The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the protocol engineering and development arm of the Internet. The IETF is a large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. It is open to any interested individual. The actual technical work of the IETF is done in its working groups, which are organized by topic into several areas (e.g., routing, network management, security, etc.). Much of the work is handled via mailing lists, however, the IETF also holds meetings three times per year.
The internal management of the IETF is handled by the area directors. Together with the Chair of the IETF, they form the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). The operational management of the Internet standards process is handled by the IESG under the auspices of the Internet Society . The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) is a body of the Internet Society responsible for overall architectural considerations in the Internet. It also serves to adjudicate disputes in the standards process.