GENWiki

Premier IT Outsourcing and Support Services within the UK

User Tools

Site Tools


rfc:rfc2282

Network Working Group J. Galvin Request for Comments: 2282 eList eXpress LLC BCP: 10 February 1998 Obsoletes: 2027 Category: Best Current Practice

     IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and Recall Process:
         Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees

Status of this Memo

 This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the
 Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
 improvements.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

 The process by which the members of the IAB and IESG are selected,
 confirmed, and recalled is specified.  The evolution of the process
 has relied principally on oral tradition as a means by which the
 lessons learned could be passed on to successive committees.  This
 document is a self-consistent, organized compilation of the process
 as it is known today.

Table of Contents

 1 Introduction .................................................    1
 2 General ......................................................    2
 3 Nominating Committee Selection ...............................    6
 4 Nominating Committee Operation ...............................    7
 5 Member Recall ................................................   11
 6 Changes From RFC2027 .........................................   12
 7 Security Considerations ......................................   13
 8 Editor's Address .............................................   13
 9 Full Copyright Statement .....................................   14

1. Introduction

 This document supercedes RFC2027, the first complete specification of
 the process by which members of the IAB and IESG are selected,
 confirmed, and recalled.  Prior to that time, a single paragraph in
 RFC1602 is the extent to which the process had been formally
 recorded.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 1] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

 This revision is based on the experience of the 1996 Nominating
 Committee, the first committee to operate according to RFC2027.  The
 following two assumptions of that specification are also true for
 this revision.
  (1)   The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) and Internet Research
        Steering Group (IRSG) are not a part of the process described
        here.
  (2)   The organization (and re-organization) of the IESG is not a
        part of the process described here.
 The time frames specified here use IETF meetings as a frame of
 reference.  The time frames assume that the IETF meets at least once
 per year with that meeting occurring during the North American Spring
 time, i.e., the IETF meets at least on or about March of each year.
 The remainder of this document is divided into four major topics as
 follows.
 General
      This a set of rules and constraints that apply to the selection
      and confirmation process as a whole.
 Nominating Committee Selection
      This is the process by which volunteers from the IETF community
      are recognized to serve on the committee that nominates
      candidates to serve on the IESG and IAB.
 Nominating Committee Operation
      This is the set of principles, rules, and constraints that guide
      the activities of the nominating committee, including the
      confirmation process.
 Member Recall
      This is the process by which the behavior of a sitting member of
      the IESG or IAB may be questioned, perhaps resulting in the
      removal of the sitting member.
 A final section describes how this document differs from its
 predecessor: RFC2027.

2. General

 The following set of rules apply to the selection and confirmation
 process as a whole.  If necessary, a paragraph discussing the
 interpretation of each rule is included.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 2] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

  (1)   The principal functions of the nominating committee are to
        review the open IESG and IAB positions and to either nominate
        its incumbent or recruit a superior candidate.
      The nominating committee does not select the open positions to
      be reviewed; it is instructed as to which positions to review.
      At a minimum, the nominating committee will be given the title
      of the position to be reviewed.  The nominating committee may be
      given a desirable set of qualifications for the candidate
      nominated to fill each position.
      Incumbents must notify the nominating committee if they do not
      wish to be nominated.
      The nominating committee does not confirm its candidates; it
      presents its candidates to the appropriate confirming body as
      indicated below.
  (2)   The annual selection and confirmation process is expected to
        be completed within 3 months.
      The annual selection and confirmation process is expected to be
      completed one month prior to the friday of the week before the
      Spring IETF.  It is expected to begin 4 months prior to the
      friday of the week before the Spring IETF.
  (3)   One-half of each of the then current IESG and IAB positions is
        selected to be reviewed each year.
      The intent of this rule to ensure the review of approximately
      one-half of each of the sitting IESG and IAB members each year.
      It is recognized that circumstances may exist that will require
      the nominating committee to review more or less than one-half of
      the current positions, e.g., if the IESG or IAB have re-
      organized prior to this process and created new positions, or if
      there are an odd number current positions.
  (4)   Confirmed candidates are expected to serve at least a 2 year
        term.
      The intent of this rule is to ensure that members of the IESG
      and IAB serve the number of years that best facilitates the
      review of one-half of the members each year.
      It is consistent with this rule for the nominating committee to
      choose one or more of the currently open positions to which it
      may assign a term greater than 2 years in order to ensure the

