RFC 7827

RFC 7827: The Role of the IRTF Chair 🎀

• Issued by: Internet Architecture Board (IAB) 👑
• Author: L. Eggert, NetApp 💖
• Category: Informational 🧁
• Date: March 2016 📅
• ISSN: 2070-1721 🦋
• Obsoletes / Updates: the title block doesn't list anything here 🙈

Abstract ✨

okay so this doc is a quick tour of the IRTF Chair role 🦋 it covers what the chair actually does, the duties that come with it, and the skill set a candidate should ideally have 💅

Status of This Memo 🌸

this one isn't an Internet Standards Track spec, it's published for informational purposes 🫶

it's a product of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and basically info the IAB decided was worth keeping on the permanent record 📜 it represents the IAB's consensus. docs the IAB approves for publication are NOT a candidate for any level of Internet Standard, see Section 2 of RFC 5741 🙈

for the current status, any errata, and how to send feedback, check http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7827 🔗

Copyright Notice 💜

Copyright (c) 2016 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 in effect on the date of publication. please review those docs carefully, because they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document 🙏

Table of Contents 🗂️

1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
2.  Duties  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
  2.1.  Strategic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
  2.2.  Administrative  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
  2.3.  IAB Membership  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
3.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
4.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7

1. Introduction 🧚

okay so the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) focuses on the longer-term research issues about the Internet 🔬 while its sister org, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), handles the shorter-term stuff of engineering and standards making 🛠️

the IRTF is made up of a bunch of topical, long-term Research Groups (RGs) 🌈 they work on issues about Internet protocols, applications, architecture, and technology. RGs have the stable, long-term membership they need to build research collab and teamwork 🤝 and individual contributors take part in the IRTF, not representatives of organizations. no reps, just people 💜

[RFC2014] details the procedures RGs follow 📜. [RFC4440] shares a view from the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) on the IRTF and how it relates to the IETF 🦋. the RFC Editor publishes documents from the IRTF and its RGs in the IRTF Stream [RFC5743] ✨

the IRTF Chair is appointed by the IAB [RFC2014] for two-year terms 📅 and manages the IRTF in consultation with the Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG) and, for some types of decisions, the IAB too 👑 the IRSG includes the IRTF Chair, the chairs of the various RGs, and other individuals ("members at large") from the research community, selected by the IRTF Chair 🌸

there's no general appeals process defined for the IRTF 🙈 but [RFC2014] says that when an RG disagrees with the IRTF Chair's decision to close the group, it can appeal to the IAB. since the IRTF Chair serves at the discretion of the IAB, it's been current practice to generalize this special case in [RFC2014]: any grievances related to the IRTF Chair can be taken to the IAB, and it takes appropriate measures 💅

2. Duties 💼

this section breaks down the various duties of the IRTF Chair and outlines the skill set a candidate for the role should ideally have 🎀

2.1. Strategic 🧭

arguably, the most important part of the IRTF Chair's job is strategic 👑 it's about shaping the purpose and scope of the IRTF by deciding which RGs to charter, which RGs to terminate, and which other activities or efforts the IRTF should organize or affiliate itself with. the goal is to further its charter and boost the interaction and collab between network research, engineering, operations, and standardization 🔥

for some new RGs, the research and engineering community brings a proposal to the IRTF Chair for discussion. but it's super common for the IRTF Chair to spot a new area of research that matters for the Internet, actively motivate people in the research and engineering community to think about forming an RG, and help them navigate the process 🧚

to pull this off, the IRTF Chair needs to be involved in both the academic research community and the engineering or operational communities 💅 without a demonstrated history of participation in these often kinda isolated communities, it'll be very hard to spot academic research areas that are suitable for bringing into the IRTF 🙈 a good network of contacts in these communities will be SO helpful for identifying and motivating potential RG chairs and participants 🫶

involvement in the academic research community can be shown in lots of ways 📚 like a publication record, membership in conference program and organizational committees, participation in publicly funded collaborative research projects, etc. ✨

charting new RGs is a big deal, but it's equally important for the IRTF to end RGs that have run out of energy, are focused on issues that are no longer considered important for the Internet, or are otherwise not operating well 🥀 careful communication and good people skills are essential for explaining the reasons for concluding an RG. the same skill set is also useful when explaining to proponents of a new RG why their request is being denied 💖

