National Science Foundation Announces InterNIC Services
Pushpendra Mohta
For more information, contact:
Connie Roloff
McQUERTERGROUP,
619-450-0030 or
Don Mitchell,
National Science Foundation,
202-357-9717
For immediate release
April 1,1993
National Science Foundation Announces InterNIC Services
Now Available for Internet Users
- Live Broadcast on Internet at 4:00 p.m. E.S.T. -
Washington, D.C. - April 1, 1993 - The National Science Foundation
announced today that services for the new Network Information Center (NIS)
Manager Project, or the InterNIC, are now available to all Internet users.
A live broadcast announcing and explaining the new services will take place
over the network today at 4:00 p.m., E.S.T.
"The National Science Foundation's NSFNET has become an essential
infrastructure used daily to facilitate communication and collaboration
among researchers, educators, and students and to provide them with remote
access to information and computing resources," said Steve Wolff, Director
of the National Science Foundation's Division of Networking &
Communications Research & Infrastructure. "It has also been described as
the 'national backbone' for the U.S. portion of the global Internet which
today encompasses over 10,000 connected networks, 1.3 million computers and
12 million users. The creation of the InterNIC makes the network easier to
use and more accessible to a broader segment of the U.S. Research and
Educational communities, enabling even non-technical users to take
advantage of its services."
- more-
NSF Announces InterNIC Services Now Available - p. 2 of 6
The InterNIC services are the result of Project Solicitation 92-94 by the
National Science Foundation in February of 1992, to provide and/or
coordinate Registration Services,
Information Services and Database and Directory Services for the NSFNET and
the NREN (sm). As a result of that solicitation, three separate
organizations were selected; Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI), Herndon, VA,
AT&T, Bedminster, NJ, and General Atomics/CERFnet, San Diego, CA.
"While the ability to use the network to allow NSI, AT&T and General
Atomics/CERFnet to work together without regard to their geographical
locations in itself represents a significant step toward the realization of
a national or even worldwide 'workplace without walls,' the substance of
the InterNIC awards is also an important evolutionary step in the
development of the national infrastructure," said Wolff.
Network Solutions, Inc. will provide Internet registration services
including IP address allocation, domain registration and ASN assignment.
Registration services as the IP registrar, issue IP numbers worldwide using
delegated registries under the guidance of the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority and also register domain names, and track points of contact.
Applications for assignment will be accepted via e-mail or facsimile. The
information from these assignments will be provided to the directory and
database services provider to be made available to the entire Internet
community. As a part of the Domain registration efforts, Network Solutions
will periodically release the top level zone files to be used by all root
Domain Name servers.
- more -
NSF Announces InterNIC Services Now Available - p. 3 of 6
"NSI is dedicated to the development of further delegation in all areas of
the world such as the Pacific Rim and the continued enhancement of
interaction with the RIPE NCC for Europe," said Scott Williamson, Project
Manager for NSI.
Major efforts are underway to automate the registration process. This
includes putting the status of all registration action in a publicly
viewable form and pre-checking all registration requests with a
verification from the requestor. If the requestor's question cannot be
answered through the status server, an 800 phone service is provided which
will be routed to a registration representative.
The AT&T provided services include the Directory of Directories, Directory
Services and Database Services to store data available to all Internet
users. For the Internet users, all of these InterNIC services will be
available free of charge.
The Directory of Directories includes lists of FTP (File Transfer
Protocol) sites, lists of various types of servers available on the
Internet, lists of white and yellow page directories, library catalogs and
data archives. "The new InterNIC Directory of Directories will ultimately
make it much easier for novice users, as well for those who are experienced
users, to find resources on the Internet," said Erik Grimmelmann, Marketing
Director Internet/NREN for AT&T Data Communications Services.
