIs are for a wide crowd. Some are beginner-friendly and some go deep. Anyone with something worth sharing and the time to write it can submit one 💜

2. Why RFCs 💅

FYIs live inside the bigger RFC series for a few reasons. The main one is that RFC distribution is tried and true 🔥 If you can get an RFC, you automatically get an FYI too. And if you already know the RFC series, you can easily find out what FYIs exist 👑

Another reason is that RFCs already have maintenance processes in place and funded, so it makes sense to keep similar documents maintained the same way. After all, there have been informational RFCs before 💖

Last but not least, the name RFC has credibility. Memos with the RFC label are taken seriously, and FYIs should get that same respect ⭐

3. Format Rules 🍓

Since FYIs are part of the RFC series, they must conform to RFC-1111 (Request for Comments on Request for Comments: Instructions to RFC Authors) when it comes to format. Ideally, they should be submitted in ASCII format, as described by section 2a, of RFC-1111 ✨

4. Status Statement 🎀

Every RFC must include a "Status of this Memo" section on its first page, with a paragraph that explains what the RFC is meant to do. This section shows the status the RFC Editor and the Internet Activities Board (IAB) gave it 🧚 People publish RFCs for lots of reasons: to share info with interested folks, to start or keep a discussion going about an interesting idea, or to publish the specification of a protocol 🦋

For example, the status text reads:

This RFC is the first in a new sub-series of RFCs called FYIs (For
Your Information).  This memo provides information for the Internet
community.  It does not specify any standard.  Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.

5. Distribution Statement 🌸

Each FYI also needs a "distribution statement" 💅 The whole point of FYIs is to spread info around, so there's no reason for distribution to be anything other than "unlimited" 🌈

Usually the distribution statement is just the sentence "Distribution of this memo is unlimited." tacked onto the end of the "Status of this Memo" section ✨

6. Security Considerations 🔥

All FYIs must contain a section that discusses the security considerations of the procedures that are the main topic of the RFC. This one is not optional, no cap 😭

7. Author's Address 🫶

Each FYI must end with a section giving the author's address. That includes the name and postal address, the telephone number, and the Internet email address 💌

8. Relation to other FYIs 🦋

Sometimes an FYI adds info on a topic covered by an earlier FYI, or completely replaces one. There are two terms for those cases: UPDATES and OBSOLETES. A document that obsoletes an earlier one can stand on its own. A document that only updates an earlier one can't stand on its own. It has to be added to or inserted into the existing document, so on its own it has limited usefulness 🧩

UPDATES

This is used as a reference from a new item that can't be used alone, meaning one that supplements a previous document. It points back to that previous document. The newer publication is a part that supplements or gets added onto the existing document, like an addendum or separate extra info meant to join the original 💜

OBSOLETES

This is used to refer to an earlier document that this document replaces. This document either has revised info, or all of the same info plus some new info, however big or small that new info is. In other words, this document can be used alone without referring to the older one 👑

OBSOLETED-BY

This is used to refer to the newer document that replaces the older one 🔁

UPDATED-BY

This is used to refer to the newer document that adds info to an existing document that's still useful 🌈

9. The FYI Editors 💖

All FYIs go to the IETF User Services Working Group for review before they're submitted to the RFC Editor 🎀 Submissions can be sent to:

      Joyce K. Reynolds
      Chair, User Services Working Group
      USC - Information Sciences Institute
      4676 Admiralty Way
      Marina del Rey, California  90292-6695

      Phone: (213) 822-1511

      Electronic mail: JKREY@ISI.EDU

10. The FYI Announcement List 📣

New FYIs get announced to the RFC distribution list run by the SRI Network Information Center (NIC). To get added to or removed from this list, contact the SRI-NIC by emailing RFC-REQUEST@NIC.DDN.MIL 💌

11. Obtaining FYIs 🧚

You can grab FYIs over FTP from NIC.DDN.MIL, using the pathname FYI:mm.TXT or RFC:RFCnnnn.TXT. Here mm is the FYI number and nnnn is the RFC number 🦋 Log in with FTP using username ANONYMOUS and password GUEST.

If your site can't use FTP, the NIC has an automatic mail service too 📬 Send your request to SERVICE@NIC.DDN.MIL, and put the FYI or RFC number in the subject line, like Subject: FYI mm or Subject: RFC nnnn ✨

Security Considerations 💀

Security issues are not discussed in this memo. 🙈 Yes, that's the whole section, and yes, I'm side-eyeing it hard 😭

Authors' Addresses 🫶

   Gary Scott Malkin
   Proteon, Inc.
   2 Technology Drive
   Westborough, MA  01581-5008
   Phone:  (508) 898-2800
   EMail:  gmalkin@proteon.com

   Joyce K. Reynolds
   USC/Information Sciences Institute
   4676 Admiralty Way
   Marina del Rey, CA  90292-6695
   Phone:  (213) 822-1511
   EMail:  jkrey@isi.edu

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That's the whole FYI on FYI, bestie! 🌈💅✨