One document matched: draft-lear-iana-timezone-database-01.xml

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<rfc ipr="trust200902" category="bcp"
     docName="draft-lear-iana-timezone-database-01" >

<front>
<title abbrev="Maintaining the Timezone Database">
IANA Procedures for Maintaining the Timezone Database
</title>
    <author fullname="Eliot Lear" initials="E." surname="Lear">
      <organization>Cisco Systems GmbH</organization>
      <address>
        <postal>
          <street>Richtistrasse 7</street>
          <city>Wallisellen</city>
          <code>CH-8304</code>
          <region>ZH</region>
          <country>Switzerland</country>
        </postal>
        <phone>+41 1 878 9200</phone>
        <email>lear@cisco.com</email>
      </address>
     </author>
    <author fullname="Paul Eggert" initials="P" surname="Eggert">
      <organization>UCLA</organization>
      <address>
        <postal>
	  <street>Computer Science Department</street>
          <street>4532J Boelter Hall</street>
          <city>Los Angeles</city>
          <code>90095</code>
          <region>CA</region>
          <country>USA</country>
        </postal>
        <phone>+1 310 267 2254</phone>
        <email>eggert@cs.ucla.edu</email>
      </address>
    </author>
<date year="2010" />

<abstract>
<t>
 ATTENTION: This memo contains a DRAFT proposal for the IANA to assume
 operational  responsibilities relating to the management of the
 Timezone (TZ) Database.  The authors seek comment and review of this
 proposal.  No  action will be taken without rough consensus of the TZ
 community.
</t>
<t></t>
<t>
The Timezone (TZ) Database consists of timezone information for all
localities throughout the world.  This database has been meticulously
maintained and distributed free of charge by a group of volunteers,
coordinated by a single volunteer who is now planning to retire.  This
memo specifies a DRAFT PROPOSAL for the IANA procedures involved with
maintenance of the TZ database and associated code, including how to
submit proposed updates, how decisions for inclusion of those updates
are made, and the selection of a designated expert BY AND FOR the
timezone community.  The intent of this memo is, to the extent
possible, document existing practice and provide a means to ease
succession.
</t>
</abstract>
</front>

<middle>
<section title="Introduction">
<t>
 ATTENTION: This memo contains a DRAFT proposal for the IANA to assume
 operational  responsibilities relating to the management of the
 Timezone (TZ) Database.  The authors seek comment and review of this
 proposal.  No  action will be taken without rough consensus of the TZ
 community.
</t>
<t></t>
<t>
Since the early 1980s, a database that is in use on nearly all UNIX
systems, Java systems, and other sorts of systems has been hosted at
the <xref target="TZDB">National Institutes of Health.</xref>
The database consists of both
historic and current entries for geographies throughout the world.
Associated with the database is a reference implementation of
functions that can be used to convert time values.
</t><t>
The database has been maintained by volunteers that participate in a mailing
list that is also hosted at the NIH.  The database itself is updated
approximately twenty times per year, depending on the year, based on
information these experts provide to the maintainer.  Arthur David
Olson has maintained the database, coordinated the mailing list, and
provided a release platform since the database's inception.  With his
retirement now approaching it is necessary to provide a means for this
good work to continue.  The Internet community owes Arthur Olson and
the volunteers on the tz mailing list a debt of gratitude.
</t>
<t>
The IANA provides registry services to the Internet community.  Those
registries are coordinated by technical experts who are designated by
the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  The IANA is also well
suited as a distribution platform for the TZ database itself.
</t>
<t>The IETF has for quite some time had the capability to maintain
  non-working group mailing lists.  The TZ mailing list would fit
  nicely just as such a list.
</t>
<section title="Terminology">
      <t>The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT",
        "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
        RFC 2119 <xref target="RFC2119"/>.</t>
<t>
<list style="hanging">
<t hangText="TZ Database">
The TimeZone Database, sometimes referred to as the Olson Database.
This database consists of information about offsets from UTC for
different localities, including daylight savings time (DST) transition
information.
</t>
<t hangText="TZ Coordinator">
The person or people who maintain and manage release of the TZ
Database.  The TZ coordinator also has responsibility for maintaining
the TZ mailing list.  The TZ coordinatior is a Designated Expert, as
defined in <xref target="RFC5226" />.  Roughly speaking, it means that
the IESG will choose one or more experts to manage the TZ database,
code, and mailing list.
</t>
<t hangText="TZ mailing list">
The forum where matters relating to the TZ database and supporting
code are discussed.
</t>
</list>
</t>
<t>The rest of this document specifies the following:
</t>
<t>
<list style="numbers">
<t>Transferring and maintenance of the TZ mailing list;</t>
<t>Procedures for selecting a technical expert for the technical
  expert who will play the role of coordinator, as well as release
  manager for the TZ database;
</t><t>Procedures for updating the TZ database; 
</t><t>Maintenance and ownership of reference code; and
</t><t>Ownership of the database.
</t>
</list>
</t>
</section>
</section>
<section title="The TZ Mailing List">
<t>
For many years the TZ mailing list at the NIH has been the forum where
discussion of changes to the TZ database and support files would take
place.  In addition, the TZ mailing list is used to announce releases
of the database.  Currently the TZ mailing list is administered by the
TZ coordinator.</t>
<t>
This list membership will be transitioned to the IETF mail server.
The TZ coordinator will continue to manage the list, in accordance
with rules of governance for non-WG mailing lists, with the following
exception: instead of the normal "Note Well" statement, the following
statement shall apply in its place:
</t>
<t>
  The Contributor, each named co-Contributor, and the organizations
  represented above irrevocably and in perpetuity grant the rights
  listed below to the Internet Community: 
</t>
<t>
<list style="numbers">
<t>to prepare or allow the preparation of translations of the
      TZ database into languages other than English, 
</t>
<t>to prepare derivative works (other than translations)
       that are based on or incorporate all or  part of the
       TZ Contribution, or comment upon it.  The license to such
       derivative works shall not grant the IETF Trust, the IETF,
       or other party preparing a derivative work any more rights
       than the license to the original TZ Contribution, and
</t>
<t>
to reproduce any trademarks, service marks, or trade names
       that are included in the TZ Contribution solely in
       connection with the reproduction, distribution, or
       publication of the TZ Contribution and derivative
       works. 
</t>
</list>
</t>
<t>
The list will be
used just as it has been, to learn of, discuss, and confirm TZ
definition changes, as well as an announcement list for new versions
of the database.  The TZ coordinator will continue to manage the
list.
</t>
</section>
<section title="Making Updates to the TZ Database">
<t>Updates to the TZ database are made by the TZ coordinator in
  consultation with the TZ mailing list.  TZ coordinator is empowered
  to decide, as the designated expert, appropriate changes, but SHOULD
  take into account views expressed on the mailing list.</t>
<t>The TZ coordinator will also decide the timing of database
  releases.  The release itself today consists of several tar files
  that are downloaded from a well known location.</t>
<t>Moving forward, the TZ database SHOULD be signed prior to release
  using a well known key, along with any appropriate supporting
  information and distributed from a well known
  location that is advertised by IANA in a manner of its choosing.
</t>
</section>
<section title="Selecting or Replacing a TZ Coordinator">
<t>From time to time it will be necessary to appoint a TZ
  Coordinator.  This could occur for a number of reasons:
</t>
<t>
<list style="symbols">
<t>The coordinator is retiring (as Arthur Olson is) or has announced that
  he or she will be unable to continue to perform the function;</t>
<t>The coordinator is missing or has died;</t>
<t>The coordinator is not performing the function in accordance with
  community wishes.</t>
</list>
</t>
<t>In any of these cases, members of the community should raise the
  issue on the TZ list.  If a rough consensus can be formed easily,
  and quickly, then the results should be presented to the IESG for
  comment and review.  In keeping with <xref target="RFC5226" />, the
  IESG selects the TZ coordinator(s).  The IESG will use rough
  consensus of the TZ mailing list as their 
  primary guide to further action, when it exists, and whatever other
  means they have at their disposal, when rough consensus cannot be
  found.  As RFC-5226 states, the IESG is not a normal avenue
  for appeals of specific decisions of the coordinator, but rather a
  last resort when a coordinator is thought not to be functioning in
  an appropriate way.
</t>
<t>N.B., the coordinator is a function, and may be filled by one OR
  MORE people, as the community sees fit.
</t>
</section>
<section title="Maintenance and Distribution of Reference Code">
<t>
Currently the maintainer of the TZ database also maintains reference
code, most of which is public domain.  Several files from this
software are currently distributed under license.  No change shall be
made to licenses, where they exist. IANA shall allow for the
downloading of this reference code.  The reference implementation
shall be distributed along with an associated 
cryptographic signature of an identity that IANA will publish.
</t>
</section>
<section title="Database Ownership">
<t>
The database itself is public domain.  Should claims be made and
substantiated against the database, the IANA will act in accordance
with all competent court orders.  No ownership claims will be made by
IANA, the IETF Trust, or ISOC on the database or the code.
</t>

