Robert Elz <kre(_at_)munnari(_dot_)OZ(_dot_)AU> writes:
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:08:13 -0700
From: Thomas Narten <narten(_at_)us(_dot_)ibm(_dot_)com>
Message-ID:
<200706150008(_dot_)l5F08EXt014583(_at_)cichlid(_dot_)raleigh(_dot_)ibm(_dot_)com>
| (Now would be an excellent time to
| consider updates/clarifications to the above text.)
Aside from the minor problem that the paragraph you quoted is way more
wordy and chatty than is really needed, it gets the "should be" procedure
all wrong.
The IANA is the Internet Assigned Numbers AUTHORITY and should be treated
that way - allowing assignment requirements in specs to be ignored in cases
where they're obviously wrong is fine. But is the IANA which (who) should
make the decision, not the IESG.
Um, this train left the station a LONG time ago. RFC 2434 (and
existing practice) have given the role of approving assignments to the
technical/protocol experts that created that name space. That is why
we have IANA considerations sections.
The IESG is just the default fallback for when the IANA considerations
as written don't properly work for some reason. But in general, and in
the vast majority of cases today, the system works -- with assignments
being made as the original registry creators intended (and without the
IESG playing any role). And the intention in giving the IESG that role
is not for the IESG to step in and do the work themselves, but give
them the authority/responsibility to go find the right people to do
the evaluation. But the buck has to stop somewhere, and in the IETF,
that is the IESG.
IANA does not make the decisions on what to assign and what not to
assign, unless it has been given clear criteria when it can do so. In
general, IANA does not have the expertise to make such
evaluations. Many are very protocol specific and require an evaluation
by someone with an understanding of the protocols that will be using
the assignment.
Thomas
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