RFC 1290
There's Gold in them thar Networks! or Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places
RFC 1290: There's Gold in them thar Networks! 💰✨
Okay bestie, so this is RFC 1290 🎀, a FYI document (FYI 10) from the Network Working Group. J. Martin of Ohio State University wrote it in December 1991. It's informational, not a standard, and the header doesn't list anything it obsoletes or updates. 💅
The full title is: There's Gold in them thar Networks! or Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places 🦋
Status of this Memo 📜
This RFC is here to provide information for the Internet community. It is not an Internet standard, and distribution of this memo is unlimited. 🌸
Abstract 💖
This paper was presented at the 1991 ACM SIGUCCS User Services Conference, and this is its updated version. 🎤
There is a wealth of information on the network, like, so much that you could spend your whole life just browsing 🙈 This paper rounds up some of the "gold nuggets" (aka information and file repositories on the network) that end users might find useful. 💎
The dream goal is to make the route to these sources invisible to the user. Right now that's not easy, so the paper explains some techniques that can make these nuggets easier to pick up. That way we can all get richer 🤑✨
Table of Contents 🗂️
1.0 Introduction................................................ 2
2.0 Lists and Indexes of Network Resources/Bibliographies/
Information Available over the Network...................... 2
3.0 Libraries Available over the Network........................ 6
4.0 Anonymous FTP Sites......................................... 7
5.0 Network Information Centers - NICs.......................... 8
6.0 Network Statistics.......................................... 10
7.0 Campus Wide Information Systems - CWIS...................... 11
8.0 Internet Bulleting Board System/Interactive
Databases/Freenet........................................... 19
9.0 WHOIS - E-mail white pages.................................. 22
10.0 Books....................................................... 23
11.0 Free Periodicals/Tabloids/Magazines......................... 23
12.0 Glossary.................................................... 25
Security Considerations.......................................... 26
Author's Address................................................. 271.0 Introduction 🧚
Okay so this paper is basically my personal must-have list 📝 It's the essentials that a person who looks after network information should keep close as reference material. The big problem with information is making it easy to find for the people who actually need it 🔍 Libraries have been cataloguing stuff for centuries, and now information is moving so fast that it's hard to keep up even a little bit. Computer networks have made it worse by opening up even more information. 😭
Making all this wealth useful for the people who'd love it comes with some problems, bestie. 💅
First, we need to know that something exists. This paper gives you an index into the massive realm of network information. Most of the documents listed here are POINTERS to the final information, so they point you to the good stuff 👉
Second, even if you know a document exists, you might not know if it's important or relevant. Few of us are experts in more than a small area, so we have to rely on other people to tell us which databases matter for a specific discipline 🙌 Librarians can be a huge help here. They know the research databases that people search in Law, Mathematics, and loads of other fields. 📚
Finally, once you know something exists and matters, it has to be indexed so researchers can find it. This is the hardest part 💀 Information on the network is never static. It's always moving, growing, changing, and dying. Computers should be able to help us manage this ever-changing environment. Right now we have to catalogue information as it passes through the network, and personally, I usually save it in some file somewhere and then spend way too long trying to find it again later 🙈
2.0 Lists and Indexes of Network Resources/Bibliographies/Information Available over the Network 🌈
2.01 Internet Resource Guide (Document)
This is an excellent guide to the major resources on the network, and it's giving main character energy 👑 Its Table of Contents has 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 //EXIT2.02 Anonymous FTP Sites (Document)
This is a list of all the sites on the Internet that support anonymous FTP. So many sites, so much to explore 🦋
Source:
Anonymous FTP to pilot.njin.net
cd pub/ftp-list
get ftp.listSearch:
Telnet to quiche.cs.mcgill.ca
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 or topic2.03 INDEX - Index of all RFC's - (Document)
Here's the RFC index and some of the big hits, all in one place 💖 The entries are:
RFC-1118 - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Internet
RFC-1175 - A Bibliography of Internetworking Information
RFC-1173 - Responsibilities of Host and Network Managers
RFC-1206 - Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User"
Questions
RFC-1207 - Answers to Commonly asked "Experienced Internet User"
Questions
RFC-1208 - Networking Glossary of TermsSource:
Anonymous FTP to nis.nsf.net
cd rfc
get $index.rfc
get RFC1118.TXT-1
get RFC1175.TXT-1
get RFC1173.TXT-1
get RFC1206.TXT-1
get RFC1207.TXT-1
get RFC1208.TXT-12.04 Interest Groups List-of-Lists (Document)
This is a document that lists the mailing lists or groups that exist. If you want to get on the list to receive updates, send an e-mail to Interest-groups-request@nisc.sri.com ✉️
Source:
Anonymous FTP to ftp.nisc.sri.com
cd netinfo
get interest-groups2.05 Regional Network Policies (Documents)
Lots of regional networks have written policies on responsible use of their network 📋 You can grab copies of these policies online by anonymous FTP.
