RFC 1739
A Primer On Internet and TCP/IP Tools
A Primer On Internet and TCP/IP Tools 🎀
Okay bestie, let's start with the header! This is RFC 1739 from the Network Working Group, and its title is "A Primer On Internet and TCP/IP Tools." It was written by G. Kessler and S. Shepard of Hill Associates, Inc., and it's dated December 1994. Its category is Informational. The header has no Obsoletes or Updates line, so it doesn't replace or change any earlier RFC. 💅✨
Status of this Memo 📜
So the vibe check here: this memo gives information to the Internet community 🌸. It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind, so it's a guide and not a rulebook 🧚. Distribution of this memo is unlimited, so share it with everyone 💜.
Table of Contents 💜
1. Introduction .................................................. 2
2. A Beginner's Guide to TCP/IP-based Utilities and Applications . 2
2.1. NSLOOKUP .................................................... 3
2.2. PING ........................................................ 5
2.3. FINGER ...................................................... 6
2.4. TRACEROUTE .................................................. 7
2.5. FTP ......................................................... 10
2.6. TELNET ...................................................... 14
2.7. User Database Lookup Tools .................................. 17
2.7.1. WHOIS/NICNAME ............................................. 17
2.7.2. KNOWBOT ................................................... 20
2.7.3. NETFIND ................................................... 21
2.8. Information Servers ......................................... 24
2.8.1. ARCHIE .................................................... 24
2.8.2. GOPHER .................................................... 27
2.8.3. Other Information Servers ................................. 30
2.9. Uniform Resource Locator Format ............................. 31
3. Distribution Lists and Mailing Lists .......................... 32
3.1. Internet Discussion Lists ................................... 33
3.2. Usenet ...................................................... 33
3.3. BITNET/EARN ................................................. 35
4. Internet Documentation ........................................ 36
4.1. Request for Comments (RFCs) ................................. 36
4.2. Internet Standards .......................................... 38
4.3. For Your Information Documents .............................. 39
4.4. RARE Technical Reports ...................................... 40
5. Perusing the Internet ......................................... 40
6. Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................... 42
7. Security Considerations ....................................... 43
8. Acknowledgements .............................................. 43
9. References .................................................... 43
10. Authors' Addresses ........................................... 461. Introduction 🌸
This memo is an introductory guide to some of the TCP/IP and Internet tools and utilities that let you get at all the info on the network 🌐. You can use them to check if a particular host is up, or to go look at a multimedia thesis on foreign policy 🤓. It also covers discussion lists you can join from the Internet, ways to get Internet documents, and resources that help you find your way around the Internet 🗺️. You can use this memo as a tutorial for teaching yourself, as a step-by-step lab manual for a course, or as the basis for a site's users manual 📚. It's meant to be a basic guide only, and it points you to other sources if you want more detail 🦋.
2. A Beginner's Guide to TCP/IP-based Utilities and Applications 🦋
This section gives descriptions and detailed examples of several TCP/IP utilities and applications 💖. It includes real sessions using these utilities, with some extra info taken out 🧹. Each part below covers one TCP/IP-based tool, what it's for, and in some cases how it works 🔧. The text description is always followed by an actual sample session 🎬.
The sample dialogues were made using the Multinet TCP/IP software for VAX/VMS, or the DOS versions of FTP Software's PC/TCP. The examples are a good guide for learning what these tools can do, but be aware that not every utility will be on every TCP/IP host or in every commercial software package 🙈. The user interface also changes from package to package, so the actual command line may look different from what's shown here. That's especially true for graphical user interfaces on Windows, X-Windows, OS/2, or Macintosh systems 💻. The Internet has so many exciting things to offer, but standardized interfaces to the protocols are not one of them yet! 😭
This guide won't go into any detail or motivation about the Internet Protocol Suite. For more on the TCP/IP protocols and related issues, check out RFC 1180 [18], Comer [22], Feit [23], and Kessler [30] 📖.
In the commands shown below, anything in square brackets ([]) is optional, and the vertical bar (|) means "or" 🎀. Parameters with no brackets, or those in curly brackets ({}), are mandatory 💅. In the sample dialogues, most user input is in capital letters (only where allowed), and lines with user input are marked with "**" in the far-left margin 👑.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The sample dialogues are easier to read in the secondary, Postscript version of this RFC. 🫶
2.1. NSLOOKUP 🔍
NSLOOKUP is the name server lookup program that comes with many TCP/IP software packages 🧚. You can use NSLOOKUP to look at entries in the Domain Name System (DNS) database that are about a particular host or domain 💜. One common use is figuring out a host system's IP address from its name, or the host's name from its IP address ✨. The general form of the command for a single query is:
NSLOOKUP [IP_address | host_name]If you start the program without any parameters, it'll prompt you for input 💬. You can enter either an IP address or a host name at that point, and the program will respond with the name and address of the default name server 🌈. It also shows the name server actually used to resolve each request, plus the IP address and host name that were queried 🦋. Type "Exit" to quit the NSLOOKUP application 👋.
Three simple queries are shown in the example below 🍓:
- Requests the address of the host named "emily.uvm.edu", a system at the University of Vermont (UVM). Turns out this isn't the true name of the host, just a shortened version that the network accepts as an alias 🙈. NSLOOKUP lists the full name of the host and the IP address.
- Requests the address of host "emily.emba.uvm.edu", which is the same host as in the first query. Notice that NSLOOKUP gives a "non-authoritative" answer 🤔. Since NSLOOKUP just asked about this same address, the info is still in its cache memory 🧠. So instead of sending more messages to the name server, the answer is one it remembered from before. The server didn't look the information up again, though, so it isn't guaranteed to still be accurate (because the info might have changed in the last few milliseconds!) ⏱️.
- Requests the name of the host with the given IP address. The result points to the Internet gateway to Australia, "munnari.oz.au" 🦘.
One more query is shown in the dialogue below 💖. NSLOOKUP looks at info stored by the DNS 🗂️. The default NSLOOKUP queries look at basic address records (called "A records") to match up the host name and IP address, though other info is available too ✨. In the final query below, the user wants to know where email addressed to the "uvm.edu" domain actually gets delivered, since "uvm.edu" isn't the name of an actual host 📬. To find out, the user changes the query type to look for mail exchange (MX) records, using a "set type" command (which must be in lower case) 🔤. The query shows that mail addressed to "uvm.edu" is handled through a mail server called "moose.uvm.edu" 💌. The DNS is beyond the scope of this intro, but you can learn more about the concepts and structure of the DNS in STD 13/RFC 1034 [12] and RFC 1591 [13] 📚. You can type the "help" command at the program prompt to see info about NSLOOKUP's more advanced commands 🆘.
Technical note: there are other tools that might be on your system or in your software for looking at the DNS, like HOST and DIG 🛠️.
==================================================================
** SMCVAX$ NSLOOKUP
Default Server: LOCALHOST
Address: 127.0.0.1
** > EMILY.UVM.EDU
Server: LOCALHOST
Address: 127.0.0.1
Name: emily.emba.uvm.edu
Address: 132.198.1.7
Aliases: emily.uvm.edu
** > EMILY.EMBA.UVM.EDU
Server: LOCALHOST
Address: 127.0.0.1
Non-authoritative answer:
Name: emily.emba.uvm.edu
Address: 132.198.1.7
** > 128.250.1.21
Server: LOCALHOST
Address: 127.0.0.1
Name: munnari.OZ.AU
Address: 128.250.1.21
** > set type=MX
** > UVM.EDU
Server: LOCALHOST
Address: 127.0.0.1
uvm.edu preference = 10, mail exchanger = moose.uvm.edu
moose.uvm.edu internet address = 132.198.101.60
** > EXIT
SMCVAX$
==================================================================Part 1 done, and the next part is coming up soon 🌈💖
2.2. PING 🏓
Okay bestie, ping is literally one of the most widely available tools in TCP/IP software packages 💖 It sends a series of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo messages to figure out whether a remote host is active or inactive, and to measure the round-trip delay when talking to it. The Ping command is sometimes called the Packet Internetwork Groper in some references, which is so iconic 😭 The general format looks like this:
PING [-s] {IP_address | host_name} [size] [quantity]In the first test, we ping the host "thumper.bellcore.com" to see whether it's up and running ✨ This simple version has no optional parameters, very minimal, very clean.
