RFC1402

From RFC-Wiki

Network Working Group J. Martin Request for Comments: 1402 Ohio State University FYI: 10 January 1993 Obsoletes: 1290

              There's Gold in them thar Networks!
                               or
         Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places

Status of this Memo

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

Abstract

A wealth of information exists on the network. In fact, there is so much information that you could spend your entire life browsing. This paper will present some of the "gold nuggets" of information and file repositories on the network that could be useful.

The ultimate goal is to make the route to these sources of information invisible to you. At present, this is not easy to do. I will explain some of the techniques that can be used to make these nuggets easier to pick up so that we all can be richer.

2.0 Lists and Indexes of Network Resources/Bibliographies/

8.0 Internet Bulletin Board System/Interactive

Introduction

This paper is a list of the essential things, in my view, that a people who are responsible for providing network information should have in their hands as reference material. One of the basic problems with information is making it easily available to those who need the data. Libraries have been performing a cataloging function for many centuries. Information flow is now being provided so fast that it is difficult to keep up with it, even partially. Computer networks have only added to the problem by opening up access to even more information.

Attempting to make this wealth of information available to those who would find it useful poses some problems.

First, we need to know of its existence. To that end, this paper provides an index to the vast realm of network information. Most of the documents listed here are POINTERS to the final information.

Second, even if you know of a document's existence, you may not know if it is important or relevant. Few of us are knowledgeable in more than a limited area. We need to rely on others to make us aware of the importance of databases in a specific discipline. Librarians can be of great assistance here. They are familiar with the research databases that individuals search in law, mathematics, and many other fields.

Finally, once existence and importance are known, the information needs to be indexed so that researchers can find it. This is the most difficult task to accomplish. Information available on the network is rarely static. It is always moving, growing, changing, and dying. Computers should be able to assist us in managing this ever-changing environment. Right now, we have to catalog the information as it passes through the network. In my case, I generally save it in a file somewhere and spend far too much time trying to retrieve it again when I need it.

Access to the Internet

A frequently asked question concerns how the average mortal gets access to the Internet. The most common way is via electronic mail. Using e-mail, it is possible to communicate with anyone on the Internet and on any other networks as well, and there are many "gateways" to the Internet from other networks and systems. For instance using CompuServe, a large commercial electronic information and communication service, you can send e-mail to and from individuals on the Internet.

A direct connection to the Internet provides some additional capabilities that e-mail cannot. One of these is the ability to establish a connection to a remote computer connected to the Internet from your own personal computer or from one connected to the Internet. The program that establishes this connection is called Telnet. Many universities and large research companies have Internet connections. They pay rather large fees to have these high speed (more than one million bits per second) connections. If you are associated with a large university or company you already may have access or can gain access to the Internet using one of their computers.

A direct connection to the Internet also allows you to transfer a file from a remote computer. This program is referred to as FTP (file transfer protocol). Section 4.0 covers the many places that have files and programs available using FTP.

The following information was taken from a Frequently Asked Question posting by Aydin Edguer to the alt.bbs newsgroup.

If you do not have access to a service connected to Internet, you can get access for a fee. The following companies provide Internet access to individuals or companies at various rates depending on the time of access, speed of access desired, and several other factors.

The first method to gain access to the Internet is by getting an account on a public access bulletin board system that is connected to the Internet. There are a growing number of such systems available. For information on some of these systems, send electronic mail to:

    [email protected]
    [email protected]
    [email protected]
    [email protected]
    [email protected]
    [email protected]
    [email protected]
    [email protected]

Any of these systems is open to the public for a monthly access fee.

A second method to gain access to the Internet is by getting an account with a network service provider who offers a dial-in service. See the "How do I get connected to the Internet?" section for more information.

How do I get connected to the Internet?

Traditionally, connections to the Internet were dedicated connections. This is still the most common type of connection. Monthly costs for the connection range anywhere from $250 per month [plus line charges] for a dialup 9600-bps connection to $4,000 [plus line charges] for a T1 [1.44-Mbps] connection. There is also an initial one-time startup fee of anywhere from $100 to $8,000 [plus equipment charges].

Some service providers also are offering part-time dialup connections. Customers share a set of phone lines and dialup when needed. This is usually less expensive than dedicated dialup connections for customers who need a connection less than 80 hours per month. Monthly costs range from $40-100 per month [plus line charges] plus an hourly charge of $2-4.

Some service providers have begun to offer a new dial-in service. The name for dial-in service varies from vendor to vendor. The dial-in service is usually provided as a way for Internet-connected users to connect back to their home sites from remote locations. But most service providers do not limit their service to this audience, it is open to people not already on the Internet. The dial-in service provides either a terminal server connection [with password] or an account on the service provider's equipment [with password] which permits you to use Telnet to connect to other sites on the Internet. This service differs from the normal dialup IP services because it does not require the user to run any IP software like PPP (Point-to-Point protocol) or SLIP (serial line IP). The cost for this service usually range from $35 to $250 per month [plus line charges]. There is also an initial $35 to $500 connection fee [plus equipment charges].

The following is a list of known Internet service providers, along with the services they offer, an e-mail address to contact for more information, a phone number to contact for more information, or an FTP archive for more information.

ALTERNET Full time connections

speed          9.6K 14.4K 56K   T1   T3

Leased Line y y y y n Dialup Line y y - - -

note: T1=1.544Mbs T3=45Mbps

Part time connections: no Dial-in Service: none Region: national (USA) Contact: [email protected] Phone: (800)4UUNET3 FTP: ftp.uu.net:/uunet-info/

PSINet Full time connections

speed          9.6K 14.4K 56K   T1   T3

Leased Line y y y y n Dialup Line y y - - -

note: T1=1.544Mbs T3=45Mbps

Part time connections: yes Dial-in Service: Global Dialup Service (GDS) Region: national (USA) Contact: [email protected] Phone: (800)82PSI82 FTP: ftp.psi.com:/press.releases/

CERFnet Full time connections

speed          9.6K 14.4K 56K   T1   T3

Leased Line n y y y n Dialup Line y y - - -

note: T1=1.544Mbs T3=45Mbps

Part time connections: yes Dial-in Service: DIAL'n'CERF (nationwide USA) Region: California Contact: [email protected] Phone: (800)876-CERF FTP: nic.cerf.net:/cerfnet/

ANSNET Full time connections

speed          9.6K 14.4K 56K   T1   T3

Leased Line n n y y y Dialup Line n n - - -

note: T1=1.544Mbs T3=45Mbps

Part time connections: no Region: national (USA) Contact: [email protected] Phone: (914)789-5300 or (313)663-2482 FTP: nis.ans.net:/pub/info/