Source:
Anonymous FTP to ftp.nsic.sri.com
cd netinfo
dir
get ???.policyWhere ??? 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)
Plenty of universities have made more complete policies based on the regional network policies 🎓 If you want to peek 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 ???.policyWhere ??? 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 wrote a very complete guide to the network information you can get 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." There's a major section on Network Topics that is excellent. It's a big one, over 300 pages, so grab a snack first 🍓
Source:
Anonymous FTP to decoy.uoregon.edu
cd pub/vaxbook
get vms.ps (for 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 Dept. of Central Michigan University 📰 It has 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 BIBLIOYou'll get the file "COMPUNET BIBLIO" back by return mail, along with a "Welcome to Comserve" message and a "Getting started with Comserve" message. If you're not familiar with how the listserv program 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 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.hqxHeads up! This is a stuffed and binhexed file, so you need 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 document that lists the mailing lists or groups that exist. If you want to get on the list to receive updates, send an e-mail to Interest-groups-request@nisc.sri.com 💌
Source:
Anonymous FTP to ariel.unm.edu
cd library
get networks survey2.11 Network Managers's Reading List (Document)
This is an annotated list of books and other resources for network managers who use TCP/IP, UNIC, and Ethernet technologies 📖 So if that's you, it's giving very useful vibes 💜
Source:
Anonymous FTP to ftp.utexas.edu
cd pub/netinfo/docs
get net-read.txt3.0 Libraries Available over the Network 📚💫
There are hundreds of libraries available over the network, which is way too many to list here 😳 A few documents list Internet-accessible libraries, though. There are two major ones that list lots of libraries. One is Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases, coauthored by Dr. Art St. George of the University of New Mexico (stgeorge@bootes.unm.edu [Internet] or stgeorge@unmb [BITNET]) and Dr. Ron Larsen of the University of Maryland. The other is UNT's Accessing On-Line Bibliographic Databases by Billy Barron (billy@vaxb.acs.unt.edu [Internet]).
3.1 UNT's Accessing On-Line bibliographic Databases (Document)
This is the UNT one, and it's a total gem 💎
Source:
Anonymous FTP to vaxb.acs.unt.edu
cd library
get libraries.ps (postscript format)
get libraries.txt (ASCII text version)
get libraries.wp5 (Wordperfect 5.1 source)3.2 Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs & Databases (Docment)
The other big one, and honestly a must-bookmark ✨
Source:
Anonymous FTP to ariel.unm.edu
cd library
get library.ps (postscript format)
get internet.library (ASCII text version)4.0 The Mother Lode of Anonymous FTP Sites ✨
okay bestie, so there are sites listed all throughout this doc for specific documents 📚 Most of the stuff here is just indexes that point you to more info, and the real struggle is searching through all of it to find what you want 😭 So here are some of the major sites for specific programs 💖
You can also use Archie for searching for specific programs. (See Search: category under Anonymous FTP sites above.) 🔍
4.1 Washington University (Anonymous FTP)
Washington University is literally one of the most popular sites for software on the network 💅 The mirrors directory is where a copy of all of the wsmr-simtel20.army.mil files are kept. Wsmr-simtel20-army.mil is the originator and keeper of major amounts of public domain software 👑 Their site is often overloaded with connections though, so it can be hard to get connected 😩
You will find enough software here to keep you busy for the rest of your life 🤭 The mirrors directory MSDOS and Macintosh directories 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 macintoshFor 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 that is available for just about all microcomputers, minicomputers, and mainframes 🦋 It is very popular and has been utilized by many computer facilities everywhere 🌸
Anonymous FTP to watsun.cc.columbia.edu
cd kermit
get read.meFor executable versions of kermit:
cd bin
get READ.ME file and read for specifics of what file to getFor the IBM PC, get msvibm.exe after typing binary to activate the binary transfer mode 💜
4.3 NCSA Software for Network Access from PC's (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 or
where x is the current version number
(in binary format, I also suggest getting readme files)5.0 Network Information Centers - NICs 🎀
okay so these are the people to contact if you want to know what networking is all about and how you can connect 🫶 They can hook you up with the individuals in your area who can help you get a network connection.
