Moving Critical Tools


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Below are the milestones for transitioning volunteer-­‐managed (or vendor-­‐ managed) tools to management by the IETF Secretariat. Depending on the particular tool, some phases of the transition process may be skipped.

Phase 1

Initial Deliverables

  1. The Secretariat will receive a complete copy of the code, the files, any associated data or databases as well as any/all documentation. This is so that the Secretariat can begin to examine the code in an offline environment.


  2. Secretariat should have the opportunity to review the tool in action wherever it is currently housed, to see how it functions. This is essential to make sure that the Secretariat understands how to minimize disruption in the tool’s transition.


  3. Answers to some basic questions will be supplied via a questionnaire. Questions to include the following: Is the tool currently maintained? If so, who is the point of contact / shepherd for the tool? Where is the tool currently staged? What sensitivities do we need to be aware of as we prepare for transition? How frequently is the tool used? How many people use the tool regularly? What are the known dependencies of the tool?


  4. Original developer / current maintainer will verify that he will be available for a period of time to provide assistance in the transition.


Phase 2

Analysis

  1. Secretariat will conduct a thorough analysis of supplied code, documentation and answers to questionnaire.

  2. Secretariat will stage the tool on internal server, to get an idea of if /how it functions in the Secretariat environment.


  3. Secretariat to conduct initial testing / debugging to insure that the tool is as functional as possible.


  4. Secretariat to report back on status of tool and provide estimate of remaining time need to fully transition the tool.

Phase 3

Beta Testing


  1. Secretariat will send a message to IETF-­‐Announce to solicit the assistance of community members who regularly use the tool. Secretariat to create specific email list for discussion of tool and issues related to it. (Also issue tracker? Wiki?) Community to perform aggressive testing of the newly transitioned tool to identify remaining issues or problems.


  2. Secretariat will address problems discovered during beta testing.


  3. Secretariat will continue to manage the testing process until determination that all bugs have been found and corrected.


Phase 4

Socializing the transition


  1. Secretariat will report to Tools Team / IAOC that tool is ready to move


  2. Secretariat will provide, in writing, an estimated timeline of how the move will take. Will also communicate any other unusual aspects of the tool transition (i.e. Will outage be necessary? Will other tools be impacted?)

  3. Secretariat will get input on how /when to announce and make the transition. Phase 5

The Transition

1) The Secretariat will perform the transition as requested by the IAOC. Phase 6

Follow Up


  1. Secretariat to speak with the prior tool owner / maintainer, to ensure that we have all appropriate engineering and user documentation, so that Secretariat is equipped to manage the tool moving forward.


  2. Secretariat will notify the prior tool owner that their copy of the tool should be deactivated, and that all future questions about the tool should be forwarded to the Secretariat.