RFC- 5/16 Just another confusing name for the computer illiterate, RFC is not so much what it once was and has evolved over the years. The definition of an RFC is not true any longer; however, it does still retain all of the procedures that were set up in the beginning. There is a long path that one must take in order to get An RFC put in place, proper support and drafts are required for any submissions to be taken seriously. An RFC or Request for Comment is a publication or work of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as well as the Internet Society. It is basically a list of standards, behaviors that one should set up and practice and informational information that is deemed important for people to know. This is all published by the IETF as their engineers are the majority of the authors, but there are ways for independent submissions to become recognized. The first step of an RFC is to get an Internet Draft ready or (I-D). This step is basically what an old school RFC really was; it is a submission to fellow peers for comments and suggestion. There are multitudes of I-Ds out on the web with many of them picking up attention; those picking up the most attention have the best shot at becoming a RFC. IT is all about what will affect the most people in a positive manner, and the Draft is the perfect testing tool. While being tested and all, the Drafts are only valid for a half year unless they release an updated version. At this point in the process, it is important for the submitters’ draft to be critiqued by everyone and anyone willing to test it. IT is normal for there to be open ended questions within the Draft, this is for the peers to give their input on the subject. The main purpose in finding every flaw in the draft is to ensure the closest thing to perfection by the time it is submitted for the RFC title. If the draft has picked up enough attention and support, the IETF might then put it up for recognizing it as a RFC. Although this might sound easy, one must keep in mind that all RFCs must go before the RFC editor can label it a Proposed Standard. IT isn’t until later on that the Proposed Standard can then be labeled an Internet standard. A Proposed Standard (PS) is generally stable, has resolved known design choices, is believed to be well-understood, has received significant community review, and appears to enjoy enough community interest to be considered valuable.(Living Internet) It is only when the PS can be considered having a high degree of technical maturity and the overall belief and faith that the information will benefit the greater portion of the internet community.
While being important information, it is always available to the public by going online, it is always published in plain text so all can view it, it is also availbe in other formats, but most view it in normal text. There are three sub-series that categorize the RFCs and these are: BCP, or Best Current Practice, pretty self explainitory. FYI, or For Your Information, just useful information for the public although this was taken off the standard track in 2011. STD, or Standard: this is the highest sub-series of the IETF standard track. (RFC 2026)
"RFC's, Internet Request For Comments". Livinginternet.com. "Stephen D. Crocker, ''How the Internet Got Its Rules'', The New York Times, 6 April 2009". Nytimes.com. April 7, 2009.