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IETF Internet-Draft Submission

Draft: draft-kokalovic-solar-time-ixdtf-00
File: docs/draft-timenow-solar-time-ixdtf-00.xml

1. Install xml2rfc

pip install xml2rfc
xml2rfc --version   # should print xml2rfc 3.x.x

2. Validate and Render Locally

cd docs/

# Validate against RFC 7991 schema and render to text
xml2rfc draft-timenow-solar-time-ixdtf-00.xml --text

# Also produce HTML version for review
xml2rfc draft-timenow-solar-time-ixdtf-00.xml --html

Fix any warnings before submitting. The tool exits non-zero on errors.

3. Online Validation (IETF Author Tools)

Upload the XML at:

https://author-tools.ietf.org

Click "Check" — this runs idnits and the full RFC editor pre-flight. Resolve all ERROR and WARNING items before proceeding.

Key checks idnits enforces:

  • Boilerplate text matches current IETF Trust language
  • Abstract does not contain references
  • All RFC citations are in the References section
  • Document name in <rfc docName=...> matches the file name
  • Expiry date is six months from the posted date

4. Rename to IETF Naming Convention

The IETF convention is:

draft-{author-lastname}-{topic}-{version}

For this draft:

draft-kokalovic-solar-time-ixdtf-00

The repo internal name draft-timenow-solar-time-ixdtf-00.xml is fine for development; update the docName attribute in the XML before uploading to Datatracker.

5. Submit to IETF Datatracker

https://datatracker.ietf.org/submit/

  • Upload the .xml file (preferred) or the .txt output.
  • Select "Individual Submission" — this does not require WG sponsorship.
  • Confirm your email address; Datatracker will email you a confirmation link.
  • The draft will appear publicly within minutes.

6. Suggested Target Working Group

WG Name Why
CALEXT Calendar Extensions Extends RFC 9557 (IXDTF), which is a CALEXT product
TZDIST Time Zone Data Distribution Alternative; focused on timezone data delivery

Recommended first step: post to CALEXT mailing list: calext@ietf.org (subscribe at https://mailman3.ietf.org/mailman3/lists/calext.ietf.org/)

7. DISPATCH Mailing List

If you are unsure which WG to target, post to the DISPATCH list:

dispatch@ietf.org

Sample DISPATCH Email

Subject: [DISPATCH] draft-kokalovic-solar-time-ixdtf-00 — Solar Time IXDTF Key

Hi,

I have posted an Individual Submission proposing a new IXDTF extension key
"solar" under RFC 9557:

  https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-kokalovic-solar-time-ixdtf-00/

The draft proposes annotating UTC timestamps with WGS84 coordinates so that
local apparent solar time can be computed algorithmically, without a timezone
database. The primary motivation is the systematic civil-to-solar misalignment
that can exceed 180 minutes in places like Kashgar, China.

Reference implementation: https://github.com/koke1997/timenow

Ivan Kokalovic

8. Individual Submission Note

An Individual Submission requires no WG sponsorship and no pre-existing IETF relationship. The full process is:

  1. Post XML to Datatracker → draft gets draft-kokalovic-... number.
  2. Email relevant WG list with a brief introduction.
  3. If WG shows interest, they may adopt the draft as a WG item.
  4. If not, progress as an Independent Submission via the RFC Editor.

9. Version Bump Workflow

Each revision increments the trailing counter:

draft-kokalovic-solar-time-ixdtf-00  ← initial
draft-kokalovic-solar-time-ixdtf-01  ← after first round of WG comments

Update both the docName attribute in the XML and the <date> element before each upload.

For the TimeNow project — https://github.com/koke1997/timenow