RFC1206

Network Working Group G. Malkin Request for Comments: 1206 FTP Software, Inc. FYI: 4 A. Marine Obsoletes: RFC 1177 SRI

                                                       February 1991

                  FYI on Questions and Answers
    Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User" Questions

Status of this Memo

This FYI RFC is one of two FYI's called, "Questions and Answers" (Q/A), produced by the User Services Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The goal is to document the most commonly asked questions and answers in the Internet.

This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does not specify any standard. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Introduction

New users joining the Internet community have the same questions as did everyone else who has ever joined. Our quest is to provide the Internet community with up to date, basic Internet knowledge and experience, while moving the redundancies away from the electronic mailing lists so that the lists' subscribers do not have to read the same queries and answers over and over again.

Future updates of this memo will be produced as User Services members

become aware of additional questions that should be included, and of deficiencies or inaccuracies that should be amended in this document. An additional FYI Q/A will be published which will deal with intermediate and advanced Q/A topics.

The Q/A mailing lists are maintained by Gary Malkin at FTP.COM. They are used by a subgroup of the User Services Working Group to discuss the Q/A FYIs. They include:

[email protected] This is a discussion mailing list. Its

                       primary use is for pre-release review of
                       the Q/A FYIs.

[email protected] This is how you join the quail mailing list.

[email protected] This is a write-only list which serves as a

                       repository for candidate questions and answers.
                       It is not necessary to be on the quail mailing
                       list to forward to the quail-box.

Acknowledgements

The following people deserve thanks for their help and contributions to this FYI Q/A: Vint Cerf (CNRI), Ralph Droms (Bucknell), Tracy LaQuey Parker (UTexas), Craig Partridge (SICS), Jon Postel (ISI), Joyce K. Reynolds (ISI), Karen Roubicek (BBNST), Marty Schoffstall (PSI, Inc.), Patricia Smith (Merit), Gene Spafford (Purdue) and James Van Bokkelen (FTP Software, Inc.).

Questions About the Internet

What is the Internet?

  The Internet is a large collection of networks (all of which run
  the TCP/IP protocols) that are tied together so that users of any
  of the networks can use the network services provided by TCP/IP to
  reach users on any of the other networks.  The Internet started
  with the ARPANET, but now includes such networks as NSFNET,
  NYSERnet, and thousands of others.  There are other major wide
  area networks, such as BITNET and DECnet networks, that are not
  based on the TCP/IP protocols and are thus not part of the
  Internet.  However, it is possible to communicate between them and
  the Internet via electronic mail because of mail gateways that act
  as "translators" between the different network protocols involved.

  Note: You will often see "internet" with a small "i".  This could
  refer to any network built based on TCP/IP, or might refer to
  networks using other protocol families that are composites built

  of smaller networks.

I just got on the Internet. What can I do now?

  You now have access to all the resources you are authorized to use
  on your own Internet host, on any other Internet host on which you
  have an account, and on any other Internet host that offers
  publicly accessible information.  The Internet gives you the
  ability to move information between these hosts via file
  transfers.  Once you are logged into one host, you can use the
  Internet to open a connection to another, login, and use its
  services interactively (this is known as remote login or
  "TELNETTING".  In addition, you can send electronic mail to users
  at any Internet site and to users on many non-Internet sites that
  are accessible via electronic mail.

  There are various other services you can use.  For example, some
  hosts provide access to specialized databases or to archives of
  information.  The Internet Resource Guide provides information
  regarding some of these sites.  The Internet Resource Guide lists
  facilities on the Internet that are available to users.  Such
  facilities include supercomputer centers, library catalogs and
  specialized data collections.  The guide is published by the NSF
  Network Service Center (NNSC) and is continuously being updated.
  The Resource Guide is distributed free via e-mail (send a note to
  [email protected] to join the e-mail
  distribution) and via anonymous FTP (in nnsc.nsf.net:resource-
  guide/*).  Hardcopy is available at a nominal fee (to cover
  reproduction costs) from the NNSC.  Call the NNSC at 617-873-3400
  for more information.

How do I find out if a site has a computer on the Internet?

  Three good sources to consult are "!%@:: A Directory of Electronic
  Mail Addressing and Networks" by Donnalyn Frey and Rick Adams;
  "The User's Directory of Computer Networks", by Tracy LaQuey; and
  "The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems
  Worldwide", by John Quarterman.

  In addition, it is possible to find some information about
  Internet sites in the WHOIS database maintained at the DDN NIC at
  SRI International.  The DDN NIC (Defense Data Network, Network
  Information Center) provides an information retrieval interface to
  the database that is also called WHOIS.  To use this interface,
  TELNET to NIC.DDN.MIL and type "whois" (carriage return).  No
  login is necessary.  Type "help" at the whois prompt for more
  information on using the facility.  WHOIS will show many sites,
  but may not show every site registered with the DDN NIC (simply

  for reasons having to do with how the program is set up to search
  the database).

Questions About TCP/IP

What is TCP/IP?

  TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) [4,5,6]
  is the common name for a family of over 100 data-communications
  protocols used to organize computers and data-communications
  equipment into computer networks.  TCP/IP was developed to
  interconnect hosts on ARPANET, PRNET (packet radio), and SATNET
  (packet satellite).  All three of these networks have since been
  retired; but TCP/IP lives on.  It is currently used on a large
  international network of networks called the Internet, whose
  members include universities, other research institutions,
  government facilities, and many corporations.  TCP/IP is also
  sometimes used for other networks, particularly local area
  networks that tie together numerous different kinds of computers
  or tie together engineering workstations.

What are the other well-known standard protocols in the TCP/IP family?

  Other than TCP and IP, the three main protocols in the TCP/IP
  suite are the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) [8], the File
  Transfer Protocol (FTP) [3], and the TELNET Protocol [9].  There
  are many other protocols in use on the Internet.  The Internet
  Activities Board (IAB) regularly publishes an RFC [2] that
  describes the state of standardization of the various Internet
  protocols.  This document is the best guide to the current status
  of Internet protocols and their recommended usage.

Questions About the Domain Name System

What is the Domain Name System?

