RFC 6322

Datatracker States and Annotations for the IAB, IRTF, and Independent Submission Streams

📅 published July 2011, from ietf

RFC 6322: Datatracker States and Annotations for the IAB, IRTF, and Independent Submission Streams 🎀

okay bestie, this one is a spec for upgrading the IETF Datatracker so it can show exactly how Internet-Drafts are moving toward becoming RFCs for the IAB, IRTF, and Independent Submissions streams 🦋✨ It's by P. Hoffman from the VPN Consortium, and it's Informational (so it's not a Standards Track spec 💅), dated July 2011, with ISSN 2070-1721. Its header doesn't list anything it obsoletes or updates, so it's standing on its own 👑

Abstract ✨

ok so this doc describes extending the IETF Datatracker to capture and display how Internet-Drafts are progressing when they're meant to be published as RFCs by the IAB, the IRTF, or the Independent Submissions Editor 🌈 The states and annotations get added to an Internet-Draft as soon as one of those streams identifies it as a potential eventual RFC, and they keep going for its whole lifetime. The goal is to give the whole Internet community more info on where these Internet-Drafts are and on the streams they came from. it's giving transparency 🫶

Status of This Memo 📮

this is not an Internet Standards Track specification, it's just published for informational purposes 🌸

this doc is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). it represents the consensus of the IETF community, got public review, and was approved for publication by the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). not every doc the IESG approves is a candidate for any level of Internet Standard, so check Section 2 of RFC 5741 for that 💖

for info about the current status of this doc, any errata, and how to send feedback, look at http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6322 🧚

Copyright (c) 2011 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.

this doc is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) as they stand on the publication date. please actually read these, because they lay out your rights and restrictions for this doc 🙈 Code Components pulled out of this doc must include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions, and they come without warranty, as described in the Simplified BSD License.

this doc may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF Contributions published or made publicly available before November 10, 2008. the people controlling the copyright in some of that material might not have given the IETF Trust permission to allow modifications outside the IETF Standards Process. so without an adequate license from those copyright holders, this doc may not be modified outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may not be created outside the IETF Standards Process. the only exceptions are formatting it for publication as an RFC or translating it into languages other than English 🌷

1. Introduction 🌸

okay so, as described in Section 5 of [RFC4844], there are currently four streams feeding into the RFC publication process: the IETF document stream, the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) document stream, the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) document stream, and the Independent Submissions stream run by the Independent Submissions Editor (ISE) 🍓 Each stream is made of Internet-Drafts (often shortened to "I-Ds") that an organization or role has marked as part of their stream. every stream maintainer moves docs toward RFC publication their own way, and a document can only be in one stream at a time 💅

people have been wanting to see more of how each stream works, and honestly same 😭 some folks want to know how close the IAB is to finishing a document. IETF participants might want to track IRTF research docs in areas related to their engineering work. people who asked the ISE to publish their doc want to follow its progress too. if the IETF Datatracker ("tracker") has more info about each stream's states, that info is way easier to get to ✨

in this doc, "IETF Datatracker" is a generic name for the existing tool used to track state changes as Internet-Drafts get processed. the "IETF" in the name doesn't mean the tool is only for the IETF document stream. this doc expands the tool's use to the other streams described in RFC 4844 🦋

this doc describes the extra tracker states that are specific to each of the IAB, IRTF, and ISE document flows. a document might also have one or more annotations assigned to it. since each stream is controlled by a different organization, this doc separates the proposed states and annotations for each stream and gives each one its own semantics 🎀

annotations can be applied at any time to a document intended for the particular stream. a document can have more than one annotation. the comments on these annotations will probably supply valuable info about the annotation itself 💜 each stream owner needs write access to the states and annotations for all the documents in their stream, and they should also be able to give others the same write privileges 🫶

this doc doesn't say which person in each stream can edit these states and annotations. it assumes that's simple enough to negotiate between each stream administrator and the tracker administrator. this doc also assumes that whoever edits the states and annotations can enter comments that are publicly visible 🌈

some streams have really long comments, like document reviews and document poll results. the tracker needs to be able to store long annotation comments 📮

note that this doc doesn't cover documents in the IETF stream. the states and permissions for IETF stream docs that have been requested for publication are already in the tracker. a separate pair of docs, [RFC6174] and [RFC6175], describe the tracker states and associated permissions proposed for IETF stream documents that have been adopted, or are being considered for adoption, by IETF Working Groups ⭐

this doc is meant to inform an initial development effort for the tool described here. it's NOT supposed to be the requirements for the tool once it's deployed, so there's no current plan to update this doc often as the tool evolves and small features get added or changed 🙈

this doc defines three state machines that fit into the IETF Datatracker. the Datatracker will have multiple state machines. this doc was prepared in coordination with the IAB, IRTF, and ISE, at the request of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) 👑