MSEN Full time connections

speed          9.6K 14.4K 56K   T1   T3

Leased Line y y n n n Dialup Line y y - - -

note: T1=1.544Mbs T3=45Mbps

Part time connections: yes Dial-in Service: yes [*note* it is a local call from any 313 #] Region: Michigan Contact: [email protected] Phone: (313)741-1120 FTP: ftp.msen.com:/pub/vendor/msen/

OARnet Full time connections

speed          9.6K 14.4K 56K   T1   T3

Leased Line y y y y y Dialup Line y y - - -

note: T1=1.544Mbs T3=45Mbps

Part time connections: yes Dial-in Service: none Region: Ohio Contact: [email protected] Phone: (614)292-0700

Please note, although this is a Frequently asked Question, this newsgroup, alt.bbs.internet, is NOT for the discussion of how to get connected to the Internet. This is the correct newsgroup to discuss your bulletin board system and what it offers once you are connected to the Internet.

The above excerpt is from a frequently asked questions Usenet posting to alt.bbs.internet and crossposted to news.answers. The news.answers newsgroup is a very good group to subscribe to read the frequently asked questions sent to many newsgroups. See 12.6 Usenet entry in the Glossary for more information on newsgroups.

Further investigation in the above groups yields a great deal of information about techniques and rates to access the Internet. Of course one common question is about getting free access. As mentioned before if you are associated with a university, a large company, or research group you may very well have access via one of their computers. If you are a student or faculty member and are away from your local campus, you may be able to get a guest account from the local university.

Some campuswide information systems may give limited access to the network in a read-only mode. Also some communities (such as Cleveland) operate a FREENET which enables you to read newsgroups and if you register send mail at no charge. See section 8.0 for more information.

For example, you can Telnet to Holonet below to get an idea of how it works. This is not an endorsement of this system but it does give you a good idea how this type of access to an Internet BBS works.

Holonet (Commercial access to Internet)

Source:

  Telnet holonet.net
  Login with userid of guest

Lists and Indexes of Network Resources/Bibliographies/

 Information Available over the Network

2.01 Internet Resource Guide (document)

  This is an excellent guide to major resources available on the
  network. The table of tontents includes chapters on Computational
  Resources, Library Catalogs, Archives, White Pages, Networks,
  Network Information Centers, and Miscellaneous.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to NNSC.NSF.NET
  cd resource-guide
  get resource-guide.ps.tar.Z (PostScript) or
  get resource-guide.txt.tar.Z (ASCII text)
  Search:
  Telnet to pac.carl.org (Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries)
  Select terminal type.
  Choose Item 3 (Information Databases).
  Choose Item 65 (Internet Resource Guide).
  You can then browse or do a keyword search.
  To quit type //EXIT

2.02 Anonymous FTP Sites (document)

  This document offers a list of all the sites on the Internet that
  support anonymous FTP.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to pilot.njin.net
  cd pub/ftp-list
  get ftp.list
  Search:
  Telnet to archie.ans.net
  Login as user archie
  Type help to get a list of commands
  Type prog topic - where topic is the keyword for the search of a
  program topic.
  See section 4.05 for more information about using Archie.

2.03 INDEX - Index of all RFCs - (document)

  RFC-1118 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet
  RFC-1175 - A Bibliography of Internetworking Information
  RFC-1173 - Responsibilities of Host and Network Managers
  RFC-1325 - Answers to Commonly Asked "New Internet User"
             Questions
  RFC-1207 - Answers to Commonly Asked "Experienced Internet User"
             Questions
  RFC-1208 - Networking Glossary of Terms
  RFC-1359 - Connecting to the Internet
  RFC-1392 - Internet Users' Glossary
  RFC-1402 - Gold in the Network (this file)
  Source:
  Anonymous FTP to nis.nsf.net
  cd documents/rfc
  get INDEX.rfc
  get rfc1118.txt
  get rfc1175.txt
  get rfc1173.txt
  get rfc1206.txt
  get rfc1207.txt
  get rfc1208.txt
  get rfc1359.txt
  get rfc1392.txt
  get rfc1402.txt

2.04 Interest Groups List-of-Lists (document)

  This is a document that list existing mailing lists and groups. To
  get on the list to receive updates, send e-mail to Interest-
  [email protected].
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ftp.nisc.sri.com
  cd netinfo
  get interest-groups

2.05 Regional network policies (documents)

  Many regional networks have developed policies on responsible use
  of their network.  You can retrieve copies of these policies on
  line by anonymous FTP.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ftp.nsic.sri.com
  cd netinfo
  dir
  get ???.policy
  where ??? is the name of the regional network.  The dir command
  will give you a directory of the filenames.

2.06 Campus ethics/policy statements (documents)

  Many universities have developed more complete policies based on
  the regional network policies.  If you want to look at some to use
  as guidelines for your own campus, you can get them through
  anonymous FTP.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ariel.unm.edu
  cd ethics
  dir
  get ???.policy
  where ??? is the name of the university or college.  The dir
  command will give you a directory of the filenames.

2.07 VAX Book (document)

  Joe St. Sauver of the University of Oregon has developed a
  complete guide of information on the network available via
  anonymous FTP.  The following is a quote from the README file:
  "While it is tailored to the University of Oregon's VAX8000
  system, the skills it illustrates are general enough to be of
  interest to users at most other VAX sites, and even users at many
  non-VAX sites connected to the national networks."   A major
  section on Network Topics is excellent.  It is a large document,
  more than 300 pages.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to decoy.uoregon.edu
  cd pub/vaxbook
  get vms.ps  (PostScript format)
  get vms.mem (lineprinter format)

2.08 Network Tidbits COMPUNET BIBLIO (document)

  This is a "Network Bibliography" by Elliott Parker from the
  Journalism Department of Central Michigan University.  It contains
  a bibliography of network related documents that he finds helpful.
  Source:
  Listserv
  Send e-mail to comserve@rpiecs (BITNET)
  The message should contain the following one-line request:
  SEND COMPUNET BIBLIO
  You will receive the file "COMPUNET BIBLIO" via return mail as
  well as a "Welcome to Comserve" message and a "Getting Started
  with Comserve message."  If you are unfamiliar with how the
  program Listserv works on BITNET, these documents are a good
  start.

2.09 Internet Tour Macintosh HyperCard 2.0 Stack (program)

  This is a Macintosh HyperCard 2.0 stack that does a nice job of
  describing some of the functions of the Internet.  It has a
  section that you can modify for your own institution's needs.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to nnsc.nsf.net
  cd internet-tour
  get Internet-Tour-README
  get Internet-Tour.sit.hqx
  Note this is a stuffed and binhexed file.  You must have the
  program Stuffit to convert it to an executable file on the
  Macintosh.

