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Gary C. Kessler
The key to the success of communication over the Internet is the use of a standard set of protocols, based on transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP). The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the group that oversees the Internet standards process. This chapter focuses on the history of the IETF, its organization and function, and its role in developing Internet security specifications.
The Internet is one of the best success stories of anarchy or socialism in modern history. The Internet has proven to be an example of cooperation between countries, commercial entities (often in competition with each other), government agencies, and educational institutions for the sole purpose of enhancing communication. Yet, even this loose cooperative requires some central administrative authority for such things as operational guidelines, protocol specifications, and address assignment.
The key to the success of communication over the Internet is the use of a standard set of protocols, based on the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP). The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the group that oversees the Internet standards process. This chapter focuses on the history of the IETF, its organization and function, and, in particular, its role in developing Internet security specifications.
The Internet began as a project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) as an experiment in the use of packet switching technology. Starting with only four nodes in 1969, the Advanced Research Projects Agency network (ARPANET) spanned the continental United States by 1975 and expanded to other continents by the end of the 1970s.
In 1979, the Internet Control and Configuration Board (ICCB) was formed. The charter of the ICCB was to provide an oversight function for the design and deployment of protocols within the connected Internet. In 1983, the ICCB was renamed as the Internet Activities Board (IAB). With a charter similar to that of the ICCB, the IAB evolved into a full-fledged de facto standards organization, dedicated to ratifying standards used within the Internet. The chairman of the IAB was called the Internet Architect. This individuals primary function was to coordinate the activities of numerous task forces within the IAB, each of which focused on a specific architectural or protocol issue.
In 1984, the ARPANET was split into two components: the ARPANET, which was used for research and development, and MILNET, which carried unclassified military traffic. With this division, the designation of TCP/IP as the official protocol suite, and subsequent National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, the modern Internet was born.
In 1986, the IAB was reorganized to provide an oversight function for a number of subsidiary groups. The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) was put into place to oversee research activities related to the TCP/IP protocol suite and the architecture of the Internet. The activities of the IRTF are coordinated by the Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG). The IETF was formed to concentrate on short-to-medium term engineering issues related to the Internet.
The U.S. Internet had historically received funding from government agencies, such as the DoD, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the NSF. By the end of the 1980s, it became apparent that this funding would decrease over time. In addition, the introduction of commercial users and an increasing number of commercial Internet service providers foreshadowed the loss of a dominant central administration that, in turn, threatened the long-term process for making Internet standards.
In January 1992, the Internet Society (ISOC) was formed with a charter of providing an institutional home for the IETF and the Internet standards process. ISOC provides a number of services in support of this role, including sponsoring conferences and workshops and raising funds from industry, government, and other sources. Although headquartered in the United States, the ISOC is an international organization providing administrative support for the international Internet. Included in this administrative structure is the IAB, IETF, IRTF, and the Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA).
To reflect its new role as a part of ISOC, the Internet Activities Board was renamed the Internet Architecture Board in June of 1992. ISOC provides support for the IETF and IRTF, as they have historically been a part of the IAB.
The relationship between ISOC and the IETF has changed slightly each year, as they determine exactly what their relationship should be. In June 1995, the ISOC Board of Trustees confirmed that its primary goal remains to keep the Internet going. It is still committed to providing services that facilitate the standards process as carried out by the IETF.
The IETF provides a forum for working groups to coordinate technical developments of new protocols. Its most important function is the development and selection of standards within the Internet protocol suite.
When the IETF was formed in 1986, it was a forum for technical coordination by contractors for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) working on the ARPANET, Defense Data Network (DDN), and Internet core gateway system. Since that time, the IETF has grown into a large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet.
The IETF mission includes:
Exhibit 1 shows the general hierarchy of the IETF.
Technical activity on any specific topic in the IETF is addressed within working groups, which are organized roughly by function into nine areas. Each area is led by one or more Area Directors, who have primary responsibility for that one aspect of IETF activity. Together with the Chair of the IETF, these technical directors compose the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).
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