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rfc:rfc1160

Network Working Group V. Cerf Request for Comments: 1160 NRI Obsoletes: RFC 1120 May 1990

                   The Internet Activities Board

Status of this Memo

 This RFC provides a history and description of the Internet
 Activities Board (IAB) and its subsidiary organizations.  This memo
 is for informational use and does not constitute a standard.  This is
 a revision of RFC 1120.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

1. Introduction

 In 1968, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
 initiated an effort to develop a technology which is now known as
 packet switching.  This technology had its roots in message switching
 methods, but was strongly influenced by the development of low-cost
 minicomputers and digital telecommunications techniques during the
 mid-1960's [BARAN 64, ROBERTS 70, HEART 70, ROBERTS 78].  A very
 useful survey of this technology can be found in [IEEE 78].
 During the early 1970's, DARPA initiated a number of programs to
 explore the use of packet switching methods in alternative media
 including mobile radio, satellite and cable [IEEE 78].  Concurrently,
 Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) began an exploration of packet
 switching on coaxial cable which ultimately led to the development of
 Ethernet local area networks [METCALFE 76].
 The successful implementation of packet radio and packet satellite
 technology raised the question of interconnecting ARPANET with other
 types of packet nets.  A possible solution to this problem was
 proposed by Cerf and Kahn [CERF 74] in the form of an internetwork
 protocol and a set of gateways to connect the different networks.
 This solution was further developed as part of a research program in
 internetting sponsored by DARPA and resulted in a collection of
 computer communications protocols based on the original Transmission
 Control Protocol (TCP) and its lower level counterpart, Internet
 Protocol (IP).  Together, these protocols, along with many others
 developed during the course of the research, are referred to as the
 TCP/IP Protocol Suite [RFC 1140, LEINER 85, POSTEL 85, CERF 82, CLARK
 86].
 In the early stages of the Internet research program, only a few
 researchers worked to develop and test versions of the internet
 protocols.  Over time, the size of this activity increased until, in

Cerf [Page 1] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

 1979, it was necessary to form an informal committee to guide the
 technical evolution of the protocol suite.  This group was called the
 Internet Configuration Control Board (ICCB) and was established by
 Dr. Vinton Cerf who was then the DARPA program manager for the
 effort. Dr. David C. Clark of the Laboratory for Computer Science at
 Massachusetts Institute of Technology was named the chairman of this
 committee.
 In January, 1983, the Defense Communications Agency, then responsible
 for the operation of the ARPANET, declared the TCP/IP protocol suite
 to be standard for the ARPANET and all systems on the network
 converted from the earlier Network Control Program (NCP) to TCP/IP.
 Late that year, the ICCB was reorganized by Dr. Barry Leiner, Cerf's
 successor at DARPA, around a series of task forces considering
 different technical aspects of internetting.  The re-organized group
 was named the Internet Activities Board.
 As the Internet expanded, it drew support from U.S. Government
 organizations including DARPA, the National Science Foundation (NSF),
 the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space
 Administration (NASA).  Key managers in these organizations,
 responsible for computer networking research and development, formed
 an informal Federal Research Internet Coordinating Committee (FRICC)
 to coordinate U.S. Government support for and development and use of
 the Internet system.  The FRICC sponsored most of the U.S. research
 on internetting, including support for the Internet Activities Board
 and its subsidiary organizations.
 In 1990, the FRICC was reorganized as part of a larger initiative
 sponsored by the networking subcommittee of the Federal Coordinating
 Committee on Science, Engineering and Technology (FCCSET).  The
 reorganization created the Federal Networking Council (FNC) and its
 Working Groups.  The membership of the FNC included all the former
 FRICC members and many other U.S. Government representatives.  The
 first chairman of the FNC is Dr. Charles Brownstein of the National
 Science Foundation.  The FNC is the Federal Government's body for
 coordinating the agencies that support the Internet.  It provides
 liaison to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (headed by the
 President's Science Advisor) which is responsible for setting science
 and technology policy affecting the Internet.  It endorses and
 employs the existing planning and operational activities of the
 community-based bodies that have grown up to manage the Internet in
 the United States.  The FNC plans to involve user and supplier
 communities through creation of an external advisory board and will
 coordinate Internet activities with other Federal initiatives ranging
 from the Human Genome and Global Change programs to educational
 applications.  The FNC has also participated in planning for the
 creation of a National Research and Education Network in the United

Cerf [Page 2] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

 States.
 At the international level, a Coordinating Committee for
 Intercontinental Research Networks (CCIRN) has been formed which
 includes the U.S. FNC and its counterparts in North America and
 Europe.  Co-chaired by the executive directors of the FNC and the
 European Association of Research Networks (RARE), the CCIRN provides
 a forum for cooperative planning among the principal North American
 and European research networking bodies.