</section>
<section title="IANA Considerations">
<t>
The IANA will assist the IESG, as required, in filling of the TZ
Coordinator, based on the procedures set forth above.  The IANA will
act as a repository for the TZ database and associated reference code.
The database coordinator will be named by the IESG as described above,
and will act as the maintainer of the database and code, as described
above.  The IANA will provide the TZ coordinator with appropriate
access to maintain the database, as well as necessary tooling that may
be required, so long as no direct software costs are incurred.  Both
current and historical versions of the database will be stored and
distributed via HTTP/HTTPs.  IANA will be operationally responsible
for the security of the system upon which the database resides.
</t>
<t>The IANA will also maintain a cryptographic identity that is used
  to sign the database, and that will survive a change of
  coordinators.
</t>
</section>
<section title="Security Considerations">
<t>The distribution of the database is currently not secured.  This
  memo states that moving forward the TZ database SHOULD be
  distributed with a valid cryptographic signature.
</t>
</section>
<section title="Acknowledgments">
<t>
The authors would like to thank the TZ mailing list for their
remarkable achievements over the many years.  Thanks also to Marshall
Eubanks, S. Moonesamy, Peter Saint-Andre, Alexey Melenkov, and Tony
Finch for the improvements they made to this document.  A special
acknowledgment should be given to Arthur David Olson for his excellent
stewardship.
</t>
</section>
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</middle>
<back>

<references title="Normative References">
<?rfc include="reference.RFC.2119" ?>
<?rfc include="reference.RFC.5226" ?>
<reference anchor="TZDB" target="http://www.twinsun.com/tz/tz-link.htm">
<front>
<title>Sources for Time Zone and Daylight Saving Time Data</title>
    <author fullname="Paul Eggert" initials="P" surname="Eggert">
      <organization>UCLA</organization>
    </author>
    <author fullname="Arthur David Olson" initials="A.D."
    surname="Olson">
    <organization>National Institutes of Health"</organization>
    </author>
</front>
</reference>
</references>
<!-- <references title="Informational References">
</references> -->
<section title="Changes">
<t>
<list style="symbols">
<t>01: Proper reference to RFC5226, add acknowledgments, several
  rewordings.</t>
<t>Initial Revision</t>
</list>
</t>
</section>
</back>
</rfc>