Internet Core Protocols: The Definitive Guide

Internet Documents (Drafts, RFCs, and STDs)

The process for developing standards in the Internet community is simple on the surface, but arduous in practice. Not only does it require the robust participation of various contributors, but it must also be able to stand up to the harsh criticism of its detractors. For these reasons, it can easily take several years for an otherwise simple and straightforward protocol to make it all the way through the various stages, finally emerging as an official standard for the Internet community.

RFC 2026 defines an Internet standard as “a specification that is stable and well-understood, is technically competent, has multiple, independent, and interoperable implementations with substantial operational experience, enjoys significant public support, and is recognizably useful in some or all parts of the Internet.” This is a tall order to fill for anybody. Even companies such as Sun and Novell—who have many years of experience in developing network protocols and services—would have a hard time delivering a protocol that stood up to that definition. This is an even taller order when the process is opened to any and all participants, some of whom may have their own agendas.

The process itself can also be somewhat convoluted. Depending on the number of revisions and drafts that a document may go through, the process can either be a straightforward series of clearly delineated steps, or it can turn a simple proposal into a complex schema that becomes ...