RFC 274

RFC 274: Establishing a Local Guide for Network Usage ✨

okay bestie, so this one is from 1 November 1971 and it's RFC 274 🎀 Written by E. Forman at MITRE (the NIC number is #7901). It's filed under categories F, G, and it updates nothing and obsoletes nothing, so it's a clean fresh start 💅 The title is Establishing a Local Guide for Network Usage.

Hands-on experience with network systems and subsystems is lowkey the best supplement to the existing NIC docs 🧚 So MITRE is planning a local GUIDE TO NETWORK USAGE to help local users get to network resources, and it's meant to sit alongside the Resources Notebook and other NIC documentation. It's tailored to MITRE users and covers network systems and subsystems. (Honest moment: they can't precisely define "system" vs "subsystem" yet 🙈 but the examples are that TENNEX at SRI is a system and NLS is a subsystem.)

The Guide will be built under NLS, kind of like the NIC LOCATOR SYSTEM 🦋 Any info that's useful for the NIC but isn't in there yet will get submitted for inclusion in the NIC ✨

The attachment has an outline of the proposed NLS files for the Guide System 📂 The goal is for the info to be detailed enough that local users who don't know the network, its terminology, or where the reference material lives can still use resources at foreign hosts over the network. Main character energy 👑

Sites get added as local users gain experience with the systems and subsystems at remote sites. So the sites most likely to make it in are the ones that can support MITRE projects 💜

They're also coordinating with a similar effort at the National Bureau of Standards 🌈 MITRE believes this will be valuable to the NIC, especially the Network Resources Notebook. Even though it's tailored for MITRE, it'll have info of general interest to other network users, and they'll be able to reach it through NLS too 🫶

The Guide should become operational during December 1971 🎄 Comments on the proposed contents are welcome, and anyone who wants to help should contact E. Forman at MITRE 💖

       [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
       [ into the online RFC archives by BBN Corp. under the   ]
       [ direction of Alex McKenzie.                   12/96   ]

Attachment 🧚

An NLS "Site File" gets built for each site where a resource is currently available to network users at MITRE. The initial files cover sites with resources that are of specific interest to the local community 🌸 The RESOURCE LOCATOR FILE is the big table of contents for all the SITE FILES, plus a list of the subsystems surveyed at each site. The headings in that table of contents link to the matching online site file documents 🔗

<MITRE> RESOURCE-LOCATOR

  O         Output processor directives

  1         Text indicating how to use this file

  2         Site identification
               (Link)
     2A     Subsystem list (with links)

  3         Next site

  4         Next site

    ...

<MITRE> SITE-FILE (one for each site)

  O         Output processor directives

  1         Text indicating how to use this file

  2         Subsystem list (with links)

  3         Periods of system availability
  4         Accounts
  4         Accounts
     4A        List of accounts at site established by MITRE personnel
       4A1     For each account indicate:
               -  users
               -  who is allowed to use this account
               -  restrictions on use of system or subsystem with
                  with this account
               -  who to ask for password and ID (if the account
                  is open to use by all, list password and allowable
                  ID's)
       4A2     Next account
     4B        How to establish a new account

  5         System charges (special subsystem charges--if any--
            will be listed with subsystem entry)

  6         System Documentation
     6A        Title
               -  Brief description
               -  NIC reference number
               -  link
               -  on hand at local station
               -  local users who have copy
               -  where to order

  7         Log in procedures (special log in procedures for sub-
            systems (if any) will be listed with the subsystem entry)

  8         Special considerations when used with the following
            local (network user) equipment:
     8A        With devices -----, -----
               -  NIC reference numbers
               -  links
               -  list of special considerations when used with this
                  system (e.g., special characteristics, half or
                  full duplex)
     8B        With devices
    ...

<MITRE> SITE-FILE (continued)

  9         Comments on system usage and performance such as
            reliability, availability, recent user experience,
            bugs, differences from documentation (similar to NIC
            Journal Folklore)

 10         Subsystem " "
    10A       Brief capability description
              References and links
    10B       Subsystem documentation
     10B1       Title
                -  brief description
                NIC reference number
                -  link
                -  on hand at local station?
                -  local users who have copy
                -  where to order
     10B2       Next document

    10C       Periods of availability--same as system or list
              special subsystem availability times
    10D       Special subsystem charges if any
    10E       Log in procedures-if special log in procedure needed
              for subsystem
    10F       Special considerations when used with the following
              local (network user) equipment:
     10F1       With devices -----, -----
                  -  NIC reference numbers
                  -  links
                  -  list of special considerations when used with
                     this subsystem (e.g., special characteristics,
                     half or full duplex)
     10F2       With devices -----, -----
    ...

    10G       Comments on subsystem usage and performance such as
              reliability, availability, recent user experience, bugs,
              differences from documentation (similar to NIC
              Journal Folklore)

 11           Subsystem " "
    ...