2. IAB Stream 🦋

this section describes the desired states and annotations for the IAB stream 💖

2.1. States for the IAB Stream ✨

  • Candidate IAB Document -- A document being considered for the IAB stream.
  • Active IAB Document -- This document has been adopted by the IAB and is being actively developed.
  • Parked IAB Document -- This document has lost its author or editor, is waiting for another document to be written, or cannot currently be worked on by the IAB for some other reason. Annotations probably explain why this document is parked.
  • IAB Review -- This document is awaiting the IAB itself to come to internal consensus.
  • Community Review -- This document has completed internal consensus within the IAB and is now under community review. (The IAB normally allows community input during earlier stages of the process as well.)
  • Approved by IAB, To Be Sent to RFC Editor -- The consideration of this document is complete, but it has not yet been sent to the RFC Editor for publication (although that is going to happen soon).
  • Sent to a Different Organization for Publication -- The IAB does not expect to publish the document itself, but has passed it on to a different organization that might continue work on the document. The expectation is that the other organization will eventually publish the document.
  • Sent to the RFC Editor -- The IAB processing of this document is complete and it has been sent to the RFC Editor for publication. The document may be in the RFC Editor's queue, or it may have been published as an RFC; this state doesn't distinguish between different states occurring after the document has left the IAB.
  • Dead IAB Document -- This document was an active IAB document, but for some reason it is no longer being pursued for the IAB stream. It is possible that the document might be revived later, possibly in another stream.

2.2. Annotations for the IAB Stream 🌷

  • Editor Needed -- The document has lost its editor but it is still intended to be part of the IAB stream.
  • Waiting for Dependency on Other Document -- Activity on this document is expected to be low or non-existent while waiting for another document (probably listed in the comments) to progress.
  • Waiting for Partner Feedback -- The IAB often produces documents that need to be socialized with outside organizations (such as the IEEE) or other internal organizations (such as the IESG or the IAOC). This document has been sent out for feedback from one of these partner groups.
  • Awaiting Reviews -- Activity on this document is expected to be low or non-existent while waiting for reviews that were solicited by the IAB.
  • Revised I-D Needed -- Comments that will cause changes have been submitted, and no processing is expected until a new draft is issued.
  • Document Shepherd Followup -- The document's shepherd is expected to take some action before the document can proceed.

2.3. Access Control for IAB States and Annotations 🔐

some IAB members, and members of the IAB Executive Directorate, need to be able to set the states and annotations for IAB documents during their life cycle. the IAB Chair needs to be able to grant access to individuals so they can modify the states and annotations, and that access applies to all IAB Stream documents 👑

3. IRTF Stream 🌈

this section describes the desired states and annotations for the IRTF stream 💜 some of the steps happen in IRTF Research Groups (RGs), while others happen in the Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG) ✨

3.1. States for the IRTF Stream ✨

okay so bestie, the IRTF stream has its own little state machine and it's giving organised 🎀 Here's the full list:

  • Candidate RG Document 🌸 -- An RG is considering this doc for becoming an IRTF document. Ngl, this does NOT mean the RG agreed with it or picked it. It just means somebody asked for it to be looked at, that's all 🙈
  • Active RG Document 💅 -- The RG adopted it and is actively working on it. Main character energy, literally.
  • Parked RG Document 🦋 -- Ope, the doc lost its author or editor, or it's waiting on another doc to get written first, or the RG just can't work on it right now for some other reason. Pause button, basically 💜
  • In RG Last Call 🫶 -- Final review inside the RG. Almost there!!
  • Waiting for Document Shepherd 🧚 -- IRTF docs get document shepherds who help them through the process once the RG is done with them.
  • Waiting for IRTF Chair 🍓 -- The IRTF Chair has a task to do, like sending a request for IESG Review.
  • Awaiting IRSG Reviews ⭐ -- The shepherd took the doc to the IRSG and asked one or more IRSG members to review it.
  • In IRSG Poll 🔥 -- The IRSG is voting on whether the doc is ready to be published.
  • In IESG Review 👑 -- The IRSG asked the IESG to review it, as described in [RFC5742].
  • Sent to the RFC Editor 💖 -- Submitted for publication and it's not coming back to the IRTF for more work. It might be sitting in the RFC Editor's queue, or it might already be a published RFC. This state doesn't tell those apart, since everything after leaving the IRTF is just... gone from this view 😭
  • Document on Hold Based on IESG Request 💀 -- The IESG asked for the doc to be held pending more review, as specified in RFC 5742, and the IRTF agreed to the hold.
  • Dead IRTF Document 🥀 -- This was an active IRTF doc, but it's not being pursued for the IRTF stream anymore. It could come back later, maybe in a different stream.

3.2. Annotations for the IRTF Stream ✨

Annotations are the little sticky notes on top of the states, bestie 🎀

  • Editor Needed 🌸 -- The doc lost its editor, but it's still meant to be the output of an RG.
  • Shepherd Needed 💅 -- The doc needs a shepherd assigned.
  • Waiting for Dependency on Other Document 🦋 -- Activity is expected to be super low or nonexistent while the doc waits on another one (probably named in the comments) to move along.
  • Revised I-D Needed 🧚 -- There was discussion that's going to cause changes, so nothing moves until a new draft is issued.
  • IESG Review Completed 💖 -- The IESG finished its review, as described in [RFC5742].

3.3. Access Control for IRTF States and Annotations ✨

So who gets to touch these sticky notes? 👀

An RG Chair needs to be able to set the states and annotations for an IRTF doc before the RG sends it to the IRSG for review. The RG Chair can also give that same power to a shepherd that the RG Chair assigned. This is kind of like the access control that [RFC6175] sets up for IETF WG chairs and their document shepherds, so it's giving familiar vibes 💜

The RG chairs should be able to change the state and annotations for any of their RG's docs at any time. The IRTF Chair should be able to change them for any IRTF Stream doc at any time 👑

RG chairs and document shepherds are allowed to change at any point in a doc's life cycle. The Datatracker MUST allow for and log these changes. 🫶

4. Independent Submission Stream 🌈

This section is all about the desired states and annotations for the Independent Submission stream. The ISE does his or her own record-keeping for stuff that isn't about states and annotations 📝

Lots of docs in the Independent Submission stream come from the other three streams. Because of that, the tracker needs to preserve previous states and annotations on drafts that come over to the Independent Submission stream 🦋

4.1. States for the Independent Submission Stream ✨

  • Submission Received 🌸 -- The draft got sent to the ISE with a request for publication.
  • Finding Reviewers 💅 -- The ISE is looking for initial reviewers for the doc.
  • In ISE Review 🦋 -- The ISE is actively working on the doc.
  • Response to Review Needed 🧚 -- One or more reviews went to the author(s), and the ISE is waiting on a response.
  • In IESG Review ⭐ -- The ISE asked the IESG to review the doc, as described in [RFC5742].
  • Sent to the RFC Editor 💖 -- The ISE is done processing it and it's been sent to the RFC Editor for publication. It might be in the queue or already published as an RFC. This state doesn't tell those apart either, since everything after leaving the ISE is invisible here 😭
  • No Longer In Independent Submission Stream 🥀 -- The doc was actively considered in this stream, but the ISE decided not to publish it. It could be revived later. The doc might have a comment explaining the ISE's reasoning, like if it was moving to a different stream.
  • Document on Hold Based on IESG Request 💀 -- The IESG asked for the doc to be held pending more review, as specified in RFC 5742, and the ISE agreed to the hold.

4.2. Annotations for the Independent Submission Stream ✨

  • Waiting for Dependency on Other Document 🦋 -- Activity is expected to be super low or nonexistent while the doc waits on another one (probably named in the comments) to progress. The other docs may or may not be in the Independent Submission stream.
  • Awaiting Reviews 🧚 -- Activity is expected to be low or nonexistent while the ISE waits for reviews it asked for.
  • Revised I-D Needed 💅 -- Revision requests went to the author(s), and no more ISE processing is expected until a new draft is issued.
  • IESG Review Completed 💖 -- The IESG finished its review, as described in [RFC5742].

