An IRTF Primer for IETF Participants

A number of proposals from experienced IETF participants for new IRTF research groups have encountered problems because the proposals would have been appropriate for the IETF, but not for the IRTF. describes the origin of IRTF research groups, but doesn't provide much detail about the process, which is intended to be flexible and accommodate new types of research groups. Lacking that detail, experienced IETF participants assume that chartering an IRTF research group will be similar to chartering an IETF working group, and follow the suggestions in to gather a group of interested parties, and then follow the suggestions in to prepare for a successful BOF and eventually, a chartered working group. Both of these documents are excellent references for proposals in the IETF, but their suggestions may result in a proposal that is almost the opposite of what the IRTF Chair is looking for in a proposal for an IRTF research group. The mismatches fall into some consistent categories.

Although this should be obvious, IRTF research groups aren't IETF working groups. Some IRTF research groups conduct research, some act as fora for researchers to discuss ideas, in the manner of academic workshops, and some provde a home for topics that are important to the development of the Internet but not in scope for the IETF, with researchers being involved at some level. If a likely solution is apparent, and what's required is working out details, that's what IETF working groups do. "I work in research and engineering. When we finish a project, if it works, it was engineering. If it doesn't work, it was research." - anon

IRTF research groups are only one of several alternatives available to researchers. Where there are already well-established relevant workshops and conferences, researchers might be less motivated to also participate in an IRTF research group. Starting an IRTF research group may still be the right thing to do, but will be more likely to succeed in attracting a stable community of researchers if it offers a venue that complements what's already available. This isn't a requirement, but it is an opportunity for creative thinking. "Complementing" may take many different forms, reflecting the flexibility IRTF research groups have in organizing their work. For instance, some IRTF research groups focus on applying theories that have been developed elsewhere to the Internet, while others focus on bringing researchers and engineers together, and in particular to "build bridges" between the practitioners and the theorists.

IRTF research groups have a scope large enough to interest researchers, attract them to the IRTF, and keep them busy doing significant work. Their charters are therefore usually much broader than IETF working group charters, and research groups often discuss different topics underneath the charter umbrella at different times, based on current research interests in the field. IETF working groups are chartered with a limited scope and specific deliverables. If deliverables and milestones are known, the proposal is likely too limited for the IRTF.

IRTF research groups bring researchers together to work on significant problems. That takes time. The effort required by a research group is likely to take at least three to five years, significantly longer than IETF working groups envision when they are chartered.

IRTF research groups are encouraged to explore more than one alternative approach to the chartered problem area. There is no expectation that the research group will "come to consensus" on one approach. The research group may publish multiple competing proposals as research produces results. Because IETF working groups focus on immediate needs, the emphasis is often on picking one approach, whether that means starting with an approach the working group participants agree on, or considering alternatives with a view to picking one before spending significant effort on alternatives that won't go forward. The IRTF as an organization may also charter multiple research groups with somewhat overlapping areas of interest, which the IETF tries very hard to avoid.

All IRTF participants have the obligation to disclose IPR and otherwise follow the IRTF's IPR policies, which closely mirror the IETF's IPR policies, but in all other aspects, IRTF research group operation is much less constained than is IETF working group operation. Each IRTF research group is permitted (and encouraged) to agree on a way of working together that best supports the specific needs of the group. This freedom allows IRTF research groups to bypass fundamental IETF ways of working, such as the need to reach at least rough consensus, which IRTF research groups need not do. The mode of operation of IRTF research groups can therefore also change over time, for example, becoming more like IETF working group operation as the research the group has been progressing matures and nears potential standardization in the IETF. s

IRTF research group charters reflect the broad scope of research groups themselves, and point in the general direction of what the research group will be researching. Research groups may even begin work without a charter (under instructions from the IRTF Chair to "act like a research group for a year and we'll see how it goes"). The purpose of charters in the IRTF is more to serve as an advertisement to other researchers that may be wondering if the group is the right place to participate for them, and to broadly sketch the field of research that a group is interested in pursuing. IETF working group charters tend to be very narrow, intended to constrain the work that the working group will be doing, and may contain considerable text about what the working group will not be working on.

IRTF research group deliverables may be publshed as RFCs, but may also be papers that may present intermediate results and be published in academic journals. There is no expectation that IRTF groups publish any RFCs (although many occasionally do). IRTF groups are successful when they stimulate discussion, produce relevant outputs and impact the research community. IETF working group deliverables tend to be specific protocol, deployment and operational specifications, along with problem statements, use cases, requirements and architectures that inform those specifications.

When IRTF research groups have produced the appropriate outputs, researchers may consider what they've learned from producing those outputs, and look for better solutions. IETF working groups will typically conclude, allowing participants to focus on implementation and deployment, although the working group mailing list may remain open for a time.