Distributed File Systems
charter-ietf-dfs-01

Trans- and inter-continental distributed file systems are upon us. The
consequences to the Internet of distributed file system protocol design and
implementation decisions are sufficiently dire that we need to investigate
whether the protocols being deployed are really suitable for use on the
Internet. There's some evidence that the opposite is true, e.g., some
distributed file systems protocols don't checksum their data,
don't use reasonable MTUs, don't offer credible authentication or
authorization services, don't attempt to avoid congestion, etc.
Accordingly, a Working Group on DFS has been formed by the IETF. The
Working Group will attempt to define guidelines for ways that distributed file
systems should make use of the network, and to consider whether any
existing distributed file systems are appropriate candidates for
Internet standardization. The Working Group will also take a look at the
various file system protocols to see whether they make data more vulnerable.
This is a problem that is especially severe for Internet users, and a
place where the IETF may wish to exert some influence, both on vendor
offerings and user expectations.