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 3] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

      ideal application of this rule in the future.
      It is consistent with this rule for the nominating committee to
      choose one or more of the currently open positions that share
      responsibilities with other positions (both those being reviewed
      and those sitting) to which it may assign a term greater than 2
      years to ensure that all such members will not be reviewed at
      the same time.
      All member terms begin and end during the Spring IETF meeting
      corresponding to the end of the term for which they were
      confirmed.  Normally, the confirmed candidate's term begins when
      the currently sitting member's term ends on the last day of the
      meeting.  A term may begin or end no sooner than the first day
      of the meeeting as determined by the mutual agreement of the
      currently sitting member and the confirmed candidate.
  (5)   Mid-term vacancies are filled by the same rules as documented
        here with four qualifications.  First, the most recently
        constituted nominating committee is reconvened to nominate a
        candidate to fill the vacancy.  Second, the selection and
        confirmation process is expected to be completed within 1
        month, with all other time periods otherwise unspecified
        prorated accordingly.  Third, the confirming body has two
        weeks from the day it is notified of a candidate to reject the
        candidate, otherwise the candidate is assumed to have been
        confirmed.  Fourth, the term of the confirmed candidate will
        be either:
 a.   the remainder of the term of the open position if that remainder
      is not less than one year.
 b.   the remainder of the term of the open position plus the next 2
      year term if that remainder is less than one year.
  (6)   All deliberations and supporting information that relates to
        specific nominees, candidates, and confirmed candidates are
        confidential.
      The nominating committee and confirming body members will be
      exposed to confidential information as a result of their
      deliberations, their interactions with those they consult, and
      from those who provide requested supporting information.  All
      members and all other participants are expected to handle this
      information in a manner consistent with its sensitivity.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 4] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

  (7)   Unless otherwise specified, the advise and consent model is
        used throughout the process.  This model is characterized as
        follows.
 a.   The IETF Executive Director advises the nominating committee of
      the IESG and IAB positions to be reviewed.
 b.   The nominating committee selects candidates and advises the
      confirming bodies of them.
 c.   The sitting IAB members review the IESG candidates, consenting
      to some, all, or none.
      If all of the candidates are confirmed, the job of the
      nominating committee with respect to reviewing the open IESG
      positions is considered complete.  If some or none of the
      candidates are confirmed, the nominating committee must
      reconvene to select alternate candidates for the rejected
      candidates.  Any additional time required by the nominating
      committee should not exceed its maximum time allotment.
 d.   The Internet Society Board of Trustees reviews the IAB
      candidates, consenting to some, all, or none.
      If all of the candidates are confirmed, the job of the
      nominating committee with respect to reviewing the open IAB
      positions is considered complete.  If some or none of the
      candidates are confirmed, the nominating committee must
      reconvene to select alternate candidates for the rejected
      candidates.  Any additional time required by the nominating
      committee should not exceed its maximum time allotment.
 e.   The confirming bodies decide their consent according to a
      mechanism of their own choosing, which must ensure that at least
      one-half of the sitting members agree with the decision.
      At least one-half of the sitting members of the confirming
      bodies must agree to either confirm or reject each individual
      nominee.  The agreement must be decided within a reasonable
      timeframe.  The agreement may be decided by conducting a formal
      vote, by asserting consensus based on informal exchanges
      (email), or by whatever mechanism is used to conduct the normal
      business of the confirming body.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 5] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

 3.  Nominating Committee Selection
 The following set of rules apply to the creation of the nominating
 committee and the selection of its members.
  (1)   The committee is comprised of at least a non-voting Chair, 10
        voting volunteers, and 3 non-voting liaisons.
      A Chair is permitted to invite additional non-voting advisors to
      participate in some or all of the deliberations of the
      committee.
  (2)   The Internet Society President appoints the non-voting Chair,
        who must meet the usual requirements for membership in the
        nominating committee.
      The nominating committee Chair must agree to invest the time
      necessary to complete the duties of the nominating committee and
      to perform in the best interests of the IETF community during
      the performance of those duties.
  (3)   The Chair obtains the list of IESG and IAB positions to be
        reviewed and publishes it along with a solicitation for names
        of volunteers from the IETF community willing to serve on the
        nominating committee.
      The list of open positions is published with the solicitation to
      facilitate community members choosing between volunteering for
      an open position and volunteering for the nominating committee.
      The list and solicitation must be publicized using at least the
      same mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its
      announcements.
  (4)   Members of the IETF community must have attended at least 2 of
        the last 3 IETF meetings in order to volunteer.
  (5)   Internet Society Board of Trustees, sitting members of the
        IAB, and sitting members of the IESG may not volunteer.
  (6)   The Chair announces the pool of volunteers from which the 10
        voting volunteers will be randomly selected.
      The announcement must be made using at least the same mechanism
      used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 6] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