  The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical, distributed method
  of organizing the name space of the Internet.  The DNS
  administratively groups hosts into a hierarchy of authority that
  allows addressing and other information to be widely distributed
  and maintained.  A big advantage to the DNS is that using it
  eliminates dependence on a centrally-maintained file that maps
  host names to addresses.

What is a Fully Qualified Domain Name?

  A Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) is a domain name that

  includes all higher level domains relevant to the entity named.
  If you think of the DNS as a tree-structure with each node having
  its own label, a Fully Qualified Domain Name for a specific node
  would be its label followed by the labels of all the other nodes
  between it and the root of the tree.  For example, for a host, a
  FQDN would include the string that identifies the particular host,
  plus all domains of which the host is a part up to and including
  the top-level domain (the root domain is always null).  For
  example, PARIS.NISC.SRI.COM is a Fully Qualified Domain Name for
  the host at 192.33.33.109.  In addition, NISC.SRI.COM is the FQDN
  for the NISC domain.

Questions About Internet Documentation

What is an RFC?

  The Request for Comments documents (RFCs) are working notes of the
  Internet research and development community.  A document in this
  series may be on essentially any topic related to computer
  communication, and may be anything from a meeting report to the
  specification of a standard.  Submissions for Requests for
  Comments may be sent to the RFC Editor, Jon Postel
  ([email protected]).

  Most RFCs are the descriptions of network protocols or services,
  often giving detailed procedures and formats for their
  implementation.  Other RFCs report on the results of policy
  studies or summarize the work of technical committees or
  workshops.  All RFCs are considered public domain unless
  explicitly marked otherwise.

  While RFCs are not refereed publications, they do receive
  technical review from either the task forces, individual technical
  experts, or the RFC Editor, as appropriate.  Currently, most
  standards are published as RFCs, but not all RFCs specify
  standards.

  Anyone can submit a document for publication as an RFC.
  Submissions must be made via electronic mail to the RFC Editor.
  Please consult RFC 1111, "Instructions to RFC Authors" [10], for
  further information.  RFCs are accessible online in public access
  files, and a short message is sent to a notification distribution
  list indicating the availability of the memo.  Requests to be
  added to this distribution list should be sent to RFC-
  [email protected].

  The online files are copied by interested people and printed or
  displayed at their sites on their equipment.  (An RFC may also be

  returned via electronic mail in response to an electronic mail
  query.) This means that the format of the online files must meet
  the constraints of a wide variety of printing and display
  equipment.

  Once a document is assigned an RFC number and published, that RFC
  is never revised or re-issued with the same number.  There is
  never a question of having the most recent version of a particular
  RFC.  However, a protocol (such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP))
  may be improved and re-documented many times in several different
  RFCs.  It is important to verify that you have the most recent RFC
  on a particular protocol.  The "IAB Official Protocol Standards"
  [2] memo is the reference for determining the correct RFC to refer
  to for the current specification of each protocol.

How do I obtain RFCs?

  RFCs can be obtained via FTP from NIC.DDN.MIL, with the pathname
  RFC:RFCnnnn.TXT or RFC:RFCnnnn.PS (where "nnnn" refers to the
  number of the RFC).  Login using FTP, username "anonymous" and
  password "guest".  The NIC also provides an automatic mail service
  for those sites which cannot use FTP.  Address the request to
  [email protected] and in the subject field of the message
  indicate the RFC number, as in "Subject: RFC nnnn" (or "Subject:
  RFC nnnn.PS" for PostScript RFCs).

  RFCs can also be obtained via FTP from NIS.NSF.NET.  Using FTP,
  login with username "anonymous" and password "guest"; then connect
  to the RFC directory ("cd RFC").  The file name is of the form
  RFCnnnn.TXT-1 (where "nnnn" refers to the number of the RFC).  The
  NIS also provides an automatic mail service for those sites which
  cannot use FTP.  Address the request to [email protected] and
  leave the subject field of the message blank.  The first line of
  the text of the message must be "SEND RFCnnnn.TXT-1", where nnnn
  is replaced by the RFC number.

  Requests for special distribution should be addressed to either
  the author of the RFC in question, or to [email protected].  SRI
  International operates NIC.DDN.MIL and has a hardcopy subscription
  service for RFCs as well as several publications which incorporate
  a selection of RFCs defining Internet standards.  Unless
  specifically noted otherwise on the RFC itself, all RFCs are for
  unlimited distribution.

How do I obtain a list of RFCs?

  The NIC maintains a file that is an index of the RFCs.  It lists
  each RFC, starting with the most recent, and for each RFC provides

  the number, title, author(s), issue date, and number of hardcopy
  pages.  In addition, it lists the online formats (PostScript or
  ASCII text) for each RFC and the number of bytes each such version
  is online on the NIC.DDN.MIL host.  If an RFC is also an FYI, that
  fact is noted, with the corresponding FYI number.  (There is a
  parallel FYI Index available).  Finally, the Index notes whether
  or not an RFC is obsoleted or updated by another RFC, and gives
  the number of that RFC, or if an RFC itself obsoletes or updates
  another RFC, and gives that RFC number.  The index is updated
  online each time an RFC is issued.

  This RFC Index is available online from the NIC.DDN.MIL host as
  RFC:RFC-INDEX.TXT.  The FYI Index is online as FYI:FYI-INDEX.TXT.
  It is also available from the NIC in hardcopy for $10, as are
  individual RFCs.  Call the NIC at 1-800-235-3155 for help in
  obtaining the file.

Which RFCs are Standards?

  See "IAB Official Protocol Standards" (currently, RFC 1140) [2].

What is an Internet Draft? Are there any guidelines available for writing one?

  Internet Drafts (I-D's) are the current working documents of the
  IETF.  Internet Drafts are generally in the format of an RFC with
  some key differences:

     -  The Internet Drafts are not RFC's and are not a numbered
        document series.

     -  The words INTERNET-DRAFT appear in place of RFC XXXX
        in the upper left-hand corner.

     -  The document does not refer to itself as an RFC or as a
        Draft RFC.

     -  An Internet Draft does not state nor imply that it is a
        proposed standard.  To do so conflicts with the role of
        the IAB, the RFC Editor, and the Internet Engineering
        Steering Group (IESG).