5. Display in the Datatracker 🖥️

When the Datatracker shows the metadata for an individual draft in the IAB stream, IRTF stream, or ISE stream, it SHOULD show at least the following info:

Document stream:           IAB / IRTF / Independent Submission
I-D availability status:   Active / Expired / Withdrawn / RFC
                             Replaces / Replaced I-D or RFC
                             (if applicable)
Last updated:              year-mm-dd  (e.g. 2010-07-25)
IRTF RG status: *          Applicable RG state *and* name of
                             RG (or RGs)
Intended RFC status:       Informational / Experimental / etc.
Document shepherd: **      Name of Document Shepherd (if assigned)
Approval status:           Name of applicable state from the IAB /
                             IRTF / Independent Submission stream
  • * The "IRTF RG status" is only shown for the IRTF stream; it is to be completely removed for the IAB and Independent Stream
  • ** This field displays the name and email of the person assigned as the shepherd for the I-D; the line is omitted if the shepherd has not yet been assigned

6. Movement between Streams 🦋

Internet-Drafts sometimes hop between streams 💫 For example, a draft might start out in the IETF stream and then move to the Independent Submission stream, or a draft might move from an IRTF RG to the IETF stream. So the IETF Datatracker MUST be able to change the designated stream of a draft. This is expected to be done by the stream managers. On top of that, the IETF Datatracker SHOULD preserve all data from the earlier stream(s) when a doc moves between streams. 🫶

Internet-Drafts sometimes leave a stream and go into a non-stream state. For example, a draft in the "Candidate IAB Document", "Candidate RG Document", or "Submission Received" state might not get adopted by the stream and go back to having no stream-specific state. The IETF Datatracker MUST be able to handle the transition from a stream-related state to a null state 🥀

New streams may be added in the future, so the tool MUST be able to handle additional streams 🌟

7. IESG Mail Sent for the IRTF and Independent Stream 📬

After the IESG reviews potential RFCs from the IRTF and Independent streams, as described in RFC 5742, the IETF Datatracker sends out email to the IANA, the IESG, ietf-announce@ietf.org, and the stream manager with the results of the IESG's review. In the past, the subject line and body of that message have been misleading about the scope and purpose of the message. There is now a requirement that the message MUST clearly state that it is about the IETF-conflict review of a particular Internet-Draft 💌

Note that these letters have effects on the state machine for the IESG, although those effects are not covered in this document 🧠

8. Security Considerations 🔐

Changing the states in the Datatracker does not affect the security of the Internet in any significant fashion. Phew, no drama here, bestie 🙏

9. Review of These Requirements ✅

The IAB has reviewed this document and agrees that this document meets the IAB's consent requirements 👑

The IRTF Chair has reviewed this document and agrees that it meets the requirements for the IRTF stream 🌸

The ISE has reviewed this document and agrees that it meets the requirements of the technical community, as represented by the Independent Submission stream 💖

10. Acknowledgements 🫶

This document draws heavily on, including wholesale copying from, earlier work by Henrik Levkowetz, Phil Roberts, and Aaron Falk. Significant extra input came from Aaron Falk, Nevil Brownlee, Olaf Kolkman, Ross Callon, Ed Juskevicius, Subramanian SM Moonesamy, and Alfred Hoenes 🌈

11. References 📚

11.1. Normative References

[RFC4844]  Daigle, L., Ed., and Internet Architecture Board, "The RFC
   Series and RFC Editor", RFC 4844, July 2007.

11.2. Informative References

[RFC5742]  Alvestrand, H. and R. Housley, "IESG Procedures for
           Handling of Independent and IRTF Stream Submissions", BCP
           92, RFC 5742, December 2009.

[RFC6174]  Juskevicius, E., "Definition of IETF Working Group
           Document States", RFC 6174, March 2011.

[RFC6175]  Juskevicius, E., "Requirements to Extend the Datatracker
           for IETF Working Group Chairs and Authors", RFC 6175,
           March 2011.

Author's Address 💌

Paul Hoffman
VPN Consortium

EMail: paul.hoffman@vpnc.org
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