2.10 A Survey of Educational Computer Networks (document)

  This is a fact-finding project to examine the current status of
  computer networks in K-12 education, including ways in which
  networking linkages are impacting educational tasks.  This is a
  good summary for educators.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ariel.unm.edu
  cd library
  get networks survey

2.11 Internet Resource Directory

  A group of teachers compiled a Internet Resource Directory that
  would be of specific interest to teachers.  It is available in
  four parts:
  Listservers, Telnet sites, FTP sites, and general infusion-ideas.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ftp.virginia.edu
  cd public_access
  get IRD-listservs.txt
  get IRD-Telnet-sites.txt
  get IRD-FTP-sites.txt
  get IRD-infusion-ideas.txt

2.12 Network Managers' Reading List (document)

  This document is an annotated list of books and other resources
  for network managers who are using TCP/IP, UNIX, and Ethernet
  technologies.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ftp.utexas.edu
  cd pub/netinfo/docs
  get net-read.txt

2.13 Network Resources List (document)

  This document lists of many resources available on the network,
  including weather, online databases, book reviews, a ham radio
  callbook, and many more.  Author Scott Yanoff
  ([email protected]) routinely posts lists to newsgroups
  alt.bbs.internet, news.lists, alt.bbs.ads, and biz.comp.services.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to csd4.csd.uwm.edu
  cd pub
  get inet.services.txt

2.14 Zen and the Art of the Internet (document; version 1)

  This document is the first version of what has become a book (see
  section 10 for information on version 2) in book format.  The
  first version has some very good information on the Internet and
  is designed for the beginning user.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ashley.cs.widener.edu
  cd pub/zen
  get README
  get zen-1.0.PS

2.15 Hytelnet (Program)

  Hytelnet is a must-have program available for UNIX, Macintoshes,
  and PCs. It is designed to help you reach all of the Internet-
  accessible libraries, freenets, CWISes, library BBSs, and other
  information sites by Telnet. Peter Scott is the developer of this
  program, and he also maintains a list if you want to receive the
  latest updates on network information.
  Contact: [email protected]
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to access.usask.ca
  cd pub/hytelnet
  get README
  Change directory to the computer you want to run hytelnet from:
  cd pub/hytelnet/pc
  cd pub/hytelnet/amiga
  cd pub/hytelnet/mac
  cd pub/hytelnet/pc
  cd pub/hytelnet/unix
  cd pub/hytelnet/vms

2.16 World Wide Webb

  The WWW project merges the techniques of information retrieval and
  hypertext to make an easy but powerful global information system.
  The project is based on the philosophy that academic information
  should be freely available to anyone. Its aim is to permit
  information sharing within internationally dispersed teams and
  dissemination of information by support groups.  Originally aimed
  at the High Energy Physics community, it has spread to other areas
  and attracted much interest in user support, resource discovery,
  and collaborative work areas.
  Reader View
  The WWW world consists of documents and links.  Indexes are
  special documents which, rather than being read, can be searched.
  The result of such a search is another ("virtual") document
  containing links to the documents found.  A simple protocol
  ("HTTP") is used to allow a browser program to request a keyword
  search by a remote information server.
  The web contains documents in many formats. Those hypertext
  documents (real or virtual) contain links to other documents or
  places within documents.  All documents, whether real, virtual or
  indexes, look similar to the reader and are contained within the
  same addressing scheme.
  To follow a link, you either click with a mouse or type in a
  number. To search an index, give keywords or other search
  criteria. These are the only operations necessary to access the
  entire world of data.
  You can try the simple line mode browser by Telnetting to
  info.cern.ch (no user or password) From UK JANET, use the gateway.
  You also can find out more about WWW in this way.  This is the
  least sophisticated browser; remember that the window-oriented
  ones are much smarter.
  It is much more efficient to install a browser on your own
  machine. The line mode browser is currently available in source
  form by anonymous FTP from node: info.cern.ch [currently
  128.141.201.74] as:
                 /pub/www/src/WWWLineMode_v.vv.tar.Z.
  (v.vv is the version number - take the latest.)
  Also available is a hypertext editor for the NeXT
  (WWWNeXTStepEditor_v.vv.tar.Z), the ViolaWWW browser for X11, and
  a skeleton server daemon (WWWDaemon_v.vv.tar.Z).
  Documentation is readable using www. A plain text version of the
  installation instructions is included in the tar file.  Printable
  (PostScript) documentation and articles are in /pub/www/doc
  Source:
  Telnet to info.cern.ch
  No login required.
  Telnet to eies2.njit.edu
  Login as www

Libraries Available over the Network

Hundreds of libraries are accessible over the network, far too many to list here. Several documents listInternet-accessible libraries including two major ones: Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases, coauthored by Dr. Art St. George of the University of New Mexico ([email protected] [Internet] or stgeorge@unmb [BITNET]) and Dr. Ron Larsen of the University of Maryland; and UNT's Accessing On-Line Bibliographic Databases by Billy Barron, ([email protected] [Internet]).

3.1 Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases (document)

Source: Anonymous ftp to ariel.unm.edu cd library get library.ps (PostScript format) get internet.library (ASCII text version)

3.2 UNT's Accessing On-Line Bibliographic Databases (document)

  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ftp.unt.edu
  cd pub/library
  get libraries.ps (PostScript format)
  get libraries.txt (ASCII text version)
  get libraries.wp5 (WordPerfect 5.1 source)

The Mother Lode of Anonymous FTP Sites

Throughout this document, sites are listed for specific documents. Most are only indexes to more information. A big problem is

searching through all this information to find what you want. One of the best search methods is Archie, described below.

Several sites contain large repositories of files and other sites that are the source for specific programs such as Kermit, the public domain file transfer program.

4.05 archie

  One of the best ways of searching for a program available via
  anonymous FTP is with archie (Archive Server Listing Service),
  several of these servers scattered throughout the world.  The
  fastest one I have found is the Advanced Network & Services, Inc.
  located in the United States.
  Archie goes to every site that offers anonymous FTP files,
  collects the file structure from that site, and places it in a
  database it can search.
  A real-life example.  I was reading an article about Windows in
  the July 1992 issue of PC World, and it mentioned a shareware
  program called ZiPaper on page 212.  The name of the program is
  zipapr.zip.  I can use Archie to locate this program.
  Source:
  telnet archie.ans.net
  login as archie
  At the archie prompt type
  prog zipapr.zip
  The response is
  Host wuarchive.wustl.edu  (128.252.135.2)
  Last updated 17:22 13 July 1992
     Location:  /mirrors3/archive.umich.edu/msdos/mswindows/desktop
      FILE      rw-rw-r--   41984  Jan 30 1991  zipapr.zip
  This tells you the file is available via anonymous FTP to
  wuarchive.wustl.edu in the directory
  mirrors3/archive.umich.edu/msdos/mswindows/desktop and the file is
  zipapr.zip.