AT&T also provides white and yellow pages type Directory Services. Access
to these services will initially be provided through several currently
popular in-use interface methods
- more -
NSF Announces InterNIC Services Now Available - p. 4 of 6
while migrating to the use of X.500 technology, the current standard
specification for distributed information storage and retrieval.
Through the InterNIC, AT&T is also providing database services.
Information, documents, data collections and databases which the National
Science Foundation and other bodies such as IETF wish to make generally
available will be stored on an AT&T server using a UNIXR directory
structure.
General Atomics/CERFnet will provide Information Services acting as the NIC
of first and last resort and the NIC of NICs. Included in the Information
Services is the InterNIC InfoSource, an online collection of Internet
information. InfoSource makes it easier to find and access people,
resources, and projects, making the Internet a more valuable resource.
And, to ensure that up-to-date information is available for NICs and the
InfoSource, an individual, called an InfoScout, will be dedicated to
"scouting" out new resources. There will also be Info
Representatives staffing a reference desk, to provide timely information to
those needing a NIC of first resort or last resort. In addition, as the
NIC of NICs, we will act as a focal point for collection and dissemination
of Internet information, giving campus and mid-level NICs a much needed
single point of contact.
"Teachers and administrators, students and scientists, researchers and
engineers - the people using the Internet - will benefit from the
information services provided," said Susan Estrada, Executive Director,
General Atomics/CERFnet.
- more -
NSF Announces InterNIC Services Now Available - p. 5 of 6
Subscribers to the Internet may view the live broadcast if they have an
audio-capable workstation (SPARC, SGI, DEC 5000) with IP multicast
software. Connection must also be made to the semi-permanent virtual IP
multicast network, known as the 'MBONE'. For more information about what
hardware and software is required to receive the multicast, please refer to
venera.isi.edu in the file mbone/faq.txt.
Network Solutions is a 400-person telecommunications analysis and
integration company headquartered in Northern Virginia. Its mission is to
support its customers in achieving their missions through the mastery and
application of networking technology. Network Solutions currently operates
the DDN NIC.
AT&T is a global company that provides communications services and
products, as well as network equipment and computer systems, to businesses,
consumers, telecommunications service providers and government agencies.
AT&T offers a wide array of data communications services that includes
private line, X.25, frame relay, TCP/IP, protocol conversion, and
electronic mail services.
General Atomics is a San Diego-based high-technology research and
development company and operates CERFnet and the San Diego Supercomputer
Center. CERFnet is an Internet network service provider that operates
throughout the state of California and nationally. CERFnet was launched in
the spring of 1989 with a $2.8 million grant from the National Science
Foundation. The San Diego Supercomputer Center is a five year cooperative
agreement funded by the National Science Foundation to support high
performance computing.
- more -
NSF Announces InterNIC Services Now Available - p. 6 of 6
For more information about the InterNIC, call 1-800-444-4345, or e-mail
in...@internic.net. For editorial inquiries please contact Connie Roloff at
McQUERTERGROUP, 619-450-0030.
# # #
NREN (sm) is a service mark of the United States Government administered by
the National Science Foundation.
UNIXR is a registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratories, Inc.
This material is based on work sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Cooperative Agreement No. NCR-9218749. The Government has certain
rights in this material. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science
Foundation.
Michael D. Maxfield
So, Is this real? or is it April first?
If it is real, they picked an odd day to announce it...
If it's an April Fools joke, the posting date is April 2 GMT.
Of course, the posters name...Push Pen Dramahta....
Tony Li
the person posting. As such, it looks like advertising to me.....
Tony
Mark Bixby
>Yes it's real. The sad part is that the Internic is financially related to
>the person posting. As such, it looks like advertising to me.....
Hardly. The purpose of advertising is to convince you to make a choice. With
the InterNIC, you have no choice. It's the only point of contact for
non-military users to register IP addresses, domain names, etc. This stuff
was formerly provided by nic.ddn.mil, but now as of the April 1st cutover,
they are strictly MIL-only.