In the second test, the "-s" parameter tells the system to send an ICMP Echo message every second. The optional "size" parameter sets each message to 64 bytes (which is the default size). The optional "quantity" parameter means this test only sends 12 messages (by default it runs continuously until you interrupt it) 🎀 The results show the round-trip delay of each Echo message that comes back to the sending host, and at the end you get summary statistics 📊
==================================================================
** SMCVAX$ PING THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM
thumper.bellcore.com is alive
** SMCVAX$ PING -S THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM 64 12
PING THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM (128.96.41.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=0 time=150 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=1 time=110 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=2 time=130 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=3 time=130 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=4 time=320 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=5 time=110 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=6 time=440 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=7 time=90 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=9 time=100 ms
64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=10 time=110 ms
----THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM PING Statistics----
12 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 16% packet loss
round-trip (ms) min/avg/max = 90/169/440
SMCVAX$
==================================================================2.3. FINGER 👀
The Finger program lets you find out who's logged in on another system, or get detailed info about one specific user. This command literally introduced a brand new verb 💅 "Fingering" someone on the Internet is not necessarily rude, promise! The Finger User Information Protocol is described in RFC 1288 [20]. The most general format of the Finger command is:
FINGER [username]@host_nameThe first example shows what happens when you finger an individual user at a remote system. The first line of the response shows the username, the user's real name, their process identifier, application, and terminal port number. Users can optionally add more info in "plan" and/or "project" files, which are often named PLAN.TXT or PROJECT.TXT, and they live in the user's root directory (or somewhere in an appropriate search path) 🧚
The second example shows the result of fingering a remote system. This lists all the processes currently running on the fingered system, or other info, depending on how the remote system's administrator set it up to respond to the Finger command 🌈
==================================================================
** C:\> FINGER KUMQUAT@SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU
[smcvax.smcvt.edu]
KUMQUAT Gary Kessler 20A02991 MAIL TXA3
Last login Fri 15-Jul-1994 2:59 PM-EDT
Plan:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gary C. Kessler
Adjunct Faculty Member, Graduate College
Senior Member of Technical Staff
Hill Associates +1 802-655-8633 or 655-0940 (office)
17 Roosevelt Highway +1 802-655-7974 (fax)
Colchester, VT 05446 +1 802-879-5242 (home)
INTERNET: kumquat@smcvax.smcvt.edu or kumquat@hill.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
** C:\> FINGER @SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU
[smcvax.smcvt.edu]
Friday, July 15, 1994 4:00PM-EDT Up 21 03:41:31
7+0 Jobs on SMCVAX Load ave 0.24 0.31 0.25
User Personal Name Subsys
DENIS Denis Stratford MAIL
GOODWIN Dave Goodwin RTPAD
JAT John Trono EDT
KUMQUAT Gary Kessler MAIL
INFO SMC Info Service TELNET
SYSTEM System Manager *DCL*
SMITH Jim Smith LYNX
C:\>
================================================================2.4. TRACEROUTE 🗺️
Traceroute is another classic TCP/IP tool, and it lets you see the route packets take from your local host to a remote host 🦋 Network and system managers use it all the time as a simple but powerful debugging aid, but end users can use it too to learn about the structure of the Internet. It's giving curious explorer energy ✨
The Traceroute command has the following general format, where "#" stands for a positive integer value tied to the qualifier:
TRACEROUTE [-m #] [-q #] [-w #] [-p #] {IP_address | host_name}Here's what each flag does:
-mis the maximum allowable TTL value, measured as the number of hops allowed before the program terminates (default = 30)-qis the number of UDP packets that will be sent with each time-to-live setting (default = 3)-wis the amount of time, in seconds, to wait for an answer from a particular router before giving up (default = 5)-pis the invalid port address at the remote host (default = 33434)
The Traceroute example below shows the route between a host at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont (smcvax.smcvt.edu) and a host at Bellcore in Red Bank, New Jersey (thumper.bellcore.com). The output has some really interesting points 👑
- NEARnet, the New England Academic and Research Network, is a regional network serving the northeastern U.S. The packets' route runs from St. Mike's NEARnet gateway (smc-gw) to the University of Vermont (uvm-gw), and so on. Note that some intermediate systems (see lines 4 and 16) don't have names associated with them 🙈
- From NEARnet (lines 1-6), the packets travel on the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) T3 backbone (lines 7-11). The NSFNET backbone nodes are identified as "ans.net" because the NSFNET is operated by Advanced Networks and Services, Inc. (ANS). The packets travel within ANS' network on their core nodal switching subsystems ("cnss") until they're ready to jump off the backbone. Line 11 shows an ANS exterior nodal switching subsystem ("enss"). The datagrams are then carried on the JvNCnet (lines 12-16), a regional network in New Jersey (note the use of SMDS!). Finally, the datagrams get placed on Bellcore's internal network (lines 17 and 18) for final delivery 💅
- Not all of the datagrams take the same route, bestie 😭 Only two of the datagrams go through the ANS gateway referred to at line 10. Also check out line 17: the first two datagrams go through one router at Bellcore, while the third datagram goes through a companion router.
TECHNICAL NOTE: Traceroute works by sending a sequence of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) datagrams to an invalid port address at the remote host. With the default settings, three datagrams are sent, each with a Time-To-Live (TTL) field value set to one. A TTL value of 1 makes the datagram "timeout" as soon as it hits the first router in the path, and that router responds with an ICMP Time Exceeded Message (TEM) saying the datagram has expired. Then three more UDP messages are sent, each with the TTL set to 2, which makes the second router return ICMP TEMs. This keeps going until the packets actually reach the other destination. Since these datagrams are trying to access an invalid port at the destination host, ICMP Destination Unreachable Messages come back indicating an unreachable port. That event signals the Traceroute program that it's finished! The program displays the round-trip delay for each of the attempts 🔥
As an interesting aside, Traceroute didn't begin life as a general-purpose utility. It started as a quick-and-dirty debugging aid used to find a routing problem 🧁 The code (complete with comments!) is available by anonymous FTP in the file "traceroute.tar.Z" from the host "ftp.ee.lbl.gov". (See Section 2.5 for a discussion of anonymous FTP.)
==================================================================
** SMCVAX$ TRACEROUTE THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM
traceroute to THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM (128.96.41.1), 30 hops max, 38
byte packets
1 smc-gw.near.net (192.80.64.5) 50 ms 20 ms 10 ms
2 uvm-gw.near.net (131.192.152.1) 160 ms 50 ms 30 ms
3 harvard-gw.near.net (131.192.65.1) 470 ms 60 ms 60 ms
4 131.192.32.3 (131.192.32.3) 50 ms 50 ms 40 ms
5 mit2-gw.near.net (131.192.7.1) 50 ms 40 ms 40 ms
6 enss.near.net (192.54.222.6) 60 ms 90 ms 40 ms
7 t3-2.Hartford-cnss49.t3.ans.net (140.222.49.3) 70 ms 100 ms 60 ms
8 t3-3.Hartford-cnss48.t3.ans.net (140.222.48.4) 70 ms 40 ms 40 ms
9 t3-2.New-York-cnss32.t3.ans.net (140.222.32.3) 50 ms 60 ms 70 ms
10 * t3-0.New-York-cnss33.t3.ans.net (140.222.33.1) 340 ms 110 ms
11 t3-0.enss137.t3.ans.net (140.222.137.1) 90 ms 420 ms 190 ms
12 zaphod-gateway.jvnc.net (192.12.211.65) 70 ms 50 ms 70 ms
13 airport1-gateway.jvnc.net (130.94.6.250) 390 ms 110 ms 60 ms
14 airport4-gateway.jvnc.net (130.94.7.4) 70 ms 50 ms 60 ms
15 coreSMDS-gateway.jvnc.net (130.94.7.106) 80 ms 130 ms 100 ms
16 128.96.58.2 (128.96.58.2) 80 ms 70 ms 100 ms
17 lab214b-cisco.cc.bellcore.com (128.96.34.40) 120 ms 120 ms
lab214-cisco.cc.bellcore.com (128.96.34.101) 130 ms
18 thumper.bellcore.com (128.96.41.1) 130 ms 430 ms 80 ms
SMCVAX$
==================================================================2.5. FTP 📂✨
Okay bestie, the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) [16] is one of the most useful and powerful TCP/IP utilities for regular users 💖 It lets you upload and download files between your local host and a remote one. Anonymous FTP is the big one here 🦋 It's commonly available at file archive sites, so you can grab files without making an account on the remote host first. The general form of the FTP command is:
FTP [IP_address | host_name]FTP can be started in a bunch of different ways 🧚 In the example below, an FTP control connection gets set up to a host by typing a host name right after the FTP command. You could also use the host's IP address in dotted decimal form if you want 🔥 And if you don't put a host name or IP address on the command line at all, you can still connect once FTP is running by typing "OPEN host_name" or "OPEN IP_address" 💅
The remote host will now ask for a username and password 🎀 If you're a legit, registered user and you give a valid username and password, you get access to whatever files and directories that username has privilege over. For anonymous FTP, you use the username "anonymous" and the password is "guest" (it isn't shown when you actually do it, though 🙈). Heads up that more and more systems want anonymous users to put their Internet address in as the password instead 👀
The first command in the example is "help ?", which gets you a list of the available FTP commands and help topics 🌸 Not always shown, but nearly all TCP/IP applications have a help command, so it's a good habit to check 🫶
There's a sample dialogue showing the help for FTP's "type" command. Lowkey the most important command ever 😭 If you're transferring a binary or executable file, you NEED to set the type to "image" (or "binary" on some systems) or it's gonna be a mess 💀
The "dir" command gives you a directory listing of the files in the current directory on the remote host. The UNIX "ls" command usually works too 🍓 Heads up: an FTP data transfer connection gets set up to carry the directory information over to your local host. What you see in the output is a file listing that matches the native operating system of the remote host ✨ Even though TCP/IP is often linked with UNIX, it can (and does) run on pretty much every common operating system 🌈
The directory info in the sample dialogue is in UNIX format and includes these pieces:
- File attributes. The first character tells you if it's a directory (d), a link (l), or an individual file (-). The next nine characters show the access permissions for three groups: the owner, the owner's group, and everyone else 🦋 Each file can have up to three access privileges for each of those groups: read (r), write (w), execute (x), and/or search (s).
- File owner and owner's group.
- File size, in bytes.
- Date of last modification. If the date is followed by a timestamp, then the date is from the current year 🕰️
- File name.
Once the directory info has been transferred, FTP closes that data transfer connection 💜
The "cd" command changes you to another directory, in this case the "Gov" directory 📁 Heads up that file and directory names may be case-sensitive, so be careful with your capitals 🙈 Just like DOS, "cd .." takes you up to the parent of the current directory 🧚 The "CWD command successful" message is the only sign that your "cd" worked, so don't panic if nothing else happens 💅 If it's available, the "show-directory" command (which might get truncated to fewer characters, as shown) will tell you which directory you're in 🎀
Another "dir" command is used to find all files ending with ".act". Notice the "*" wildcard character doing its thing ✨ Now we can copy (download) the file we want, The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 1992, using the "get" (or "receive") command. It has this general format:
GET remote_file_name local_file_nameFTP opens another data transfer connection for this file transfer. Also, the effective data transfer rate here is 39.98 kbps 🚀
FTP's "put" (or "send") command lets you upload from your local host to the remote one 💖 Fair warning, "put" is often not available with anonymous FTP 😭
Finally, we end the FTP connection with the "close" command 🌙 From there you can start a new connection with the "open" command, or you can bounce out of FTP with a "quit" command. "Quit" can also close a connection and end your session all at once 👑
TECHNICAL NOTE: Different FTP packages have different commands available, and even commands with similar names can act differently 🙈 In the example here (using MultiNet for VMS), the "show" command displays the current directory. But in another package, like FTP Software's PC/TCP, "show" will display a file from the remote host onto your local host. Some packages have nothing equivalent to either of those commands at all! 💀
==================================================================
** SMCVAX$ FTP FTP.SPIES.COM
SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU MultiNet FTP user process 3.2(106)
Connection opened (Assuming 8-bit connections)
** Username: ANONYMOUS
** Password: GUEST
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> HELP ?