They can also help if you don't know who else to ask about network topics 🧚
5.1 Defense Data Network (DDN)
Goverment Systems, Inc. (GSI)
Attn: Network Information Center
14200 Park Medow Drive
Suite 200
Chantilly, VA 22021
(800) 365-3642 or (703) 802-4535 FAX (703)-802-8373
NIC@NIC.DDN.MILThe main NIC on the Internet. The source for network numbers, domain names, and much more ✨
5.2 NSF Network Service Center (NNSC)
NSF Network Service Center
Bolt Baranek and Newman Inc.
10 Moulton St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 873-3400
NNSC@NNSC.NSF.NET
Corinne Carroll
NNSC StaffThey publish 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 1-800-66MERIT
NSFNET-INFO@MERIT.EDUThey publish a newsletter called Linkletter 💌 To subscribe, send e-mail to NSFNET-linkletter-Request@merit.edu.
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
NISC@NISC.SRI.COM5.5 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 Support6.0 Network Statistics 📊
okay so if you want to publish statistics in your newsletter about your institutions network traffic going into and out of the NSFNET backbone, you can get info on either the packets or the bytes sent 💜 Honestly I prefer the bytes, since they can be translated into some sort of 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 stats
get nsfyy-mm.ptraffic where yy is year, 91 and mm is month, 06
get nsf91-06.ptraffic ptraffic is the packet traffic
get nsfyy-mm.btraffic where yy is year, 91 and mm is month, 06
get nsf91-06.btraffic btraffic is the byte traffic7.0 Campus Wide Information Systems - CWIS 🌈
The info in this paper is mainly for the people who will use it to build ways of accessing it from their own computing environment 🛠️ Standards have been proposed, but there are no "packages" that give you access to all of the information presented here 😭
What Ohio State University has done, (and several other universities too!) is set up a menu for the user that reaches these services and databases behind the scenes 🍭 In fact, Ur had to go into 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 "Information Systems" implies, the user wants the information without having to know exactly how to get to it. In this way, the network is invisible to the end user 🦋 All they need to know is what they want, not the command structure needed to actually get it ✨
Right now the menu system seems to be the easiest way to lead the end user to the information. A term "knowbot" has been used for the ability to ask for what you want in free form, with a "knowbot" that knows what's available and goes out to retrieve it 🤖
Here are some places you can connect to for a demo of what they can do 💖
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 (jonesel@appstate.bitnet)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 (iejxk@asuvm.inre.asu.edu)
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 (amy@clust1.clemson.edu)
System contains information on: Weather for SC, NC, and GA;
economics; plants; animals; engineering; food; home, health,
family and youth.7.4 Columbia University
cal.cc.columbia.edu
Login as calendar.
Contact: David Millman (dsm@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu)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
or TELNET cuinfo.cornell.edu..300
Hardware/software: VM/CMS; IBM S/370 assembler; locally written
Contact: Steve Worona (slw@cornella.bitnet)
CUINFO of interest to non-Cornell community members:
Uncle Ezra The Electronic Counselor - first program of its
kind; a must see
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 on-line 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 forecast7.6 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 (ciri@lafayacs.bitnet)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 (tjf0@ns.cc.lehigh.edu)7.8 Mississippi State University (MSUinfo)
isis.msstate.edu (130.18.164.2)
Login as msuinfo.
Terminal type: enter yours, most supported.
Hardware/software: UNIX/TechInfo
Contact: Bennet George (George_Bennet@admin.msstate.edu)
Contains: announcements, campus events, community events,
continuing education offerings, jobs, recent press releases,
research funding opportunities, etc.7.9 MIT TechInfo
Accessible either via telnet, or via a native Macintosh
application that uses the MacTCP drivers to access the TechInfo
server. MacPlus with 1 Meg memory or better required, System 6.0.3
or better, and licensed MacTCP drivers.