4.1 Washington University (anonymous FTP)

  Washington University represents perhaps one of the most popular
  sites for software on the network.  The Mirrors directory contains
  a copy of all of the wsmr-simtel20.army.mil files. Wsmr-simtel20-
  army.mil is the originator and keeper of major amounts of public
  domain software.  Their site, however, is often overloaded and
  difficult to connect to.
  You will find enough software in the Mirrors directory to keep you
  busy for the rest of your life.  The MS-DOS and Macintosh
  subdirectories contain files for those specific machines.
  Anonymous FTP to wuarchive.wustl.edu
  cd mirrors
  cd msdos
  For income tax time cd taxes
  For unzipping files cd zip, type binary, and get pkz110eu.exe
  For education software cd education
  For graphics files cd giff, tiff or graphics
  cd macintosh
  For the Macintosh there are directories for applications, inits,
  sounds, reviews, and many more.

4.2 KERMIT (anonymous FTP)

  Kermit is a public domain file transfer protocol available for
  just about all microcomputers, minicomputers, andmainframes.  It
  is very popular and has been has been used at computer facilities
  everywhere.
  Anonymous FTP to watsun.cc.columbia.edu
  cd kermit
  get read.me
  For executable versions of kermit:
  cd bin
  get READ.ME file and read for specifics of what file to get.
  For the IBM PC, I get msvibm.exe after typing binary to activate
  the binary transfer mode.

4.3 NCSA Software for Network Access from PCs

   (anonymous FTP)
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu
  cd NCSA_Telnet
  cd PC/Telnet  (for IBM PC Software)
  get telxxbin.zip where xx is the current version number
  (in binary format; I also suggest getting readme files)
  cd Mac/Telnet
  get telnet.x.sithqx where x is the current version number
  (in binary format; I also suggest getting readme files)

4.4 Other Popular Ftp Sites (anonymous FTP)

  Name of Site                What's there
  ftp.apple.com               Macintosh system software/technical
                              notes
  ftp.cayman.com              Gatorbox archive site
  dragonfly.wri.com           Mathematica archive site
  mac.archive.umich.edu       Macintosh software
  sumex-aim.stanford.edu      Macintosh software
  rascal.ics.utexas.edu       Macintosh software
  ftp.acns.nwu.edu            Disinfectant archive site
                              (virus software)
  microlib.cc.utexas.edu      GateKeeper archive site
                       (virus software)
  bert.cs.byu.edu             NCSA Telnet archive site (BYU version)
  ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu           NCSA Telnet archive site
  beach.gal.utexas.edu        F-Prot/Scan & Clean archive site
                       (virus software)
  cert.sei.cmu.edu            Virus Documentation
  msdos.archive.umich.edu     MS-DOS software
  ux1.cso.uiuc.edu            MS-DOS software    (PC-SIG CD)
  oak.oakland.edu             MS-DOS software
  wuarchive.wustl.edu         MS-DOS software
  cica.cica.indiana.edu       MS-DOS software    (Windows software)
  archive.cis.ohio-state.edu  UNIX software

Network Information Centers - NICs

Contact NICs if you want information on what networking is all about and how you can connect. They can put you in contact with the individuals in your area who can help you get a network connection. They can also provide assistance if you don't know who else to ask about network topics.

5.1 Goverment Systems, Inc. (GSI) (Internet NIC)

  Government Systems, Inc. (GSI)
  Attn: Network Information Center
  14200 Park Meadow Drive
  Suite 200
  Chantilly, VA 22021
  (800) 365-3642 or (703) 802-4535
  FAX: (703) 802-8373
  [email protected]
  The main NIC on the Internet.  The source for network numbers,
  domain names, and much more.

5.2 NSF Network Service Center (NNSC) (NIC)

  NSF Network Service Center
  Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc.
  10 Moulton St.
  Cambridge, MA 02138
  (617) 873-3400
  [email protected]
  Publishes a newsletter called NSF Network News; to subscribe,
  contact them at the address above.

5.3 NSFNET Information Services (NIS)

  NSFNET Information Services
  Merit Network, Inc.
  ITI Building
  2901 Hubbard, Pod G
  Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2016
  (313) 936-3000 or (800) 66MERIT
  [email protected]
  Publishes a newsletter called Linkletter; to subscribe send e-mail
  to [email protected].

5.4 SRI International Network Information Systems Center (NISC)

  SRI International
  Network Information Systems Center
  333 Ravenswood Avenue, Room EJ291
  Menlo Park, CA 94015
  (415) 859-6387 or (415) 859-3695
  Fax: (415) 859-6028
  [email protected]

5.5 BITNET (NIC)

  BITNET Network Information Center
  Corporation for Research and Educational Networking (CREN)
  1112 16th Street, N.W.
  Suite 600
  Washington, DC 20036
  (202) 872-4200
  INFO@BITNIC
  Lisa Covi, BITNET Support
  5.6 NASA Science Internet Network Information Center (NIC-NSI)
  NASA NSI
  Goddard Space Flight Center
  Code 930.4
  Greenbelt, MD 20771
  Hotline: (303) 286-7251
  FAX: (301) 286-5152
  [email protected]
  NSI is an international dual-protocol network (TCP/IP and DECnet),
  which supports scientists and engineers worldwide.  The NSI-NIC
  supports a help desk, online services, anonymous FTP, and
  interoperability gateways, along with other services.
  Bill Yurick, NSI-NIC Staff

Network Statistics

If you would like to publish statistics in your newsletter about your institution's network traffic into and out of the NSFNET backbone, you can obtain information on either the packets or bytes sent. I prefer bytes which can be translated into an understandable figure.

6.1 Files containing monthly information on NSF Internet

    backbone traffic by packets or bytes (document)
  Source:
  Anonymous FTP to nis.nsf.net
  cd statistics/nsfnet
  get INDEX.statistics
  cd 19?? where ?? is the year you are interested in.
  Files are availble for traffic by ports, country, delay, bytes and
  packets for T1 and T3 networks.