Commands may be one of the following:
ACCOUNT AGET
APPEND APUT
ASCII ATTACH
BELL BINARY
BYE BYTE
CD CDUP
CLOSE CONFIRM
CPATH CREATE-DIRECTORY
CWD DELETE
DIRECTORY DISCONNECT
EXIT EXIT-ON-ERROR
GET HASH
HELP LCD
LDIR LOCAL-CD
LOCAL-DIRECTORY LOCAL-PWD
LOGIN LPWD
LS MDELETE
MGET MKDIR
MODE MPUT
MULTIPLE PASSWORD
PORT PROMPT-FOR-MISSING-ARGUMENTS
PROMPT-ON-CONNECT PUSH
PUT PWD
QUIT QUOTE
RECEIVE REMOTE-HELP
REMOVE-DIRECTORY RENAME
RETAIN RM
RMDIR SEND
SHOW-DIRECTORY SITE
SPAWN STATISTICS
STATUS STREAM
STRUCTURE TAKE
TENEX TYPE
USER VERBOSE
VERSION
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> HELP TYPE
The TYPE command changes the FTP transfer type. The possible
arguments to the TYPE command are ASCII, IMAGE, BACKUP, and
LOGICAL-BYTE ASCII type is used for transferring ASCII text files.
IMAGE type is used for transferring binary files. BACKUP type is
used for transferring VAX/VMS backup savesets with 2048 byte block
size.
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> DIR
<Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
total 25
drwxr-xr-x 2 9013 daemon 512 Jul 1 1993 .cap
drwxr-xr-x 4 9013 daemon 512 Jul 1 1993 About
-rw-r--r-- 1 9013 daemon 791 Apr 6 1993 About_Gopher
drwxr-xr-x 3 9013 daemon 512 Jul 12 1993 Books
drwxr-xr-x 13 9013 daemon 512 Jul 1 1993 Clinton
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root daemon 12 Feb 26 07:02 Economic_Plan
-> Gov/Economic
drwxr-xr-x 4 9013 daemon 512 Jul 1 1993 Etext
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root daemon 13 Feb 26 07:01 GAO_Reports ->
Gov/GAO-Trans
drwxr-xr-x 29 9013 daemon 1024 Feb 3 00:15 Gov
drwxr-xr-x 16 9013 daemon 512 Jul 1 1993 Library
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root daemon 9 Feb 26 06:56 NAFTA ->
Gov/NAFTA
drwxr-xr-x 2 9013 daemon 512 Jul 1 1993 Other
drwxr-xr-x 3 9013 daemon 3072 Apr 7 20:59 alt.etext
drwxr-xr-x 8 root 42 512 Jul 1 1993 ba.internet
dr-xr-xr-x 2 bin wheel 512 Jul 1 1993 bin
drwxr-xr-x 2 root daemon 512 Feb 15 06:14 dev
drwxr-xr-x 3 root wheel 512 Jul 1 1993 etc
drwxr-xr-x 11 9038 daemon 512 Dec 17 05:37 game_archive
drwx-wx-wx 3 root daemon 1024 Apr 18 02:09 incoming
drwxr-xr-x 3 root ftp 512 Oct 29 02:35 pub
drwxr-xr-x 2 root daemon 512 Jul 1 1992 tmp
drwxr-xr-x 3 root daemon 512 Jul 1 1993 usr
drwxr-xr-x 3 9013 42 1024 Jul 1 1993 waffle
<Transfer complete.
1490 bytes transferred at 4966 bps.
Run time = 10. ms, Elapsed time = 2400. ms.
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> CD Gov
<CWD command successful.
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> SHOW
<"/Gov" is current directory.
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> DIR *.act
<Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
-rw-r--r-- 1 9013 42 32695 Dec 10 21:37 brady.act
-r--r--r-- 1 9013 42 168649 Mar 26 1993 disable.act
-r--r--r-- 1 9013 42 62602 Mar 30 1993 ecpa.act
-r--r--r-- 1 9013 42 29519 Mar 30 1993 faircredit.act
-r--r--r-- 1 9013 42 57206 Mar 30 1993 privacy.act
-r--r--r-- 1 9013 42 16261 Mar 26 1993 warpower.act
<Transfer complete.
401 bytes transferred at 7638 bps.
Run time = 0. ms, Elapsed time = 420. ms.
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> GET faircredit.act FAIRCRDT.TXT
<Opening ASCII mode data connection for faircredit.act (29519
bytes).
<Transfer complete.
30132 bytes transferred at 39976 bps.
Run time = 40. ms, Elapsed time = 6030. ms.
** WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> QUIT
<Goodbye.
SMCVAX$
================================================================2.6. TELNET
TELNET [17] is TCP/IP's virtual terminal protocol 💻✨ Okay so, with TELNET, a user connected to one host can log in to another host and it looks like they're sitting at a terminal directly attached to the remote system. That's TCP/IP's whole definition of a "virtual terminal," and it's giving main character energy 🦋 The general form of the command is:
TELNET [IP_address | host_name] [port]A TELNET connection starts when the user types the "TELNET" command and supplies either a "host_name" or an "IP_address." If neither one is given, TELNET will ask for one once the application starts 🫶
In the example below, a user on a PC attached to a LAN uses TELNET to connect to the remote host "smcvax.smcvt.edu" 🖥️ Once they're logged in, they can do anything on the remote host that they could do from a directly connected terminal or after dialing in by modem. The commands are whatever the remote system offers, so in this dialogue the user on SMCVAX uses basic VAX/VMS commands:
- The "dir" command lists the files that have a "COM" file extension.
- The "mail" command enters the MAIL system (there are no messages).
- "Pinging" the home host shows that it is alive!
When they're finished, "logout" logs the user off the remote host. TELNET automatically closes the connection to the remote host and hands control back to the local system 👋
TELNET is a very powerful tool! It may give users access to lots of Internet utilities and services that might not otherwise be available to them 😭 Many of these features are reached by putting a port number after the TELNET command, along with the host's address. Knowing port numbers gives users another way to get information with Telnet, and it's honestly so iconic 🌈
This guide covers several TCP/IP and Internet utilities that need local client software, like Finger, Whois, Archie, and Gopher. But what if your software doesn't include the client you need? In some cases, you can use Telnet to reach a remote client and get the same functionality 🧚
Here's how that works: you specify a port number with the TELNET command. Just like TCP/IP hosts each have a unique IP address, applications on a host are associated with an address called a "port" 🔌 Finger, for example, is associated with the well-known port number 79. If you don't have a Finger client, TELNETing to port 79 on a remote host may give you the same information. You can "finger" another host with TELNET using a command like this:
TELNET host_name 79Other well-known TCP/IP port numbers include 20 (FTP data transfer), 21 (FTP control), 25 (SMTP), 43 (whois), 70 (Gopher), and 185 (KNOWBOT) 🍓
Some services are available on the Internet through TELNET and special port numbers. For example, you can access a geographical information database by TELNETing to port 3000 at host "martini.eecs.umich.edu." Current weather information is available on port 3000 at hosts "downwind.sprl.umich.edu" and "wind.atmos.uah.edu" ☀️
==================================================================
** C:\> TELNET SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU
FTP Software PC/TCP tn 2.31 01/07/94 12:38
Copyright (c) 1986-1993 by FTP Software, Inc. All rights reserved
- Connected to St. Michael's College -
** Username: KUMQUAT
** Password:
St. Michael's College VAX/VMS System.
Node SMCVAX.
Last interactive login on Thursday, 9-JUN-1994 11:55
Last non-interactive login on Thursday, 9-JUN-1994 08:20
Good Afternoon User KUMQUAT. Logged in on 12-JUN-1994 at 3:27 PM.
User [GUEST,KUMQUAT] has 4292 blocks used, 5708 available,
of 10000 authorized and permitted overdraft of 100 blocks on $1$DIA2
** SMCVAX$ DIR *.COM
Directory $1$DIA2:[GUEST.KUMQUAT]
BACKUP.COM;24 24 16-JUL-1990 16:22:46.68 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
DELTREE.COM;17 3 16-JUL-1990 16:22:47.58 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
EXPANDZ.COM;7 2 22-FEB-1993 10:00:04.35 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
FTSLOGBLD.COM;3 1 16-JUL-1990 16:22:48.57 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
FTSRRR.COM;2 1 16-JUL-1990 16:22:48.73 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
LOGIN.COM;116 5 1-DEC-1993 09:33:21.61 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
SNOOPY.COM;6 1 16-JUL-1990 16:22:52.06 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
SYLOGIN.COM;83 8 16-JUL-1990 16:22:52.88 (RWED,RWED,RE,RE)
SYSHUTDWN.COM;1 0 16-JUL-1990 16:22:53.04 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
SYSTARTUP.COM;88 15 16-JUL-1990 16:22:53.21 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
WATCH_MAIL.COM;1 173 10-MAY-1994 09:59:52.65 (RWED,RWED,RE,)
Total of 11 files, 233 blocks.
** SMCVAX$ MAIL
** MAIL> EXIT
** SMCVAX$ PING HILL.COM /N=5
PING HILL.COM (199.182.20.4): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=0 time=290 ms
64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=1 time=260 ms
64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=2 time=260 ms
64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=3 time=260 ms
64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=4 time=260 ms
----HILL.COM PING Statistics----
5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip (ms) min/avg/max = 260/266/290
** SMCVAX$ LOGOUT
KUMQUAT logged out at 12-JUN-1994 15:37:04.29
Connection #0 closed
C:\>
==================================================================2.7. User Database Lookup Tools
2.7.1. WHOIS/NICNAME
WHOIS and NICNAME are TCP/IP applications that search databases to find the names of network and system administrators, RFC authors, system and network points-of-contact, and other people registered in the appropriate databases 🔍💜 The original NICNAME/WHOIS protocol is described in RFC 954 [4].
