IPv4 LL to RFC - ZEROCONF WG to close

The latest draft (17) of the specification has been accepted as a
proposed standard and has entered the RFC editor's queue.  The official
announcement will appear shortly.

I want to thank the numerous working group contributors, past and
present, who have both improved the document and engaged in a lively and
enlightening discussion about the nature and impact of local address
configuration.  I have learned a great deal and am extremely grateful to
have had the opportunity to coordinate this effort over the past five
years. 

I extend special appreciation to Stuart Cheshire.  His initial efforts
to establish this protocol proved decisive for our understanding and
design.  The document as it stands today remains largely intact from his
initial careful crafting.  He has assured that work on additional
caveats and context remain workable and consistent with the initial
vision.  His fastidious contributions are apparent throughout.  It has
been a pleasure and a privilege to work with Stuart through this
entire process. 

Regarding the matter of the intellectual property claim from Apple:
The patent expires this August.  I therefore suggest that this should
not present a concern to implementors of the standard.  I leave thorough
and legally cogent analysis of this statement to lawyers, however.  I
hope that you share my opinion that the "Dynamic Configuration of IPv4
Link-Local Addresses" is ready for general adoption as an IETF proposed
standard.  This seemed to be the prevalent opinion on the WG mailing
list when the matter was last discussed.

Pending any ongoing discussion of the intellectual property associated
with the specification over the next week, I will request that the
ZEROCONF WG be concluded.

Thanks again for all your hard work and congratulations for seeing this
important project through to completion.

All the best in your future endeavors!

Erik Guttman