  An Internet Drafts Directory has been installed to make available,
  for review and comment by the IETF members, draft documents that
  will be submitted ultimately to the IAB and the RFC Editor to be
  considered for publishing as an RFC.  The Internet Drafts
  Directories are maintained primarily at the NSFNET Network Service
  Center (NNSC).  There are several "shadow" machines which contain

  the IETF and Internet Drafts Directories.  They are:

     NSF Network Service Center:  nnsc.nsf.net
     DDN NIC:  nic.ddn.mil
     Pacific Rim:  munnari.oz.au
     Europe:  nic.nordu.net (192.36.148.17)

  To access these directories, use anonymous FTP.  Login with
  username, "anonymous", password, "guest".  Once logged in, change
  to the directory, "cd internet-drafts".  Internet Draft files can
  then be retrieved.

  For further information on the Internet Drafts of the IETF, or if
  you have problems with retrieving Internet Draft documents,
  contact Megan Davies ([email protected]) or Greg Vaudreuil
  ([email protected]) for assistance.

How do I obtain OSI Standards documents?

  OSI Standards documents are NOT available from the Internet via
  anonymous FTP due to copyright restrictions.  These are available
  from:

     Omnicom Information Service
     501 Church Street NE
     Suite 304
     Vienna, VA  22180  USA
     Telephone: (800) 666-4266 or (703) 281-1135
     Fax: (703) 281-1505

  However, the GOSIP specification which covers the use of OSI
  protocols within the U.S. Government is available from the NIC and
  from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
  The final text of GOSIP Version 2 is now available from both
  sites.  Version 2 is expected to become a Federal Information
  Processing Standard (FIPS) in early 1991.

  Online sources:

     Available through anonymous ftp from osi.ncsl.nist.gov
     (129.6.48.100) as:

            ./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.txt        -- ascii
            ./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.txt.Z      -- ascii compressed
            ./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.ps         -- PostScript
            ./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.ps.Z       -- PostScript compressed

     Available through anonymous ftp from nic.ddn.mil (192.67.67.20)
     as:

             PROTOCOLS:GOSIP-V2.TXT        -- ascii
             PROTOCOLS:GOSIP-V2.PS         -- PostScript
     Hardcopy sources:

    Standards Processing Coordinator (ADP)
    National Institute of Standards and Technology
    Technology Building, Room B-64
    Gaithersburg, MD  20899
    (301) 975-2816

    Network Information Systems Center
    SRI International, Room EJ291
    333 Ravenswood Ave.
    Menlo Park, CA  94025
    1-800-235-3155

Questions about Internet Organizations and Contacts

What is the IAB?

  The Internet Activities Board (IAB) is the coordinating committee
  for Internet design, engineering and management [7].  IAB members
  are deeply committed to making the Internet function effectively
  and evolve to meet a large scale, high speed future.  The chairman
  serves a term of two years and is elected by the members of the
  IAB.  The current Chair of the IAB is Vint Cerf.  The IAB focuses
  on the TCP/IP protocol suite, and extensions to the Internet
  system to support multiple protocol suites.

  The IAB performs the following functions:

     1)   Sets Internet Standards,

     2)   Manages the RFC publication process,

     3)   Reviews the operation of the IETF and IRTF,

     4)   Performs strategic planning for the Internet, identifying
          long-range problems and opportunities,

     5)   Acts as an international technical policy liaison and
          representative for the Internet community, and

     6)   Resolves technical issues which cannot be treated within
          the IETF or IRTF frameworks.

  The IAB has two principal subsidiary task forces:

     1)  Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

     2)  Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)

  Each of these Task Forces is led by a chairman and guided by a
  Steering Group which reports to the IAB through its chairman.  For
  the most part, a collection of Research or Working Groups carries
  out the work program of each Task Force.

  All decisions of the IAB are made public.  The principal vehicle
  by which IAB decisions are propagated to the parties interested in
  the Internet and its TCP/IP protocol suite is the Request for
  Comments (RFC) note series and the Internet Monthly Report.

What is the IANA?

  The task of coordinating the assignment of values to the
  parameters of protocols is delegated by the Internet Activities
  Board (IAB) to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
  These protocol parameters include op-codes, type fields, terminal
  types, system names, object identifiers, and so on.  The "Assigned
  Numbers" Request for Comments (RFC) [1] documents the currently
  assigned values from several series of numbers used in network
  protocol implementations.  Internet addresses and Autonomous
  System numbers are assigned by the Network Information Center at
  SRI International.  This responsibility has been delegated by the
  IANA to the DDN NIC which serves as the Internet Registry.  The
  IANA is located at USC/Information Sciences Institute.

  Current types of assignments listed in Assigned Numbers and
  maintained by the IANA are:

     Address Resolution Protocol Parameters
     ARPANET and MILNET X.25 Address Mappings
     ARPANET and MILNET Logical Addresses
     ARPANET and MILNET Link Numbers
     BOOTP Parameters and BOOTP Extension Codes
     Domain System Parameters
     IANA Ethernet Address Blocks
     Ethernet Numbers of Interest
     IEEE 802 Numbers of Interest
     Internet Protocol Numbers
     Internet Version Numbers
     IP Time to Live Parameter
     IP TOS Parameters
     Machine Names

     Mail Encryption Types
     Multicast Addresses
     Network Management Parameters
     Point-to-Point Protocol Field Assignments
     PRONET 80 Type Numbers
     Port Assignments
     Protocol and Service Names
     Protocol/Type Field Assignments
     Public Data Network Numbers
     Reverse Address Resolution Protocol Operation Codes
     TELNET Options
     Terminal Type Names
     Unix Ports
     X.25 Type Numbers

  For more information on number assignments, contact [email protected].

What is a NIC? What is a NOC?

  "NIC" stands for Network Information Center.  It is an
  organization which provides network users with information about
  services provided by the network.

  "NOC" stands Network Operations Center.  It is an organization
  that is responsible for maintaining a network.

  For many networks, especially smaller, local networks, the
  functions of the NIC and NOC are combined.  For larger networks,
  such as mid-level and backbone networks, the NIC and NOC
  organizations are separate, yet they do need to interact to fully
  perform their functions.

