3924 lines
155 KiB
Plaintext
3924 lines
155 KiB
Plaintext
Part A
|
|
|
|
Zen and the Art of the Internet
|
|
|
|
Copyright (c) 1992 Brendan P. Kehoe
|
|
|
|
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
|
|
guide provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
|
|
preserved on all copies.
|
|
|
|
Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
|
|
this booklet under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that
|
|
the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
|
|
permission notice identical to this one.
|
|
|
|
Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
|
|
booklet into another language, under the above conditions for
|
|
modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated
|
|
in a translation approved by the author.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Zen and the Art of the Internet
|
|
A Beginner's Guide to the Internet
|
|
First Edition
|
|
January 1992
|
|
|
|
by Brendan P. Kehoe
|
|
|
|
This is revision 1.0 of February 2, 1992.
|
|
Copyright (c) 1992 Brendan P. Kehoe
|
|
|
|
The composition of this booklet was originally started because the
|
|
Computer Science department at Widener University was in desperate
|
|
need of documentation describing the capabilities of this Ògreat new
|
|
Internet linkÓ we obtained.
|
|
|
|
It's since grown into an effort to acquaint the reader with much of
|
|
what's currently available over the Internet. Aimed at the novice
|
|
user, it attempts to remain operating system ÒneutralÓ---little
|
|
information herein is specific to Unix, VMS, or any other
|
|
environment. This booklet will, hopefully, be usable by nearly
|
|
anyone.
|
|
|
|
A user's session is usually offset from the rest of the paragraph, as
|
|
such:
|
|
|
|
prompt> command
|
|
The results are usually displayed here.
|
|
|
|
The purpose of this booklet is two-fold: first, it's intended to
|
|
serve as a reference piece, which someone can easily grab on the fly
|
|
and look something up. Also, it forms a foundation from which people
|
|
can explore the vast expanse of the Internet. Zen and the Art of the
|
|
Internet doesn't spend a significant amount of time on any one point;
|
|
rather, it provides enough for people to learn the specifics of what
|
|
his or her local system offers.
|
|
|
|
One warning is perhaps in order---this territory we are entering can
|
|
become a fantastic time-sink. Hours can slip by, people can come and
|
|
go, and you'll be locked into Cyberspace. Remember to do your work!
|
|
|
|
With that, I welcome you, the new user, to The Net.
|
|
|
|
brendan@cs.widener.edu
|
|
Chester, PA
|
|
|
|
Acknowledgements
|
|
|
|
Certain sections in this booklet are not my original work---rather,
|
|
they are derived from documents that were available on the Internet
|
|
and already aptly stated their areas of concentration. The chapter
|
|
on Usenet is, in large part, made up of what's posted monthly to
|
|
news.announce.newusers, with some editing and rewriting. Also, the
|
|
main section on archie was derived from whatis.archie by Peter
|
|
Deutsch of the McGill University Computing Centre. It's available
|
|
via anonymous FTP from archie.mcgill.ca. Much of what's in the
|
|
telnet section came from an impressive introductory document put
|
|
together by SuraNet. Some definitions in the one are from an
|
|
excellent glossary put together by Colorado State University.
|
|
|
|
This guide would not be the same without the aid of many people on The
|
|
Net, and the providers of resources that are already out there. I'd
|
|
like to thank the folks who gave this a read-through and returned some
|
|
excellent comments, suggestions, and criticisms, and those who
|
|
provided much-needed information on the fly. Glee Willis deserves
|
|
particular mention for all of his work; this guide would have been
|
|
considerably less polished without his help.
