1. Introduction

There are thousands of networks in the internet. There are tens of thousands of host machines. There are hundreds of thousands of users. It takes a great deal of effort to manage the resources and protocols which make the Internet possible. Sites may have people who get paid to manage their hardware and software. But the infrastructure of the Internet is managed by volunteers who spend considerable portions of their valued time to keep the people connected.

Hundreds of people attend the three IETF meetings each year. They represent the government, the military, research institutions, educational institutions, and vendors from all over the world. Most of them are volunteers; people who attend the meetings to learn and to contribute what they know. There are a few very special people who deserve special notice. These are the people who sit on the IAB, IESG, and IRSG. Not only do they spend time at the meetings, but they spend additional time to organize them. They are the IETF's interface to other standards bodies and to the funding institutions. Without them, the IETF, indeed the whole Internet, would not be possible.