What Is The IETF?

Date First Published: 28th May 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Internet Organisations

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 6/10

CONTENTS

How Is The IETF Organised?

Learn more about what the IETF in this article.

Short for the Internet Engineering Task Force, the IETF is a non-profit organisation responsible for the development of internet standards, such as the TCP/IP protocol suite. It is based in Fremont, California, United States, and was formed on 14th January 1986. Originally, it was supported by the United States federal government before 1993. It is now supported by the Internet Society’s Internet Architecture Board.

In addition to proposing and releasing new internet standards, the IETF also coordinates other activities, such as hackathons, automated network management, Internet of Things (IoT), and legislations. The IETF also works with other organisations, such as:

IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) – The organisation that is responsible for the assignment of internet numbers, allocation of unique IP addresses to ISPs, unique protocol values, DNS, email protocols, such as SMTP, and other common Ethernet network protocols.
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) – The organisation responsible for developing standards, protocols, and guidelines for the World Wide Web, such as accessibility.
ISO (International Standards Organisation) – The organisation responsible for developing and promoting international technological standards.
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) – The organisation responsible for coordinating worldwide telecommunication operations and services.

How Is The IETF Organised?

The IETF is organised into working groups and informal discussion groups, each discussing a certain topic. Each workgroup has a chairperson and a description that outlines its focus and what it is expected to produce and when.

Members of area directors and working groups choose a chairperson to deal with certain topics that are discussed in IETF meetings. The area directors, working groups, and chairpersons from the IESG are responsible for the creation and introduction of internet standards, defined in RFCs.

It has discussions on opening mailing lists or at IETF meetings. In June 2014, the entry fee was 650 USD per person. In mid-2018, the fees are 700 USD for on-time payment, 875 USD for late payment, 150 USD for students, and 375 USD for a one-day pass.