Guidelines to Authors of Internet Drafts

The Internet-Drafts Directories are available to provide authors with
the ability to distribute and solicit comments on documents they plan to
submit as a Request for Comments (RFC). Submissions to the Directories
should be sent to ``internet-drafts@nri.reston.va.us''.

Internet Drafts are not an archival document series.  These documents
should not be cited or quoted from in any formal document.  Unrevised
documents placed in the Internet-Drafts Directories have a maximum life
of six months.  After that time, they must be submitted to the IESG or
the RFC editor, or they will be deleted.  After a document becomes an
RFC, it will be replaced in the Internet-Drafts Directories with an
announcement to that effect for an additional six months.

Internet Drafts are generally in the format of an RFC, although it is
expected that the documents may be ``rough'' drafts.  This format is
specified fully in RFC 1111.  In brief, an Internet Draft shall be
submitted in ASCII text, limited to 72 characters per line and 58 lines
per page followed by a formfeed character.  Overstriking to achieve
underlining is not acceptable.

Postscript is acceptable, but only when submitted with a matching ASCII
version (even if figures must be deleted).  Postscript should be
formatted for use on 8.5x11 inch paper.  If A4 paper is used, use an
image area or less than 10 inches high should be used to avoid printing
extra pages when printed on 8.5x11 paper.

There are differences between the RFC and Internet Draft format.  The
Internet Drafts are NOT RFC's and are NOT a numbered document series.
The words ``INTERNET DRAFT'' should appear in the upper left hand corner
of the first page.  The document should NOT refer to itself as an RFC or
a Draft RFC.

The Internet Draft should neither state nor imply that it is a Proposed
Standard.  To do so conflicts with the role of the IAB, the RFC Editor
and the IESG. The title of the document should not infer a status.
Avoid the use of the terms Standard, Proposed, Draft, Experimental,
Historical, Required, Recommended, Elective, or Restricted in the title
of the Internet Draft.  All Internet Draft should include a section
containing the following verbatim statement:



     This document is an Internet Draft.  Internet Drafts are
     working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force
     (IETF), its Areas, and its Working Groups.  Note that other
     groups may also distribute working documents as Internet
     Drafts.
     Internet Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six
     months.  Internet Drafts may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted
     by other documents at any time.  It is not appropriate to use
     Internet Drafts as reference material or to cite them other

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     than as a ``working draft'' or ``work in progress.''
     Please check the 1id-abstracts.txt listing contained in the
     internet-drafts Shadow Directories on nic.ddn.mil,
     nnsc.nsf.net, nic.nordu.net, ftp.nisc.sri.com, or munnari.oz.au
     to learn the current status of any Internet Draft.


The document should have an abstract section, containing a two-to-three
paragraph description suitable for referencing, archiving, and
announcing the document.  This abstract will be used in the id-abstracts
index and in the announcement of the Draft.  The abstract should follow
the ``Status of this Memo'' section.

A document expiration date must appear on the first and last page of the
Internet Draft.  The expiration date is always six months following the
submission of the document as an Internet Draft.  Authors can calculate
the six month period by adding 5 days to the date when the final version
is completed.  This should be more than enough to cover the time needed
to send the document or notification of the document's availability to
internet-drafts@nri.reston.va.us.

If the Internet Draft is lengthy, please include on the second page, a
table of contents to make the document easier to reference.



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