How to create an IANA registry and populate it from non-IETF specs

The IANA gidebook for spec-writers is RFC5226:   
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5226

section 4 [0] details how one creates a registry, though it is vague  
regarding whether one must write an RFC to create a registry.  So I  
asked IANA [1] , and the answer is that an RFC is required in order to  
create an IANA registry.  Though note: that does not mean that one  
must initially populate the registry using the Internet-Draft/RFC that  
creates the registry, nor, if some items are initially inserted in the  
registry by the registry-creating-RFC, the details regarding those  
items may be defined by yet other non-IETF specs.

For example, I have found an IANA registry created by some  
W3C-affiliated folks, where the RFC creating it specifies the registry  
particulars per RFC5226 section 4 [0], competely defines and registers  
one registry entry, and registers four other entries which are defined  
in other non-IETF specs. See: RFC7294 "The Profile URI Registry"    
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7284 .   Note that this RFC was  
submitted via the "independent" submission process (aka the  
"independent RFC stream"), matching IANA's recommendation below [1].

The latter registry is here:

   https://www.iana.org/assignments/profile-uris/profile-uris.xhtml


For further example, I found a couple of other IANA registries that  
have been partially populated via W3C specs..

   https://www.iana.org/assignments/xml-security-uris/xml-security-uris.xhtml

   http://www.iana.org/assignments/link-relations/link-relations.xhtml


In conclusion:  It is relatively straightforward to create an IANA  
registry via the the "independent" submission stream  
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/about/independent/>. It does take some  
time for the necessary Internet-Draft  (aka RFC-to-be) to wind through  
the process, but it does not require forming a working group or too  
much heavy-weight process.  Also, one can create a registry that  
refers to non-IETF specs for the details of the registered items.

HTH

=JeffH

[0] https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5226#section-4

[1]
On Thu May 19 16:55:52 2016, jeff.hodges@paypal.com wrote:

I'm curious about how a non-IETF SDO (eg the W3C) might create an
IANA-managed registry ?
Is it sufficient to have an IANA considerations section (meeting the
requirements defined in https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5226#section-4)
in a W3C spec that is promoted to W3C Recommendation level and that
you folks are subsequently pointed at, or, is it best process-wise to
write a Internet-draft defining the registry and referencing the
spec(s) in the other SDO, and promote that to RFC?

On 5/23/16, 12:44 PM, "Michelle Cotton via RT"  
<iana-questions@iana.org> wrote:

The IANA Considerations would need to be in an RFC.
You can submit an independent RFC via the following:

https://www.rfc-editor.org/about/independent/

There is currently no other process available for adding registries at  
this time.

Received on Wednesday, 25 May 2016 00:50:31 UTC