Campuswide Information Systems - CWISes

The information in this section is intended primarily for those who are providing access methods from their own computing environments. Although standards have been proposed, there are no "packages" that give you access to all of the information presented here. What The Ohio State University and several other universities have done is provide a menu to the user that accesses these services and databases behind the scenes. In fact, I had to refer to the shell scripts to look up the network addresses of these machines, because I rely on the menu for access as well.

As the name implies, information systems provide access to information the user knowing exactly how to get to it. In this way, the network is invisible to end users. All they need to know is what they want, not the command structure needed to actually get the information.

At present, the menu system seems to be the easiest way in In the background is a knowbot, a program that knows how to go out and locate services on the network using a keyword search.

You can connect to the following sites for a demonstration of their capabilities.

Many CWIS systems are converting to Gopher (see section 8.96). Hytelnet (see section 2.15) also has complete listings of CWIS systems.

7.1 Appalachian State University

  conrad.appstate.edu (152.10.1.1)
  Login as info
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Ernest Jones ([email protected])

7.2 Arizona State University PEGASUS and ASEDD

  asuvm.inre.asu.edu
  Login as helloasu
  Use tn3270.
  Hardware/software:  Running PNN News Network Software under
  VM/CMS (with Profs and FOCUS)
  Contact:  Joy Kramer ([email protected])
  Contains two databases:  Personal Guide to ASU Stuff (PEGASUS)
  and Arizona State Economic Development Database (ASEDD).

7.3 Clemson University

  eureka.clemson.edu
  Login as public
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Amy Slankard ([email protected])
  System contains information on weather for South Carolina, North
  Carolina, and Georgia; economics; plants; animals; engineering;
  food; home; health; family; and youth.

7.4 Columbia University

  cal.cc.columbia.edu Login as calendar
  Contact:  David Millman ([email protected])

7.5 Cornell CUINFO

  cuinfo.cornell.edu Connect to port 300.  Use Telnet or tn3270.
  Different versions of Telnet or tn3270 have different syntax for
  defining the port.  The following are the most common:
  TELNET cuinfo.cornell.edu 300 TELNET cuinfo.cornell.edu::300
  TELNET cuinfo.cornell.edu..300
  Hardware/software:  VM/CMS; IBM S/370 assembler; locally written
  Contact:  Steve Worona ([email protected])
  CUINFO of interest to nonCornell community members:
  Uncle Ezra     The electronic counselor - first program of its
              kind; a must read
  Directories    Student and staff directories - includes staff
              electronic addresses Ski Reports    Up-to-the-minute
  upstate New York ski reports
              (Seasonal) Jobs Listings and descriptions of jobs at
  Cornell Computing Extensive online information regarding computing
  at
              Cornell Patents   Descriptions of current patents held
  by Cornell Various Newsletters Newsletters from numerous campus
  groups Weather   Up-to-the-minute local weather forecast

7.6 Lafayette Integrated, Networked Campus - LINC

  lafibm.lafayette.edu (139.147.8.4) Use Telnet or tn3270.  When you
  see the LINC logo, ignore the ALT-L advice and clear the logo by
  pressing Enter.  On next screen, instead of logging on, type DIAL
  MUSIC (case does not matter).  On login screen that appears, use
  GUEST as ID, and GUEST as password.
  Hardware/software:  IBM 9375 running MUSIC/SP Contact:  Patrick
  Ciriello  ([email protected])

7.7 Lehigh

  ibm1.cc.lehigh.edu Use tn3270.  At the VM prompt, type DIAL MUSIC,
  and at the /ID prompt, type LUNA.
  Hardware/software:  IBM 4381 running MUSIC.  Planning to move to
  AIX on RS/6000s.  Contact:  Timothy J. Foley
  ([email protected])

7.8 Mississippi State University (MSUinfo)

  isis.msstate.edu (130.18.164.2) Login as msuinfo Terminal type:
  enter yours; most are supported.
  Hardware/software:  UNIX/TechInfo Contact:  Bennet George
  ([email protected])
  Contains announcements, campus events, community events,
  continuing education offerings, jobs, recent press releases,
  research funding opportunities, and more.

7.9 MIT TechInfo

  Accessible either via Telnet, or via a native Macintosh
  application that uses the MacTCP drivers to access the TechInfo
  server; requires a MacPlus with one Meg memory or better, System
  6.0.3 or better, and licensed MacTCP drivers.
  Source code is freely available to other schools seeking to get
  started quickly - contact folks listed below.
  For Telnet access:
  telnet techinfo.mit.edu (18.72.1.146)
  No username/password is required.
  Once you're in, you can use upper- or lower-case commands.
  To exit the system, use the QUIT command.
  For native Macintosh access:
  anonymous FTP to net-dist.mit.edu, look in the /pub/techinfo
  directory, fetch techinfo.hqx; Binhex (a public domain tool)
  is required to decode the binary.
  Contact:  Tim McGovern ([email protected]), (617) 253-0505
  Bugs:  [email protected]
  Comments:  [email protected]
  Administration:  [email protected]

7.10 New Mexico State University NMSU/INFO

  info.nmsu.edu
  Login as info
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:   D. Brian Ormand ([email protected]) or
  ([email protected])

7.11 North Carolina State University Happenings!

  ccvax1.cc.ncsu.edu (128.109.153.4)
  Login as info
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Harry Nicholos ([email protected])

7.12 NYU ACF INFO system

  info.nyu.edu (information.nyu.edu) (128.122.138.142)
  Emulating a VT100 or better enables some additional suboptions.
  Contact:  Stephen Tihor ([email protected]) or
  ([email protected])

7.13 Pima Community College

  pimacc.pima.edu
  Login as pimainfo
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Terry Loftus ([email protected]) or Al Camberos
  ([email protected])

7.14 Princeton News Network PNN

  pucc.princeton.edu
  Use Telnet or tn3270.  When you see the VM 370 logo, clear it,
  and instead of logging on, enter pnn (case does not matter).
  Clear the information screen that appears.
  Hardware/software:  VM/CMS; locally written.  A UNIX version and
  a Mac HyperCard version are up, running, and available. All
  versions (CMS, UNIX, and HyperCard) are available to universities
  at no cost.
  Contact:  Rita Saltz ([email protected])
  System and Development:  Howard Strauss ([email protected])

7.15 Rutgers University

  info.rutgers.edu 98
  No password required.
  Can be accessed from any microcomputer or terminal.
  Hardware/software:  written in lush (a public domain program);
  runs on any SUN workstation.
  Contact:  Leny Struminger ([email protected])
  INFO contains universitywide activities, graduate course catalogs,
  faculty/taff phone directory, computer services, library online
  catalog, weather, news, bus schedules, and more.