2. Internet Activities Board

 The Internet Activities Board (IAB) is the coordinating committee for
 Internet design, engineering and management.  The Internet is a
 collection of over two thousand of packet switched networks located
 principally in the U.S., but also in many other parts of the world,
 all interlinked and operating using the protocols of the TCP/IP
 protocol suite.  The IAB is an independent committee of researchers
 and professionals with a technical interest in the health and
 evolution of the Internet system.  Membership changes with time to
 adjust to the current realities of the research interests of the
 participants, the needs of the Internet system and the concerns of
 constituent members of the Internet.
 IAB members are deeply committed to making the Internet function
 effectively and evolve to meet a large scale, high speed future.  New
 members are appointed by the chairman of the IAB, with the advice and
 consent of the remaining members.  The chairman serves a term of two
 years and is elected by the members of the IAB.  The IAB focuses on
 the TCP/IP protocol suite, and extensions to the Internet system to
 support multiple protocol suites.
 The IAB has two principal subsidiary task forces:
    1)  Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
    2)  Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
 Each of these Task Forces is led by a chairman and guided by a
 Steering Group which reports to the IAB through its chairman.  Each
 task force is organized, by the chairman, as required, to carry out
 its charter.  For the most part, a collection of Working Groups
 carries out the work program of each Task Force.
 All decisions of the IAB are made public.  The principal vehicle by
 which IAB decisions are propagated to the parties interested in the
 Internet and its TCP/IP protocol suite is the Request for Comment
 (RFC) note series.  The archival RFC series was initiated in 1969 by

Cerf [Page 3] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

 Dr. Stephen D. Crocker as a means of documenting the development of
 the original ARPANET protocol suite [RFC 1000].  The editor-in-chief
 of this series, Dr. Jonathan B. Postel, has maintained the quality of
 and managed the archiving of this series since its inception.  A
 small proportion of the RFCs document Internet standards.  Most of
 them are intended to stimulate comment and discussion.  The small
 number which document standards are especially marked in a "status"
 section to indicate the special status of the document.  An RFC
 summarizing the status of all standard RFCs is published regularly
 [RFC 1140].
 RFCs describing experimental protocols, along with other submissions
 whose intent is merely to inform, are typically submitted directly to
 the RFC editor.  A Standard Protocol starts out as a Proposed
 Standard and may be promoted to Draft Standard and finally Standard
 after suitable review, comment, implementation and testing.
 Prior to publication of a Proposed Standard RFC, it is made available
 for comment through an on-line Internet-Draft directory.  Typically,
 these Internet-Drafts are working documents of the IAB or of the
 working groups of the Internet Engineering and Research Task Forces.
 Internet-Drafts are either submitted to the RFC editor for
 publication or discarded within 3-6 months.  Prior to promotion to
 Draft Standard or Standard, an Internet-Draft publication and review
 cycle may be initiated if significant changes to the RFC are
 contemplated.
 The IAB performs the following functions:
    1)   Sets Internet Standards,
    2)   Manages the RFC publication process,
    3)   Reviews the operation of the IETF and IRTF,
    4)   Performs strategic planning for the Internet, identifying
         long-range problems and opportunities,
    5)   Acts as an international technical policy liaison and
         representative for the Internet community, and
    6)   Resolves technical issues which cannot be treated within
         the IETF or IRTF frameworks.
 To supplement its work via electronic mail, the IAB meets quarterly
 to review the condition of the Internet, to review and approve
 proposed changes or additions to the TCP/IP suite of protocols, to
 set technical development priorities, to discuss policy matters which

Cerf [Page 4] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

 may need the attention of the Internet sponsors, and to agree on the
 addition or retirement of IAB members and on the addition or
 retirement of task forces reporting to the IAB.  Typically, two of
 the quarterly meetings are by means of video teleconferencing
 (provided, when possible, through the experimental Internet packet
 video-conferencing system).  The minutes of the IAB meetings are
 published in the Internet Monthly on-line report.
 The IAB membership is currently as follows:
          Vinton Cerf/CNRI              Chairman
          Robert Braden/USC-ISI         Executive Director
          David Clark/MIT-LCS           IRTF Chairman
          Phillip Gross/CNRI            IETF Chairman
          Jonathan Postel/USC-ISI       RFC Editor
          Hans-Werner Braun/Merit       Member
          Lyman Chapin/DG               Member
          Stephen Kent/BBN              Member
          Anthony Lauck/Digital         Member
          Barry Leiner/RIACS            Member
          Daniel Lynch/Interop, Inc.    Member