So instead of advertising, consider it to be press releases.
--
Mark Bixby Internet: ma...@cccd.edu
Coast Community College District 1370 Adams Avenue
District Information Services Costa Mesa, CA, USA 92626
Technical Support (714) 432-5064
"You can tune a file system, but you can't tune a fish." - tunefs(1M)
Michael C. Berch
No, it is quite real, and though this particular release was posted on
April 1 (April 2 GMT), this has already beeen the subject of previous
announcements over the past several weeks and is not a surprise to
(most) Internet site administrators. An introduction to the InterNIC
"Transition and Modernization of the Internet Registration Service",
was published as an Internet RFC (RFC-1400) last month.
As for Mr. Pushpendra Mohta, I can assure you he is perfectly real,
and a nice person as well. (We have met at a couple of conferences.)
--
Michael C. Berch
m...@presto.ig.com / m...@net.bio.net
Michael C. Berch
Not commercial advertising, since the InterNIC does not sell a product
or service to the network community. It was a press release. When a
firm receives a government contract award, or their technology is
selected as part of a large project, it is customary to make an
announcement to this effect. Cisco has certainly done this. There is
nothing improper about it, nor is there anything "sad" about the fact
that there is a relationship between whomever posted the announcement
and the contracted-for service.
Pushpendra Mohta
Tony,
I am surprised.
It was only an announcement that all Internet Network Information
Services are now being offered under the umbrella of the
InterNIC.
I chose these groups, because this is where the PDIAL list is posted
and one of the common questions asked of the erstwhile
NSFNET Network Service Center (NNSC) (whose functions have
been subsumed by the InterNIC ) was how individuals can
get connected to the Internet.
Now, to get a referral list, they email in...@internic.net or
call +1 800 444 4345
--pushpendra
Pushpendra Mohta pu...@internic.net +1 619 455 3600
Michael D. Maxfield
>
>It was only an announcement that all Internet Network Information
>Services are now being offered under the umbrella of the
>InterNIC.
Is there a transcript available of Thursdays audio announcement?
>NSFNET Network Service Center (NNSC) (whose functions have
>been subsumed by the InterNIC ) was how individuals can
>get connected to the Internet.
Is there an FAQ of the services offered through InterNIC (that is if
they differ from what NIC offered) such as Nameserver services and
the like?
>Now, to get a referral list, they email in...@internic.net or
>call +1 800 444 4345
I'll check out the info@ address...
>--pushpendra
>
>Pushpendra Mohta pu...@internic.net +1 619 455 3600
Sorry about that chief ;-) (MaxSmartField)
You do exist... and are not a figment of the April-1 Usenet Jitters...
I guess I better lay off the late night coffee.
tw...@netcom.com tw...@tweekco.uucp WWIVNet 5@5058 4@5056
I'd rather get my cable service from the phone company,
than my phone service from the cable company.
Pushpendra Mohta
>
Not really, but there _may_ be a video copy of
the audio and videocast carried over the Internet available next month.
Details are being worked out.
>
>
>Is there an FAQ of the services offered through InterNIC (that is if
>they differ from what NIC offered) such as Nameserver services and
>the like?
I suggest starting at one of the following:
ftp : is.internic.net
gopher: internic.net
telnet: is.internic.net login gopher
email : mail...@is.internic.net
WAIS : is.internic.net, source internic-infosource
I am also appending a general blurb.
Pushpendra Mohta pu...@internic.net +1 619 455 4600
Director of Engineering
InterNIC Information Services
The InterNIC
----------------
In cooperation with the Internet community, the National Science
Foundation developed and released in the Spring of 1992 a solicitation for
one or more Network Information Services Managers (NIS Manager(s)) to
provide and/or coordinate services for the NSFNET community. As a result
of this solicitation, three separate organizations were competitively
selected to receive cooperative agreements in the three areas of
Registration Services, Directory and Database Services, and Information
Services.