|
|
|
|
Andy Blankenbiller <rablanke@crdec7.apgea.army.mil>
|
|
Andy Blankenbiller, Army at Aberdeen
|
|
|
|
bajan@cs.mcgill.ca
|
|
Alan Emtage, McGill University Computer Science Department
|
|
|
|
Brian Fitzgerald <fitz@mml0.meche.rpi.edu>
|
|
Brian Fitzgerald, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
|
|
|
|
John Goetsch <ccjg@hippo.ru.ac.za>
|
|
John Goetsch, Rhodes University, South Africa
|
|
|
|
composer@chem.bu.edu
|
|
Jeff Kellem, Boston University's Chemistry Department
|
|
|
|
kraussW@moravian.edu
|
|
Bill Krauss, Moravian College
|
|
|
|
Steve Lodin <deaes!swlodin@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
|
|
Steve Lodin, Delco Electronics
|
|
|
|
Mike Nesel <nesel@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov>
|
|
Mike Nesel, NASA
|
|
|
|
Bob <neveln@cs.widener.edu>
|
|
Bob Neveln, Widener University Computer Science Department
|
|
|
|
wamapi@dunkin.cc.mcgill.ca (Wanda Pierce)
|
|
Wanda Pierce, McGill University Computing Centre
|
|
|
|
Joshua.R.Poulson@cyber.widener.edu
|
|
Joshua Poulson, Widener University Computing Services
|
|
|
|
de5@ornl.gov
|
|
Dave Sill, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
|
|
|
|
bsmart@bsmart.tti.com
|
|
Bob Smart, CitiCorp/TTI
|
|
|
|
emv@msen.com
|
|
Ed Vielmetti, Vice President of MSEN
|
|
|
|
Craig E. Ward <cew@venera.isi.edu>
|
|
Craig Ward, USC/Information Sciences Institute (ISI)
|
|
|
|
Glee Willis <willis@unssun.nevada.edu>
|
|
Glee Willis, University of Nevada, Reno
|
|
|
|
Charles Yamasaki <chip@oshcomm.osha.gov>
|
|
Chip Yamasaki, OSHA
|
|
|
|
Network Basics
|
|
|
|
We are truly in an information society. Now more than ever, moving
|
|
vast amounts of information quickly across great distances is one of
|
|
our most pressing needs. From small one-person entrepreneurial
|
|
efforts, to the largest of corporations, more and more professional
|
|
people are discovering that the only way to be successful in the '90s
|
|
and beyond is to realize that technology is advancing at a break-neck
|
|
pace---and they must somehow keep up. Likewise, researchers from all
|
|
corners of the earth are finding that their work thrives in a
|
|
networked environment. Immediate access to the work of colleagues
|
|
and a ÒvirtualÓ library of millions of volumes and thousands of
|
|
papers affords them the ability to encorporate a body of knowledge
|
|
heretofore unthinkable. Work groups can now conduct interactive
|
|
conferences with each other, paying no heed to physical
|
|
location---the possibilities are endless.
|
|
|
|
You have at your fingertips the ability to talk in Òreal-timeÓ with
|
|
someone in Japan, send a 2,000-word short story to a group of people
|
|
who will critique it for the sheer pleasure of doing so, see if a
|
|
Macintosh sitting in a lab in Canada is turned on, and find out if
|
|
someone happens to be sitting in front of their computer (logged on)
|
|
in Australia, all inside of thirty minutes. No airline (or tardis,
|
|
for that matter) could ever match that travel itinerary.
|
|
|
|
The largest problem people face when first using a network is
|
|
grasping all that's available. Even seasoned users find themselves
|
|
surprised when they discover a new service or feature that they'd
|
|
never known even existed. Once acquainted with the terminology and
|
|
sufficiently comfortable with making occasional mistakes, the
|
|
learning process will drastically speed up.
|
|
|
|
Domains
|
|
|
|
Getting where you want to go can often be one of the more difficult
|
|
aspects of using networks. The variety of ways that places are named
|
|
will probably leave a blank stare on your face at first. Don't fret;
|
|
there is a method to this apparent madness.
|
|
|
|
If someone were to ask for a home address, they would probably expect
|
|
a street, apartment, city, state, and zip code. That's all the
|
|
information the post office needs to deliver mail in a reasonably
|
|
speedy fashion. Likewise, computer addresses have a structure to
|
|
them. The general form is:
|
|
|
|
a person's email address on a computer: user@somewhere.domain
|
|
a computer's name: somewhere.domain
|
|
|
|
The user portion is usually the person's account name on the
|
|
system, though it doesn't have to be. somewhere.domain tells
|
|
you the name of a system or location, and what kind of organization it
|
|
is. The trailing domain is often one of the following:
|
|
|
|
com
|
|
Usually a company or other commercial institution or organization,
|
|
like Convex Computers (convex.com).
|
|
|
|
edu
|
|
An educational institution, e.g. New York University, named nyu.edu.
|
|
|
|
gov
|
|
A government site; for example, NASA is nasa.gov.
|
|
|
|
mil
|
|
A military site, like the Air Force (af.mil).