7.16 San Diego State University

  wintermute.sdsu.edu
  Login as sdsuinfo
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  pnn & nmm
  Contact:  Richard Caasi ([email protected])

7.17 University of Arkansas

  uafsysb.uark.edu
  Login as info
  Hardware/software:  IBM 4381-14, VM/HPO 6.0, Cornell's CUINFO
  module
  Contact:  Susan Adkins ([email protected]) or
  ([email protected])
  System contains information on calendar of events, campus e-mail
  directory, and hours and services.

7.18 University of Colorado at Boulder

  culine.colorado.edu 852 (128.138.129.2 852)
  Login as CULINE
  Contact:  Donna Pattee ([email protected])

7.19 University of Denver

  du.edu
  Login as atdu
  Contact:  Bob Stocker ([email protected])

7.20 University of Minnesota at Duluth

  ub.d.umn.edu
  Login as info
  Emulate a vt100.
  Contact:  Frank Simmons ([email protected])
  This system contains more than 700 documents ranging from athletic
  schedules to microcomputer prices to art gallery showing
  schedules. All commands are displayed at the bottom of each
  screen, and separate online help is available. Keyword searching
  is available, although at this time only words in the titles of
  documents are used.

7.21 University of New Brunswick, Canada, INFO

  unbmvs1.csd.unb.ca (131.202.1.2)
  Login with application id INFO
  No password is required.
  INFO is a full-screen CICS application running under MVS.
  tn3270 emulation.
  Contact:  Bonita Mockler ([email protected])
  System contains university calendar; class timetable; phone/fax
  numbers for faculty, staff, and students, faculty and staff e-mail
  IDs; seminar schedules; minutes; newsletter; and more.

7.22 University of New Hampshire VideoTex

  unhvtx.unh.edu (132.177.128.58)
  USERNAME:  student (no password required).
  Control-z to log off.
  VT100/VT200 terminal emulation.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Robin Tuttle ([email protected])
  System includes phone directories, campus calendar, job listings,
  off-campus housing list, undergraduate catalog, class schedules,
  newsletters, services and programs, rights and rules of conduct,
  athletics and recreation information, activities, and workshops.

7.23 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill INFO

  info.oit.unc.edu (128.109.157.1)
  Login as info
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Judy Hallman ([email protected])
  System contains campus directory; job openings; "TheIndependent
  Study" catalog (correspondence courses); undergraduate catalog;
  continuing education classes; and several campus newsletters,
  including "Newsbrief," the weekly campus computing newsletter.

7.24 University of North Carolina at Greensboro MINERVA

  steffi.acc.uncg.edu
  Login as info or MINERVA
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Norman Hill ([email protected])

7.25 University of North Carolina at Wilmington SEABOARD

  vxc.uncwil.edu (128.109.221.3)
  Log in as info
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC/VTX
  Contact:  Eddy Cavenaugh ([email protected]) or
  ([email protected])
  System includes class schedule listings, institutional statistics,
  library services, faculty and staff publications, current
  university news releases, phone directories, and facilities
  schedules.

7.26 University of Northern Iowa

  infosys.uni.edu
  Log in as public
  Prefers a vtxxx terminal, but works with unknown terminal types.
  Hardware/software:  The program uses UNIX tput clear, tput mc4,
  and tput mc5 (for printing).
  Contact:  Mike Yohe ([email protected])

7.27 University of Pennsylvania PennInfo

  penninfo.upenn.edu
  (no login id is needed.)
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  MIT's Techinfo; type HELP for directions
  Contact:  Valerie Glauser ([email protected])
  Comments:  [email protected]
  Bugs:  [email protected]
  Contact:  Valerie Glauser ([email protected])
  PennInfo can be accessed via MIT's TechInfo Mac client program as
  well.  We've modified the MAC client slightly because we have
  different contact information at Penn than MIT does.

7.28 Ohio State University

  oasis.acs.ohio-state.edu
  Login as oasis
  Emulate a VT100.
  Hardware/software:  DEC 5500 using Ultrix, shell scripts and
  modified Gopher code to allow Gopher access.
  Contact:  Clifford Collins ([email protected])
  Comments:  [email protected]
  Bugs:  [email protected]

Internet Bulletin Board System/Interactive

 Databases/Freenet

These are systems that you connect to through an anonymous Telnet session to access a variety of services/information. In some respects they resemble campuswide information systems; in others, they are more like bulletin boards or interactive databases.

A file containing the most frequently asked questions about bulletin board systems is available via anonymous FTP.

Source: Anonymous FTP to polyslo.calpoly.edu cd pub get alt.bbs.faq

Listed below are some of these types of systems.

8.1 Cleveland Freenet - Case Western Reserve University

  Telnet to freenet-in-a.cwru.edu
  Follow the menu driven instructions.

8.2 Heartland Freenet

  heartland.bradley.edu (136.176.10.10)
  Login as fnguest

8.3 Youngstown Freenet - Youngstown State University

  Telnet yfn.ysu.edu
  Type visitor at userid prompt and follow menu driven
  instructions.

8.4 Ocean Network Information Center

  Telnet delocn.udel.edu
  When the Userid: prompt appears, type INFO and press Enter/Return
  key.

8.5 Geographic Name Server

  Telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000
  For informatin on a place, type the name of the city and state as
  you would on the last line of a postal address.  Example:
  Zanesville, OH

8.6 ISAAC

  ISAAC, the Information System for Advanced Academic Computing,
  serves as a clearinghouse for information about the use of IBM-
  compatible hardware and software as aids to instruction and
  research in higher education.  Membership is free to all students,
  faculty, and staff at institutions of higher education.
  For more information call (206) 543-5604.
  ISAAC requires that you register before you can access the system.
  To register, type register for the userid and password and fill in
  the information using the tab key to go from field to field.  Once
  registered, you will be assigned a userid and password; then you
  must reconnect, this time typing your assigned userid and
  password.
  To access ISAAC, you need to establish a Telnet connection over
  the network.  If you do not have network access, you also can call
  over phone lines.  Call (800) 237-5551 in the United States or,
  within the local Seattle area or outside the United States, call
  (206) 543-3761.
  telnet isaac.engr.washington.edu  or  128.95.32.61