3. The Internet Engineering Task Force

 The Internet has grown to encompass a large number of widely
 geographically dispersed networks in academic and research
 communities.  It now provides an infrastructure for a broad community
 with various interests.  Moreover, the family of Internet protocols
 and system components has moved from experimental to commercial
 development.  To help coordinate the operation, management and
 evolution of the Internet, the IAB established the Internet
 Engineering Task Force (IETF).  The IETF is chaired by Mr. Phillip
 Gross and managed by its Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).
 The IAB has delegated to the IESG the general responsibility for
 making the Internet work and for the resolution of all short- and
 mid-range protocol and architectural issues required to make the
 Internet function effectively.
 The charter of the IETF includes:
    1) Responsibility for specifying the short and mid-term
       Internet protocols and architecture and recommending
       standards for IAB approval.
    2) Provision of a forum for the exchange of information within
       the Internet community.
    3) Identification of pressing and relevant short- to mid-range

Cerf [Page 5] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

       operational and technical problem areas and convening of
       Working Groups to explore solutions.
 The Internet Engineering Task Force is a large open community of
 network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with
 the Internet and the Internet protocol suite.  It is organized around
 a set of eight technical areas, each managed by a technical area
 director.  In addition to the IETF Chairman, the area directors make
 up the IESG membership.  Each area director has primary
 responsibility for one area of Internet engineering activity, and
 hence for a subset of the IETF Working Groups.  The area directors
 have jobs of critical importance and difficulty and are selected not
 only for their technical expertise but also for their managerial
 skills and judgment.  At present, the eight technical areas and
 chairs are:
          1) Applications             -  Russ Hobby/UC-Davis
          2) Host and User Services   -  Craig Partridge/BBN
          3) Internet Services        -  Noel Chiappa/Consultant
          4) Routing                  -  Robert Hinden/BBN
          5) Network Management       -  David Crocker/DEC
          6) OSI Integration          -  Ross Callon/DEC and
                                         Robert Hagens/UWisc.
          7) Operations               -  Phill Gross/CNRI (Acting)
          8) Security                 -  Steve Crocker/TIS
 The work of the IETF is performed by subcommittees known as Working
 Groups.  There are currently more than 40 of these.  Working Groups
 tend to have a narrow focus and a lifetime bounded by completion of a
 specific task, although there are exceptions.  The IETF is a major
 source of proposed protocol standards, for final approval by the IAB.
 The IETF meets quarterly and extensive minutes of the plenary
 proceedings as well as reports from each of the working groups are
 issued by the IAB Secretariat at the Corporation for National
 Research Initiatives.

4. The Internet Research Task Force

 To promote research in networking and the development of new
 technology, the IAB established the Internet Research Task Force
 (IRTF).
 In the area of network protocols, the distinction between research
 and engineering is not always clear, so there will sometimes be
 overlap between activities of the IETF and the IRTF.  There is, in
 fact, considerable overlap in membership between the two groups.
 This overlap is regarded as vital for cross-fertilization and
 technology transfer.  In general, the distinction between research

Cerf [Page 6] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

 and engineering is one of viewpoint and sometimes (but not always)
 time-frame.  The IRTF is generally more concerned with understanding
 than with products or standard protocols, although specific
 experimental protocols may have to be developed, implemented and
 tested in order to gain understanding.
 The IRTF is a community of network researchers, generally with an
 Internet focus.  The work of the IRTF is governed by its Internet
 Research Steering Group (IRSG).  The chairman of the IRTF and IRSG is
 David Clark.  The IRTF is organized into a number of Research Groups
 (RGs) whose chairs of these are appointed by the chairman of the
 IRSG. The RG chairs and others selected by the IRSG chairman serve on
 the IRSG.  These groups typically have 10 to 20 members, and each
 covers a broad area of research, pursuing specific topics, determined
 at least in part by the interests of the members and by
 recommendations of the IAB.
 The current members of the IRSG are as follows:
          David Clark/MIT LCS     -   Chairman
          Robert Braden/USC-ISI   -   End-to-End Services
          Douglas Comer/PURDUE    -   Member-at-Large
          Deborah Estrin/USC      -   Autonomous Networks
          Stephen Kent/BBN        -   Privacy and Security
          Keith Lantz/Consultant  -   Collaboration Technology
          David Mills/UDEL        -   Member-at-Large

