The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) is “a committee of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and an advisory body of the Internet Society (ISOC). Its responsibilities include architectural oversight of IETF activities, Internet Standards Process oversight and appeal, and the appointment of the Request for Comments (RFC) Editor. The IAB is also responsible for the management of the IETF protocol parameter registries.”
The body which eventually became the IAB was created originally by the United States Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency with the name Internet Configuration Control Board in 1979. Later, in 1983, the ICCB was reorganized by Dr. Barry Leiner, Vint Cerf’s successor at DARPA, around a series of task forces considering different technical aspects of internetting. The re-organized group was named the Internet Activities Board. It finally became the Internet Architecture Board, under ISOC, during January 1992, as part of the Internet’s transition from a U.S.-government entity to an international, public entity.
The IAB is responsible for:
- Providing architectural oversight of Internet protocols and procedures
- Liaising with other organizations on behalf of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
- Reviewing appeals of the Internet standards process
- Managing Internet standards documents (the RFC series) and protocol parameter value assignment
- Confirming the Chair of the IETF and the IETF Area Directors
- Selecting the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) Chair
- Acting as a source of advice and guidance to the Internet Society.