IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)

An open community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. Technical work is performed by working groups organized by topic areas (such as routing, transport, and security) and through mailing lists. Internet standards are developed in IETF Requests for Comments (RFCs), which are a series of notes that discuss many aspects of computing and computer communication, focusing on networking protocols, programs, and concepts. [Exchange 2007]

The Internet Engineering Task Force is the task force of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) that is responsible for solving the short-term engineering needs of the Internet. The IETF consists of numerous working groups, each focused on a particular problem. Internet standards are typically developed or reviewed by individual working groups before they can become standards.