5. The Near-term Agenda of the IAB

 There are seven principal foci of IAB attention for the period 1989 -
 1990:
    1) Operational Stability
    2) User Services
    3) OSI Coexistence
    4) Testbed Facilities
    5) Security
    6) Getting Big
    7) Getting Fast
 Operational stability of the Internet is a critical concern for all
 of its users.  Better tools are needed for gathering operational
 data, to assist in fault isolation at all levels and to analyze the
 performance of the system.  Opportunities abound for increased
 cooperation among the operators of the various Internet components
 [RFC 1109].  Specific, known problems should be dealt with, such as
 implementation deficiencies in some versions of the BIND domain name
 service resolver software.  To the extent that the existing Exterior

Cerf [Page 7] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

 Gateway Protocol (EGP) is only able to support limited topologies,
 constraints on topological linkages and allowed transit paths should
 be enforced until a more general Inter-Autonomous System routing
 protocol can be specified.  Flexiblity for Internet implementation
 would be enhanced by the adoption of a common internal gateway
 routing protocol by all vendors of internet routers.  A major effort
 is recommended to achieve conformance to the Host Requirements RFCs
 which were published in the fourth quarter of calendar 1989.
 Among the most needed user services, the White Pages (electronic
 mailbox directory service) seems the most pressing.  Efforts should
 be focused on widespread deployment of these capabilities in the
 Internet by mid-1990.  The IAB recommends that existing white pages
 facilities and newer ones, such as X.500, be populated with up-to-
 date user information and made accessible to Internet users and users
 of other systems (e.g., commercial email carriers) linked to the
 Internet. Connectivity with commercial electronic mail carriers
 should be vigorously pursued, as well as links to other network
 research communities in Europe and the rest of the world.
 Development and deployment of privacy-enhanced electronic mail
 software should be accelerated in 1990 after release of public domain
 software implementing the private electronic mail standards [RFC
 1113, RFC 1114 and RFC 1115].  Finally, support for new or enhanced
 applications such as computer-based conferencing, multi-media
 messaging and collaboration support systems should be developed.
 The National Network Testbed (NNT) resources planned by the FRICC
 should be applied to support conferencing and collaboration protocol
 development and application experiments and to support multi-vendor
 router interoperability testing (e.g., interior and exterior routing,
 network management, multi-protocol routing and forwarding).
 With respect to growth in the Internet, architectural attention
 should be focused on scaling the system to hundreds of millions of
 users and hundreds of thousands of networks.  The naming, addressing,
 routing and navigation problems occasioned by such growth should be
 analyzed.  Similarly, research should be carried out on analyzing the
 limits to the existing Internet architecture, including the ability
 of the present protocol suite to cope with speeds in the gigabit
 range and latencies varying from microseconds to seconds in duration.
 The Internet should be positioned to support the use of OSI protocols
 by the end of 1990 or sooner, if possible.  Provision for multi-
 protocol routing and forwarding among diverse vendor routes is one
 important goal.  Introduction of X.400 electronic mail services and
 interoperation with RFC 822/SMTP [RFC 822, RFC 821, RFC 987, RFC
 1026, and RFC 1148] should be targeted for 1990 as well.  These

Cerf [Page 8] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

 efforts will need to work in conjunction with the White Pages
 services mentioned above.  The IETF, in particular, should establish
 liaison with various OSI working groups (e.g., at NIST, RARE, Network
 Management Forum) to coordinate planning for OSI introduction into
 the Internet and to facilitate registration of information pertinent
 to the Internet with the various authorities responsible for OSI
 standards in the United States.
 Finally, with respect to security, a concerted effort should be made
 to develop guidance and documentation for Internet host managers
 concerning configuration management, known security problems (and
 their solutions) and software and technologies available to provide
 enhanced security and privacy to the users of the Internet.