What is "The NIC"?

  "The NIC" is the Defense Data Network, Network Information Center
  (DDN NIC) at SRI International, which is a network information
  center which holds a primary repository for RFCs and Internet
  Drafts.  The host name is NIC.DDN.MIL.  Shadow copies of the RFCs
  and the Internet Drafts are maintained by the NSFNET on
  NIS.NSF.NET.

  The DDN NIC also provides various user assistance services for DDN
  users; contact [email protected] or call 1-800-235-3155 for more
  information.  In addition, the DDN NIC is the Internet
  registration authority for the root domain and several top and
  second level domains; maintains the official DoD Internet Host
  Table; is the site of the Internet Registry (IR); and maintains
  the WHOIS database of network users, hosts, domains, networks, and

  Points of Contact.

What is the IR?

  The Internet Registry (IR) is the organization that is responsible
  for assigning identifiers, such as IP network numbers and
  autonomous system numbers, to networks.  The IR also gathers and
  registers such assigned information.  The IR may, in the future,
  allocate the authority to assign network identifiers to other
  organizations; however, it will continue to gather data regarding
  such assignments.  At present, the DDN NIC at SRI International
  serves as the IR.

What is the IETF?

  The Internet has grown to encompass a large number of widely
  geographically dispersed networks in academic and research
  communities.  It now provides an infrastructure for a broad
  community with various interests.  Moreover, the family of
  Internet protocols and system components has moved from
  experimental to commercial development.  To help coordinate the
  operation, management and evolution of the Internet, the IAB
  established the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

  The IETF is chaired by Phill Gross and managed by its Internet
  Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  The IETF is a large open
  community of network designers, operators, vendors, and
  researchers concerned with the Internet and the Internet protocol
  suite.  It is organized around a set of several technical areas,
  each managed by a technical area director.  In addition to the
  IETF Chairman, the area directors make up the IESG membership.

  The IAB has delegated to the IESG the general responsibility for
  making the Internet work and for the resolution of all short- and
  mid-range protocol and architectural issues required to make the
  Internet function effectively.

What is the IRTF?

  To promote research in networking and the development of new
  technology, the IAB established the Internet Research Task Force
  (IRTF).

  In the area of network protocols, the distinction between research
  and engineering is not always clear, so there will sometimes be
  overlap between activities of the IETF and the IRTF.  There is, in
  fact, considerable overlap in membership between the two groups.
  This overlap is regarded as vital for cross-fertilization and

  technology transfer.

  The IRTF is a community of network researchers, generally with an
  Internet focus.  The work of the IRTF is governed by its Internet
  Research Steering Group (IRSG).  The chairman of the IRTF and IRSG
  is David Clark.

Questions About Services

How do I find someone's electronic mail address?

  There are a number of directories on the Internet; however, all of
  them are far from complete.  The largest directories are the WHOIS
  database at the DDN NIC, the PSInet White Pages, and KNOWBOT.
  Generally, it is still necessary to ask the person for his or her
  email address.

How do I use the WHOIS program at the DDN NIC?

  To use the WHOIS program to search the WHOIS database at the DDN
  NIC, TELNET to the NIC host, NIC.DDN.MIL.  There is no need to
  login.  Type "whois" to call up the information retrieval program.
  Next, type the name of the person, host, domain, network, or
  mailbox for which you need information.  If you are only typing
  part of the name, end your search string with a period.  Type
  "help" for a more in-depth explanation of what you can search for
  and how you can search.  If you have trouble, send a message to
  [email protected] or call 1-800-235-3155.  Bug reports can be sent
  to [email protected] and suggestions for improvements to the
  program can be sent to [email protected].

How do I become registered in the DDN NIC's WHOIS database?

  If you would like to be listed in the WHOIS database, you must
  have an electronic mailbox accessible from the Internet.  First
  obtain the file NETINFO:USER-TEMPLATE.TXT.  You can either
  retrieve this file via anonymous FTP from NIC.DDN.MIL or get it
  through electronic mail.  To obtain the file via electronic mail,
  send a message to [email protected] and put the file name in the
  subject line of the message; that is, "Subject: NETINFO USER-
  TEMPLATE.TXT".  The file will be returned to you overnight.

  Fill out the name and address information requested in the file
  and return it to [email protected].  Your application will be
  processed and you will be added to the database.  Unless you are
  an official Point of Contact for a network entity registered at
  the DDN NIC, the DDN NIC will not regularly poll you for updates,
  so you should remember to send corrections to your information as

  your contact data changes.

How do I use the White Pages at PSI?

  Performance Systems International, Inc. (PSI), sponsors a White
  Pages Pilot Project that collects personnel information from
  member organizations into a database and provides online access to
  that data.  This effort is based on the OSI X.500 Directory
  standard.

  To access the data, TELNET to WP.PSI.COM and login as "fred" (no
  password is necessary).  You may now look up information on
  participating organizations.  The program provides help on usage.
  For example, typing "help" will show you a list of commands,
  "manual" will give detailed documentation, and "whois" will
  provide information regarding how to find references to people.
  For a list of the organizations that are participating in the
  pilot project by providing information regarding their members,
  type "whois -org *".

  For more information, send a message to [email protected].

How do I use the Knowbot Information Service?

  The Knowbot Information Service is a white pages "meta-service"
  that provides a uniform interface to heterogeneous white pages
  services in the Internet.  Using the Knowbot Information Service,
  you can form a single query that can search for white pages
  information from the NIC WHOIS service, the CSNET WHOIS service,
  the PSI White Pages Pilot Project, and MCI Mail, among others, and
  have the responses displayed in a single, uniform format.

  Currently, the Knowbot Information Service can be accessed through
  TELNET to port 185 on hosts nri.reston.va.us and sol.bucknell.edu.
  From a UNIX host, use "telnet nri.reston.va.us 185".  There is
  also an electronic mail interface avaliable by sending mail to
  netaddress at either nri.reston.va.us or sol.bucknell.edu.