8.7 FEDIX

  FEDIX is an online information service that links the higher
  education community and the federal government to facilitate
  research, education, and services.  The system provides accurate
  and timely federal agency information to colleges, universities,
  and other research organizations.  There are no registration fees
  and no access charges for using FEDIX.  The only cost is for the
  phone call.
  FEDIX provides daily information updates on:
  Federal education and research programs (including descriptions,
  eligibility, funding, and deadlines).
  Scholarships, fellowships, and grants.
  Used government research equipment available.
  New funding for specific research and education activities from
  the Commerce Business Daily, Federal Register, and other sources.
  Minority assistance research and education programs.
  News and current events within participating agencies.
  General information such as agency history, budget, organizational
  structure, and mission statement.
  For more information, contact the HELPLINE at (301) 975-0103
  Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm EST, except on federal holidays.
  telnet 192.111.228.1
  At the login: prompt type fedix

8.8 STIS

  STIS is the Science and Technology Information System at the
  National Science Foundation.
  Information includes the NSF Bulletin, guide to programs, grants
  booklet (including forms), program announcements, press releases,
  NSF telephone book, reports of the National Science Board,
  descriptions of research projects funded by NSF (with abstracts),
  and analytical reports and news from the International Programs
  Division.
  Publications may be searched by using a keyword, such as japan or
  volcano; using a phrase, such as exchange of scientists and soviet
  union; or by selecting a broad topic like biosciences.
  For more information, contact the National Science Foundation,
  Pone (202) 357-7555, FAX (202) 357-7745, TDD (202) 357-7492 or via
  e-mail to [email protected] (Internet), or stis@nsf (BITNET).
  telnet stis.nsf.gov
  At the login: prompt type public
  At the terminal type prompt, type vt100nkp
  Enter your terminal type [blank=vt100]: vt100nkp
  You are asked for a userid of up to eight characters.  If you are
  a new user, you will be asked to supply your name and address for
  record keeping.  You can search the NSF publications for
  information and have the information sent to your e-mail address
  if you wish.  STIS provides a menu system.  To get back to the
  main menu, press the esc key until you have the main menu on the
  screen.  Press the arrow key until Exit is highlighted, and press
  enter to exit STIS.

8.9 Weather

  Source:
  Telnet madlab.sprl.umich.edu 3000

8.93 NASA Spacelink

  A space-related information database provided by the NASA
  Educational Affairs Division.
  Source:
  Telnet spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
  Login with userid newuser
  and password newuser

8.95 WAIS

  Wide Area Information Server; this system uses a standard query
  system for access to information databases on the Internet.  It is
  a client server model with clients available for Macintoshes,
  NeXTs, UNIX and PCs.
  Source:
  Telnet quake.think.com
  Login as wais
  Files avaialable via anonymous FTP to quake.com
  cd wais

8.96 Gopher

  Gopher is a client server system that accesses information on the
  Internet.  Clients exist for Macintoshes, PCs, NeXTs, X Windows,
  and UNIX terminals.  The use of Gopher as Campus Wide Information
  Systems has been exploding in the past year.  If you have not
  tried Gopher I would highly recommend giving it a try.  It is
  truly a golden Gopher.
  Source:
  Telnet to consultant.micro.umn.edu
  Login as gopher
  Files available via anonymous FTP to boombox.micro.umn.edu
  cd pub/gopher

WHOIS - E-mail white pages

WHOIS is a program available on many workstation/mini/mainframe computers that can connect to another computer. By supplying a persons name, it will respond with information it has on the person. A similar program called finger does the same type of thing, except it only supplies information on individuals with an account on that specific computer. A WHOIS database generally is contains information on most of the individuals at a university, not just on the machine you connect to.

In a larger sense WHOIS is a technique for finding a person's e-mail address. There is no master list of e-mail addresses on the network. Standards have been established for supplying e-mail addresses, but it will take some time for it to be globally implemented. In the meantime, the easiest way to find out is to call and ask!

I can just hear the gasps of horror, using the phone for anything but talking to your mom, sacrilege. There are, of course, many ways of finding a person's e-mail address. But what you don't know is if the person even reads his/her e-mail, and in the case of multiple e-mail addresses, which one is correct. A simple phone call the first time will answer those unknowns quickly.

The following documents and resources will assist in finding a person's e-mail address.

9.03 College E-mail Address

  Mark Kantrowitz ([email protected]) of Caregie-Mellon University
  has compiled an extensive list of techniques for locating e-mail
  addresses for many universities.  This document contains an
  alphabetic listing of universities and searching techniques unique
  to each.
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to a.gp.cs.cmu.edu
     Note: for password you must use your e-mail address in the
        form of name@computer.
  cd /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Email
     Note: you must cd to this directory as above, because
        intermediate directories are protected.
  get college-email.-#.text.##
     Note: the files are separated into several sections and you
        need to specify the sections you want by replacing the #
        shown above with a number 1, 2, 3 etc.
  You also can send mail to [email protected] with
  no subject and the body of the text message (with no signature)
  send usenet/soc.college/FAQ:_College_Email_Addresses
  _1_2_[Monthly_posting]
  send usenet/soc.college/FAQ:_College_Email_Addresses
  _2_2_[Monthly_posting]
  Note the above commands should be all on one line.

9.05 Netfind

  Netfind is a program that goes out and queries the network
  in an organized way to find e-mail addresses.
  Source:
    Telnet bruno.cs.colorado.edu
    Login is netfind

9.07 Inter-Network Guide

  When mailing from one network to another you need to know what
  address to use to access the gateway.  For instance, if you want
  to send a message from the Internet to someone on CompuServe, you
  address it to [email protected], where the 12345.1234 is
  the person's CompuServe ID in the form 12345,1234.
  The Inter-Network Mail Guide by John Chew provides this
  information.
  Source: Send a mail message to [email protected] No subject
  Message body of: GET NETWORK GUIDE

9.09 WHOIS List

  The following is a list of universities that have a WHOIS service
  working.  A more complete list has been collected by Matt Power of
  MIT ([email protected]).
  Source:
  Anonymous ftp to sipb.mit.edu
  cd pub/whois
  get whois-servers.list
  The following is a short list of WHOIS servers.

