The role of open standards
At the same time, the open source community needs to see the continued value of open standards. The IETF is starting to see a large influx of new work that is already implemented in open source, has several interoperating implementations, and is deployed in some number of networks. What should the IETF do with this work? Simply accept it? Or is there some need here to channel common problems towards common solutions to preserve some sort of cohesion within the networking community? If the latter, then what set of organizations are likely to be able to play this sort of channeling function? Open standards organizations, such as the IETF, should spring immediately to mind.
This channeling effort is, of course, bound to be seen by some as blocking useful work that could be done much faster. But what is the alternative? To allow a “thousand flowers to bloom,” and hence have a thousand systems to learn, support, and manage? Are we better off deploying an entirely new solution for every problem or building on existing solutions? Of course, the answer is going to be, “It depends.”
But this isn’t an academic question. Rather, it’s a question that needs to be answered urgently if we’re to prevent the networking industry from breaking into an almost unlimited number of different solutions tailored to narrow problems. The problem disaggregation poses is precisely its strength: It allows a particular network to solve a particular set of problems in a way that is unique to that individual network. This is a double-edged sword that must be managed with care.
Somehow we must balance between the particular and the general, between reusing common solutions where possible, inventing new ones where needed, and knowing when to share. This last point — knowing when to share — also requires something else: a place to share. The best place is bound to be a strong community of people who have been working on similar problems across many years, who know how to integrate new ideas and to simply say “no thanks” when a solution seems too narrowly focused..
This, to me, seems like the way forward. That doesn't mean I know how it should work; it just means there is a connection between yet another problem area and open standards that wasn’t readily apparent before. It also means, however, that if you want to be part of the solution, you need to be involved in these organizations.
Get involved
The Register questioned whether the IETF old guard will step aside, and also whether there will be new blood to carry the work forward. I hope the answer is that the old and the new are blended in a way that successfully transfers the wisdom of the old guard to the new. If we can’t accomplish this, then our work may not be in vain, but it will need to be repeated. It would be a shame if there wasn't new blood. In fact, this is where you, dear reader, come into the picture.
The IETF doesn’t have a secret initiation rite designed to only select geniuses who are then allowed to consider the problems of the networking world. Rather, it’s actually made up of normal, everyday engineers who care about the future of the Internet and the ecosystem that surrounds it. Why aren’t you the new blood we need to help build better networks?
Join an IETF mailing list today. Jump in and participate. It doesn't matter if you can't come to the meetings. It doesn't matter if you make a fool of yourself a couple of times—feel free to look through the archives; I’ve been making a fool of myself on IETF lists for 15 years, and I’m likely to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.
But we all need to participate if we want to move the industry forward.
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