Update on IETF 125 meeting network

[Greg Wood <[e-mail]>]

Hello,

Below is an update on the IETF meeting network, some background information, and reminders about options for meeting registrations. The aim is to provide full and accurate information to currently registered and potential meeting participants. This information has also been shared with the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) and IETF Administration LLC Board of Directors.

# IETF 125 meeting network update

IETF Meetings require networks that provide “unfiltered access to the general Internet and [participants’] corporate network”.[1] This will be provided at the IETF 125 meeting.[2] All participants will be free to use a VPN while connected to the IETF Network.

Chinese law requires that access to an unfiltered network such as the IETF Network be authenticated. When the IETF 125 venue was booked, we had regulatory approval to operate the IETF Network using controlled anonymous credentials, as was used at IETF 79 in Beijing in 2010. The regulatory environment has changed recently and new rules are now in effect for network access which means that this anonymity is no longer possible.

The IETF is required to issue network access credentials (i.e. RADIUS) to onsite participants and staff and record who it has issued them to. There are no limits on how many sets of credentials can be issued per person. At the end of the meeting, the IETF is required to provide to the network operators (China Mobile and China Unicom) a list of participant names and the usernames of the credentials they have been issued. These operators are required to keep these lists for six months and then destroy them.

# IETF 125 meeting network background

Due to regulatory and security constraints, arrangements were made some time ago for a local provider to operate the IETF Network under supervision of the IETF Network Operations Center (NOC), using configurations provided by the IETF NOC and with most of the OTT services directly operated by the IETF NOC. The RADIUS server will be built and operated by the IETF NOC.

In order to comply with US sanction regulations, the IETF already requires all meeting registrants to provide their real names when registering and refuses registrations where it believes this has not been supplied. This requirement continues for IETF 125.

# Registration options and refunds

In accordance with IETF meeting registration terms and conditions, anyone already registered for IETF 125 onsite participation who wishes to convert it to remote registration may do so at the same fee tier at any time, with the difference in fee refunded.[3] Anyone already registered who as a result of this information wishes to cancel their IETF 125 onsite registration may do so without charge. Please email [e-mail] with your current IETF 125 registration information if you wish to make any changes to it.

-Greg

Greg Wood
Senior Director of Communications and Operations
IETF Administration LLC
[e-mail]
[phone]

[1] https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8718.html

[2] https://www.ietf.org/meeting/125/

[3] https://www.ietf.org/meeting/terms-and-conditions/