Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!SRI-NIC.ARPA!joaquin
From: joaquin@SRI-NIC.ARPA
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Announcing a little board-room shakeup
Message-ID: <8907250403.AA04627@bear.NISC.SRI.COM>
Date: 25 Jul 89 04:03:57 GMT
References: <8907212151.AA00570@poneria.isi.edu>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 63


Dear IABers:

Shakeups are always interesting, specially when your are not part of
the bunch being shaken. I have a few questions:

1.  Can we expect the IRTF to meet in a similar fashion as the IETF
(maybe not as often, please)??? .....There is no question that the
success of the IETF over the past couple of years is due to Phil's
great job as a chair.  However, I also think it is due in part to the
fact that multiple working groups meet at the same time, which helps
tremendously in fostering the creation of new working groups when they
are needed, and in disseminating ideas. In addition, it is much easier
for some of us to find funding to attend larger (fewer) meetings.

2. I think that part of the IRTF goals should be to serve as a
clearinghouse of research ideas in internetworking.  This function
will be SOOOO important as we migrate to the future NREN!....and I
don't see any better forum that can be used to foster internetworking
research (the usual conferences cannot have a very clear focus over
the years).

3. Should we have an Annual IAB Workshop (i.e., a joint meeting of the
IRTF and IETF) once a year to bring together the latest
accomplishements in our community regarding research results and
engineering?......of course, with the best presentations during the
year from both groups.

4. I am confused about the IAB structure (not that it matters to
anyone, of course). Bob Braden explained what IRTF and IETF were meant
to be, but what is the role of the other members? 

5.  Why is "Security" not part of IRTF or IETF concerns (or both)? why
not have "Privacy" or "Billing" there too?

6. Why do we have liasons for the NSFNET and vendors, but not for the
academia at large, standards groups, research centers, or the
government (i.e., FRICC and DCA)?  This becomes particularly important
when one looks at the IAB functions!!! At a time when the government
is pushing for OSI standards, it is hard for me to see why vendors and
NSFNET have direct participation in the IAB, while organisms like NIST
and ANSI (for example) don't. I'd really like to have some folks from
the standars groups collaborating with the Internet very closely, so
that developments in the IETF and IRTF can impact the standarization
process "from within" (e.g., X500 and the handling of distributed
queries) and viceversa.

7.  What is meant by " [The IAB] Resolves technical issues which
cannot be treated within the IETF or IRTF frameworks."????? 

8. What is meant by "[The IAB] Acts as external policy representative
for the Internet community."???? who is the target audience of the IAB?

9. What is the detailed structure of the IETF and IRTF?????? Which are
the ATDs in IETF? which are the RGs of the IRTF? inquiring minds want
to know!


Looking forward to tomorrow.

Confusedly yours,

JJ