Re: Admission Control to the IETF 78 and IETF 79 Networks

[SM <[e-mail]>]

Hello,
At 14:55 30-06-10, IETF Chair wrote:
>I am writing to let you know about a change in the IETF meeting network.
>At IETF 79 in Beijing, the IETF network will be connected to the open
>Internet with absolutely no filtering.  However, we have agreed with our
>hosts that only IETF meeting participants will have access to the
>network.  Following sound engineering practices, we will deploy
>admission control mechanisms as part of the IETF 78 meeting network in
>Maastricht to ensure that they are working properly before they are
>mission critical.

Most IETF participants probably know that the consensus of the IETF 
is documented through BCPs and other Standards Track RFCs.  If the 
text in the RFC isn't clear, there is room for disagreement.  If it 
is ill-defined, someone will go and find the loophole.  If the above 
text was in a BCP, we could nit on the definition of IETF meeting 
participants.  It is clear to people unfamiliar with the IETF that 
IETF meeting participants means people who have registered for the 
IETF meeting.

I have been told that an IETF meeting does not have security guards 
at the door to verify who has a badge to determine whether the person 
is registered for the meeting.  If someone walks into an IETF 
meeting, the person can enjoy the cookie for free and even provide a 
contribution at the mic.  The person enjoys the same privileges as 
people who have paid for meeting attendance fee.

I'll take the opportunity to thank Karen O'Donoghue for keeping the 
IAOC minutes up to date.  The IAB could do with some help in that area.

Some of you may recall that the Beijing venue contract was discussed 
on this mailing list last year.  It resulted in some resolutions as follows:

  "Whereas the Host has assured the IAOC that 'a normal IETF
   meeting can be legally held in China and that no pre-screening
   of material or monitoring of session content is required or will
   be done,'

   Whereas the IAOC, based on the assurances of the Host and a
   history of the venue successfully hosting major international
   conferences that relate to our industry, believes a normal IETF
   meeting can be held at the venue,

   Whereas the IAOC heard all arguments made on the list, and
   made its determination on the ability to hold a successful
   meeting i.e. run it in a fashion as we always have, using the
   tools that we always have, with a critical mass of the
   traditional participants, discussing the usual topics."

The fashion in the IETF is to have an open network.  There isn't any 
admission control and credentials are not required to enjoy the 
benefit of free and full Internet access.  The IETF may run out of 
cookies; it never runs out of bandwidth.

>I am writing to let you know what to expect in both Maastricht and Beijing.

And it is expected that the comments on this thread will follow sound 
IETF practices when it comes to mailing list discussions. :-)

Regards,
-sm