You can reach WHOIS by TELNETing to an appropriate WHOIS server and logging in as "WHOIS" (no password needed). The most common Internet name server is at the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC), "rs.internic.net." That database only contains INTERNET domains, IP network numbers, and points of contact. The policies that govern the InterNIC database are described in RFC 1400 [19]. The MILNET database lives at "nic.ddn.mil," and PSI's White Pages pilot service is at "psi.com" 🌸
Lots of software packages include a WHOIS/NICNAME client that automatically sets up the TELNET connection to a default name server database. Users can usually pick any name server database they want, though 🎀
The dialogue below shows several kinds of WHOIS/NICNAME queries. In this session, we look up an individual (Denis Stratford) with WHOIS locally, a specific domain (hill.com) with NICNAME locally, and a high-level domain (edu) by TELNETing to a WHOIS server 🕵️♀️
==================================================================
** SMCVAX$ WHOIS STRATFORD, DENIS
Stratford, Denis (DS378) denis@@SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU
St. Michael's College
Jemery Hall, Room 274
Winooski Park
Colchester, VT 05439
(802) 654-2384
Record last updated on 02-Nov-92.
SMCVAX$
** C:\> NICNAME HILL.COM
Hill Associates (HILL-DOM)
17 Roosevelt Highway
Colchester, VT 05446
Domain Name: HILL.COM
Administrative Contact:
Kessler, Gary C. (GK34) kumquat@HILL.COM
(802) 655-8633
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Monaghan, Carol A. (CAM4) cam@HILL.COM
(802) 655-8630
Record last updated on 15-Jun-94.
Domain servers in listed order:
NETCOMSV.NETCOM.COM 192.100.81.101
NS.NETCOM.COM 192.100.81.105
** C:\> TELNET RS.INTERNIC.NET
Connected to RS.INTERNIC.NET, a SUN 670 running SUNOS-4.1.3
******************************************************************
* -- InterNIC Registration Services Center --
******************************************************************
Cmdinter Ver 1.3 Mon Mar 21 13:42:27 1994 EST
** [dec-vt220] InterNIC> WHOIS
Connected to the rs Database
InterNIC WHOIS Version: 1.0 Mon, 21 Mar 94 13:42:32
** Whois: DOMAIN EDU
Education top-level domain (EDU-DOM)
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar park Dr.
Herndon, VA 22070
Domain Name: EDU
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Network Solutions, Inc. (HOSTMASTER) HOSTMASTER@INTERNIC.NET
(703) 742-4777 (FAX) (703) 742-4811
Record last updated on 16-May-94.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS.INTERNIC.NET 198.41.0.4
AOS.ARL.ARMY.MIL 128.63.4.82, 192.5.25.82
NS1.ISI.EDU 128.9.0.107
C.NYSER.NET 192.33.4.12
TERP.UMD.EDU 128.8.10.90
NS.NASA.GOV 128.102.16.10, 192.52.195.10
NIC.NORDU.NET 192.36.148.17
NS.NIC.DDN.MIL 192.112.36.4
Would you like to see the known domains under this top-level domain?
** Y
There are 1504 known sub-domains:
0.EDU Reserved Domain
1.EDU Reserved Domain
2.EDU Reserved Domain
22CF.EDU 22nd Century Foundation
3.EDU Reserved Domain
** There are 1499 more matches. Show them? N
** Whois: EXIT
** [dec-vt220] InterNIC> QUIT
Connection #0 closed
C:\>
==================================================================2.7.2. KNOWBOT
okay bestie, KNOWBOT is an automated username database search tool 🔍 and it's basically WHOIS's cousin 💖. The Knowbot Information Service (KIS) gives you a simple WHOIS-like interface for querying several Internet user databases (White Pages services) all at once ✨. One single KIS query will automatically search the InterNIC, MILNET, MCImail, and PSI White Pages Pilot Project, and other databases may also be included 🫶.
You can get to KNOWBOT by TELNETing to port 185 at host info.cnri.reston.va.us or sol.bucknell.edu. Type "help" and it'll give you enough info to get started 🎀. The sample dialogue below uses the "query" command to find a user named "Gary Kessler", and this command automatically starts a search through the default set of Internet databases 👑.
==================================================================
** C:\> TELNET INFO.CNRI.RESTON.VA.US 185
Knowbot Information Service
KIS Client (V2.0). Copyright CNRI 1990. All Rights Reserved.
Please enter your email address in our guest book...
** (Your email address?) > KUMQUAT@HILL.COM
** > QUERY KESSLER, GARY
Trying whois at ds.internic.net...
The ds.internic.net whois server is being queried:
No match for "KESSLER and GARY"
The rs.internic.net whois server is being queried:
Kessler, Gary C. (GK34) kumquat@HILL.COM
Hill Associates
17 Roosevelt Highway
Colchester, VT 05446
(802) 655-8633
The nic.ddn.mil whois server is being queried:
Kessler, Gary P. (GK15) sa75@TECNET1.JCTE.JCS.MIL
NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER-AD PAX
Simulation & Control Technology Dept
SATD
Patuxent River, MD 20670
301-826-3192 (DSN) 326-3192 (FAX) 301-826-4555
MILNET TAC user (Issued: 11-jul-1994)
TAC authorizing host: TECNET1.JCTE.JCS.MIL (NATC-3COM)
Trying mcimail at cnri.reston.va.us...
Trying ripe at whois.ripe.net...
Trying whois at whois.lac.net...
No match found for .KESSLER,GARY
** > QUIT
KIS exiting
Connection #0 closed
C:\>
==================================================================2.7.3. NETFIND
NETFIND is another tool for tracking people down on the network 🕵️♀️. Its big perk is that it searches using existing tools like Finger and SMTP, so it can potentially find any user on any host without relying on databases 🧚. For NETFIND to work, though, the system manager of existing systems must set up Finger and SMTP to respond correctly to NETFIND's queries 🙈. NETFIND is still relatively new, and use will grow over time 🌱.
NETFIND is a menu-driven, text-based system. Users need to TELNET to an available NETFIND server. Once connected, login as "netfind" (it must be lower-case, and no password is required) and follow the menu prompts 💅. The sample dialogue below shows a search for "Tom Maufer", who is known to work at Goddard Space Flight Center ("gsfc") at NASA ("nasa.gov") 🚀.
The primary NETFIND server is at the University of Colorado in Boulder (bruno.cs.colorado.edu). Alternate servers include:
archie.au (AARNet, Melbourne, Australia)
dino.conicit.ve (Nat. Council for Tech. & Sci. Res., Venezuela)
ds.internic.net (InterNIC Directory & DB Svcs., S. Plainfield, NJ)
eis.calstate.edu (California State University, Fullerton, CA)
krnic.net (Korea Network Information Center, Taejon, Korea)
lincoln.technet.sg (Technet Unit, Singapore)
malloco.ing.puc.cl (Catholic University of Chile, Santiago)
monolith.cc.ic.ac.uk (Imperial College, London, England)
mudhoney.micro.umn.edu (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis)
netfind.anu.edu.au (Australian National University, Canberra)
netfind.ee.mcgill.ca (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
netfind.fnet.fr (Association FNET, Le Kremlin-Bicetre, France)
netfind.icm.edu.pl (Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland)
netfind.if.usp.br (University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil)
netfind.oc.com (OpenConnect Systems, Dallas, Texas)
netfind.sjsu.edu (San Jose State University, San Jose, California)
netfind.vslib.cz (Liberec Univ. of Technology, Czech Republic)
nic.uakom.sk (Academy of Sciences, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia)
redmont.cis.uab.edu (University of Alabama at Birmingham) ==================================================================
** C:\> TELNET DS.INTERNIC.NET
SunOS UNIX (ds)
** login: netfind
===================================================
Welcome to the InterNIC Directory & Database Server
===================================================
Top level choices:
1. Help
2. Search
3. Seed database lookup
4. Options
5. Quit (exit server)
** --> 2
** Enter person and keys (blank to exit) --> MAUFER GSFC NASA GOV
Please select at most 3 of the following domains to search:
0. gsfc.nasa.gov (goddard space flight center, united states
national aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt, maryland)
1. antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov (compton gamma ray observatory
science support center, goddard space flight center, united states
national aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt, maryland)
2. enemy.gsfc.nasa.gov (compton gamma ray observatory science
support center, goddard space flight center, united states national
aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt, maryland)
3. upolu.gsfc.nasa.gov (goddard space flight center, united
states national aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt,
maryland)
** Enter selection (e.g., 2 0 1) --> 0
( 1) SMTP_Finger_Search: checking domain gsfc.nasa.gov
Mail is forwarded to tom@stimpy.gsfc.nasa.gov
NOTE: this is a domain mail forwarding arrangement - mail intended
for "maufer" should be addressed to "tom@gsfc.nasa.gov"
rather than "tom@stimpy.gsfc.nasa.gov".
( 1) SMTP_Finger_Search: checking host stimpy.gsfc.nasa.gov
------
Domain search completed. Proceeding to host search.
------
SYSTEM: kong.gsfc.nasa.gov
Login name: maufer In real life: Tom Maufer - CBSI
Directory: /vault/maufer Shell: /bin/csh
Last login Fri Sep 24, 1993 on ttypc from rocinante.gsfc.n
No unread mail
No Plan.
FINGER SUMMARY:
- The most promising email address for "maufer"
based on the above finger search is
tom@gsfc.nasa.gov.
** Continue the search ([n]/y) ? --> N
** Enter person and keys (blank to exit) -->
Top level choices:
1. Help
2. Search
3. Seed database lookup
4. Options
5. Quit (exit server)
** --> 5
Exiting Netfind server...
