Independent Submission Editor Model
The role and responsibilities of the Independent Submission Editor for RFCs
Brownlee, N., Ed. and IAB, "Independent Submission Editor Model", RFC 6548, DOI 10.17487/RFC6548, June 2012, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6548>.
@misc{rfc6548,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 6548,
howpublished = {RFC 6548},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC6548},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6548},
author = {N. Brownlee and IAB},
title = {{Independent Submission Editor Model}},
pagetotal = 5,
year = 2012,
month = jun,
} RFC text
Contents
Internet Architecture Board (IAB) N. Brownlee, Ed.
Request for Comments: 6548 The University of Auckland
Obsoletes: 5620 IAB
Category: Informational June 2012
ISSN: 2070-1721
Independent Submission Editor Model
Abstract
This document describes the function and responsibilities of the RFC
Independent Submission Editor (ISE). The Independent Submission
stream is one of the stream producers that create draft RFCs, with
the ISE as its stream approver. The ISE is overall responsible for
activities within the Independent Submission stream, working with
draft editors and reviewers, and interacts with the RFC Production
Center and Publisher, and the RFC Series Editor (RSE). The ISE is
appointed by the IAB, and also interacts with the IETF Administrative
Oversight Committee (IAOC).
Status of This Memo
This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
published for informational purposes.
This document is a product of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
and represents information that the IAB has deemed valuable to
provide for permanent record. Documents approved for publication by
the IAB are not a candidate for any level of Internet Standard; see
Section 2 of RFC 5741.
Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6548.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2012 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
(http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
publication of this document. Please review these documents
carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
to this document.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Independent Submission Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.1. Qualifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2. Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3. Independent Submission Editorial Board . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5. IAB Members at the Time of Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
6. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1. Introduction
The RFC Editor Model [RFC6635] defines a set of streams that produce
draft RFCs, which are submitted for publication. This document
defines the management function for the Independent Submission
stream, specifically the role of Independent Submission Editor (ISE).
This document is a derivative of [RFC5620], Section 3.2, and was
separated out from [RFC6635].
This document obsoletes [RFC5620] in combination with [RFC6635].
2. Independent Submission Editor
The ISE is an individual who is responsible for the Independent
Submission stream of RFCs, as defined by [RFC4844]. The Independent
Submission stream and the ISE are not under the authority or
direction of the RSE or the RFC Series Oversight Committee (RSOC)
(see [RFC6635]). As noted below, the ISE is appointed by and is
responsible directly to the IAB.
2.1. Qualifications
The ISE is a senior position for which the following qualifications
are desired:
1. Technical competence, i.e., broad technical experience and
perspective across a wide range of Internet technologies and
applications, and also the ability to work effectively with
portions of that spectrum in which they have no personal
expertise.
2. Thorough familiarity with the RFC series.
3. An ability to define and constitute advisory and document review
arrangements. If those arrangements include an Editorial Board
similar to the current one or some equivalent arrangement, the
ability to assess the technical competence of potential Editorial
Board members (see Section 3).
4. Good standing in the technical community, in and beyond the IETF.
5. Demonstrated editorial skills, good command of the English
language, and demonstrated history of being able to work
effectively with technical documents and materials created by
others.
6. The ability to work effectively in a multi-actor environment with
divided authority and responsibility similar to that described in
[RFC6635].
2.2. Responsibilities
The ISE is an individual who may have assistants and who is
responsible for:
1. Maintaining technical quality of the Independent Submission
stream.
2. Reviewing, approving, and processing Independent Submissions.
3. Forwarding draft RFCs in the Independent Submission stream to the
RFC Production Center.
4. Defining and developing the scope of the Independent Submission
stream as a part of the overall RFC Editor function [RFC6635].
5. Reviewing and approving RFC errata for Independent Submissions.
6. Coordinating work and conforming to general RFC Series policies
as specified by the IAB and RSE.
7. Providing statistics and documentation as requested by the RSE
and/or IAOC.
The ISE may choose to select individuals to participate in an
Advisory Board for assistance in special topics as the ISE deems
appropriate. Such an Advisory Board exists at the pleasure of the
ISE, and its members serve at the pleasure of the ISE.
The individual with the listed qualifications is selected by the IAB
after input has been collected from the community. An approach
similar to the one used by the IAB to select an IAOC member every
other year as described in [RFC4333] should be used.
While the ISE itself is considered a volunteer function, the IAB
considers maintaining the Independent Submission stream part of the
IAB's supported activities. Therefore, the IAOC should include these
costs in the IASA budget.
3. Independent Submission Editorial Board
The ISE is supported by an Editorial Board for the review of
Independent Submission stream documents. This board is known as the
Independent Submission Editorial Board. This volunteer Editorial
Board exists at the pleasure of the ISE, and its members serve at the
pleasure of the ISE. The existence of this board is simply noted
within this model, and additional discussion of such is considered
out of scope of this document.
4. Security Considerations
This document has no specific security implications, however the same
security considerations as those in [RFC4846] and [RFC4844] apply.
5. IAB Members at the Time of Approval
Bernard Aboba, Ross Callon, Alissa Cooper, Joel Halpern, Spencer
Dawkins, Russ Housley, David Kessens, Olaf Kolkman, Danny McPherson,
Jon Peterson, Andrei Robachevsky, Dave Thaler, Hannes Tschofenig.
6. Acknowledgements
Generous thanks to Joel Hapern for all his help with this document,
and for all his work on [RFC6635]). Thanks also to the IAB members,
whose comments and suggestions were both welcome and useful.
7. References
7.1. Normative References
[RFC4846] Klensin, J. and D. Thaler, "Independent Submissions to the
RFC Editor", RFC 4846, July 2007.
[RFC4844] Daigle, L., Ed. and IAB, "The RFC Series and RFC Editor",
RFC 4844, July 2007.
7.2. Informative References
[RFC4333] Huston, G. and B. Wijnen, "The IETF Administrative
Oversight Committee (IAOC) Member Selection Guidelines and
Process", BCP 113, RFC 4333, December 2005.
[RFC5620] Kolkman, O. and IAB, "RFC Editor Model (Version 1)",
RFC 5620, August 2009.
[RFC6635] Kolkman, O., Ed., Halpern, J., Ed., and IAB, "RFC Editor
Model (Version 2)", RFC 6635, June 2012.
Authors' Addresses
Nevil Brownlee (editor)
The University of Auckland
EMail: n.brownlee@auckland.ac.nz
Internet Architecture Board
EMail: iab@iab.org
AI ELI5
On this page
§1Purpose and Authority
RFC 6548 describes the function and responsibilities of the RFC Independent Submission Editor (ISE). The Independent Submission stream is one of several streams that produce draft RFCs, with the ISE as its approver. The ISE is overall responsible for activities within the Independent Submission stream, working with draft editors and reviewers, and interacting with the RFC Production Center, RFC Series Editor (RSE), and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB). Unlike the IETF or IRTF streams, the Independent Submission stream and its ISE are not under the authority of the RSE or the RFC Series Oversight Committee (RSOC).
The ISE is the chief decision-maker for RFCs submitted outside the IETF. They report to the IAB instead of to the RFC editor.
§2Qualifications and Selection
The ISE is a senior position requiring broad technical competence across internet technologies, thorough familiarity with the RFC series, ability to define advisory and review arrangements, good standing in the technical community, excellent English and editorial skills, and the ability to work effectively in a multi-actor environment with divided authority. These qualifications are desired, not absolute requirements. The individual is selected by the IAB after collecting community input, using an approach similar to that used for selecting IAOC members: the ISE is considered a volunteer function, though the IAB deems maintaining the Independent Submission stream part of its supported activities.
The ISE must understand protocols well, know the RFC series, write clearly, and be respected in the technical community. The IAB picks the ISE after asking for community suggestions.
§3Responsibilities and Support
The ISE is responsible for maintaining technical quality of the Independent Submission stream, reviewing, approving and processing Independent Submissions, forwarding approved draft RFCs to the RFC Production Center, defining and developing the scope of the stream, reviewing and approving errata for Independent Submissions, and coordinating with IAB and RSE on RFC Series policies. The ISE may select individuals for an Advisory Board to assist on special topics, and may have assistants. The ISE is supported by an Independent Submission Editorial Board, which is a volunteer board existing at the ISE's pleasure. The IAOC includes ISE-related costs in its budget as part of IAB-supported activities.
The ISE reviews submissions, decides which to approve, checks fixes to old RFCs, and keeps the submission process fair and transparent.