Editing Internet Engineering Task Force (section)

== Early leadership and administrative history ==
{{Prose|section|date=November 2021}}
The Gateway Algorithms and Data Structures (GADS) Task Force was the precursor to the IETF. Its chairman was [[David L. Mills]] of the [[University of Delaware]].<ref name="Quarterman">{{cite book |title=Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide |author=John S. Quarterman |edition=2 |publisher=Digital Press |year=1990 |url=https://archive.org/details/matrixcomputerne0000quar/page/185 |isbn=1-55558-033-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/matrixcomputerne0000quar/page/185 185–186]}}</ref>

In January 1986, the Internet Activities Board (IAB; now called the Internet Architecture Board) decided to divide GADS into two entities: an Internet Architecture (INARC) Task Force chaired by Mills to pursue research goals, and the IETF to handle nearer-term engineering and technology transfer issues.<ref name="Quarterman" />  The first IETF chair was Mike Corrigan, who was then the technical program manager for the [[Defense Data Network]] (DDN).<ref name="Quarterman" />  Also in 1986, after leaving DARPA, Robert E. Kahn founded the [[Corporation for National Research Initiatives]] (CNRI), which began providing administrative support to the IETF.

In 1987, Corrigan was succeeded as IETF chair by Phill Gross.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/news/press-releases/2004/phill-gross-recognized-internet-societys-postel-award/ |title=Phill Gross recognized with the Internet Society's Postel Award |website=Internet Society |access-date=11 Jun 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612024300/https://www.internetsociety.org/news/press-releases/2004/phill-gross-recognized-internet-societys-postel-award/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Effective March 1, 1989, but providing support dating back to late 1988, CNRI and NSF entered into a cooperative agreement, No. NCR-8820945, wherein CNRI agreed to create and provide a "secretariat" for the "overall coordination, management and support of the work of the IAB, its various task forces and, particularly, the IETF".<ref name="proporgchg">{{cite web |url=https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-lyons-proposed-changes-statement-01.txt/ |title=IETF: Proposed Organizational Changes |website=IETF |access-date=11 Jun 2021 |archive-date=September 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918145544/https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-lyons-proposed-changes-statement-01.txt |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1992, CNRI supported the formation and early funding of the Internet Society, which took on the IETF as a fiscally sponsored project, along with the IAB, the IRTF, and the organization of annual INET meetings. Gross continued to serve as IETF chair throughout this transition.  Cerf, Kahn, and Lyman Chapin announced the formation of ISOC as "a professional society to facilitate, support, and promote the evolution and growth of the Internet as a global research communications infrastructure".<ref>{{cite web |first1=Vint |last1=Cerf|first2=Bob |last2=Kahn|first3=Lyman |last3=Chapin |title=Announcing the Internet Society |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-of-the-internet/announcing-internet-society/ |access-date=15 December 2019 |date=1992 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729231011/https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-of-the-internet/announcing-internet-society/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  At the first board meeting of the Internet Society, Cerf, representing CNRI, offered, "In the event a deficit occurs, CNRI has agreed to contribute up to USD$102,000 to offset it."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internetsociety.org/who-we-are/board-trustees/meetings/1/minutes |title=Board Meeting No. 1 – Minutes {{!}} Internet Society |website=Internetsociety.org |language=en |access-date=2017-02-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204171433/http://www.internetsociety.org/who-we-are/board-trustees/meetings/1/minutes |archive-date=2017-02-04}}</ref>  In 1993, Cerf continued to support the formation of ISOC while working for CNRI,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://netpolicynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=764:footnotes-to-history&catid=88:sp&Itemid=435 |title=Footnotes to History |last=dave |website=netpolicynews.com |language=en-gb |access-date=2017-02-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204172302/http://netpolicynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=764%3Afootnotes-to-history&catid=88%3Asp&Itemid=435 |archive-date=2017-02-04}}</ref> and the role of ISOC in "the official procedures for creating and documenting Internet Standards" was codified in the IETF's {{IETF RFC|1602}}.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1602.html |title=The Internet Standards Process — Revision 2 |last1=Internet Engineering Steering Group |last2=Internet Architecture Board |website=tools.ietf.org |date=March 1994 |doi=10.17487/RFC1602 |access-date=Oct 4, 2020 |archive-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018124321/https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1602.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In 1995, IETF's {{IETF RFC|2031|link=no}} describes ISOC's role in the IETF as being purely administrative, and ISOC as having "no influence whatsoever on the Internet Standards process, the Internet Standards or their technical content".<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc2031/ |title=RFC 2031 – IETF-ISOC relationship |website=IETF Datatracker |date=October 1996 |last1=Huizer |first1=Erik |access-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612024259/https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc2031/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1998, CNRI established Foretec Seminars, Inc. (Foretec), a for-profit subsidiary to take over providing secretariat services to the IETF.<ref name="proporgchg" />  Foretec provided these services until at least 2004.<ref name="proporgchg" />  By 2013, Foretec was dissolved.<ref name="foretecdis">{{cite web |url=https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_va/F1308081 |title=FORETEC SEMINARS INC. :: Virginia (US) |website=OpenCorporates  |access-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612024306/https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_va/F1308081 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2003, IETF's {{IETF RFC|3677|link=no}} described IETFs role in appointing three board members to the ISOC's board of directors.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc3677/ |title=RFC 3677 – IETF ISOC Board of Trustee Appointment Procedures |website=IETF Datatracker |date=December 2003 |last1=Daigle |first1=Leslie |access-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612024306/https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc3677/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2018, ISOC established The IETF Administration LLC, a separate LLC to handle the administration of the IETF.<ref>{{cite web|title=Limited Liability Company Agreement of IETF Administration LLC|url=https://www.ietf.org/media/documents/IETF-LLC-Agreement.pdf|website=IETF|access-date=14 August 2020|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629143424/https://www.ietf.org/media/documents/IETF-LLC-Agreement.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>  In 2019, the LLC issued a call for proposals to provide secretariat services to the IETF.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ietf.org/media/documents/IETF-FINAL-Secretariat-RFP-2019_June_24_2019.pdf|title=The IETF Administration LLC : On behalf of The Internet Engineering Task Force|website=IETF |date=June 24, 2019 |access-date=1 March 2022|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629143431/https://www.ietf.org/media/documents/IETF-FINAL-Secretariat-RFP-2019_June_24_2019.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>