Protocol Testing BOF (PROTTEST) Reported by Peter Desnoyers/Midnight Networks Purpose The BOF started off with a description of the possible goals of the session -- determining guidelines and definitions related to testing, for testers, implementors, RFC writers, or some combination of the above. After a brief discussion of how to structure a testing guide (by splitting into definitions and methodology, a la BMWG) the discussion turned to protocol testability, with an emphasis on what could be done in the future to prevent certain problems from recurring. Discussion A statement of the problem which this effort was trying to solve was proposed by Mike O'Dell and agreed on: There is a consensus that [Internet Protocol] specifications would benefit from clarity, rationale, precision, and completeness. There exists a body of knowledge, tools, and experience that can be brought to bear on this problem. To help alleviate this problem it is proposed to produce a guidelines document which collects this knowledge and presents it in a way useful to RFC writers. Some mention was made of the possible use of formal methods in the specification of future Internet Protocols, such as SDL as used by the ITU. There was little support for this approach at this time, however. Further discussion concerned the organization and content of the document. There was some discussion of whether the document should be produced as an Informational or standards track RFC; the opinion of the Area Directors was that a standards track document would be much more useful. The approach for the document was described as a ``Strunk and White'' for RFC authors, giving definitions, guidelines, and a list of heuristic rules to consult to help avoiding common mistakes in specification. Action Items It was decided to charter a working group to pursue this effort. Art Mellor volunteered to chair, and Peter Desnoyers will be the document editor. After some discussion the mailing list for the group was named `stdguide,' as the content had strayed somewhat from the original topic of protocol testing. A charter will be written for the group and posted to this list for discussion.