Request For Comments
RFC is an acronym for Request For Comments, which is a series of organizational and technical documents containing specification and policies pertaining to the different aspects of internet such as computer networking, protocols, procedures, programs, and concepts, meeting notes, opinions and even humor from the authors. RFC's are prepared by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF).[1]
History edit
The Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) funded a research on advance computers and network technologies during the 1960s which led to the development of ARPANET, the first wide area packet switching network or in simple words the first Internet.[2]
It was in 1968, when the ARPANET research was in full progress wherein researches and computer scientists meet regularly discussing the progress of their works, technical standards, internet design and architecture many other aspects of computer and networking. The Group called themselves as the Network Working Group. It was in February of 1969 during a meeting in Utah with the BBN when the Network Working Group realized that they need to start writing their discussions.
The term Request For Comments was first used by Steve Crocker when he volunteered to organize the notes written by the Network Working Group to give emphasis to their basic ground rule that anyone can say anything and nothing was official. Crocker wrote the first RFC entitled Host Software on April 7, 1969.[3] Crocker was part of the UCLA Team along with Vinton Cerf, Jon Postel, Bill Naylor, and Mike Wingfield responsible in creating the protocols of the ARPANET which became the foundation of the internet today.[4]
The RFC became a very convenient and useful method in recording the all the details and technical information carried out by the Network Working Group in their research.Since then, the RFC became the official document of the Network Working Group.
RFC Editor edit
The RFC Editor is responsible in editing and publishing the RFCs online.The operations was originally funded by the Defense Advanced research Project Agency (DARPA)until 1988. The Internet Society(ISOC) took over the funding for the RFC Editor in 1988. The RFC Editor is a Project of the University of California Information Sciences Institute(USC-ISI) until 2009.The Association Management Solutions, LLC (AMS). is the current entity which handles the RFC Editor project.[5]
Jon Postel, was the first Editor of RFC Series. He was the RFC editor for 28 years. He was succeeded in 1998 by Joyce Reynolds, who has been working with Postel in editing the RFC's and managing the IANA since 1983.[6]
RFC Categories edit
The RFCs has different categories which include:[7]
- Standard, Draft Standard and Proposed Standard
- Best Current Practice
- Informational/Experimental
- HIstoric