Source code available freely to other schools looking 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 (public domain tool)
required to decode the binary.
Contact: Tim McGovern (tjm@mit.edu), (617) 253-0505
Bugs: bug-techinfo@mit.edu
Comments: comment-techinfo@mit.edu
Administration: admin-techinfo@mit.edu7.10 New Mexico State University NMSU/INFO
info.nmsu.edu
Login as info.
Emulate a VT100.
Hardware/software: DEC/VTX
Contact: D. Brian Ormand (bormand@nmsuvm1.bitnet) or
(bormand@nmsu.edu)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 (hmn@ncsuvax.bitnet) MIT TechInfo7.12 NYU ACF INFO system
info.nyu.edu (information.nyu.edu) (128.122.138.142)
Emulating a VT100 or better unlocks some extra suboptions 💅
Contact: Stephen Tihor (tihor@ACFcluster.nyu.edu) or (tihor@nyuacf.bitnet) 🫶
7.13. Pima Community College 🌵
pimacc.pima.eduLogin as pimainfo. Emulate a VT100 💖
Hardware/software: DEC/VTX 🖥️ Contact: Terry Loftus (tloftus@pimacc.pima.edu) or Al Camberos (acamberos@pimacc.pima.edu) 🎀
7.14. Princeton News Network PNN 📰
pucc.princeton.eduUse telnet or tn3270. When you see the VM 370 logo, clear it, and instead of logging on, enter pnn (case does not matter). Then clear the information screen that pops up ✨
Hardware/software: VM/CMS, locally written. A UNIX version and a Mac HyperCard version are up, running, and available. All versions (CMS, UNIX, HyperCard) are available to universities at no cost 🙌
Contact: Rita Saltz (rita@pucc.bitnet) System and Development: Howard Strauss (howard@pucc.bitnet) 🧚
7.15. Rutgers University 🐯
info.rutgers.edu 98No password required. It can be accessed from any microcomputer or terminal, so no excuses 💅
Hardware/software: written in lush (a public domain program); runs on any SUN workstation 🔥 Contact: Leny Struminger (struming@zodiac.rutgers.edu) 💜
INFO contains university wide activities, graduate courses catalogs, Faculty/Staff phone directory, computer services, libraries online catalog, weather, news, bus schedules, etc. It's giving everything in one place 🚌🌈
7.16. San Diego State University ☀️
wintermute.sdsu.eduLogin as sdsuinfo. Emulate a VT100 🦋
Hardware/software: pnn & nmm Contact: Richard Caasi (caasi@sdsu.edu) ⭐
7.17. University of Arkansas 🐗
uafsysb.uark.eduLogin as info.
Hardware/software: IBM 4381-14, VM/HPO 6.0, Cornell's CUINFO module 💻 Contact: Susan Adkins (sa06037@uafsysb.bitnet) or (sa06037@uafsysb.uark.edu) 🫶
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 (pattee@spot.colorado.edu) 🍓
7.19. University of Denver 🦄
du.eduLogin as atdu.
Contact: Bob Stocker (bstocker@ducair.bitnet) 🎀
7.20. University of Minnesota at Duluth ❄️
ub.d.umn.eduLogin as info. Emulate a vt100 ✨
Contact: Frank Simmons (fsimmons@ub.d.umn.edu) 💖
System contains over 700 documents ranging from athletic schedules to micro-computer prices to art gallery showing schedules. All commands are displayed at the bottom of each screen and separate on-line help is available. Keyword searching is available, although at this time only words in the titles of documents are used. Honestly the search is a little limited right now, but the 700 docs are so worth it 📚🥹
7.21. University of New Brunswick, Canada, INFO 🍁
unbmvs1.csd.unb.ca (131.202.1.2)Login with application id INFO. There is no password required. INFO is a full-screen CICS application running under MVS 🖥️
tn3270 emulation.
