Subject: Protocol Action: 'Registration procedures for message header fields' to BCP

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 11:23:11 -0500

The IESG has approved the following document:

- 'Registration procedures for message header fields '
   <draft-klyne-msghdr-registry-07.txt> as a BCP

This document has been reviewed in the IETF but is not the product of an
IETF Working Group. 

The IESG contact person is Ned Freed.

Technical Summary
 
 This specification defines registration procedures for the message
 header field names used by Internet mail, HTTP, newsgroup feeds and
 other Internet applications.

 Benefits of a central registry for message header field names
 include:

   o  providing a single point of reference for standardized and widely-
      used header field names;

   o  providing a central point of discovery for established header
      fields, and easy location of their defining documents;

   o  discouraging multiple definitions of a header field name for
      different purposes;

   o  helping those proposing new header fields discern established
      trends and conventions, and avoid names that might be confused
      with existing ones;

   o  encouraging convergence of header field name usage across multiple
      applications and protocols.

Working Group Summary
 
 This has been reviewed in the IETF on the [email-masked] maiing list
 but is not the product of an IETF Working Group.
 
Protocol Quality
 
 Ned Freed reviewed the document for the IESG.

RFC Editor note

  Please add a new section 3, Registry usage requirements, that says:

   RFCs defining new header fields for Internet mail, HTTP, or MIME
   MUST include appropriate header registration templates(s) (as
   given in Section 3.2) for all headers defined in the document in their
   IANA considerations section. Use of the header registry MAY be
   mandated by other protocol specifications, however, in the absence
   of such a mandate use of the registry is not required.

  In section 3.2.1 "An header" should be "A header".

  The third paragraph of section 3.4 should be changed to read:

    Publication in an RFC or other form of Open Standard
    document (per RFC 2026 [1], section 7) is sufficient grounds for
    publication in the permanent registry.

  At the end of the IANA considerations section replace the text

    Initial header registrations are provided by the following companion
    documents:

    o  For mail message headers: Registration of mail header fields [41]

    o  For HTTP message headers: Registration of HTTP header fields [42]

    No initial entries are provided for the provisional registry.

  with

    No initial registry entries are provided.

  and delete [41] and [42] from the references section.