Together these three awards constitute the InterNIC. Network Solutions,
Inc. (NSI) provides REGISTRATION services, AT&T provides DIRECTORY and
DATABASE services, and General Atomics/CERFnet provides INFORMATION
services.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNIC REGISTRATION SERVICES
The InterNIC Registration Services is located at Network Solutions,
Inc., Herndon, VA, and is funded by a cooperative agreement from the
National Science to provide assistance in registering networks, domains,
asn's, and other entities to the Internet community via telephone,
electronic mail, and U.S. postal mail.
Registration Services will work closely with domain administrators,
network coordinators, internet service providers, and other various
users to register Internet domains, asn's, networks.
Databases and information servers of interest to network users are
provided, including the WHOIS registry of domains, networks, asn's and
their associated poc's. Gopher and Wais interfaces are also available
for retrieving information and accessing whois. Online documents
maintained at registration services include registration related rfc's,
registration templates, and various netinfo files. Many of the online
files are available through our automatic mail service,
MAIL...@RS.INTERNIC.NET.
Registration Services will assign asn's, register domains assigns IP
network numbers and Autonomous System Numbers, and produce the domain
zone files for the community. Registration Services will also provide
assistance to user's concerning policy and the status of their existing
registration request.
I. USER ASSISTANCE SERVICE
Toll-free telephone service is available Monday through Friday, 7 am
to 7 pm, Eastern Standard time. Users who require assistance concerning
policy or registration status questions are encouraged to make use
of these services:
Phone Number: 1-703-742-4777
II. NIC ONLINE MAILBOXES
To contact Registration Services via electronic mail 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, use these mailboxes:
HOSTM...@RS.INTERNIC.NET Host, domain, network changes and updates
ACT...@RS.INTERNIC.NET Computer Operations
MAIL...@RS.INTERNIC.NET Automatic mail service
III. InterNIC Registration Services Postal Address
Send U.S. postal mail correspondence to:
Network Solutions
AttN: InterNIC Registration Services
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 22070
IV. REGISTRATION COMPUTER SERVICES
The host computer is a SUN SparcServer, running the SUN operating
system, and its hostname is RS.INTERNIC.NET. Its network address is
198.41.0.5.
The network address of Registration Services domain root server is
198.41.0.4.
Online services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
V. DOCUMENTS DISTRIBUTED BY REGISTRATION SERVICES
Registration Services distributes the following documents which are available
online.
Title Online Filename
master.index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .policy/master.index
NOTE: In the filenames, the "nn" or the "nnn" should be replaced by the
number of the newsletter, bulletin or RFC.
To retrieve a document whose filename is listed above, open an FTP
connection to the RS.INTERNIC.NET host, login as user ANONYMOUS and provide
the password GUEST. Retrieve the desired file.
VI. ONLINE INFORMATION SERVERS
a. WHOIS
WHOIS is a program that provides an electronic "white pages"
of Internet network entities such as domains, network numbers, asn's,
and their associated poc's.
Accessing WHOIS
>From a host, use the TELNET program to connect to host RS.INTERNIC.NET.
When greeted by the Registration host, type "WHOIS" and press RETURN.
c. QUERY CAPABILITIES
Registration Services has implemented Gopher and Wais interfaces to
query for information. Using the Gopher Interface, one can obtain
information on registration, information and directory services for the
InterNIC team. Using gopher one can also access archive data, netinfo
files, and policy related documents. The Wais interface enables a user
to access the whois database and search for data using a specific
search string.
Accessing Gopher and Wais
>From a host, use the TELNET program to connect to host RS.INTERNIC.NET.
Type "Gopher" or "Wais" and press RETURN.
e. ROOT DOMAIN NAME SERVER
Registation Services is responsible for generating and installing the DNS files
into the NS.INTERNIC.NET root server and the six alternate root servers
three times a weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
VII. ONLINE FILES
Registration Services maintains a number of online files which are available to
network subscribers via the file transfer program (FTP) or Kermit.