  The commands "help" and "man" summarize the command interface.
  Simply entering a user name at the prompt searches a default list
  of Internet directory services for the requested information.
  Organization and country information can be included thorgh the
  syntax: "[email protected]".  For example, the queries
  "droms@bucknell" and "[email protected]" are both valid.  Note that
  these are not Domain Names, but rather a syntax to specify an
  organization and a country for the search.

  The default list of directory services currently includes the

  whois services at the SRI NIC and the CSNET NIC and the white
  pages service for MCIMail.  If an organization is specified, the
  PSI X.500 service is also searched.  Other services can be
  requested explicitly.

What is Usenet? What is Netnews?

  Usenet and Netnews are common names of a distributed computer
  bulletin board system that some computers on the Internet
  participate in.  It is not strictly an Internet service: many
  computers not on the Internet also participate.  Netnews can be a
  valuable tool to economize what might otherwise be a large volume
  of traffic from electronic mailing lists.

How do I get on Usenet? How do I get Netnews on my computer?

  To get on Usenet, you must acquire the software, which is
  available for some computers at no cost from some anonymous FTP
  sites across the Internet, and you must find an existing Usenet
  site that is willing to support a connection to your computer.  In
  many cases, this "connection" merely represents additional traffic
  over existing Internet access channels.

What is anonymous FTP?

  Anonymous FTP is a conventional way of allowing you to sign on to
  a computer on the Internet and copy specified public files from it
  [3].  Some sites offer anonymous FTP to distribute software and
  various kinds of information.  You use it like any FTP, but the
  username is "anonymous".  Many systems will allow any password and
  request that the password you choose is your userid.  If this
  fails, the generic password is usually "guest".

What is "TELNET"?

  The term "TELNET" refers to the remote login that's possible on
  the Internet because of the TELNET Protocol [9].  The use of this
  term as a verb, as in "telnet to a host" means to establish a
  connection across the Internet from one host to another.  Usually,
  you must have an account on the remote host to be able to login to
  it once you've made a connection.  However, some hosts, such as
  those offering white pages directories, provide public services
  that do not require a personal account.

Mailing Lists

What is a mailing list?

  A mailing list is really nothing more than an alias that has
  multiple destinations.  Mailing lists are usually created to
  discuss specific topics.  Anybody interested in that topic, may
  (usually) join that list.  Some mailing lists have membership
  restrictions, others have message content restrictions, and still
  others are moderated.  Most large, "public" mailing lists, such as
  IETF and TCP-IP, have an additional mail address to which requests
  to be added or deleted may be sent.  Usually, these are of the
  form listname-request.

  There is a "list-of-lists" file available on the host
  ftp.nisc.sri.com that lists most of the major mailing lists,
  describes their primary topics, and explains how to subscribe to
  them.  The file is available for anonymous ftp in the netinfo
  directory as interest-groups (that is, the path is:
  netinfo/interest-groups).  It can also be obtained via electronic
  mail.  Send a message to [email protected] with the body of
  the message reading, "Send netinfo/interest-groups" and the file
  will be returned in moderate size pieces via electronic mail.

How do I contact the administrator of a mailing list rather than posting to the entire list?

  For every mailing list mentioned in the "interest-groups" file, there
  is a description of how to join the list or send other such
  administrative messages to the person in charge of the list.  In
  general, however, it is usually safe to assume that you can send a
  message to an address in the format of ListName-request@domain.  The
  convention of having a parallel mailbox conforming to the
  "-request" format is very widely followed.  All administrative
  messages regarding using, joining, or quitting the list should be
  sent to that mailbox instead of to the whole list so that the readers
  of the list don't have to read them.

What are some good mailing lists or news groups?

  The TCP-IP, IETF, and RFC Distribution lists are primary lists for new
  Internet users who desire further information about current and
  emerging developments in the Internet.  The first two lists are
  unmoderated discussion lists, and the latter is an announcement
  service used by the RFC Editor.

How do I subscribe to the TCP-IP mailing list?

  To be added to the TCP-IP mailing list, send a message to:

        [email protected]

How do I subscribe to the IETF mailing list?

  To be added to the IETF mailing list, send a message to:

        [email protected]

How do I subscribe to the RFC Distribution list?

  To be added to the RFC Distribution list, send a message to:

        [email protected]

10. Miscellaneous "Internet lore" questions

What does :-) mean?

  In many electronic mail messages, it is sometimes useful to
  indicate that part of a message is meant in jest.  It is also
  sometimes useful to communicate emotion which simple words do not
  readily convey.  To provide these nuances, a collection of "smiley
  faces" has evolved.  If you turn your head sideways to the left,
  :-) appears as a smiling face.  Some of the more common faces are:

     :-)  smile

     :)   also a smile

     :-D  laughing

     :-}  grin

     :-]  smirk

     :-(  frown

     ;-)  wink

     8-)  wide-eyed

     :-X  close mouthed

     :-o  oh, no!

What do "btw", "fyi", "imho", "wrt", and "rtfm" mean?

  Often commmon expressions are abbreviated in informal network
  postings.  These abbreviations stand for "by the way", "for your
  information", "in my humble [or honest] opinion", "with respect
  to", and "read the f*ing manual" (with the "f" word varying
  according to the vehemence of the reader).

What is the "FAQ" list?

  This list provides answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" that
  often appear on various Usenet newsgroups.  The list is posted
  every four to six weeks to the news.announce.newusers group.  It
  is intended to provide a background for new users learning how to
  use the news.  As the FAQ list provide new users with the answers
  to such questions, it helps keep the newsgroups themselves
  comparatively free of repetition.  Often specific newsgroups will
  have and frequently post versions of a FAQ list that are specific
  to their topics.

  Other information is also routinely posted.  Here are the subject
  lines of several general information postings provided on Usenet:

     Answers to Frequently Asked Questions  (the "FAQ" list)
     Introduction to news.announce
     Rules for posting to Usenet
     How to Create a New Newsgroup
     How to Create a New Trial Newsgroup
     A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community
     Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette
     Hints on writing style for Usenet
     USENET Software: History and Sources
     List of Active Newsgroups
     Alternative Newsgroup Hierarchies
     How to Construct the Mailpaths File
     Regional Newsgroup Hierarchies
     List of Moderators
     Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists
     List of Periodic Informational Postings
     How to Get Information about Networks
     A Guide to Social Newsgroups and Mailing Lists

11. Suggested Reading

For further information about the Internet and its protocols in general, you may choose to obtain copies of the following works:

  Bowers, K., T. LaQuey, J. Reynolds, K. Roubicek, M. Stahl, and A.
  Yuan, "Where to Start - A Bibliography of General Internetworking
  Information", RFC 1175, FYI 3, CNRI, U Texas, ISI, BBN, SRI,
  Mitre, August 1990.

