Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
117 lines (95 loc) · 4.89 KB

RFC-0000.md

File metadata and controls

117 lines (95 loc) · 4.89 KB
Raw
title subtitle author header-includes output
RFC on RFCs
Time Machine RFC-0000
Frédéric Kaplan
Kevin Baumer
Mike Kestemont
Juha Henriksson
Daniel Jeller
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhead[R]{}
\fancyfoot[L]{-release-version-}
pdf_document

Motivation

Reaching consensus on the technology options to pursue in a programme as large as Time Machine is a complex issue. To ensure the open development and evaluation of work, a process inspired by the Request for Comments (RFC) that was used for the development of the Internet protocol1 is being adapted to the needs of Time Machine. Time Machine Requests for Comments are freely accessible publications, identified with a unique ID, that constitute the main process for establishing rules, recommendations and core architectural choices for Time Machine components.

Approach

The Time Machine RFCs are based on the following principles:

  1. Accessibility. RFCs are freely accessible, at no cost.
  2. Openness. Anybody can write an RFC.
  3. Identification. Each RFC, once published, has a unique ID and version number. It can nevertheless be revised over time as a living document, being republished with the same ID and a different version number.
  4. Incrementalism. Each RFC should be useful in its own right and act as a building block for others. Each RFC must be intended as a contribution to, extension or revision of the Time Machine Infrastructure.
  5. Standardisation. RFCs should aim to make use of standardised terms to improve the clarity level of its recommendation.
  6. Scope. RFCs are designed contributions and implementation solutions for solving practical problems. RFCs are not research papers and may not necessarily contain experimental evidence. RFCs cover not only the technical infrastructure but the data standards, legal frameworks, and values and principles of Time Machine.
  7. Self-defining process. As used for the development of the Internet, RFCs are the main process for establishing Time Machine Infrastructure and Processes and also the processes and roles for managing RFCs themselves.

RFC Publication Process

75 % center

RFC Editor organises the publication process of the RFCs, maintains the consistency of the RFC System, appoints RFC teams to organise new RFCs and to improve existing RFCs, keeps track of RFC versioning and ensures the timely and regular publication of RFCs. The RFC Editorial Committee assists the RFC Editor in the publication process. The duties of the RFC Editor, as well as the organisation of the RFC Editorial Committee, are defined in RFC-0004.

The publication process is the following :

  1. The RFC Editor appoints authors to write the RFCs planned in the RFC tree (RFC-0002). Alternatively, authors may contact the RFC Editor to submit their candidature to write an RFC (planned in the RFC tree or not).
  2. The authors produce an RFC draft which is reviewed by the RFC Editor, and if necessary, by the RFC Editorial Committee, for coherence with the rest of the RFC corpus, and then by a larger community. The RFC is revised and possibly sent for review again.
  3. Once accepted by the RFC Editor after the review process, an RFC receives an official identifier and is officially published comparable to a peer-reviewed publication with proper scholarly credits assigned to the original author(s).
  4. If necessary, the RFC tree is adapted to include the published RFC and any possible sub-RFCs planned during the writing of the RFC.

RFC Format

The RFC Format and Guidelines are established iteratively by the RFC Editor and the RFC Editorial Committee. The most-up-to-date version can be found in the RFC-0000.

Current Format

  1. Motivation section
  2. Series of sections describing the approach and solution
  3. Question and answers (Q&A) section
  4. Linked RFCs section

Question and Answers

What are the main differences between Time Machine RFCs and Internet Society RFCs?

The Time Machine RFCs are being developed over 50 years after the RFCs that shaped in the Internet. The main differences are the following:

  1. Time Machine RFCs are exclusively used to describe motivated solutions and not general communication.
  2. Time Machine RFCs can be revised and are redefined iteratively, whereas significant improvement on an Internet Society RFC leads to the creation of a new RFC.

Linked RFCs

  • The RFC Tree is kept up to date in RFC-0002.
  • The details of the RFC platform are defined in the RFC-0003.
  • The RFC Editor and the RFC Editorial Committee are defined in RFC-0004.

Footnotes

  1. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc791 ↩