the Applied Networking Research Prize (ANRP) is a joint award of the Internet Society (ISOC) 🏆 and a great example of a strategic initiative that, since it started in 2011, has turned into more of an administrative duty. the IRTF Chair and an ISOC representative pick and chair the ANRP selection committee. that committee advertises the ANRP, encourages community nominations, reviews nominations, and selects the prize winners. the IRTF Chair and the ISOC representative also mentor the ANRP winners, who are often IETF newcomers, and introduce them to other attendees who might be into their work 🌈

chairing the ANRP selection committee also relies on strong ties to the academic research community 🎓 to find suitable committee members and to encourage nominations for good work published in a given year. the committee works kinda like a program committee for an academic conference (more specifically, it does a job similar to picking a best paper award) 🍓 so it's useful if the IRTF Chair has firsthand experience serving on program committees and, ideally, chairing them 💜

2.3. IAB Membership

okay so the IRTF Chair is an "ex officio" member of the IAB [RFC2850] 🫶 and is expected to participate in IAB discussions and activities alongside the NomCom-appointed IAB members. bestie, that's a whole vibe 💅

This duty benefits from expertise that is similar to those of full IAB members [IAB-EXP] and requires a similar time and travel commitment ✈️ for example, to attend IAB retreats, relevant IAB workshops, as well as other meetings the IAB is participating in or organizing. Per [IAB-EXP], "it is desirable for IAB members to have technical leadership experience, operational management backgrounds, research or academic backgrounds, implementation experience, and experience in other bodies involved in Internet governance." 🧚 the bar is high, periodt 🔥

The IRTF Chair frequently provides input to "birds of a feather" (BoF) sessions 🦋, either as an ex officio IAB member (i.e., as a "BoF shepherd") or because it may be unclear whether a proposed effort should be started as an IETF WG or an IRTF RG. ngl this is the part where the lines get blurry, so the Chair helps sort it out 🌈

3. Security Considerations 💀

This document raises no security considerations. ✨ nothing spicy here, no cap 🫶

4. Informative References 📚

[IAB-EXP] NomCom 2015, "Desired Expertise: Member of the Internet Architecture Board", 2015, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/nomcom/2015/ requirements/#iab-member>.

[IESG-EXP] NomCom 2015, "Generic IESG Member Expertise", August 2015, <http://trac.tools.ietf.org/group/iesg/trac/wiki/ GenericExpertise?version=18>.

[IETF-JOURNAL] Internet Society, "The IETF Journal", <http://www.internetsociety.org/publications/ ietf-journal>.

[IRTF-WIKI] Internet Research Task Force, "IRTF Wiki", <http://trac.tools.ietf.org/group/irtf/trac/wiki>.

[RFC2014] Weinrib, A. and J. Postel, "IRTF Research Group Guidelines and Procedures", BCP 8, RFC 2014, DOI 10.17487/RFC2014, October 1996, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2014>.

[RFC2850] Internet Architecture Board and B. Carpenter, Ed., "Charter of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)", BCP 39, RFC 2850, DOI 10.17487/RFC2850, May 2000, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2850>.

[RFC4440] Floyd, S., Ed., Paxson, V., Ed., Falk, A., Ed., and IAB, "IAB Thoughts on the Role of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)", RFC 4440, DOI 10.17487/RFC4440, March 2006, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4440>.

[RFC5742] Alvestrand, H. and R. Housley, "IESG Procedures for Handling of Independent and IRTF Stream Submissions", BCP 92, RFC 5742, DOI 10.17487/RFC5742, December 2009, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5742>.

[RFC5743] Falk, A., "Definition of an Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) Document Stream", RFC 5743, DOI 10.17487/RFC5743, December 2009, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5743>.

Acknowledgments 🌸

Robert Sparks, Brian Trammell, Stephen Farrell, Niels ten Oever, Dirk Kutscher, Aaron Falk, Jana Iyengar, Mat Ford, Adrian Farrel, Barry Leiba, and Dave Thaler provided suggestions that improved this document. 🫶 the squad that made this better, iconic 👑

Lars Eggert has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program 2014-2018 under grant agreement No. 644866 ("SSICLOPS"). This document reflects only the author's views, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. 💜

Author's Address 🎀

Lars Eggert NetApp Sonnenallee 1 Kirchheim bei Muenchen 85551 Germany

Phone: +49 151 120 55791 Email: lars@netapp.com