REFERENCES

     [BARAN 64]  Baran, P., et al, "On Distributed Communications",
     Volumes I-XI, RAND Corporation Research Documents, August 1964.
     [CERF 74]  Cerf V., and R. Kahn, "A Protocol for Packet Network
     Interconnection", IEEE Trans. on Communications, Vol. COM-22,
     No. 5, pp. 637-648, May 1974.
     [CERF 82]  Cerf V., and E. Cain, "The DoD Internet Protocol
     Architecture", Proceedings of the SHAPE Technology Center
     Symposium on Interoperability of Automated Data Systems,
     November 1982.  Also in Computer Networks and ISDN,
     Vol. 17, No. 5, October 1983.
     [CLARK 86]  Clark, D., "The Design Philosophy of the DARPA
     Internet protocols", Proceedings of the SIGCOMM '88 Symposium,
     Computer Communications Review, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 106-114,
     August 1988.
     [HEART 70]  Heart, F., Kahn, R., Ornstein, S., Crowther, W.,
     and D. Walden, "The Interface Message Processor for the ARPA
     Computer Network", AFIPS Conf. Proc. 36, pp. 551-567,
     June 1970.
     [IEEE 78]  Kahn, R. (Guest Editor), Uncapher, K. and
     H. Van Trees (Associate Guest Editors), Proceedings of the
     IEEE, Special Issue on Packet Communication Networks,
     Volume 66, No. 11, pp. 1303-1576, November 1978.
     [IEEE 87]  Leiner, B. (Guest Editor), Nielson, D., and
     F. Tobagi (Associate Guest Editors), Proceedings of the
     IEEE, Special Issue on Packet Radio Networks, Volume 75,
     No. 1, pp. 1-272, January 1987.

Cerf [Page 9] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

     [LEINER 85]  Leiner, B., Cole, R., Postel, J., and D. Mills,
     "The DARPA Protocol Suite", IEEE INFOCOM 85, Washington, D.C.,
     March 1985.  Also in IEEE Communications Magazine, March 1985.
     [METCALFE 76]  Metcalfe, R., and D. Boggs, "Ethernet:
     Distributed Packet for Local Computer Networks", Communications
     of the ACM, Vol. 19, No. 7, pp. 395-404, July 1976.
     [POSTEL 85]  Postel, J., "Internetwork Applications Using the
     DARPA Protocol Suite", IEEE INFOCOM 85, Washington, D.C.,
     March 1985.
     [RFC 821]  Postel, J., "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol", RFC 821,
     USC/Information Sciences Institute, August 1982.
     [RFC 822]  Crocker, D., "Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet
     Text Messages", RFC 822, University of Delaware, August 1982.
     [RFC 987]  Kille, S., "Mapping between X.400 and RFC 822",
     University College London, June 1986.
     [RFC 1000]  Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "The Request for
     Comments Reference Guide", RFC 1000, USC/Information Sciences
     Institute, August 1987.
     [RFC 1026]  Kille, S., "Addendum to RFC 987: (Mapping between
     X.400 and RFC 822)", RFC 1026, University College London,
     September 1987.
     [RFC 1109]  Cerf, V., "Report of the Second Ad Hoc Network
     Management Review Group", RFC 1109, NRI, August 1989.
     [RFC 1113]  Linn, J., "Privacy Enhancement for Internet
     Electronic Mail: Part I -- Message Encipherment and
     Authentication Procedures", RFC 1113, IAB Privacy Task
     Force, August 1989.
     [RFC 1114]  Kent, S.,  and J. Linn, "Privacy Enhancement for
     Internet Electronic Mail: Part II -- Certificate-based Key
     Management", RFC 1114, IAB Privacy Task Force, August 1989.
     [RFC 1115]  Linn, J., "Privacy Enhancement for Internet
     Electronic Mail: Part III -- Algorithms, Modes and Identifiers",
     RFC 1115, IAB Privacy Task Force, August 1989.
     [RFC 1140]  Postel, J., Editor, "IAB Official Protocol
     Standards", RFC 1140, Internet Activities Board, May 1990.

Cerf [Page 10] RFC 1160 The IAB May 1990

     [RFC 1148]  Kille, S., "Mapping between X.400(1988) / ISO 10021
     and RFC 822", RFC 1048, UCL, March 1990.
     [ROBERTS 70]  Roberts, L., and B. Wessler, "Computer Network
     Development to Achieve Resource Sharing", pp. 543-549,
     Proc. SJCC 1970.
     [ROBERTS 78]  Roberts, L., "Evolution of Packet Switching",
     Proc.  IEEE, Vol. 66, No. 11, pp. 1307-1313, November 1978.
 Note:  RFCs are available from the Network Information Center at SRI
 International, 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025, (1-800-
 235-3155), or on-line via anonymous file transfer from NIC.DDN.MIL.

Author's Address

 Vinton G. Cerf
 Corporation for National Research Initiatives
 1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 100
 Reston, VA 22091
 Phone: (703) 620-8990
 EMail: VCERF@NRI.RESTON.VA.US

Cerf [Page 11]

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