These files contain information about protocols, site personnel,
hosts, and other subjects relevant to network users. See the file
netinfo/00netinfo-index.txt for an index to the files in the "netinfo"
directory. See also the file master.index in the policy directory
which lists the rfc's available.
a. How to Retrieve files Using FTP
To retrieve any of the public files via your local FTP program,
connect to the RS.INTERNIC.NET host, and log in as ANONYMOUS with password
GUEST. FTP program use varies slightly from host to host, so please
consult your Host Administrator for instructions, if needed.
b. How to Use the Automated Mail Service
MAIL...@RS.INTERNIC.NET is an automated service provided by InterNIC
Registration Services. It allows access to documents and
information via ordinary electronic mail. This is especially useful
for users who do not have access to the NIC via a direct Internet
link, such as users of BITNET, CSNET and UUCP sites.
To use the mail service, send a mail message to MAIL...@RS.INTERNIC.NET.
In the SUBJECT field, request the type of service you wish followed by
any needed arguments. The message body is normally ignored. Large files
will be broken into smaller separate messages. The information you
request will be sent back to you as soon as possible.
The following services are currently available:
HELP This message; a list of current services.
INDEX Returns the master list of available index files.
NETINFO xxx xxx is a file name or the word INDEX.
RFC nnn nnn is the RFC number or the word INDEX.
SEND xxx xxx is a fully specified file name.
WHOIS xxx Returns information about xxx from the WHOIS service.
Use "WHOIS HELP" for information on how to use WHOIS.
Example SUBJECT lines:
HELP
RFC 822
NETINFO DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT
SEND RFC: RFC1009.TXT
WHOIS NEOU, VIVIAN
Send comments or suggestions to ACT...@RS.INTERNIC.NET.
IX. HOST, DOMAIN, NETWORK NUMBER, IN-ADDR, AND ASN REGISTRATION
Registration is responsible for the registration of domains, IP
networks, and autonomous systems numbers (ASNs) used by various
organizations connected to the Internet.
Domains are registered via the domain template found in
templates/domain-template.txt. New domain information is installed into
the seven DNS root servers three times a week. Information
regarding the root servers is kept in netinfo/root-servers.txt.
Additionally, a listing of the domains registered with Registration
Services can be found in netinfo/domain-info.txt. A listing of the
netaddresses of the domain servers for individual top-level domains can
be found in netinfo/domains.txt.
Network number assignments are made when a network POC completes the
template in templates/internet-number-template.txt and returns the
template to Hostmaster. A complete listing of government sponsored
networks is found in netinfo/networks.txt.
To provide address to hostname reverse resolution, IN-ADDR domains are
registered within the domain root servers via an IN-ADDR template sent
to the HOSTMASTER mailbox. This template can be found in
templates/in-addr-template.txt.
Registration Services assign autonomous system numbers (ASNs) when the template
found in netinfo/asn-template.txt is sent to HOSTM...@RS.INTERNIC.NET.
A complete listing of assigned ASNs is found in netinfo/asn.txt.
>From the domain, network number, and ASN templates, POC information is
extracted and individuals that are not already registered are given
records in the WHOIS database.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
InterNIC Directory and Database Services
Directory and Database Services, provided by AT&T, includes a Directory of
Directories, containing lists of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sites, lists
of various types of servers available on the Internet, lists of white and
yellow page directories, library catalogs and data archives. AT&T also
provides white and yellow pages type Directory Services. Access to these
services is initially provided through several currently popular in-use
interface methods while migrating to the use of X.500 technology, the
current standard specification for distributed information storage and
retrieval.
The database services which AT&T provides include the establishment of
Database Services to extend and supplement the resources of the NSFNET,
such as databases of contributed materials of common interest to the user
community. AT&T also offers database design, management, and maintenance
to institutions and groups for inclusion in the Internet.