9.1 The Ohio State University

  Telnet to osu.edu
  Use WHOIS command whois -h osu.edu
  Enter firstname.lastname
  Example: whois -h osu.edu jerry.smith

9.2 University of Oregon

  Use WHOIS command whois -h oregon.uoregon.edu
  Enter firstname.lastname
  Example: whois -h oregon.uoregon.edu Rose.Smith

9.3 University of Virginia

  Use WHOIS command whois -h whois.virginia.edu
  Enter lastname, firstname middlename
  Example: whois -h whois.virginia.edu Smith, John James

9.4 University of Pennsylvania

  Use WHOIS command whois -h whois.upenn.edu
  Enter lastname, firstname
  Example: whois -h whois.upenn.edu Smith, Judy

9.5 University of Wisconsin

  Use WHOIS command whois -h wisc.edu
  Enter firstname lastname
  Example: whois -h wisc.edu Jane Smith

9.6 MIT

  Use WHOIS command whois -h mit.edu
  Enter firstname_lastname
  Example: whois -h mit.edu Robert_Smith

9.7 Indiana University

  Use WHOIS command whois -h iugate.ucs.indiana.edu
  Enter firstname_lastname
  Example: whois -h iugate.ucs.indiana.edu Gerald_Smith

9.8 Stanford University

  Use WHOIS command whois -h stanford.edu
  Enter firstname lastname
  Example: whois -h stanford.edu "shirley smith"

9.9 University of California at Davis

  Use WHOIS command whois -h ucdavis.edu
  Enter lastname,firstname
  Example: whois -h ucdavis.edu smith,sandra

9.95 Directory of ERNET users in India

  Use WHOIS command whois -h sangam.ernet.in help
  (will give the help screen with examples)
  Enter city name
  Example: whois -h sangam.ernet.in bombay
  (will list all computer names at bombay)
  Enter name@computer
  Example: whois -h sangam.ernet.in joshi@shakti
  (will match all users on shakti matching the pattern "johsi")

10.0 Books

For a more complete listing, see sections 2.08 and 2.11.

  Internetworking with TCP/IP Principles, Protocols, and
  Architecture by Douglas Comer, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-470154-2.
  The Matrix, Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide
  by John S. Quarterman, Digital Press, ISBN 0-13-565607-9.
  !%@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and Networks, by
  Donnalyn Frey and Rick Adams, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., ISBN
  0-937175-39-0.
  The User's Directory of Computer Networks, Edited by Tracy L.
  LaQuey, Digital Press, ISBN 0-13-950262-9.
  Zen and the art of the Internet: A Beginner's Guide, Second
  Editon, by Brendan Kehoe, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-010778-6.

11.0 Free Periodicals/Tabloids/Magazines

Below are just a few of the periodicals available to qualified subscribers.

The first four, PCWeek, MacWeek, Info World, and Network World, are the ones I try to glance over routinely. Others are dedicated to specific network, LAN, or UNIX topics that are useful if you need that information.

  PC Week
  P.O. Box 1767
  Riverton, NJ 08077-9767
  MacWEEK
  P.O. Box 1764
  Riverton, NJ 08077-9764
  Info World
  P.O. Box 3013
  Northbrook, IL 60065-3013
  Network World
  161 Worchester Road
  Framingham, MA 01701
  Computer System News
  Circulation Dept.
  P.O. Box 2030
  Manhasset, NY 11030-7030
  Network Management
  Circulation Department
  Box 2417
  Tulsa, OK 74101-2417
  Unix Review
  Circulation Department
  P.O. Box 7439
  San Francisco, CA 94120-7439
  Communication News
  2504 North Tamiami Trail
  Nokomis, FL 34275-9987
  LAN Times
  P.O. Box 652
  Hightstown, NJ 08520
  Communications Week
  Circulations Dept.
  P.O. Box 2070
  Manhasset, NY 11030
  LAN Computing
  101 Witmer Road
  O.O. Box 322
  Horsham, PA 19044-0322
  Midrange Systems
  P.O. Box 445
  Horsham, PA 19044-0445
  Unix Today!
  Circulation Dept.
  P.O. Box 2170
  Manhasset NY 11030-4376

12.0 Glossary

  I use some terms here that may not be familiar to all.  The
  following is a brief explanation.

12.1 BITNET:

  A network of mainframes or minicomputers.  BITNET
  connects many universities and colleges.  It provides
  e-mail and file transfer capabilities, but does not have the
  ability to do remote login (Telnet session capability).

12.2 Internet:

  A very large network that connects just about any types of
  computers.  It supports e-mail, file transfer (FTP), and
  remote login (Telnet).

12.3 Anonymous FTP:

  The ability to transfer a file from a remote computer connected
  to the Internet without having an account on the remote computer.
  The program that performs the file transfer is normal FTP.  To
  connect to a remote computer offering anonymous FTP, you can use
  the following commands from a computer connected to the Internet.
  FTP Internet computer name
  When prompted for a userid, type anonymous
  When prompted for a password, type your e-mail address
  To get a listing of files type dir
  To change directory, type cd directory name
  To get a file, type get filename
  To get a binary file, type binary then get filename
  To end session, type quit
  Example:
  FTP pilot.njin.net
  Username:  anonymous
  Password:  [email protected]
  cd pub/ftp-list
  get ftp.list
  quit

12.4 Telnet:

  The ability to establish a connection to a remote computer
  connected to the Internet network.  Two types of programs are used
  to do this.  One, usually called Telnet, establishes a VT100-type
  terminal emulation to the remote computer.  The second, TN3270,
  establishes a full-screen IBM 3270-type terminal connection.

12.5 Listserv:

  A program available on many BITNET connected computers that can
  act as a mail forwarding system and as a file repository.  BITNET
  is another network that links many colleges and universities It
  does not normally link to military or government institutions as
  does the Internet.  To subscribe to a listserv, you usually send
  mail to the machine that has the mailing list with the command to
  subscribe.  As an example, to subscribe to a list for discussion
  of topics pertinent to mechanical engineering, send e-mail to
  listserv@utarlvml with a message containing the one-line command
  to subscribe:
  SUB MECH-1 John Doe  (Where John Doe would be your full name)

12.6 Usenet/Read News

  Newsgroups are like public bulletin boards that you can post and
  read messages from other individuals world wide.  More than 1500
  groups cover topics ranging from arts and recreation to more
  research oriented topics such as physics, philosohy, microbiology
  and many many others.  Normally you gain access through a computer
  that has lots of disk space and is connected directly to the
  Internet.  You can read many of the newgroups from the Cleveland
  Freenet (section 8.1) or from commercial providors of Intenet
  access; for example, Holonet (section 1.7).

Disclaimer

The information provided in the previous sections has been put together from multiple sources acquired from the network. Much of it came from reading newsgroups and trying things out to see how they worked. The information is as accurate as I have been able to determine, as of July 17, 1992.

I used a DEC5500 system running Ultrix to check most of these sources. Most of the information is oriented toward Internet, since it has remote login (Telnet) and file transfer (FTP).

Security Considerations

Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

Author's Address

Jerry Martin Leader, Network Information Center Ohio State University Academic Computing Services 1971 Neil Ave. Columbus, OH 43210-1210

Phone: (614) 292-4843 EMail: [email protected] (Internet)

      nic@ohstmail (BITNET)