  Comer, D., "Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols,
  and Architecture", Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1989.

  Krol, E., "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Internet", RFC 1118,
  University of Illinois Urbana, September 1989.

12. References

[1] Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", RFC 1060,

   USC/Information Sciences Institute, March 1990.

[2] Postel, J., Editor, "IAB Official Protocol Standards", RFC 1140,

   Internet Activities Board, May 1990.

[3] Postel, J., and J. Reynolds, "File Transfer Protocol (FTP), RFC

   959, USC/Information Sciences Institute, October 1985.

[4] Postel, J., "Internet Protocol - DARPA Internet Program Protocol

   Specification", RFC 791, DARPA, September 1981.

[5] Postel, J., "Transmission Control Protocol - DARPA Internet

   Program Protocol Specification", RFC 793, DARPA, September 1981.

[6] Leiner, B., R. Cole, J. Postel, and D. Mills, "The DARPA Internet

   Protocol Suite", IEEE INFOCOM85, Washington D.C., March 1985.
   Also in IEEE Communications Magazine, March 1985.  Also as
   ISI/RS-85-153.

[7] Cerf, V., "The Internet Activities Board" RFC 1160, CNRI, May

   1990.

[8] Postel, J., "Simple Mail Transport Protocol", RFC 788,

   USC/Information Sciences Institute, November 1981.

[9] Postel, J., and J. Reynolds, "TELNET Protocol Specification", RFC

   854, USC/Information Sciences Institute, May 1983.

 [10] Postel, J., "Request for Comments on Request for Comments -
   Instructions to RFC Authors", RFC 1111, USC/Information Sciences
   Institute, August 1989.

13. Condensed Glossary

As with any profession, computers have a particular terminology all their own. Below is a condensed glossary to assist in making some sense of the Internet world.

ACM Association for Computer Machinery

       A group established in 1947 to promote professional
       development and research on computers.

address There are two separate uses of this term in internet

       networking: "electronic mail address" and "internet
       address".   An electronic mail address is the string
       of characters that you must give an electronic mail
       program to direct a message to a particular person.
       See "internet address" for its definition.

AI Artificial Intelligence

       The branch of computer science which deals with the
       simulation of human intelligence by computer systems.

AIX Advanced Interactive Executive

       IBM's version of Unix.

ANSI American National Standards Institute

       A group that certifies organizations which develop U.S.
       standards for the information processing industry.  ANSI
       accredited groups participate in defining network protocol
       standards.

ARP Address Resolution Protocol

       An Internet protocol which runs on Ethernet and all IEEE
       802.X LANs which maps internet addresses to MAC addresses.

ARPA Advanced Research Projects Agency

       The former name of what is now called DARPA.

ARPANET Advanced Research Projects Agency Network

       A pioneering long haul network funded by ARPA.  It
       served as the basis for early networking research as
       well as a central backbone during the development of
       the Internet.  The ARPANET consisted of individual
       packet  switching computers interconnected by leased lines.

AS Autonomous System

       A collection of gateways (routers) under a single
       administrative authority using a common Interior Gateway
       Protocol for routing packets.

ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange

B Byte

       One character of information, usually eight bits wide.

b bit - binary digit

       The smallest amount of information which may be stored
       in a computer.

BBN Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc.

       The Cambridge, MA company responsible for development,
       operation and monitoring of the ARPANET, and later,
       the Internet core gateway system, the CSNET Coordination
       and Information Center (CIC), and NSFNET Network
       Service Center (NNSC).

BITNET Because It's Time Network

       BITNET has about 2,500 host computers, primarily at
       universities, in many countries.  It is managed by
       EDUCOM, which provides administrative support and
       information services.  There are three
       main constituents of the network: BITNET in the United
       States and Mexico, NETNORTH in Canada, and EARN in
       Europe.  There are also AsiaNet, in Japan, and
       connections in South America.  See CREN.

bps bits per second

       A measure of data transmission speed.

BSD Berkeley Software Distribution

       Term used when describing different versions
       of the Berkeley UNIX software, as in "4.3BSD
       UNIX".

catenet A network in which hosts are connected to networks

       with varying characteristics, and the networks
       are interconnected by gateways (routers).  The
       Internet is an example of a catenet.

CCITT International Telegraph and Telephone

       Consultative Committee

core gateway

       Historically, one of a set of gateways (routers)
       operated by the Internet Network Operations Center
       at BBN.  The core gateway system forms a central part

       of Internet routing in that all groups had to advertise
       paths to their networks from a core gateway.

CREN The Corporation for Research and Educational Networking

       BITNET and CSNET have recently merged to form CREN.

CSNET Computer + Science Network

       A large data communications network for institutions doing
       research in computer science.   It uses several different
       protocols including some of its own.  CSNET sites include
       universities, research laboratories, and commercial
       companies.  See CREN.

DARPA U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

       The government agency that funded the ARPANET and later
       started the Internet.

datagram

       The unit transmitted between a pair of internet modules.
       The Internet Protocol provides for transmitting blocks of
       data, called datagrams, from sources to destinations.
       The Internet Protocol does not provide a reliable
       communication facility.  There are no acknowledgements
       either end-to-end or hop-by-hop.  There is no error
       control for data, only a header checksum.  There are
       no retransmissions.  There is no flow control.  See IP.

DCA Defense Communications Agency

       The government agency responsible for installation of
       the Defense Data Network (DDN), including the ARPANET
       and MILNET lines and PSNs.  Currently, DCA administers
       the DDN, and supports the user assistance and network
       registration services of the DDN NIC.

DDN Defense Data Network

       Comprises the MILNET and several other DoD networks.

DDN NIC The network information center at SRI International.

