The document discusses Request for Comments (RFCs) and the process for developing Internet standards. It explains that RFCs are technical documents that describe Internet protocols and procedures. RFCs can be proposed by engineers and adopted as Internet standards if they are widely implemented and supported. The standards process involves submitting drafts to the IETF that progress through stages from experimental to proposed standard to Internet standard. Standards aim for high quality, prior implementation, openness, and timeliness.

1. RFC & Process of developing
Internet Standards
Presentation by:
Chetan Sharma
Naveen Jakhar
ITS - 2014 Batch
1

2. Topics covered in this presentation:
 What is RFC?
 Historical review of RFC
 RFC Editor
 RFC Process
 What is an Internet Standard ?
 Internet Standardization Goals
 Internet Standard Development Process
2

3. RFC- an Introduction
Internet Engineering Task Force(IETF) & Internet Society (ISOC) - the
principal technical development and standards-setting bodies for
the Internet
RFC stands for Request for Comments
RFC is a type of publication from IETF and ISOC
RFC is authored by engineers and computer scientists in the form of
a memorandum describing methods, behaviours, research, or
innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-
connected systems
3

4. RFC- an Introduction ……
RFC is submitted either for peer review or simply to convey new
concepts and information
 The IETF adopts some of the proposals published as RFCs as Internet
Standards
The official source for RFCs on the World Wide Web is the RFC Editor
Any published RFC can be retrieved via a URL of the form
http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc5000.txt, shown for RFC 5000
4

5. History of RFC – How RFC came into existence ?
RFC documents were invented by Steve Crocker in 1969 to help
record unofficial notes on the development of ARPANET
ARPANET- Advanced Research Projects Agency Network was an
early packet switching network and the first network to implement
the protocol suite TCP/IP. Both technologies became the technical
foundation of the Internet
RFCs have since become official documents of
Internet specifications, communications protocols, procedures and
events
Today’s RFC is the official publication channel for the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) & the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
5

6. RFC Editor
The authors submit their documents on RFC Editor Portal
RFC Editor is an online portal https://www.rfc-editor.org/
The RFC Editor assigns each RFC a serial number
Once assigned a number and published, an RFC is never modified; if
the document requires amendments, the authors publish a revised
document
6
Original
RFC
Changes
Obsolete
version
Revised
version

7. RFC Process
RFC process is documented in RFC 2026 (The Internet Standards
Process, Revision 3)
There are four streams of RFCs:
(1) IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force
(2) IRTF – Internet Research Task Force
(3) IAB – Internet Architecture Board under ISOC
(4) Independent submission
7

8. IETF Sub- series
RFC series contains three sub-series for IETF RFCs : (1) BCP, (2) FYI &
(3) STD
BCP - Best Current Practice
FYI - For Your Information; informational RFCs promoted by the IETF
STD - Standard; the third and highest maturity level of the IETF
standards track
Only the IETF creates BCPs and RFCs on standards track
IRTF and independent RFCs contain relevant information or
experiments for the Internet at large not in conflict with IETF work
8

9. RFC Process ……… continued
An independent submission is checked by the IESG (Internet
Engineering Steering Group) for conflicts with IETF work; the quality is
assessed by an independent submission editorial board
Each RFC is assigned a designation with regard to status within the
Internet standardization process
This status is one of the following : Informational, Experimental, Best
Current Practice, Standards Track or Historic
Each RFC is static; if the document is changed, it is submitted again
and assigned a new RFC number
9

10. Standard Track
Only the IETF, represented by the Internet Engineering Steering
Group (IESG), can approve standards-track RFCs
10
Standard
Track
Proposed
Standard
Internet
Standard
Draft
Standard

11. Standard Track
If an RFC becomes an Internet Standard (STD), it is assigned an STD
number but retains its RFC number also
The definitive list of Internet Standards is itself an Internet Standard,
STD 1: Internet Official Protocol Standards
When an Internet Standard is updated, its STD number stays the
same, now referring to a new RFC or set of RFCs
11

12. Best Current Practice
The Best Current Practice sub-series collects administrative
documents and other texts which are considered as official rules and
not only informational
The BCP series also covers technical recommendations for how to
practice Internet standards
Best Current Practices work in a similar fashion as Standard Track;
BCP n refers to a certain RFC or set of RFCs
12

13. Informational and Experimental
Usually Informational RFCs form FYI sub-series
An informational RFC can be nearly anything from humorous jokes to
widely recognized essential RFCs
An experimental RFC can be an IETF document or an individual
submission to the 'RFC Editor‘
A draft is designated experimental if it is unclear the proposal will
work as intended or otherwise
 If the proposal will be widely adopted Experimental RFCs may be
promoted to standards track if it becomes popular and works well
13

14. Historic and Unknown
An historic RFC is one that the technology defined by the RFC is no
longer recommended for use, which differs from "Obsoletes" header
in a replacement RFC
For example : Internet Explorer – historic and windows2000 OS-
obsolete
Status unknown is used for some very old RFCs, where it is unclear
which status the document would get if it were published today
14

15. Internet Standard
An Internet Standard is a specification that is stable and well-
understood, is technically competent, has multiple, independent, and
interoperable implementations with operational experience, enjoys
significant public support, and is recognizably useful in some or all
parts of the Internet
Internet Standards are created and published by the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF)
Engineering contributions to the IETF start as an Internet Draft, may
be promoted to a Request for Comments, and may eventually
become an Internet Standard
15

16. Internet Standardization Goals
16
High Quality
Prior Implementation and testing
Openness and Fairness
Timeliness
Specifications that are destined to become Internet Standards evolve
through a set of maturity levels known as the "standards track"

17. Internet Standard development Process
17

18. References
18
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1310#section-2.1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Standard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Request_for_Comments
https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1602.txt
https://www.rfc-editor.org/

19. Thank You
“Language is the principal tool with which we communicate; but when words are used
carelessly or mistakenly, what was intended to advance mutual understanding may in
fact hinder it; our instrument becomes our burden”
19