  (7)   The Chair randomly selects the 10 voting voluteers from the
        pool of names of volunteers using a method that can be
        independently verified to be unbiased and fair.
      A method is fair if each eligible volunteer is equally likely to
      be selected.  A method is unbiased if no one can influence its
      outcome.
      The method must include an announcement of an enumerated list of
      the pool of names together with the specific algorithm for how
      names will be chosen from the list.  The output of the selection
      algorithm must depend on random data whose value is not known at
      the time the list and algorithm are announced.
      One possible method is to compute the MD5 hash of future winning
      lottery numbers and use the result to select names from the
      list.
      All announcements must be made using at least the mechanism used
      by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.
  (8)   The sitting IAB and IESG members each appoint a non-voting
        liaison to the nominating committee from their current
        membership who are not sitting in an open position.
  (9)   The Chair of the prior year's nominating committee serves as a
        non-voting liaison.
      The prior year's Chair may designate an alternate voting member
      from the prior year's committee if the Chair is unavailable.  If
      the prior year's Chair is unavailable and is unable or unwilling
      to make such a designation in a timely fashion, the Chair of the
      current committee may do so.
  (10)  The Chair may solicit additional non-voting liaisons from
        other organizations, who must meet the usual requirements for
        membership in the nominating committee.

4. Nominating Committee Operation

 The following rules apply to the operation of the nominating
 committee.  If necessary, a paragraph discussing the interpretation
 of each rule is included.
 The rules are organized approximately in the order in which they
 would be invoked.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 7] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

 The term nominee refers to an individual under consideration by the
 nominating committee.  The term candidate refers to a nominee that
 has been selected by the nominating committee to be considered for
 confirmation by a confirming body.  A confirmed candidate is a
 candidate that has been reviewed and approved by a confirming body.
  (1)   All rules and special circumstances not otherwise specified
        are at the discretion of the Chair.
      Exceptional circumstances will occasionally arise during the
      normal operation of the nominating committee.  This rule is
      intended to foster the continued forward progress of the
      committee.  All members of the committee should consider whether
      the exception is worthy of mention in the next revision of this
      document and followup accordingly.
  (2)   The Chair must establish and publicize milestones, which must
        include at least a call for nominations.
      There is a defined time period during which the selection and
      confirmation process must be completed.  The Chair must
      establish a set of milestones which, if met in a timely fashion,
      will result in the completion of the process on time.  The Chair
      should allow time for iterating the activities of the committee
      if one or more candidates is not confirmed.
      The milestones must be publicized using at least the same
      mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.
  (3)   The Chair must establish a voting mechanism.
      The committee must be able to objectively determine when a
      decision has been made during its deliberations.  The criteria
      for determining closure must be established and known to all
      members of the nominating committee.
  (4)   At least a quorum of committee members must participate in a
        vote.  A quorum is comprised of at least 7 voting members.
  (5)   The Chair may establish a process by which a member of the
        nominating committee may be recalled.
      The process, if established, must be agreed to by a 3/4 majority
      of the members of the nominating committee, including the non-
      voting members since they would be subject to the same process.
  (6)   All members of the nominating committee may participate in all
        deliberations.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 8] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

      The emphasis of this rule is that no member, whether voting or
      non-voting, can be explicitly excluded from any deliberation.
      However, a member may individually choose not to participate in
      a deliberation.
  (7)   The Chair announces the open positions to be reviewed and the
        call for nominees.
      The call for nominees must include a request for comments
      regarding the past performance of incumbents, which will be
      considered during the deliberations of the nominating committee.
      The announcements must be publicized using at least the same
      mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.
  (8)   Any member of the IETF community may nominate any member of
        the IETF community for any open position.
      A self-nomination is permitted.
  (9)   Nominating committee members must not be nominees.
      To be a nominee is to enter the process of being selected as a
      candidate and confirmed.  Nominating committee members are not
      eligible to be considered for filling any open position.
  (10)  Members of the IETF community who were recalled from any IESG
        or IAB position during the previous two years must not be
        nominees.
  (11)  The nominating committee selects candidates based on its
        understanding of the IETF community's consensus of the
        qualifications required to fill the open positions.
      The intent of this rule is to ensure that the nominating
      committee consults with a broad base of the IETF community for
      input to its deliberations.
      The consultations are permitted to include a slate of nominees,
      if all parties to the consultation agree to observe customary
      and reasonable rules of confidentiality.
      A broad base of the community should include the existing
      members of the IAB and IESG, especially sitting members who
      share responsibilities with open positions, e.g., co-Area
      Directors.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 9] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