Contact: Bonita Mockler (bgm@unb.ca) 💅
System contains: University Calendar, class timetable, phone/fax numbers for faculty/staff/students, faculty and staff email ids, seminar schedules, minutes, newsletter, etc. 🗓️
7.22. University of New Hampshire's 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 (r_tuttle1@unhh.unh.edu) 🫶
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. That is a LOT of main character energy 👑
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 (hallman@unc.bitnet) 💜
System contains: campus directory; job openings; "The Independent Study" catalog (courses people can take by correspondence); undergraduate catalog; continuing education classes; several campus newsletters, including "Newsbrief," the weekly campus computing newsletter 📰✨
7.24. University of North Carolina at Greensboro MINERVA 🦉
steffi.acc.uncg.eduLogin as info or MINERVA. Emulate a VT100 🦋
Hardware/software: DEC/VTX Contact: Norman Hill (hillnr@uncg.bitnet) 🎀
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 (cavenaughd@uncwil.bitnet) or (cavenaughd@vxc.uncwil.edu) 💖
System includes: class schedule listings, institutional statistics, library services, faculty & staff publications, current university news releases, phone directories, facilities schedules. Very organized, very iconic 📋
7.26. University of Northern Iowa 🌽
infosys.uni.eduLog in as public.
Prefers a vtxxx terminal, but works with unknown terminal types. Flexible queen 👸
Hardware/software: The program uses UNIX tput clear, tput mc4, and tput mc5 (for printing). Contact: Mike Yohe (yohe@iscsvax.uni.edu) 🫶
7.27. University of Pennsylvania - PennInfo 🔔
In final testing phase; due for release at the beginning of November, 1991. Bestie, this one was still cooking when this was written 🍳
penninfo.upenn.edu(no login id is needed). Emulate a VT100 💅
Hardware/software: MIT's Techinfo; type HELP for directions Human contact: Valerie Glauser (glauser@dccs.upenn.edu) 💜 Comments: penninfo-comments@dccs.upenn.edu Bugs: penninfo-bugs@dccs.upenn.edu Human contact: Valerie Glauser (glauser@dccs.upenn.edu) 🫶
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. Same vibe, different contacts 🎀
8.0. Internet Bulleting Board System/Interactive Databases/Freenet 🧚
There are several systems you can establish a connection with, sometimes referred to as an "anonymous telnet" session, that provide a variety of services/information. In some respects they resemble Campus Wide 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.faqListed below are some of these types of systems 👇
8.1. Cleveland Freenet - Case Western Reserve University 🌐
freenet-in-a.cwru.eduTelnet 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
To use just type the name of the city and state you would like information on, just like 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; you must connect again, 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 1-800-237-5551 in the U.S. or, within the local Seattle are or outside the United States, call 1-206-543-3761.
telnet isaac.engr.washington.edu or 128.95.32.618.7. FEDIX 🏛️
FEDIX is an on-line 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, deadlines).
- Scholarships, fellowships, and grants.
- Available used government research equipment.
- 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, organizaitonal structure, mission statement. etc.
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 192.111.228.1At the login: prompt type fedix
8.8. STIS 🧪
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, Phone (202) 357-7555, FAX (202) 357-7745, TDD (202) 357-7492 or via E-Mail stis@nsf.gov (Internet), stis@nsf (BITNET).
telnet stis.nsf.govAt the login: prompt type public
At the terminal type prompt type vt100nkp.
Enter your terminal type [blank=vt100]: vt100nkp
You are then asked for a userid of up to 8 characters. If you are a new user, you will be asked to supply your name and address for record keeping. You can then 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 30009.0 WHOIS - E-mail white pages ✨
okay so WHOIS is a program on tons of workstation, mini, and mainframe computers 💻 that can connect to another computer. You give it a person's name and it spits back whatever info it has on them 👀. finger is basically its cousin 🧚 that does the same vibe, except it only knows about people who have an account on that one specific machine. WHOIS is lowkey better because it's usually running on a database with most of the people at the university, not just the machine you connected to. iconic 💅
Here's a list of universities with a WHOIS service that's working. It is NOT exhaustive 🙈 so if you know of others, I'd love to hear about them so I can add them to the list.