Connection #0 closed
C:\>
==================================================================2.8. Information Servers
2.8.1. ARCHIE
Archie is a tool for locating files on the Internet 🦋. It was originally developed in the Computer Science Department at McGill University in Montreal. Archie helps you find software, data, and other information files sitting on anonymous FTP archive sites across the Internet 💜. The name of the program, reportedly, comes from the word "archive" and not from the comic book character 📚. Archie tracks the contents of over 1,000 anonymous FTP archive sites containing over 2 million files 🤯. The Archie server automatically updates the information from each registered site about once a month, so you get relatively up-to-date info without unduly stressing the network 🌈.
Before using Archie, you MUST identify a server address. The sites below all support Archie. Most (but not all) Archie sites support the "servers" command, which lists all known Archie servers. Because Archie is popular and processing-heavy, many sites limit access to non-peak hours and/or limit the number of simultaneous Archie users 🙃. Available Archie sites include:
archie.au 139.130.4.6 Australia
archie.edvz.uni-linz.ac.at 140.78.3.8 Austria
archie.univie.ac.at 131.130.1.23 Austria
archie.uqam.ca 132.208.250.10 Canada
archie.funet.fi 128.214.6.100 Finland
archie.th-darmstadt.de 130.83.22.60 Germany
archie.ac.il 132.65.6.15 Israel
archie.unipi.it 131.114.21.10 Italy
archie.wide.ad.jp 133.4.3.6 Japan
archie.hana.nm.kr 128.134.1.1 Korea
archie.sogang.ac.kr 163.239.1.11 Korea
archie.uninett.no 128.39.2.20 Norway
archie.rediris.es 130.206.1.2 Spain
archie.luth.se 130.240.18.4 Sweden
archie.switch.ch 130.59.1.40 Switzerland
archie.ncu.edu.tw 140.115.19.24 Taiwan
archie.doc.ic.ac.uk 146.169.11.3 United Kingdom
archie.unl.edu 129.93.1.14 USA (NE)
archie.internic.net 198.48.45.10 USA (NJ)
archie.rutgers.edu 128.6.18.15 USA (NJ)
archie.ans.net 147.225.1.10 USA (NY)
archie.sura.net 128.167.254.179 USA (MD)Archie servers can be accessed using TELNET. When TELNETing to an Archie site, login as "archie" (you MUST use lower case). Just hit <ENTER> if a password is requested 🙌.
Once you're connected, the "help" command helps you learn more about using Archie 📖. Two more useful Archie commands are "prog", which searches for files in the database, and "whatis", which searches for keywords in the program descriptions 🔎.
In the dialogue below, the "set maxhits" command limits the number of responses to any following "prog" commands. If you skip this, you might get an enormous amount of information! 😭
In this example, the user asks for entries related to "mpeg", ISO's Moving Pictures Experts Group video compression standard 🎬. Armed with this info, a user can use anonymous FTP to examine these directories and files 💖.
The next request looks for files with "security" as a keyword descriptor 🔐. These responses can be used for subsequent "prog" commands ✨.
To leave Archie, use the "exit" command. At this point, TELNET closes the connection and control returns to the local host 👋.
You can get more info about Archie by emailing Bunyip Information Systems (archie-info@bunyip.com) 📧. Client software isn't required to use Archie, but it can make life a little easier 🫶. Some of it can be downloaded using anonymous FTP from the "/pub/archie/" directory at host "ftp.cs.widener.edu", or in "/pub/archie/clients/" at "ftp.sura.net" 💾. Most shareware and commercial Archie clients hide the complexity described in this section, so users usually connect to a pre-configured Archie server just by typing an "ARCHIE" command line 💅.
==================================================================
** C:\> TELNET 129.93.1.14
SunOS UNIX (crcnis2)
** login: archie
** Password:
Welcome to the ARCHIE server at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln
# Bunyip Information Systems, 1993 ** unl-archie> HELP
These are the commands you can use in help:
. go up one level in the hierarchy
? display a list of valid subtopics at the current level
<newline>
done, ^D, ^C quit from help entirely
<string> help on a topic or subtopic
Eg.
"help show"
will give you the help screen for the "show" command
"help set search"
Will give you the help information for the "search" variable.
The command "manpage" will give you a complete copy of the archie
manual page.
** help> DONE
** unl-archie> SET MAXHITS 5
** unl-archie> PROG MPEG
# Search type: sub.
# Your queue position: 1
# Estimated time for completion: 02:18
Host ftp.germany.eu.net (192.76.144.75)
Location: /pub/applications/graphics
DIRECTORY drwxrwxr-x 512 bytes 00:00 7 Jul 1993 mpeg
Location: /pub/comp/amiga/gfx
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 bytes 00:00 7 Sep 1993 mpeg
Host stsci.edu (130.167.1.2)
Location: /stsci/epa
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 bytes 12:55 21 Jun 1994 mpeg
Host ftp.nau.edu (134.114.64.70)
Location: /graphics
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 bytes 04:51 3 Apr 1994 mpeg
Host gum.isi.edu (128.9.32.31)
Location: /share/in-notes/media-types/video
FILE -rw-r--r-- 15 bytes 18:45 11 Jan 1994 mpeg
** unl-archie> WHATIS SECURITY
RFC 1037 Greenberg, B.; Keene, S. NFILE - a file access
protocol. 1987 December; 86 p.
RFC 1038 St. Johns, M. Draft revised IP security option.
1988 January; 7 p.
cops System Security analysis tool
forktest Find security holes in shell-escapes
kerberos Host security package
safe-mkdir mkdir() and security hole *****FIX****
** unl-archie> EXIT
# Bye.
Connection #0 closed
C:\>
==================================================================2.8.2. GOPHER ✨
Okay so, the Internet Gopher protocol was cooked up at the University of Minnesota's Microcomputer Center back in 1991 🦋. It was built as a distributed information search and retrieval tool for the whole Internet, and it's described in RFC 1436 [1]. The name comes from the university's mascot, which is honestly iconic 🐿️💖.
Gopher gives you a way to organize publicly available information at a host in a hierarchy, so you can browse it with a super simple menu system 🎀. You can view a file on demand without needing any extra file transfer protocols, which is so efficient it's giving 💅. Gopher can also link gophers together across the Internet, so every Gopher site can be a stepping stone to other sites. That cuts down on duplicate information and wasted effort on the network, and I'm obsessed 😭🌈.
In lots of cases you can get into Gopher by TELNETing to a valid Gopher location. If the site offers a remote Gopher client, you'll see a text-based menu interface ✨. Gopher sites are multiplying fast, and most of them have a menu item that helps you find other Gopher sites, so you're never stuck 🧚. If you're using TELNET, log in with the username "gopher" (this MUST be in lowercase), and there's no password needed 🔑. Heads up though: not every Gopher site has a remote client, so you might need Gopher client software on your own system 🙈.
The Gopher server at "ds.internic.net" is a treasure chest for new users 💎. It has tons of info, including FAQs and pointers to Internet discussion lists. In the sample dialogue below, the remote Gopher client is reached by TELNETing to the host. You'll get the main menu first, and picking item 2 opens the "InterNIC Information Services" menu. To move around, type the item number, or move the pointer (-->) down to the entry you want with the <DOWN-ARROW> key, then hit <ENTER> 🫶. To quit at any time, press "q". "?" gets you help, and "u" takes you back up a menu 💜. You can also search for strings inside files with the "/" command, or download the file you're reading with the "D" command ⭐.
Menu item 7 (the one picked in the dialogue below) is called "Beginners: Start Here", and it's literally the best spot for new users 👑. It covers info about the Internet, available tools, terms and concepts, and, perhaps most importantly, the cultural side of the Internet community 🌸.
Want more Gopher intel? You can contact the Internet Gopher Team at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis at gopher@boombox.micro.umn.edu 📬. That same place also hosts the first Gopher server, consultant.micro.umn.edu. There's a Gopher-related discussion list at gopher-news@boombox.micro.umn.edu (see Section 3.1 for info on subscribing to Internet discussion lists) 🦋. For more about Gopher clients, check the Gopher Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file. You can grab it with anonymous FTP from the file "/pub/usenet/news.answers/gopher-faq" on the host "rtfm.mit.edu". The FAQ also lists sources for a bunch of Gopher clients across lots of hardware and software platforms 💅✨.
==================================================================
** SMCVAX$ TELNET DS.INTERNIC.NET
SunOS UNIX (ds)
** login: gopher
SunOS Release 4.1.3 (DS) #3: Tue Feb 8 10:52:45 EST 1994
******************************************************************
Welcome to the InterNIC Directory and Database Server.
******************************************************************
Internet Gopher Information Client v1.11
Root gopher server: ds0.internic.net
--> 1. Information About the InterNIC/
2. InterNIC Information Services (General Atomics)/
3. InterNIC Registration Services (NSI)/
4. InterNIC Directory and Database Services (AT&T)/
Press ? for Help, q to Quit Page: 1/1
** View item number: 2
Internet Gopher Information Client v1.11
InterNIC Information Services (General Atomics)
--> 1. README.
2. About the InfoGuide/
3. About InterNIC Information Services/
4. About the Internet/
5. Getting Connected to the Internet/
6. Beginners: Start Here/
7. Using the Internet/
8. Internet Resources/
9. Advanced Users: NIC Staff, System Administrators, Programmer
10. Frequently Asked Questions at InterNIC IS/
11. Scout Report/
12. WAIS search InfoGuide (and elsewhere) by keyword/
13. InfoGuide INDEX.
Press ? for Help, q to Quit Page: 1/1
** View item number: 6
Internet Gopher Information Client v1.11
Beginners: Start Here
--> 1. About This Directory.
2. Introductions to the Internet/
3. Glossaries And Definitions/
4. Network Tools/
5. Further Reading/
6. Collection of Usenet FAQs/
7. Internet Culture and Netiquette/
Press ? for Help, q to Quit Page: 1/1
** q
Really quit (y/n) ?