Detailed contact information for accessing Directory and Database Services
electronically is listed below. For general information about InterNIC
Directory and Database Services, call or write:
Phone: 908.668.6587
Fax: 908.668.3763
Mail: ad...@ds.internic.net
InterNIC Directory and Database Services
Server Access
Begining April 1, 1993, the InterNIC Directory and Database
server will be freely available to all end users on the Internet
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The server is a UNIX processor
running SunOS 4.2.1 with host name ds.internic.net. It contains
the files and databases which make up the Directory of
Directories, Directory Services and Database Services. Several
different interfaces are available to allow easy access to these
services for both sophisticated and novice users.
WAIS
----
The Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) client/server
application (developed by Thinking Machines, Inc. and others) is
implemented to allow WAIS searching of text files stored on the
server. The server is registered at the central WAIS server
maintained by Thinking Machines, Inc. at quake.think.com. Our
WAIS server may be accessed by remote WAIS clients or through a
local WAIS client available through telnet. Just telnet to
ds.internic.net and login as userid "wais". No password is
required. This client contains an online tutorial and help
information for all commands.
archie
------
The archie system, developed by Bunyip Information Systems,
Inc., is also implemented to allow searches of the Directory and
Database server directory structure. Archie is accessible
through telnet (login as userid "archie", no password required)
or electronic mail (send mail to arc...@ds.internic.net).
Archie's online help facilities are available for the new user.
X.500 DUA and NETFIND
---------------------
The X.500 QUIPU Directory Service Agent (DSA) and an X.500
Directory User Agent (DUA) are implemented to allow searching
for white pages listings of persons or organizations currently
participating in Internet X.500 pilot projects. The DUA may be
accessed via telnet by logging in as user "x500". No password
is required and online help is provided. The DSA may also be
accessed from any remote DUA. A NETFIND client is also
available to get information about individuals. Telnet to
ds.internic.net and login as user "netfind". Again, no password
is required.
Tutorial Telnet Client
----------------------
A special tutorial login is available to allow new users to
access any of the online services on the Directory and Database
server without the specific login id. Just telnet to
ds.internic.net and login as "guest" (no password required).
The tutorial will guide the user through the various services
and connect him/her to the client they request.
Anonymous FTP
-------------
All files accessible through the telnet clients listed above are
available using anonymous FTP.
Electronic Mail
---------------
An electronic mail application, developed by AT&T, is available
which provides batch access to our services. To obtain user
information, send mail to mail...@ds.internic.net and include
the command HELP in the body of the message.
Additional access interfaces will be added in the future. For
example, the Internet GOPHER will be implemented within a few
months. If you are interested in more information about access
to Directory and Database Services, contact the Directory and
Database Administrator on (908) 668-6587 or send electronic mail
to ad...@ds.internic.net.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
InterNIC Information Services
InterNIC Information Services provides services to the NSFNET community
under the National Science Foundation supported InterNIC project. A
wide range of services are offered to midlevel and campus NIC
organizations and to the networking community at large. Included is
information about how to get connected to the Internet, pointers to
network tools and resources, and seminars on varied topics held in
locations around the country.
For a more detailed description of the project, refer to the document
"Information Services Project Summary", located in the directory "About
Information Services" in the InterNIC Info Source. For a complete listing
of Information Services offerings, see the same directory. Access to the
Info Source via various methods is described below.
InterNIC Information Services can be contacted by phone, fax, hardcopy
mail, and electronically via several access methods. The primary
interfaces used by the InterNIC to exchange information with the
community are the Referral Desk, the Info Source, and electronic and
hardcopy mailing lists. Complete contact information is listed below.
Please use any or all of these methods to request information, submit
contributions, or make suggestions.
