1.3 A Quick Checklist Upfront

1.3 A Quick Checklist Upfront

It's useful to be familiar with this document as a whole. But when you return for quick reference, here are checklists for the most common things you'll need to do and references to help with the less common ones.

In general...

1. Put all the information that IANA will need to know into the "IANA Considerations" section of your document (see Section 1.1).

2. Try to keep that section only for information to IANA and to designated expert reviewers; put significant technical information in the appropriate technical sections of the document (see Section 1.1).

3. Note that the IESG has the authority to resolve issues with IANA registrations. If you have any questions or problems, you should consult your document shepherd and/or working group chair, who may ultimately involve an Area Director (see Section 3.3).

If you are creating a new registry...

1. Give the registry a descriptive name and provide a brief description of its use (see Section 2.2).

2. Identify any registry grouping that it should be part of (see Section 2.1).

3. Clearly specify what information is required in order to register new items (see Section 2.2). Be sure to specify data types, lengths, and valid ranges for fields.

4. Specify the initial set of items for the registry, if applicable (see Section 2.2).

5. Make sure the change control policy for the registry is clear to IANA, in case changes to the format or policies need to be made later (see Sections 2.3 and 9.5).

6. Select a registration policy -- or a set of policies -- to use for future registrations (see Section 4, and especially note Sections 4.11 and 4.12).

7. If you're using a policy that requires a designated expert (Expert Review or Specification Required), understand Section 5 and provide review guidance to the designated expert (see Section 5.3).

8. If any items or ranges in your registry need to be reserved for special use or are otherwise unavailable for assignment, see Section 6.

If you are registering into an existing registry...

1. Clearly identify the registry by its exact name and optionally by its URL (see Section 3.1).

2. If the registry has multiple ranges from which assignments can be made, make it clear which range is requested (see Section 3.1).

3. Avoid using specific values for numeric or bit assignments, and let IANA pick a suitable value at registration time (see Section 3.1). This will avoid registration conflicts among multiple documents.

4. For "reference" fields, use the document that provides the best and most current documentation for the item being registered. Include section numbers to make it easier for readers to locate the relevant documentation (see Sections 3.1 and 7).