One document matched: draft-lear-iana-timezone-database-02.xml

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<rfc ipr="trust200902" category="bcp"
     docName="draft-lear-iana-timezone-database-02" >

<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="2011" />

<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>
Timezone information serves as a basic protocol element in
protocols, such as the calendaring suite and DHCP.  The Timezone (TZ)
Database specifies the indices used in various protocols, as well as
their semantic meanings, 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 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>
The IETF has specified several standards that make use of timezone
information.  Timezone names are used in DHCP to configure devices
with correct local time <xref target="RFC4833" />.  Timezone names can
appear in the TZID field of VEVENTs <xref target="RFC5545" />.  The
      normative reference for these values is
      the <xref target="TZDB">TZ Database</xref>.
Since the early 1980s, that database, which has been in use on nearly
      all UNIX systems, Java systems, and other sorts of systems has
      been hosted at the National Institutes of Health.  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 who 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.
</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 IANA has for quite some time had the capability to maintain
  designated expert 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 saving 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 coordinator is an IANA Designated
Expert, as defined in Section 3.2 of <xref target="RFC5226" />.
Roughly speaking, this 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 and 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 IANA mail server.
The TZ coordinator will continue to manage the list.  While the TZ
coordinator may establish other rules of governance for the list,
members of that list will be informed that a condition of
participating on the list is that all contributions to the
list are released to the public domain, and that by placing their
contribution in the public domain, contributors waive
forever any intellectual property claims.
</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.
</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 archive files
  that are downloaded from a well known location.</t>
<t>Moving forward, the TZ database and supporting code 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>
<t>The criteria for updates to the database are as follows:
</t>
<t>
<list style="numbers">
<t>New keys are only to be created when the region a key was
  envisioned to cover is not accurately reflected by an existing key.
</t>
<t>In order to correct historical inaccuracies, a new key MAY be added
  when it is necessary to indicate what was the consensus view at given
  time and location.  Such keys are usually not added when the
  inaccuracy was prior to 1970.
</t>
<t>Changes to existing entries SHALL reflect the consensus on the
  ground in the region covered by that entry.
</t>
</list>
</t>
<t>To be clear, the TZ coordinator SHALL NOT set timezone policy
  policy for a region but use judgment and whatever available sources
  exist to assess what the average person on street would think the
  time actually is, or in case of historical corrections, was.
</t>
</section>
<section title="Selecting or Replacing a TZ Coordinator">
<t>From time to time it will be necessary to appoint a new 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.  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.</t>
</section>
<section title="Appealing Database Decisions">
<t>The TZ coordinator makes decisions based
  on expertise, as well as with guidance from the TZ mailing lists.
  While individual decisions MAY be appealed to the IESG, the IESG
  MUST give great deference to the designated expert in its
  considerations.  In particular, apellants MUST show material harm
  from the decision, and that the decision is materially in error.
  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.  Where they exist,
licenses SHALL NOT be changed. 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 or the IETF Trust on the database or the code.  Any
person making a contribution to the database or code waives all rights
to future claims.
</t>

</section>
<section title="IANA Considerations">
<t>
The IANA SHALL assist the IESG, as required, in filling of the TZ
Coordinator, based on the procedures set forth above.  The IANA SHALL
act as a repository for the TZ database and associated reference code.
The database coordinator SHALL be named by the IESG as described above,
and will act as the maintainer of the database and code, as described
above.  The IANA SHALL 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 SHALL 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, Tony
Finch, Elwin Davies, Alfred Hoenes, and Ted Hardie 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.4833" ?>
<?rfc include="reference.RFC.5226" ?>
<?rfc include="reference.RFC.5545" ?>
<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>02: Separate out from RFC5226 a bit; Simplify language around
  submissions; host list to IANA;
  spelling corrections; clarify here and there.</t>
<t>01: Proper reference to RFC5226, add acknowledgments, several
  rewordings.</t>
<t>Initial Revision</t>
</list>
</t>
</section>
</back>
</rfc>