RFC - 2119
Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Level
| Original: | ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc2119.txt |
|---|---|
| Authors: | S. Bradner [Harvard University] |
| Date: | March 1997 |
| Category: | Best Current Practice [ BCP-14 ] |
| Referred by: | 1592 RFC |
| Refers to: | 0 RFC |
Status
This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
In many standards track documents several words are used to signify the requirements in the specification. These words are often capitalized. This document defines these words as they should be interpreted in IETF documents. Authors who follow these guidelines should incorporate this phrase near the beginning of their document:
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.
Note that the force of these words is modified by the requirement level of the document in which they are used.
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prepared by Miloslav Nic
- the founder of Zvon.org and Law-Ref.org
- the head of B.Sc. program Informatics and chemistry [in Czech]
- the founder of Lidem.org - Volby 2006 - parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic [in Czech]
- the chief consultant of the publishing house ICT Press
- and Pavel Srb, a student of B.Sc. program Informatics and chemistry