| Number | Files | Title | Authors | Date | More Info | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFC 3967, BCP 97 | Clarifying when Standards Track Documents may Refer Normatively to Documents at a Lower Level | R. Bush, T. Narten | December 2004 | Updated by RFC 4897, RFC 8067, Errata | Best Current Practice | |
| RFC 4897, BCP 97 | Handling Normative References to Standards-Track Documents | J. Klensin, S. Hartman | June 2007 | Updates RFC 3967, Errata | Best Current Practice | |
| RFC 8067, BCP 97 | Updating When Standards Track Documents May Refer Normatively to Documents at a Lower Level | B. Leiba | January 2017 | Updates RFC 3967 | Best Current Practice |
Abstract of RFC 3967
IETF procedures generally require that a standards track RFC may not have a normative reference to another standards track document at a lower maturity level or to a non standards track specification (other than specifications from other standards bodies). For example, a standards track document may not have a normative reference to an informational RFC. Exceptions to this rule are sometimes needed as the IETF uses informational RFCs to describe non-IETF standards or IETF-specific modes of use of such standards. This document clarifies and updates the procedure used in these circumstances. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.
Abstract of RFC 4897
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and Request for Comments (RFC) Editor have a long-standing rule that a document at a given maturity level cannot be published until all of the documents that it references as normative are at that maturity level or higher. This rule has sometimes resulted in very long publication delays for documents and some claims that it was a major obstruction to advancing documents in maturity level. The IETF agreed on a way to bypass this rule with RFC 3967. This document describes a simpler procedure for downward references to Standards-Track and Best Current Practice (BCP) documents, namely "note and move on". The procedure in RFC 3967 still applies for downward references to other classes of documents. In both cases, annotations should be added to such References. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.
Abstract of RFC 8067
RFC 3967 specifies a process for allowing normative references to documents at lower maturity levels ("downrefs"), which involves calling out the downref explicitly in the Last Call notice. That requirement has proven to be unnecessarily strict, and this document updates RFC 3967, allowing the IESG more flexibility in accepting downrefs in Standards Track documents.
For the definition of Status, see RFC 2026.
For the definition of Stream, see RFC 8729.