       It is the primary repository for RFCs and Internet Drafts,
       as well as providing other services.

DEC Digital Equipment Corporation

DECnet Digital Equipment Corporation network

       A networking protocol for DEC computers and network devices.

default route

       A routing table entry which is used to direct any data
       addressed to any network numbers not explicitly listed
       in the routing table.

DNS The Domain Name System is a mechanism used in

       the Internet for translating names of host computers
       into addresses.  The DNS also allows host computers
       not directly on the Internet to have registered
       names in the same style, but returns the electronic
       mail gateway which accesses the non-Internet network
       instead of an IP address.

DOD U.S. Department of Defense

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

dot address (dotted address notation)

       Dot address refers to the common notation for Internet
       addresses of the form A.B.C.D; where each letter represents,
       in decimal, one byte of the four byte IP address.

EARN European Academic Research Network

       One of three main constituents of BITNET.

EBCDIC Extended Binary-coded Decimal Interchange Code

EGP Exterior Gateway Protocol

       A protocol which distributes routing information to the
       gateways (routers) which connect autonomous systems.

Ethernet

       A network standard for the hardware and data link levels.
       There are two types of Ethernet: Digital/Intel/Xerox (DIX)
       and IEEE 802.3.

FDDI Fiber Distributed Data Interface

       FDDI is a high-speed (100Mb) token ring LAN.

FIPS Federal Information Processing Standard

FTP File Transfer Protocol

       The Internet standard high-level protocol for
       transferring files from one computer to another.

gateway See router

GB Gigabyte

       A unit of data storage size which represents 2^30 (over
       1 billion) characters of information.

Gb Gigabit

       2^30 bits of information (usually used to express a
       data transfer rate; as in, 1 gigabit/second = 1Gbps).

GNU Gnu's Not UNIX

       A UNIX-compatible operating system developed by the
       Free Software Foundation.

header The portion of a packet, preceding the actual data,

       containing source and destination addresses and
       error-checking fields.

host number

       The part of an internet address that designates which
       node on the (sub)network is being addressed.

HP Hewlett-Packard

HYPERchannel

       High-speed communications link.

I/O Input/Output

IAB Internet Activities Board

       The IAB is the coordinating committee for Internet
       design, engineering and management.

IBM International Business Machines Corporation

ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol

       ICMP is an extension to the Internet Protocol.  It
       allows for the generation of error messages,
       test packets and informational messages related to IP.

IEEE Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers

IETF Internet Engineering Task Force

       The IETF is a large open community of network designers,
       operators, vendors, and researchers whose purpose is to
       coordinate the operation, management and evolution of

       the Internet, and to resolve short- and mid-range
       protocol and architectural issues.  It is a major source
       of proposed protocol standards which are submitted to the
       Internet Activities Board for final approval.  The IETF
       meets three times a year and extensive minutes of the
       plenary proceedings are issued.

internet internetwork

       Any connection of two or more local or wide-area networks.

Internet

       The global collection of interconnected local, mid-level and
       wide-area networks which use IP as the network layer
       protocol.

internet address

       An assigned number which identifies a host in an internet.
       It has two or three parts: network number, optional subnet
       number, and host number.

IP Internet Protocol

       The network layer protocol for the Internet.  It is a packet
       switching, datagram protocol defined in RFC 791.

IRTF Internet Research Task Force

       The IRTF is a community of network researchers,
       generally with an Internet focus.  The work of the IRTF
       is governed by its Internet Research Steering Group (IRSG).

ISO International Organization for Standardization

KB Kilobyte

       A unit of data storage size which represents 2^10
       (1024) characters of information.

Kb Kilobit

       2^10 bits of information (usually used to express a
       data transfer rate; as in, 1 kilobit/second = 1Kbps = 1Kb).

LAN Local Area Network

       A network that takes advantage of the proximity of computers
       to offer relatively efficient, higher speed communications
       than long-haul or wide-area networks.

LISP List Processing Language

       A high-level computer language invented by Professor John
       McCarthy in 1961 to support research into computer based
       logic, logical reasoning, and artificial intelligence.  It
       was the first symbolic (as opposed to numeric) computer
       processing language.

MAC Medium Access Control

       For broadcast networks, it is the method which devices use
       to determine which device has line access at any given
       time.

Mac Apple Macintosh computer.

MAN Metropolitan Area Network

MB Megabyte

       A unit of data storage size which represents over
       2^20 (one million) characters of information.

Mb Megabit

       2^20 bits of information (usually used to express a
       data transfer rate; as in, 1 megabit/second = 1Mbps).

MILNET Military Network

       A network used for unclassified military production
       applications.  It is part of the DDN and the Internet.

MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MTTF Mean Time to Failure

       The average time between hardware breakdown or loss of
       service.  This may be an empirical measurement or a
       calculation based on the MTTF of component parts.

MTTR Mean Time to Recovery (or Repair)

       The average time it takes to restore service after a
       breakdown or loss.  This is usually an empirical measurement.

MVS Multiple Virtual Storage

       An IBM operating system based on OS/1.

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NBS National Bureau of Standards

       Now called NIST.

network number

       The part of an internet address which designates the
       network to which the addressed node belongs.

NFS Network File System

       A network service that lets a program running on one
       computer to use data stored on a different computer on
       the same internet as if it were on its own disk.

NIC Network Information Center

       An organization which provides network users with
       information about services provided by the network.

NOC Network Operations Center

       An organization that is responsible for maintaining
       a network.

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

       Formerly NBS.

NSF National Science Foundation

NSFNET National Science Foundation Network

       The NSFNET is a highspeed "network of networks" which is
       hierarchical in nature.  At the highest level is a network
       that spans the continental United States.  Attached to that
       are mid-level networks and attached to the mid-levels are
       campus and local networks.  NSFNET also has connections out
       of the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Pacific Rim.
       The NSFNET is part of the Internet.

NSFNET Mid-level Level Network

       A network connected to the highest level of the NSFNET that
       covers a region of the United States.  It is to mid-level
       networks that local sites connect.  The mid-level networks
       were once called "regionals".