** y
Connection closed by Foreign Host
SMCVAX$
==================================================================
RFC>>>2.8.3. Other Information Servers
okay bestie, there are a bunch of other information servers that are getting super popular 🌸 The problem with getting so much info from Archie, Gopher, and friends is literally that there's too much of it 😭 So people made more tools to help you find the right system 🧚
Veronica (Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives) was made at the University of Nevada in Reno as a sidekick for Gopher 🐭 Gopher is designed to search one database at a time, so as more Gopher sites popped up, "Gopherspace" got really hard to search. Veronica keeps an index of Gopher item titles and runs keyword searches across every Gopher site it knows about and can reach 💜 That means you don't have to dig through menu-by-menu, site-by-site. When you pick an item from a Veronica search, "sessions" get set up automatically with the right Gopher servers, and a list of data items comes back to your Gopher client as a Gopher menu so you can access the files ✨
Veronica is available as an option on many Gopher servers, including "internic.net".
Another Gopher sidekick is Jughead (Jonzy's Universal Gopher Hierarchy Excavation And Display) 🍓 Jughead supports keyword searches and logical operators (AND, OR, and NOT). A Jughead search shows all menu items that match the search string and are located in the University of Manchester and UMIST Information Server. It works from a static database that is re-created every day. Jughead is available from many Gopher sites (including "internic.net"), although Veronica may be a better tool for global searches.
Archie and Gopher are mainly used for indexing text-based files. The World Wide Web (WWW or W3) Project, started by the CERN Institute for Particle Physics in Geneva, Switzerland, is designed to mix information retrieval with multimedia communications 🦋 The goal is to let users access information in lots of different formats, including text, sound, image, and video. WWW treats all searchable Internet files as hypertext documents. "Hypertext" is a newer term that just means text with pointers to other text. So you can read one doc, jump to another for more on a topic, and then come right back to where you started 🔁 The original WWW site is at CERN and can be reached via Telnet at "nxoc01.cern.ch". You get logged in automatically, and entering the "h" command displays a help menu.
To generally access WWW servers, you need client software called a "browser" 💻 The browser reads documents from WWW servers and can access files by FTP, gopher, and other methods. WWW can also handle hypermedia documents. "Hypermedia" is another newer term, referring to a file using any medium that contains pointers to another medium. So WWW browsers can display images, sound, or animations along with text 🎀 WWW sources and additional info can be reached by anonymous FTP from the "/pub/WWW" directory at "info.cern.ch" or the "/Web" directory at "ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu".
The most commonly used WWW browser is Mosaic, developed at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois 👑 Mosaic gives you a uniform way to find where information lives, plus figure out its data type, presentation method, and links to other information. A big pile of shareware Mosaic clients is available at "ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu". Also worth knowing: commercial versions of Mosaic will become available for a variety of platforms after the summer of 1994.
The Wide Area Information Server (WAIS, pronounced "ways") was started jointly by Apple Computer, Dow Jones, KMPG Peat Marwick, and Thinking Machines Corp. 🌈 It's a set of free-ware, share-ware, and commercial software products for a wide variety of hardware/software platforms, and they all work together to help users find information on the Internet. WAIS gives you one interface to reach many different information databases.
The user interface lets you formulate a query in English, and the WAIS server will automatically pick the appropriate databases to search. To learn more about WAIS, read the WAIS FAQ from host "rtfm.mit.edu" in file "/pub/usenet/news.answers/wais-faq" 📚
2.9. Uniform Resource Locator Format
okay so as more and more protocols showed up to identify files, archive and server sites, news lists, and other resources on the Internet, it was inevitable that some shorthand would appear to make these sources easier to point at 💅 The common shorthand is called the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) format.
The list below explains how the URL format should be interpreted for the protocols and resources we've covered in this document. A complete description of the URL format may be found in [2].
file://"host"/"directory"/"file-name"Used to identify a specific file. E.g., the file "htmlasst" in the "edu" directory at host "ftp.cs.da" would be denoted with URL as:
<URL:file://ftp.cs.da/edu/htmlasst>ftp://"user":"password"@"host":"port"/"directory"/"file-name"Used to identify an FTP site. E.g.:
<URL:ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/Crypto/*>gopher://"host":"port"/"gopher-path"Used to identify a Gopher site and menu path. E.g.:
<URL:gopher://info.umd.edu:901/info/Government/Factbook92>http://"host":"port"/"directory"/"file-name"?"searchpart"Used to identify a WWW server location. "http" refers to the HyperText Transport Protocol. File names commonly use the ".html" extension, indicating use of the HyperText Markup Language. E.g.:
<URL:http://info.isoc.org/home.html>mailto:"e-mail address"Identifies an individual Internet mail address. E.g.:
<URL:mailto:sds@hill.com>telnet://"user":"password"@"host":"port"/Identifies a TELNET site (the trailing "/" is optional). E.g.:
<URL:telnet//envnet:henniker@envnet.gsfc.nasa.gov>3. Discussion Lists
Among the most useful features of the Internet are the discussion lists that let people chat about topics they care about 🫶 Discussion list topics range from SCUBA diving and home brewing of beer to AIDS research and foreign policy. Several, naturally, focus on the Internet, TCP/IP protocols, and the impact of new technologies 🤓
Most discussion lists on the Internet are "unmoderated", meaning anyone can send a message to the list's central repository and the message will then be automatically forwarded to all subscribers 📨 These lists have very fast turn-around between submission and delivery, but they often result in a lot of messages (including inappropriate "junk mail") 💀 A "moderated" list has an extra step: a human list moderator examines all messages before they're forwarded, to make sure they're appropriate to the list and not needlessly inflammatory!
Heads up: some lists generate a significant amount of messages each day 😭 Before subscribing to too many lists, be sure that you're aware of local policies and/or charges governing access to discussion lists and e-mail storage.
3.1. Internet Discussion Lists
A list of the known interest groups can be found by Gophering to "ds.internic.net". Follow the menu path "InterNIC Information Services" | "Using the Internet" | "Basic Internet Services" | "Electronic Mail" | "Mailing Lists" to find the 8-part list of lists 🗂️
Be careful if you download these files! The list is nearly 1.5 MB in size and lists over 800 lists 😳 You'll also find a wealth of other information along the way ✨
Mail can be sent to an Internet list at an address with the following form:
list_name@host_nameThe common convention when users want to subscribe, unsubscribe, or handle any other administrative matter is to send a message to the list administrator. Do NOT send administrivia to the main list address! 🙅♀️ The list administrator can usually be found at:
list_name-REQUEST@host_nameTo subscribe to a list, it is often enough to place the word "subscribe" in the main body of the message. A line with the format below will satisfy most mail servers:
SUBSCRIBE list_name your_full_nameA similar message may be used to get off a list; just use the word "unsubscribe" 🦋
Not every list follows this convention, but it's a safe bet if you don't have better information! 💖
3.2. Usenet 🗞️
Okay so, Usenet (also called NETNEWS or Usenet news) is another info source with its own special-interest mailing lists, organized into "newsgroups." 💖 It started on UNIX systems and has since migrated to lots of other host types, but most Usenet servers are still UNIX-based. The clients are called "newsreaders," and they're available for pretty much any operating system. 💻
Usenet newsgroups are usually reachable from Internet sites, but a prospective Usenet client host needs the right newsreader software to actually read anything. ✨ You'll wanna check with your local host or network administrator to see which newsgroups are available locally and what the local rules are for using them. 🫶
Newsgroup names are hierarchical. The first part, called the "hierarchy," tells you the general subject area. 🌈 There are two kinds of hierarchies, "mainstream" and "alternative," and the total number of newsgroups is in the thousands. 😭 The "news.announce.newusers" newsgroup is the place for new Usenet users to find a detailed intro to using Usenet, plus an intro to its culture. It's giving welcome party. 🎀
Mainstream hierarchies get established through a process that needs the approval of a majority of Usenet members. Most sites that get a NETNEWS feed receive all of these hierarchies:
comp Computers
misc Miscellaneous
news Network news
rec Recreation
sci Science
soc Social issues
talk Various discussion listsThe alternative hierarchies are lists that can be set up at any site with the server software and disk space. 🦋 They aren't formally part of Usenet, so not every site getting NETNEWS will receive them. The alternative hierarchies include:
alt Alternate miscellaneous discussion lists
bionet Biology, medicine, and life sciences
bit BITNET discussion lists
biz Various business-related discussion lists
ddn Defense Data Network
gnu GNU lists
ieee IEEE information
info Various Internet and other networking information
k12 K-12 education
u3b AT&T 3B computers
vmsnet Digital's VMS operating systemA list of newsgroups lives at host "rtfm.mit.edu" in the path "/pub/usenet/news.answers"; check out the "/active-newsgroups" and "/alt-hierarchies" subdirectories. 📚
Usenet newsgroups and Internet discussion lists overlap a lot. 👯 Some people join both, or messages get cross-posted between them. Some Usenet discussions also get forwarded onto an Internet mailing list by an individual site, so folks without Usenet access can still join in. 🧚
If you're not connected to Usenet, you can still post to a newsgroup using Internet e-mail. 💌 First, swap the periods in the Usenet discussion list name for hyphens. (For example, the folk music discussion list "rec.music.folk" would become "rec-music-folk.") Then send your e-mail to:
newsgroup_name@CS.UTEXAS.EDUYou can also read Usenet news using Gopher. Connect to host "gopher.msu.edu" and follow the path "News & Weather" | "USENET News", or connect to host "gopher.bham.ac.uk" and use the path "Usenet News Reader." 🌸
3.3. BITNET/EARN 🎓
Another big set of discussion groups runs on a program called LISTSERV. 💜 LISTSERV is widely provided on BITNET and EARN (European Academic and Research Network), and it's also available to Internet users. 🌍
LISTSERV commands go in the main body of an e-mail sent to the appropriate list server location. To find out which lists are available, send a message to "listserv@bitnic.educom.edu" with the command "list global" in the main body. Whatever you put in the "Subject:" field gets ignored, so don't stress about it. 🙈
Once you've found a list you like, you can send a message to its address with any appropriate command, including:
HELP Get help & a list of commands
SUBSCRIBE list_name your_full_name Subscribe to a list
UNSUBSCRIBE list_name Unsubscribe from a list
INDEX Get a list of LISTSERV files
GET file_name Obtain a file from the server4. Internet Documentation 📖
If you really wanna understand what's going on in the Internet community, you might want to grab the occasional Internet specification. 🤓 The main body of Internet documents are Request for Comments (RFCs), although there are a bunch of RFC subsets defined for specific purposes too. The sections below cover the RFCs and other docs, and how to get them. 🦋
NOTE: For complete, up-to-date information on obtaining Internet documentation, users should Gopher to "ds.internic.net" and follow the path "InterNIC Information Services" | "About the Internet" | "Internet Documentation", and then select the desired set of documents. This Gopher path is referred to as the "documentation root path" in the remainder of this section.
4.1. Request for Comments (RFCs) 📜
RFCs are the whole body of literature behind Internet protocols, standards, research questions, hot topics, humor (especially the ones dated 1 April 🙃), and general info. Every RFC gets a number that's never reused or reissued. If a document gets revised, it gets a brand-new RFC number, and the old one is said to be "obsoleted." 💀 Announcements go out to the RFC-DIST mailing list whenever a new RFC drops, and anyone can join by sending e-mail to "rfc-request@nic.ddn.mil." 📬
You can get RFCs through the mail (aka the postal service), but it's way easier and faster to grab them online. ⚡ One easy way is RFC-INFO, an e-mail-based service that helps you locate and retrieve RFCs and other Internet docs. Send e-mail to "rfc-info@isi.edu," leave the "Subject:" field blank, and put any of these commands in the main body:
HELP (Help file)
HELP: ways_to_get_rfcs (Help file on how to get RFCs)
RETRIEVE: RFC
Doc-ID: RFCxxxx (Retrieve RFC xxxx; use all 4 digits)
LIST: RFC (List all RFCs...)
[options] (...[matching the following options])
KEYWORDS: xxx (Title contains string "xxx")
AUTHOR: xxx (Written by "xxx")
ORGANIZATION: (Issued by company "xxx")
DATED-AFTER: mmm-dd-yyyy
DATED-BEFORE: mmm-dd-yyyy
OBSOLETES: RFCxxxx (List RFCs obsoleting RFC xxxx)Another way to get RFCs by e-mail is to send a message to "service@nic.ddn.mil," again with the "Subject:" field left blank. 💌
In the main body of that message, use one or more of these commands. The RFC index, or a specific reference to an RFC, will tell you whether the RFC is available as ASCII text or PostScript. By convention, all RFCs are available in ASCII, and some are also in PostScript where graphics and/or different fonts add more info or clarity. 🎨 The instructions below show how to get the index. Heads up, it's a very large file, containing the citing for over 1,700 documents. 😭 Also, not all RFCs numbered below 698 (July 1975) are available online:
SEND HELP (Help file)
SEND RFC/RFC-INDEX (RFC Index)
SEND RFC/RFCxxxx.TXT (ASCII version of RFC xxxx)
SEND RFC/RFCxxxx.PS (PostScript version of RFC xxxx) -------------------------------------------
TABLE 1. Some of the RFC Repositories.
REGION HOST ADDRESS DIRECTORY
U.S. nic.ddn.mil rfc
U.S. nisc.jvnc.net rfc
U.S. ftp.isi.edu in-notes
U.S. wuarchive.wustl.edu info/rfc
U.K. src.doc.ic.ac.uk rfc
Europe funet.fi rfc
Pacific munnari.oz.au rfc
-------------------------------------------To grab an RFC with anonymous FTP, connect to one of the repositories in Table 1 using FTP. Once you're in, use the "cd" command to change to the matching RFC directory from Table 1. Then use the "get" command to pull a file down:
GET RFC-INDEX.TXT local_name (RFC Index)
GET RFCxxxx.TXT local_name (ASCII version of RFC XXXX)
GET RFCxxxx.PS local_name (PostScript version of RFC XXXX)Last one: check out the path "RFC's (Request for Comments)" under the documentation root path for the RFC index, full instructions on getting RFCs, and a complete set of RFCs. 🗂️
The sample dialogue below is super abbreviated, but it shows a user getting RFC 1594 (Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User" Questions) using the first three methods above. 🧚♀️
==================================================================
** SMCVAX$ MAIL
** MAIL> SEND
** To: IN%"SERVICE@NIC.DDN.MIL"
** Subject:
Enter your message below. Press CTRL/Z when complete, CTRL/C to quit
** SEND RFC/RFC1594.TXT
** ^Z
** MAIL> EXIT
** SMCVAX$ MAIL
** MAIL> SEND
** To: IN%"RFC-INFO@ISI.EDU"
** Subject:
Enter your message below. Press CTRL/Z when complete, CTRL/C to quit
** RETRIEVE: RFC
** Doc-ID: RFC1594
** ^Z
** MAIL> EXIT
** SMCVAX$ FTP NIC.DDN.MIL
** Username: ANONYMOUS
** Password:
** NIC.DDN.MIL> CD rfc
** NIC.DDN.MIL> GET rfc1594.txt RFC-1594.TXT
** NIC.DDN.MIL> EXIT
SMCVAX$
==================================================================4.2. Internet Standards 🏆
RFCs describe loads of aspects of the Internet. 🌐 But by the early 1990s there were SO many protocol specs floating around that it wasn't always clear which documents were actual Internet standards. 😩 So a subset of RFCs has been designated as STDs, to mark them as Internet standards. ✨
Unlike RFC numbers, which are never reused, STD numbers always refer to the latest version of the standard. 👑 UDP, for example, would be completely identified as "STD-6/RFC-768." Also, STD numbers refer to a standard, which isn't necessarily one single document, so an STD can point to several RFCs. STD 19, for example, is the NetBIOS Service Protocols standard and comprises RFCs 1001 and 1002. A complete citation for it would be "STD-19/RFC-1001/RFC-1002." 🫶
New STDs get announced on the RFC-DIST mailing list. STD-1 [14] always refers to the latest list of "Internet Official Protocol Standards." The Internet standards process is described in RFC 1602 [6], and STD notes are explained in RFC 1311 [15]. 📝
STDs can be grabbed as RFCs via anonymous FTP from any RFC repository. 💖 Some RFC sites (like "nic.ddn.mil") also have an STD directory, so STD docs can be found in the path "/STD/xx.TXT," where "xx" is the STD number. 🌈
You can get STD documents as RFCs using the methods from Section 4.1. You can also get STDs through the RFC-INFO server using the "RETRIEVE: STD" and "Doc-ID: STDxxxx" commands. And check out the path "STD's (Standard RFC's)" under the documentation root path for the STD index, full instructions on getting STDs, and a complete set of STDs. 💅
4.3. For Your Information Documents 💅
okay so the For Your Information (FYI) series of RFCs is basically the internet's info-dump squad 🧚 It's got info on loads of topics, from history to explainers to full tutorials, and it's written for everyone on the internet, whether you're brand new or a total veteran. The FYI series includes answers to frequently asked questions from both beginning and seasoned users of the Internet, an annotated bibliography of Internet books, and an explanation of the domain name system. iconic range, honestly 📚✨
Like the STDs, an FYI number always refers to the latest version of an FYI 🔄 So FYI 4 is the answers to commonly asked questions by new Internet users, and its full citation would be FYI-4/RFC-1594. The FYI notes are explained in FYI 1 [9] 🌸
FYIs can be grabbed as RFCs via anonymous FTP from any RFC repository 💖 Some RFC sites (like nic.ddn.mil) also have an FYI directory, so you can find FYI documents at the path /FYI/xx.TXT, where xx is the FYI number. no cap, that's a very handy little path 🎀
You can get FYI documents as RFCs using the methods from Section 4.1. You can also get FYIs from the RFC-INFO server with the RETRIEVE: FYI and Doc-ID: FYIxxxx commands. And ooh, check out the path "FYI's (For Your Information RFC's)" under the documentation root path. That's where you'll find the FYI index, full instructions for getting FYIs, and a complete set of FYIs 👑
4.4. RARE Technical Reports 🌈
The Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne (RARE) is the Association of European Research Networks and their users, and it's giving very collaborative European research energy 🇪🇺 RARE's charter is to promote and take part in building a high-quality European computer communications infrastructure that supports research endeavors. RARE member networks use Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocols and TCP/IP. Since the summer of 1993, RARE and the IETF have been getting closer, so RARE Technical Reports (RTRs) are also published as RFCs 🦋
You can get RTR documents as RFCs using the methods from Section 4.1. RTRs can also be grabbed from the RFC-INFO server with the RETRIEVE: RTR and Doc-ID: RTRxxxx commands. Also, check out the path "RTR's (RARE Technical Report RFC's)" under the documentation root path for the RTR index, full instructions on getting RTRs, and a complete set of RTRs. They may also be obtained via anonymous FTP from ftp.rare.nl 💅
NOTE: As of December 1994, RARE and EARN have merged to form TERENA (Trans-European Research and Education Network Association). 😭 the mergers are giving plot twist
5. Perusing the Internet... 🦋
okay this guide is meant to give you a basic ability to use the utilities that TCP/IP and the Internet provide 🧚 By now it should be clear that your knowledge, your ability, and how willing you are to experiment are pretty much the only limits on what you can do. literally main character energy 💜
The next step is to explore the nooks and crannies of the network 🌸 One software tool that will help users on this quest is the Merit Computer Center's (Ann Arbor, MI) "Cruise of the Internet", which is free from the host nic.merit.edu using FTP. For more info, read the "readme" files in the directories internet/resources/cruise.mac and internet/resources/cruise.dos for the Mac and PC versions, respectively. For general info about resources on this site, check the READ.ME file in the root directory or send e-mail to nic-info@nic.merit.edu 🎀
Several RFCs have seriously valuable info about finding things on the Internet 🔥 One of the best is FYI 10/RFC 1402, "There's Gold in them thar Networks! -or- Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places" [11], which is an excellent guide if you want to look around the Internet for a wide range of material. Other good sources include the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet" (RFC 1118) [7] and the "Guide to Network Resource Tools" (FYI 23/RFC 1580) [3]. And for answers to frequently asked questions, new and experienced users can check out FYI 4/RFC 1594 [10] and FYI 7/RFC 1207 [8], respectively 💖
There are loads of other sources that point to places where you can access specific info about all kinds of subjects using tools like FTP, Telnet, Gopher, and WWW. These include:
- The INTERNET SERVICES LIST, maintained by Scott Yanoff of the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and updated at least once a month 📋 You can grab it at
<URL:ftp://ftp.csd.uwm.edu/pub/inet.services.txt>or<URL:gopher://csd4.csd.uwm.edu/Remote Information Services/Special Internet Connections>. - An excellent starting point for searching the World Wide Web is to point your WWW browser at
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/StartingPoints/NetworkStartingPoints.html🌐 - The Scout Report is a weekly service by the InterNIC Information Services team 🗞️ To subscribe to the Scout Report mailing list, send e-mail to
majordomo@is.internic.netand put the linesubscribe scout-reportin the main body of the message. Optionally, Gopher tods.internic.netand follow the path "InterNIC Information Services" | "Scout Report", or point your WWW browser athttp://www.internic.net/infoguide.html✨ - "The INTERNET Yellow Pages" by Harley Hahn and Rick Stout [28] 📖
More books and specialized articles came out about the Internet in 1993 and 1994 than in all previous years (squared!) 🤯 Some of them are directly about finding your way around, or finding things on, the Internet. A very partial list includes:
- "The Internet Directory" by Eric Braun [21]
- "The MAC Internet Tour Guide", "The PC Internet Tour Guide", and "The Windows Internet Tour Guide" by Michael Fraase [24, 25, 26]
- "The Internet Navigator" by Paul Gilster [27]
- "Zen and the Art of the Internet" by Brendan Kehoe [29]
- "The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog" by Ed Krol [31]
- "INTERNET: Getting Started" by April Marine, Susan Kirkpatrick, Vivian Neou, and Carol Ward [33]
- "Finding it on the Internet: The Next Challenge for Librarianship" by Brian Nielsen [34]
- "Navigating the Internet" by Richard Smith and Mark Gibbs [35]
A much more comprehensive list of Internet-related books can be found in FYI 19/RFC 1463 [5] 📚
Finally, Carl Malamud has written a delightful book called "Exploring the Internet: A Technical Travelogue" [32] 🫶 It's less about the Internet itself and more about the people who built it and use it. This book won't teach you how to do an anonymous FTP file transfer or how to use Gopher, but it gives insights about our network (and Carl's gastro-pathology) that no mere statistics can convey 💀
6. Acronyms and Abbreviations 🍓
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange
BITNET Because It's Time Network
DDN Defense Data Network
DNS Domain Name System
EARN European Academic Research Network
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions list
FTP File Transfer Protocol
FYI For Your Information series of RFCs
HTML HyperText Markup Language
HTTP HyperText Transport Protocol
ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol
IP Internet Protocol
ISO International Organization for Standardization
NetBIOS Network Basic Input/Output System
NIC Network Information Center
NICNAME Network Information Center name service
NSF National Science Foundation
NSFNET National Science Foundation Network
RFC Request For Comments
RARE Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne
RTR RARE Technical Reports
SMDS Switched Multimegabit Data Service
SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
STD Internet Standards series of RFCs
TCP Transmission Control Protocol
TTL Time-To-Live
UDP User Datagram Protocol
URL Uniform Resource Locator
WAIS Wide Area Information Server
W3 World Wide Web
WWW World Wide Web7. Security Considerations 🙈
Security issues are not discussed in this memo. 😱 this one is giving "not me checking the security section and finding nothing" energy, so keep your guard up when you're out exploring 🔐
8. Acknowledgements 🫶
Our thanks go to all the sites where we FTPed, TELNETed, GOPHERed, and otherwise used system resources, particularly St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont (smcvax.smcvt.edu). We also appreciate the comments and suggestions from our colleagues at Hill Associates, our students, and other members of the Internet community, particularly Mark Delany and the rest of the gang at the Australian Public Access Network Association, Margaret Hall (BBN), John Martin (RARE), Tom Maufer (NASA), Michael Patton (BBN), and Brian Williams. Special thanks are due to Joyce Reynolds for her continued encouragement and direction 💜👑
9. References ✨
okay bestie, this is the reading list 📚🎀 every source the document leans on is here, so I've kept each entry complete, with the same numbers, titles, and details as the original.
- [1] Anklesaria, F., McCahill, M., Lindner, P, Johnson, D., Torrey, D., and B. Alberti, "The Internet Gopher Protocol", RFC 1436, University of Minnesota, March 1993.
- [2] Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., and M. McCahill, Editors, "Uniform Resource Locators (URL)", RFC 1738, CERN, Xerox PARC, University of Minnesota, December 1994.
- [3] EARN Staff, "Guide to Network Resource Tools", FYI 23, RFC 1580, EARN Association, March 1994.
- [4] Harrenstien, K., Stahl, M., and E. Feinler, "NICNAME/WHOIS", RFC 954, SRI, October 1985.
- [5] Hoffman, E. and L. Jackson, "FYI on Introducing the Internet-- A Short Bibliography of Introductory Internetworking Readings", FYI 19, RFC 1463, Merit Network, Inc., NASA, May 1993.
- [6] Internet Architecture Board, Internet Engineering Steering Group, "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 2", RFC 1602, IAB, IESG, March 1994.
- [7] Krol, E., "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet", RFC 1118, University of Illinois Urbana, September 1989.
- [8] Malkin, G., Marine, A., and J. Reynolds, "FYI on Questions and Answers: Answers to Commonly Asked 'Experienced Internet User' Questions", FYI 7, RFC 1207, FTP Software, SRI, USC/Information Sciences Institute, February 1991.
- [9] Malkin, G., and J. Reynolds, "F.Y.I. on F.Y.I.: Introduction to the F.Y.I. Notes", FYI 1, RFC 1150, Proteon, USC/Information Sciences Institute, March 1990.
- [10] Marine, A., Reynolds, J., and G. Malkin, "FYI on Questions and Answers - Answers to Commonly asked 'New Internet User' Questions", FYI 4, RFC 1594, NASA Ames Research Center, USC/Information Sciences Institute, Xylogics, March 1994.
- [11] Martin, J., "There's Gold in them thar Networks! Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places", FYI 10, RFC 1402, Ohio State University, January 1993.
- [12] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Concepts and Facilities", STD 13, RFC 1034, USC/Information Sciences Institute, November 1987.
- [13] Postel, J., "Domain Name System Structure and Delegation", USC/Information Sciences Institute, RFC 1591, March 1994.
- [14] Postel, J., Editor, "Internet Official Protocol Standards", STD 1, RFC 1720, Internet Architecture Board, November 1994.
- [15] Postel, J., "Introduction to the STD Notes", RFC 1311, USC/Information Sciences Institute, March 1992.
- [16] Postel, J., and J. Reynolds, "File Transfer Protocol (FTP), STD 9, RFC 959, USC/Information Sciences Institute, October 1985.
- [17] Postel, J. and J. Reynolds, "TELNET Protocol Specification", STD 8, RFC 854, USC/Information Sciences Institute, May 1983.
- [18] Socolofsky, T., and C. Kale, "TCP/IP Tutorial", RFC 1180, Spider Systems Ltd., January 1991.
- [19] Williamson, S., "Transition and Modernization of the Internet Registration Service", RFC 1400, Network Solutions, Inc., March 1993.
- [20] Zimmerman, D., "The Finger User Information Protocol", RFC 1288, Rutgers University, December 1991.
- [21] Braun, E., "The Internet Directory", New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994.
- [22] Comer, D., "Internetworking with TCP/IP, Vol. I: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture", 2/e. Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice-Hall, 1991.
- [23] Feit, S., "TCP/IP", New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993.
- [24] Fraase, M., "The MAC Internet Tour Guide", Chapel Hill (NC): Ventana Press, 1994.
- [25] Fraase, M., "The PC Internet Tour Guide", Chapel Hill (NC): Ventana Press, 1994.
- [26] Fraase, M., "The Windows Internet Tour Guide", Chapel Hill (NC): Ventana Press, 1994.
- [27] Gilster, P., "The Internet Navigator", New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993.
- [28] Hahn, H., and R. Stout, "The Internet Yellow Pages", Berkeley (CA): Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1994.
- [29] Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice-Hall, 1993.
- [30] Kessler, G., "An Overview of TCP/IP Protocols and the Internet", August 1994.
<URL:gopher://ds.internic.net/Information Services/Advanced Users/tcp-ip>. - [31] Krol, E., "The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog", Sebastopol (CA): O'Reilly & Associates, 1992.
- [32] Malamud, C., "Exploring the Internet: A Technical Travelogue", Englewood Cliffs (NJ): PTR Prentice Hall, 1992.
- [33] Marine, A., Kirkpatrick, S., Neou, V., and C. Ward. "INTERNET: Getting Started", Englewood Cliffs (NJ): PTR Prentice Hall, 1993.
- [34] Nielsen, B., "Finding it on the Internet: The Next Challenge for Librarianship." Database, Vol. 13, October 1990, pp. 105-107.
- [35] Smith, R., and M. Gibbs, "Navigating the Internet", Carmel (IN): SAMS, 1994.
10. Authors' Addresses 💌
and that's the whole crew! here's how to reach the authors, exactly as written 🫶
Gary C. Kessler
Hill Associates
17 Roosevelt Highway
Colchester, VT 05446
Phone: +1 802-655-8633
Fax: +1 802-655-7974
EMail: kumquat@hill.com
Steven D. Shepard
Hill Associates
17 Roosevelt Highway
Colchester, VT 05446
Phone: +1 802-655-8646
Fax: +1 802-655-7974
EMail: sds@hill.comthat's the end of the doc, bestie 💖 you made it through all 10 parts 🦋✨
📦 where this page comes from
- ietf: rfc1739 1994-12
- 💖 girlified by claude-haiku-5-5 on : a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms