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Subject:Re: Format for writing an internet protocol From:Sandy Harris <sharris -at- dkl -dot- com> To:Nancy Ussery <buffi -at- kittymail -dot- com> Date:Fri, 19 Nov 1999 11:36:26 -0500
Nancy Ussery wrote:
>
> Hello all,
> The geniuses I work with are developing a wonderful new internet
> protocol and I need to document it. I'm an experienced tech whirler,
> but I've never documented a protocol before. I wondered if any of
> you on the list could suggest a good resource for suggestions on
> format and/or guidelines.
Internet protocols are normally documented in a format called an
Internet Draft. Most of these are produced by various working groups
of the IETF, Internet Engineering Task Force. For an archive of all
current drafts, working group charters, and much other info:
Each working group normally has at least one mailing list. You should
probably subscribe to a few.
When a draft is accepted by the working group, or after some other
approval (the area chair?) if it's from outside a working group, it
may become an RFC.
There are RFC archives all over the net, some in HTML. There's an RFC
defining terms for use in RFCs -- e.g. MUST, SHOULD and MAY which are
always capitalised when used that way and best avoided otherwise --
and an RFC which is a useful glossary of Internet terminology.