  (12)  Nominees should be advised that they are being considered and
        must consent to their nomination prior to being confirmed.
      The nominating committee should help nominees provide
      justification to their employers.
      A nominee's consent must be written (email is acceptable) and
      include a commitment to provide the resources necessary to fill
      the open position and an assurance that the nominee will perform
      the duties of the position for which they are being considered
      in the best interests of the IETF community.
  (13)  The nominating committee advises the confirming bodies of
        their candidates, specifying a single candidate for each open
        position and a testament as to how each candidate meets the
        qualifications of an open position.
      The testament may include a brief resume of the candidate and a
      summary of the deliberations of the nominating committee.
  (14)  With respect to any action to be taken in the context of
        notifying and announcing confirmed candidates, and notifying
        rejected nominees and candidates, the action must be valid
        according to all of the rules specified below prior to its
        execution.
 a.   Up until a candidate is confirmed, the identity of the candidate
      must be kept confidential.
 b.   The identity of all nominees must be kept confidential (except
      that the nominee may publicize their intentions).
 c.   Rejected nominees may be notified as soon as they are rejected.
 d.   Rejected candidates may be notified as soon as they are
      rejected.
 e.   Rejected nominees and candidates must be notified prior to
      announcing confirmed candidates.
 f.   Confirmed candidates may be notified and announced as soon as
      they are confirmed.
      It is consistent with these rules for a nominee to never know if
      they were a candidate or not.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 10] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

      It is consistent with these rules for some nominees to be
      rejected early in the process and for some nominees to be kept
      as alternates in case a candidate is rejected by a confirming
      body.  In the matter of whether a confirmed candidate was a
      first choice or an alternate, that information need not ever be
      disclosed and, in fact, probably never should be.
      It is consistent with these rules for confirmed candidates to be
      notified and announced as quickly as possible instead of
      requiring all confirmed candidates to wait until all open
      positions have been reviewed.
      When consulting with individual members of the IETF community,
      if all parties to the consultation agree to observe customary
      and reasonable rules of confidentiality the consultations are
      permitted to include a slate of nominees.
      The announcements must be publicized using at least the same
      mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.

5. Member Recall

 The following rules apply to the recall process.  If necessary, a
 paragraph discussing the interpretation of each rule is included.
  (1)   Anyone may request the recall of any sitting IAB or IESG
        member, at any time, upon written (email is acceptable)
        request with justification to the Internet Society President.
  (2)   Internet Society President shall appoint a Recall Committee
        Chair.
      The Internet Society President must not evaluate the recall
      request.  It is explicitly the responsibility of the IETF
      community to evaluate the behavior of its leaders.
  (3)   The recall committee is created according to the same rules as
        is the nominating committee with the qualifications that the
        person being investigated and the person requesting the recall
        must not be a member of the recall committee in any capacity.
  (4)   The recall committee operates according to the same rules as
        the nominating committee with the qualification that there is
        no confirmation process.
  (5)   The recall committee investigates the circumstances of the
        justification for the recall and votes on its findings.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 11] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

      The investigation must include at least both an opportunity for
      the member being recalled to present a written statement and
      consultation with third parties.
  (6)   A 3/4 majority of the members who vote on the question is
        required for a recall.
  (7)   If a sitting member is recalled the open position is to be
        filled according to the mid-term vacancy rules.

6. Changes From RFC2027

  (1)   In order to foster better communication between nominating
        committees from one year to the next the Chair of each year's
        committee has been added as a non-voting liaison of the next
        year's committee.
  (2)   In order to confirm the eligibility of each volunteer in the
        pool of names from which nominating committee members are
        chosen the Chair must announce the list prior to the random
        selection.
  (3)   In order to confirm the random selection process used to
        select voting nominating committee members the Chair must
        announce the fair and unbiased method used in advance of its
        execution.
  (4)   Some guidance was added to ensure that the nominating
        committee consults with a broad base of the IETF community.
  (5)   Some guidance was added to ensure that the nominating
        committee understands that it may name prospective nominees
        when consulting with individual members of the IETF community.
  (6)   Some guidance was added to ensure that the nominating
        committee understands that it is responsible for ensuring that
        an appropriate set of one-half of each of the IESG and IAB
        positions are reviewed each year.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 12] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

7. Security Considerations

 Any selection, confirmation, or recall process necessarily involves
 investigation into the qualifications and activities of prospective
 candidates.  The investigation may reveal confidential or otherwise
 private information about candidates to those participating in the
 process.  Each person who participates in any aspect of the process
 has a responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of any and all
 information not explicitly identified as suitable for public
 dissemination.

8. Editor's Address

 James M. Galvin
 eList eXpress LLC
 PO Box 220
 Glenwood, MD, 21738
 EMail: galvin@elistx.com

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 13] RFC 2282 IAB and IESG Selection February 1998

9. Full Copyright Statement

 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.
 This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
 others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
 or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
 and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
 kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
 included on all such copies and derivative works.  However, this
 document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
 the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
 Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
 developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
 copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
 followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
 English.
 The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
 revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.
 This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
 "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
 TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
 BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION
 HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
 MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Galvin Best Current Practice [Page 14]

/data/webs/external/dokuwiki/data/pages/rfc/rfc2282.txt · Last modified: 1998/02/06 22:21 by 127.0.0.1

Donate Powered by PHP Valid HTML5 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki