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Network Working Group                                            V. CerfRequest for Comments:  1120                                          NRI                                                          September 1989The Internet Activities BoardStatus 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.   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, IEEE 87].   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 [LEINER 85, POSTEL 85, CERF 82, CLARK 86,RFC1100].   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, inCerf                                                            [Page 1]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989   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 Lab 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 sponsors most of the U.S. research on   internetting, including support for the Internet Activities Board and   its subsidiary organizations.   At the international level, a Coordinating Committee for   Intercontinental Research Networks (CCIRN) has been formed which   includes the U.S.  FRICC and its counterparts in North America and   Europe.  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 a thousand packet switched networks located   principally in the U.S., but also includes systems 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   the U.S. Government, university and industrial sponsors of the   elements of the Internet.Cerf                                                            [Page 2]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989   IAB members are deeply committed to making the Internet function   effectively and evolve to meet a large scale, high speed future.  All   IAB members are required to have at least one other major role in the   Internet community in addition to their IAB membership.  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.   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   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 1100].   RFCs describing experimental protocols, along with other submissions   whose intent is merely to inform, are typically submitted directly to   the RFC Editor.  A Standard RFC 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, Draft Standard or   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 eitherCerf                                                            [Page 3]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989   submitted to the RFC Editor for publication or discarded within three   months.   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 a 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   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 IAB membership is currently as follows:            Vinton Cerf          - Chairman            David Clark          - IRTF Chairman            Phillip Gross        - IETF Chairman            Jonathan Postel      - RFC Editor            Robert Braden        - Executive Director            Hans-Werner Braun    - Member            Barry Leiner         - Member            Daniel Lynch         - Member            Stephen Kent         - Member3.  The Internet Engineering Task Force   The Internet has grown to encompass a large number of widely geo-   graphically dispersed networks in academic and research communities.   It now provides an infrastructure for a broad community with variousCerf                                                            [Page 4]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989   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         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          - TBD            2) Host Services         - Craig Partridge            3) Internet Services     - Noel Chiappa            4) Routing               - Robert Hinden            5) Network Management    - David Crocker            6) OSI Coexistence       - Ross Callon and Robert Hagens            7) Operations            - TBD            8) Security              - TBD   The work of the IETF is performed by subcommittees known as WorkingCerf                                                            [Page 5]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989   Groups.  There are currently more than 20 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 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 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         - Chairman            Robert Braden       - End-to-End Services            Douglas Comer       - Member at Large            Deborah Estrin      - Autonomous NetworksCerf                                                            [Page 6]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989            Stephen Kent        - Privacy and Security            Keith Lantz         - User Interfaces            David Mills         - Member at Large5. 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 version of the BIND domain name   service resolver software.  To the extent that the existing Exterior   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.  Flexibility 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 are to be published early in the fourth quarter of calendar   1989.   Among the most needed user services, the White Pages (an 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 domainCerf                                                            [Page 7]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989   software implementing the private electronic mail standards [RFC   1113,RFC 1114, andRFC 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 withRFC 822/SMTP [RFC 822,RFC 821,RFC 987,RFC1026] should be targeted for 1990 as well.  These 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.Security Considerations   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 NetworkCerf                                                            [Page 8]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989       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., R. Kahn, S. Ornstein, W. Crowther, 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), K. Uncapher, 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), D. Nielson, 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.       [LEINER 85]  Leiner, B., R. Cole, J.  Postel, 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 andRFC 822",       University College London, June 1986.Cerf                                                            [Page 9]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989       [RFC 1000]  Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "The Request for       Comments References Guide", USC/Information Sciences Institute,RFC 1000, August 1987.       [RFC 1026]  Kille, S., "Addendum toRFC 987: (Mapping between       X.400 andRFC 822)",RFC 1026, University College London,       September 1987.       [RFC 1100]  Postel, J. (Editor), "IAB Official Protocol       Standards",RFC 1100, April 1989.       [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.       [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.Cerf                                                           [Page 10]

RFC 1120                        The IAB                   September 1989Author'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.USCerf                                                           [Page 11]