1. The Referral Desk
----------------------
The InterNIC Information Services Referral Desk responds to requests
for information about the Internet via telephone, e-mail, FAX, and
hardcopy mailings. The Referral Desk can provide listings of Internet
Network Providers in the U.S. and abroad; books and documents to assist
organizations and individuals in getting connected; and pointers to
network tools and resources. When appropriate, contact information for
local NIC and NOC organizations will be offered.
The Referral Desk is in operation Monday through Friday, from 5:00 A.M.
to 7:00 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time.
Telephone: 800.444.4345
619.455.4600
FAX: 619.455.3990
E-mail: in...@internic.net
Mail:
InterNIC Information Services
General Atomics
P.O. Box 85608
San Diego, California
2. InterNIC Information Services Mailboxes and Mailing Lists
----------------------------------------------------------------
* mailbox: in...@internic.net
The place to send general questions about getting connected to the
Internet and how to locate and access information for using the network
more effectively. Also for any questions concerning Information
Services offerings. Queries sent to this mail-box are answered by the
Referral Desk staff.
* mailing list: anno...@is.internic.net
An announcements-only mailing list for anyone interested in getting
up-to-date information about the InterNIC and the services it provides.
Everyone is welcome to subscribe, and network administrators and NIC
staff are encouraged to establish local exploders at their institutions
for re-distribution of this list. This will be a moderated,
announcement-only mailing list, and volume will be low.
send mail to list...@is.internic.net
in the body of the message type:
subscribe announce your name
* mailing list: ni...@is.internic.net
Intended for staff at midlevel, campus, and discipline-specific NICs.
Content will include InterNIC services aimed specifically at NICs, and
mail sent to this list will be oriented towards providing services to
end users, including new training resources and documentation. All NIC
staff are encouraged to subscribe. This will be a moderated list, and
volume will be low.
send mail to list...@is.internic.net
in the body of the message type:
subscribe nics your name
Formerly n...@cerf.net, this list aims to serve network information
service providers and end users. This list is a group effort of people
all over the Internet to concentrate announcements of new resources
onto one list. It is moderated, and contains only announcements of new
tools and resources available over the Internet. The goal is to keep
the volume low, therefore this is not a discussion list.
If you would like to stay current on network services without having to
read every mailing list, join the nis-list. If you would like more
information about participating in the nis-list by becoming a monitor,
send a note to sc...@internic.net.
send mail to list...@is.internic.net
in the body of the message type:
subscribe nis your name
* mailbox: sc...@internic.net
The place to send information about any new tools or resources on the
network for possible distribution on the nis mailing list or inclusion
in the Info Source. Also the place to send for information regarding
participating in the nis-list by becoming a list monitor.
* hardcopy or electronic mailing list: The InterNIC InterActive
InterNIC Information Services publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, the
InterNIC InterActive, covers network information services issues of
interest to the entire community, such as tools, resources, training
opportunities, and networking organizations. InterNIC InterActive also
details existing and new services provided by all three areas of the
InterNIC: Information Services, Directory and Database Services, and
Registration Services.
To subscribe to the InterNIC InterActive, send a message to
interacti...@internic.net. Please indicate in your message if
you would like to receive the newsletter in harcopy format, electronic
format, or both.
3. The Info Source
----------------------
The Info Source is a collection of information designed to make finding
out about the Internet easier. There are sections for getting started,
for NICs, and for general information which may be of interest to
everyone. Also included is info on all the services offered by InterNIC
Information Services. Browsing the "Info Source Table of Contents" file
will provide details on what is available.
In many cases the Info Source contains actual documents on a given topic,
and in other cases pointers are given to alternate archives of
information. The Info Source contents will be maintained regularly to keep
it current, and new information will be added as it becomes available. If
you have a document or resource you'd like to submit for inclusion, or a
suggestion for a topic which should be included, let us know by sending
mail to: sc...@internic.net.
There are several ways to access the Info Source, which include FTP,
Gopher, e-mail, and telnet.