9.1 The Ohio State University
Telnet to osu.edu or
Use Whois command whois -h osu.edu
Enter firstname.lastname
Example: whois -h osu.edu jerry.smith9.2 University of Oregon
Use Whois command whois -h oregon.uoregon.edu
Enter firstname.lastname
Example: whois -h oregon.uoregon.edu Rose.Smith9.3 University of Virginia
Use Whois command whois -h whois.virginia.edu
Enter lastname, firstname middlename
Example: whois -h whois.virginia.edu Smith, John James9.4 University of Pennsylvania
Use Whois command whois -h whois.upenn.edu
Enter lastname, firstname
Example: whois -h whois.upenn.edu Smith, Judy9.5 University of Wisconsin
Use Whois command whois -h wisc.edu
Enter firstname lastname
Example: whois -h wisc.edu Jane Smith9.6 MIT
Use Whois command whois -h mit.edu
Enter firstname_lastname
Example: whois -h mit.edu Robert_Smith9.7 Indiana University
Use Whois command whois -h iugate.ucs.indiana.edu
Enter firstname_lastname
Example: whois -h iugate.ucs.indiana.edu Gerald_Smith10.0 Books 📚
For a more complete listing, see sections 3.08 and 3.11. 🦋
- 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.
11.0 Free Periodicals/Tabloids/Magazines 🗞️
Below are just a few of the periodicals qualified subscribers can receive free. 🎀 I personally try to glance over the first four, PCWeek, MacWeek, Info World, and Network World, pretty much every day 🫶 Others are dedicated to specific network, LAN, or UNIX topics, so they're super useful if you need that info.
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, Mass. 01701
Computer System News
Circulation Dept.
P.O. Box 2030
Manhasset, NY 11030-7030
Network Management
Circulation Department
Box 2417
Tulsa, Oklahoma 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 11030-437612.0 Glossary 🧠
I use some concepts here that might not be familiar to everyone, so here's a quick explanation of a few of them 💖
12.1 BITNET:
BITNET is a network made up of mostly mini or mainframe computers, and it connects a bunch of universities and colleges together 🎓 It gives you e-mail and file transfer, but it can't do remote login (Telnet sessions) 🙅♀️
12.2 Internet:
The Internet is a super huge network that connects pretty much any type of computer together 🌐 It supports e-mail, file transfer (FTP), and remote login (Telnet) ✨
12.3 Anonymous FTP:
Anonymous FTP lets you transfer a file from a remote computer connected to the Internet WITHOUT having an account on that computer 🦋 The program doing the transfer is normal FTP. To connect to a remote computer offering anonymous FTP, you can use these 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 quitExample:
FTP pilot.njin.net
Username: anonymous
Password: yourname@computer.edu
cd pub/ftp-list
get ftp.list
quit12.4 Telnet:
Telnet is the ability to establish a connection to a remote computer connected to the Internet 🔌 There are two types of programs that do this. The first one, normally called Telnet, usually sets up a VT100 type terminal emulation to the remote computer. The second one, TN3270, sets up a full screen IBM 3270 type terminal connection 🖥️
12.5 Listserv:
A Listserv is a program on lots of BITNET connected computers that can act as a mail forward system AND as a file repository 💌 BITNET is another network linking many colleges and universities together, and it doesn't normally link to military or government institutions the way the Internet does 🏛️ To subscribe to a listserv, you usually send mail to the machine that has the mailing list, with the command to subscribe inside. For example, to subscribe to a list for discussion of topics about Mechanical Engineering, you'd send e-mail to listserv@utarlvml with the content of the message being the one line command to subscribe:
SUB MECH-1 John Doe (Where John Doe would be your full name)The document "Interest Groups" listed below contains the list of the majority of these lists you can subscribe to 📋
Disclaimer ⚠️
The information in the previous sections has been put together from multiple sources acquired from the network. A lot 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 December 5, 1991.
I used a DEC5500 system running Ultrix to check most of these sources. Most of the information is oriented toward Internet, since it has the ability to remote login (Telnet) and File Transfer (FTP) 💜
Security Considerations 🔒
Security issues are not discussed in this memo. 🙈 Please don't take that as a green light, bestie. Nothing in here covers security, so handle everything with your own care. 💀
Author's Address 🧚
Jerry Martin
Leader, Network Information Center
Ohio State Univ. ACS, 1971 Neil Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1210
Phone: (614) 292-4843
EMail: jmartin@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu📦 where this page comes from
- ietf: rfc1290 1991-12
- 💖 girlified by claude-haiku-5-5 on : a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms