RFC Submission Preparation for RDCP v1.0

[mojoatomic]

RFC Submission Preparation for RDCP v1.0

Labels: rfc, standardization, documentation
Milestone: RFC Submission Q1 2026

Overview

This issue tracks the work to submit the Runtime Debug Control Protocol (RDCP) to the IETF as an Experimental RFC. The specification is ~80% ready; remaining work is primarily formatting, IETF process, and community engagement.

Target: Experimental RFC (9–12 months)
Status: Preparation Phase
Priority: High
Stream: IETF (individual draft, pursue ART/OPS review via DISPATCH or AD-sponsorship; fall back to Independent stream if needed)

Scope / Out of Scope

• In scope: xml2rfc v3 sources, security/IANA sections, examples, tooling (idnits), community reviews, draft submissions.
• Out of scope: SDK implementation details, non-normative tutorial content (lives on docs site), post-v1 protocol changes.

Current Status

✅ Completed

• Core protocol specification (RDCP v1.0)
• RFC 2119/8174 keywords applied
• Security considerations (baseline)
• Error handling and codes defined
• Multi-tenancy model
• Three-tier security model (basic/standard/enterprise)
• Compliance levels
• Data types and validation (schemas)

🚧 In Progress

• RFC boilerplate (Abstract, Status of Memo, Copyright)
• Expanded Security Considerations (threat model, DoS, replay)
• IANA Considerations (all registries)
• xml2rfc v3 conversion
• Normative vs Informative references split
• Example messages and use cases

📋 Not Started

• Community review rounds (ART/DISPATCH and relevant lists)
• Internet-Draft submission (draft--rdcp-00)
• IESG review process
• IANA registrations
• RFC Editor processing

Work Items (with acceptance criteria)

1. Complete Missing RFC Sections

• Abstract (200–300 words), Status of Memo boilerplate, updated Security Considerations
• IANA Considerations:
  • Well-Known URI: /.well-known/rdcp (RFC 8615)
  • Media Type: application/vnd.rdcp.v1+json
  • Error Code Registry (initial set)
  • Authentication Method Registry (api-key, bearer, mtls, hybrid)
  • Authorization Scope Registry (discovery, status, control, admin)
• References split
  Acceptance: xml2rfc validates; idnits clean; all boilerplate present.

2. xml2rfc v3 Conversion

• Canonical source: rdcp-spec.xml (v3).
• Sections: Intro, Architecture, AuthZ/AuthN, Multi-tenancy, Endpoints (discovery/control/status/health/metrics), Errors, Security, IANA, Compliance, References.
• Examples: request/response message bodies and headers.
  Acceptance: xml2rfc --validate passes; --text and --html generated; tables and references render cleanly.

3. Submission & Process

• Create IETF Datatracker account
• Pre-submission reviews (2–3 technical; 1 security-focused)
• Run idnits; resolve findings
• Post draft-00; announce on apps-discuss@ietf.org (or suitable list); consider DISPATCH presentation
  Acceptance: draft-00 posted; announcement sent; follow-up plan for -01/-02.

4. Community & IANA

• Track comments; address DISCUSS positions post-AD assignment
• Coordinate registry creation with IANA; confirm entries
  Acceptance: IANA actions assigned and confirmed; community feedback tracked and resolved.

Tooling

• xml2rfc: https://xml2rfc.tools.ietf.org/
• idnits: https://tools.ietf.org/tools/idnits/
• Datatracker: https://datatracker.ietf.org/submit/
• RFC Editor Style Guide: https://www.rfc-editor.org/styleguide/

Suggested Directory Structure

rfc-submission/

• README.md (this issue content or summary)
• missing-sections.md (Abstract, expanded Security, IANA, references split)
• rdcp-spec.xml (xml2rfc v3)
• submission-checklist.md (steps, tools, timelines)
• CHANGELOG.md (draft iteration log)
• reviews/.gitkeep (review notes)

References (normative/informative)

• Normative: RFC 2119/8174 (keywords), RFC 8259 (JSON), RFC 9110/9112 (HTTP semantics/1.1), RFC 8446 (TLS 1.3), RFC 8615 (Well-Known URIs), RFC 3339 (date-time)
• Informative: RFC 7807 (problem details), RFC 7519 (JWT), RFC 6749 (OAuth 2.0)

Next Steps

Immediate (this week)

• Create rfc-submission/ with placeholders
• Save missing-sections.md, rdcp-spec.xml (skeleton), submission-checklist.md
• Finalize Abstract; outline remaining endpoint sections
• Add reference implementation links (read-only)

Short Term (next 2 weeks)

• Run xml2rfc and idnits
• 2–3 reviewer passes incl. security review
• Address feedback; prepare draft-00

Medium Term (next month)

• Submit draft-00; announce on mailing list(s)
• Set up feedback tracking; prepare drafts -01/-02

Long Term (3–6 months)

• Iterate based on feedback; request IESG publication (Experimental)
• Complete IANA actions; RFC Editor processing

Decisions Needed

• Track: Experimental (recommended) vs alternatives
• Authors/affiliations; contact email
• Reference implementation and interop posture
• Primary POC for IETF comms; time availability/commitment

Success Metrics

• Draft published; reviewers engaged (≥3)
• IESG approval; DISCUSS cleared
• RFC published (Experimental)

Related Issues

• Reference implementation status [TBD]
• Test suite development [TBD]
• Security audit [TBD]

---

Last updated: 2025-10-03