Accessing the Info Source
---------------------------
The Info Source can be accessed electronically using FTP, telnet, Gopher,
WAIS, and e-mail. Below are instructions for each access method. Included
under each access method are instructions for retrieving a file which
lists the documents available. An overview of each of these tools and how
to use them is available under the directory "Learning to Use the
Network".
If you have any questions or problems, send mail to in...@internic.net
or call 800.455.4345.
1. FTP Access
----------------
To retrieve documents from the Info Source using anonymous FTP:
ftp is.internic.net
login: anonymous
password: your e-mail address
cd infosource
get INDEX
The INDEX file contains a complete listing of what's
contained in the Info Source so that you can browse for the things you
may find useful. After you have identified a document you wish to
retrieve, standard FTP commands can be used to retrieve the file, such
as change directory (cd), directory listing (dir), and send file (get
filename).
2. Gopher Access
----------------
If you have a gopher client, point it at: is.internic.net
If you don't have a Gopher client, telnet to:
login: gopher
This command will allow you to use the Gopher client on the
is.internic.net machine.*
Once in gopherspace you can move up and down the menu system to see
what's available. Browsing the "Info Source Table of Contents" on the
main menu will let you see the entire heirarchy at a glance. The Table
of Contents also indicates where direct links have been established to
other Gopher servers.
Copies of documents contained in the Gopher server can be sent to you
electronically via e-mail. To receive a copy of a document you are
reading:
quit out of the file
type "m" as indicated
type your e-mail address in the space provided
hit enter
continue browsing in gopherspace
* We encourage the installation of a Gopher client on your local host if
possible, since this will provide faster and more efficient access to the
Info Source and many other archives. To learn more about Gopher and how to
acquire the freely accessible Gopher client software, go to "Learning to
Use the Network" under the "Getting Started" menu, and look under "CNIDR".
3. Telnet Access
------------------
For individuals without access to a Gopher client, several telnet ports on
the is.internic.net machine are configured for direct access to a Gopher
client located on that machine. By using this local Gopher client it is
possible to browse the menus and documents in the Info Source before
moving them to your local host.
To access the Gopher server via the local client:
telnet is.internic.net
login: gopher
Follow the instructions listed above under "Gopher Access". Please also
note the footnote at the end of that section regarding acquiring Gopher
client software.
4. WAIS
---------
The Info Source is registered in the Directory of Servers and can
therefore be accessed through a public WAIS client, or directly by using a
WAIS client located on your own host.
source name: internic-infosource
server name: is.internic.net
Another option is to use WAIS through the Gopher Server on the Info
Source. To use this option, select "Search the Info Source by Keyword"
located on the top level Gopher menu.
5. E-mail Access
------------------
The documents archived in the InterNIC Info Source can be retrieved via
electronic mail using a mail-server program running on the is.internic.net
machine. The purpose of a mail-server program is to read an e-mail message
sent as reqests to the server, decipher the commands located in the body
of the message, and execute those commands - which usually entails sending
particular files back to the requester in another e-mail message.
To receive complete instructions for using all the commands available from
the Info Source mail-server, send mail to:
in the body of the message, type:
send help
To receive a file with the filenames of all documents available from the
Info Source mail-server, send to the same address, and in the body of the
message type:
INDEX
Note that both upper and lower case syntax will be accepted by the
mail-server program for commands. However, when typing filenames, be
careful to use the exact case syntax used for the filename.
------------------
As noted above, if you have any questions, problems, or suggestions
concerning access to the Info Source, contact the InterNIC Information
Services Staff at in...@internic.net or 800.444.4345.
Tony Li
Yes it's real. The sad part is that the Internic is financially related to
the person posting. As such, it looks like advertising to me.....
Ok, I was out of line. My apologies.
David Lesher
Tens, hundreds, K dollars?
One time or every time you sneeze?
--
A host is a host from coast to coast..wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu
& no one will talk to a host that's close............(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433