OSI Open Systems Interconnection

       A set of protocols designed to be an international standard
       method for connecting unlike computers and networks.  Europe
       has done most of the work developing OSI and will probably
       use it as soon as possible.

OSI Reference Model

       An "outline" of OSI which defines its seven layers and
       their functions.  Sometimes used to help describe other
       networks.

OSPF Open Shortest-Path First Interior Gateway Protocol

       A proposed replacement for RIP.  It addresses some
       problems of RIP and is based upon principles that have
       been well-tested in non-internet protocols.  Originally
       acronymed as OSPFIGP.

packet The unit of data sent across a packet switching network.

       The term is used loosely.  While some Internet
       literature uses it to refer specifically to data sent
       across a physical network, other literature views
       the Internet as a packet switching network
       and describes IP datagrams as packets.

PC Personal Computer

PCNFS Personal Computer Network File System

POSIX Portable Operating System Interface

       Operating system based on UNIX.

PPP Point-to-Point Protocol

       The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) provides a method for
       transmitting datagrams over serial point-to-point links.

protocol

       A formal description of message formats and the rules
       two computers must follow to exchange those messages.
       Protocols can describe low-level details of
       machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g., the order in
       which bits and bytes are sent across a wire)
       or high-level exchanges between allocation
       programs (e.g., the way in which two programs
       transfer a file across the Internet).

RFC The Internet's Request for Comments documents series

       The RFCs are working notes of the Internet research and
       development community.  A document in this series may be on
       essentially any topic related to computer communication, and
       may be anything from a meeting report to the specification of
       a standard.

RIP Routing Interchange Protocol

       One protocol which may be used on internets simply to pass
       routing information between gateways.   It is used on may
       LANs and on some of the NSFNET intermediate level networks.

RJE Remote Job Entry

       The general protocol for submitting batch jobs and
       retrieving the results.

RLOGIN Remote Login

       A service on internets very similar to TELNET.   RLOGIN was
       invented for use between Berkeley Unix systems on the same
       LAN at a time when TELNET programs didn't provide all the
       services users wanted.   Berkeley plans to phase it out.

router A special-purpose dedicated computer that attaches to

       two or more networks and routes packets from one
       network to the other.  In particular, an Internet
       gateway routes IP datagrams among the networks it
       connects.  Gateways route packets to other
       gateways until they can be delivered to the final
       destination directly across one physical network.

RPC Remote Procedure Call

       An easy and popular paradigm for implementing the
       client-server model of distributed computing.

server A computer that shares its resources, such as printers

       and files, with other computers on the network.  An
       example of this is a Network Files System (NFS)
       Server which shares its disk space with one or more
       workstations that may not have local disk drives of
       their own.

SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol

       SLIP is currently a defacto standard, commonly used for
       point-to-point serial connections running TCP/IP.  It is
       not an Internet standard but is defined in RFC 1055.

SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

       The Internet standard protocol for transferring
       electronic mail messages from one computer to another.
       SMTP specifies how two mail systems interact and the
       format of control messages they exchange to transfer mail.

SNA System Network Architecture

       IBM's data communications protocol.

SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol

       The Simple Network Management Protocol (RFC 1157) is the
       Internet's standard for remote monitoring and management
       of hosts, routers and other nodes and devices on a network.

subnet A portion of a network, which may be a physically independent

       network, which shares a network address with other portions
       of the network and is distinguished by a subnet number.  A
       subnet is to a network what a network is to an internet.

subnet number

       A part of the internet address which designates a subnet.
       It is ignored for the purposes internet routing, but is
       used for intranet routing.

T1 A term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a

       DS-1 formatted digital signal at 1.544 megabits per second.

T3 A term for a digital carrier facility used to transmit a DS-3

       formatted digital signal at 44.746 megabits per second.

TCP Transmission Control Protocol

       A transport layer protocol for the Internet.  It is a
       connection oriented, stream protocol defined by RFC 793.

TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

       This is a common shorthand which refers to the suite
       of application and transport protocols which run over IP.
       These include FTP, TELNET, SMTP, and UDP (a transport
       layer protocol).

Telenet A public packet-switching network operated by US Sprint.

       Also known as "SprintNet".

TELNET The Internet standard protocol for remote terminal

       connection service.  TELNET allows a user at one site
       to interact with a remote timesharing system at
       another site as if the user's terminal was connected
       directly to the remote computer.

THEnet The Texas Higher Education Network, a multiprotocol

       network connecting most major academic and research
       institutions in the State of Texas, as well as several
       institutions in Mexico.

Token Ring

       A type of LAN.   Examples are IEEE 802.5, ProNET-10/80 and
       FDDI.  The term "token ring" is often used to denote 802.5

Tymnet A public character-switching/packet-switching network

       operated by British Telecom.

UDP User Datagram Protocol

       A transport layer protocol for the Internet.  It is a
       datagram protocol which adds a level of reliability and
       multiplexing to IP datagrams.  It is defined in RFC 768.

ULTRIX UNIX-based operating system for Digital Equipment Corporation

       computers.

UNIX An operating system developed by Bell Laboratories that

       supports multiuser and multitasking operations.

UUCP UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Program

       A protocol used for communication between consenting
       UNIX systems.

VMS Virtual Memory System

       A Digital Equipment Corporation operating system.

WAN Wide Area Network

WHOIS An Internet program which allows users to query a database of

       people and other Internet entities, such as domains,
       networks, and hosts, kept at the NIC.  The information for
       people shows a person's company name, address, phone number
       and email address.

XNS Xerox Network System

       A data communications protocol suite developed by Xerox.  It
       uses Ethernet to move the data between computers.

X.25 A data communications interface specification developed to

       describe how data passes into and out of public data
       communications networks.  The public networks such as
       Sprintnet and Tymnet use X.25 to interface to customer
       computers.

14. Security Considerations

Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

15. Authors' Addresses

Gary Scott Malkin FTP Software, Inc. 26 Princess Street Wakefield, MA 01880

Phone: (617) 246-0900

EMail: [email protected]

April N. Marine SRI International Network Information Systems Center 333 Ravenswood Avenue, EJ294 Menlo Park, CA 94025

Phone: (415) 859-5318

EMail: [email protected]