IETF
Internet Engineering Task Force
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a community, which oversees the standards used on the internet, such as the protocols TCP/IP. Actually IETF is public international consortium of network designers, researchers and vendors, who all care for the development of the architecture and a smooth operation of the internet. Every interested individual can join the IETF.
Formally IETF is an institution under the umbrella of ISOC, overseen by the IAB. The IETF chair is elected by all IETF members every two years. The first IETF meeting on January 16th 1986 consisted basically of 21 American researchers, who have been meeting only three to four times a year back than already, to discuss the standards used on the internet. At the first public IETF meeting in October 1991, commercial vendors and everybody interested in the evolution of the internet was welcome as well.
Formally IETF is an institution under the umbrella of ISOC, overseen by the IAB. The IETF chair is elected by all IETF members every two years. The first IETF meeting on January 16th 1986 consisted basically of 21 American researchers, who have been meeting only three to four times a year back than already, to discuss the standards used on the internet. At the first public IETF meeting in October 1991, commercial vendors and everybody interested in the evolution of the internet was welcome as well.
Until this day most of the IETF work is done in working groups using mailing lists and dealing with security issues, routing or the use of standard protocols. Each working group is governed by an “area director”. Here, pretty much everybody can join the discussion and give an opinion on a certain topic. Today the periodical meetings are much better attended as well compared to the meetings back in 1991 with maybe 50 interested people.
Since IETF is completely made up of volunteers, only little progress is made in some areas, since the number of volunteers dealing with a certain issue is either too small, or so big that a mutual consent is never found.
Since IETF is completely made up of volunteers, only little progress is made in some areas, since the number of volunteers dealing with a certain issue is either too small, or so big that a mutual consent is never found.
