Bridging IETF and RIPE - From Standards to Operations and back

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) works on developing the voluntary standards that underpin the global Internet. These standards influence operational practices, network architecture, and protocol evolution. Yet, it is the RIPE community that brings these standards to life through deployment, often encountering unforeseen operational challenges.

This session will begin with a concise overview of key new developments at the IETF, including drafts, BoFs, new working groups, and topics currently gaining traction within the community. Special attention will be given to areas of direct relevance to network operators, such as security, DNS, IPv6, and routing.

Building on this, the session will then explore a central question: how can the RIPE community and the IETF improve coordination and cooperation?

Confirmed participants include members of IETF leadership: IAB (Dhruv, Yaroslav, Mathew) & IESG (Gorry, Éric)—who will deliver the overview, along with contributors active in both the IETF and RIPE communities who will participate in the discussion.

This BoF aims to facilitate an open discussion around:

• How can operational experience from the RIPE community better inform IETF work? How can feedback loops from deployment back into standards be improved?
• What are effective channels for sharing IETF developments with operators at RIPE?
• Is deeper participation in the IETF a worthwhile investment for network operators, and how can barriers be reduced?
• How should IETF and RIPE coordinate in Internet Governance (IG) spaces when representing the technical community?

The goal is not to reach consensus, but to better understand expectations, identify gaps, and explore practical ways to strengthen engagement between the two communities.