|
|
|
|
net
|
|
Gateways and other administrative hosts for a network (it does not
|
|
mean all of the hosts in a network). {The Matrix, 111. One such
|
|
gateway is near.net.}
|
|
|
|
org
|
|
This is a domain reserved for private organizations, who don't
|
|
comfortably fit in the other classes of domains. One example is the
|
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation named eff.org.
|
|
|
|
Each country also has its own top-level domain. For example, the
|
|
us domain includes each of the fifty states. Other countries
|
|
represented with domains include:
|
|
|
|
au Australia
|
|
ca Canada
|
|
fr France
|
|
uk The United Kingdom. These also have sub-domains of things like
|
|
ac.uk for academic sites and co.uk for commercial ones.
|
|
|
|
FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name)
|
|
|
|
The proper terminology for a site's domain name (somewhere.domain
|
|
above) is its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). It is usually
|
|
selected to give a clear indication of the site's organization or
|
|
sponsoring agent. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of
|
|
Technology's FQDN is mit.edu; similarly, Apple Computer's domain name
|
|
is apple.com. While such obvious names are usually the norm, there
|
|
are the occasional exceptions that are ambiguous enough to
|
|
mislead---like vt.edu, which on first impulse one might surmise is an
|
|
educational institution of some sort in Vermont; not so. It's
|
|
actually the domain name for Virginia Tech. In most cases it's
|
|
relatively easy to glean the meaning of a domain name---such
|
|
confusion is far from the norm.
|
|
|
|
Internet Numbers
|
|
|
|
Every single machine on the Internet has a unique address, {At least
|
|
one address, possibly two or even three---but we won't go into
|
|
that.} called its Internet number or IP Address. It's actually a
|
|
32-bit number, but is most commonly represented as four numbers
|
|
joined by periods (.), like 147.31.254.130. This is sometimes also
|
|
called a dotted quad; there are literally thousands of different
|
|
possible dotted quads. The ARPAnet (the mother to today's Internet)
|
|
originally only had the capacity to have up to 256 systems on it
|
|
because of the way each system was addressed. In the early eighties,
|
|
it became clear that things would fast outgrow such a small limit;
|
|
the 32-bit addressing method was born, freeing thousands of host
|
|
numbers.
|
|
|
|
Each piece of an Internet address (like 192) is called an Òoctet,Ó
|
|
representing one of four sets of eight bits. The first two or three
|
|
pieces (e.g. 192.55.239) represent the network that a system is on,
|
|
called its subnet. For example, all of the computers for Wesleyan
|
|
University are in the subnet 129.133. They can have numbers like
|
|
129.133.10.10, 129.133.230.19, up to 65 thousand possible
|
|
combinations (possible computers).
|
|
|
|
IP addresses and domain names aren't assigned arbitrarily---that
|
|
would lead to unbelievable confusion. An application must be filed
|
|
with the Network Information Center (NIC), either electronically (to
|
|
hostmaster@nic.ddn.mil) or via regular mail.
|
|
|
|
Resolving Names and Numbers
|
|
|
|
Ok, computers can be referred to by either their FQDN or their
|
|
Internet address. How can one user be expected to remember them all?
|
|
|
|
They aren't. The Internet is designed so that one can use either
|
|
method. Since humans find it much more natural to deal with words
|
|
than numbers in most cases, the FQDN for each host is mapped to its
|
|
Internet number. Each domain is served by a computer within that
|
|
domain, which provides all of the necessary information to go from a
|
|
domain name to an IP address, and vice-versa. For example, when
|
|
someone refers to foosun.bar.com, the resolver knows that it should
|
|
ask the system foovax.bar.com about systems in bar.com. It asks what
|
|
Internet address foosun.bar.com has; if the name foosun.bar.com
|
|
really exists, foovax will send back its number. All of this
|
|
ÒmagicÓ happens behind the scenes.
|
|
|
|
Rarely will a user have to remember the Internet number of a site
|
|
(although often you'll catch yourself remembering an apparently
|
|
obscure number, simply because you've accessed the system
|
|
frequently). However, you will remember a substantial number of
|
|
FQDNs. It will eventually reach a point when you are able to make a
|
|
reasonably accurate guess at what domain name a certain college,
|
|
university, or company might have, given just their name.
|
|
|
|
The Networks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Internet
|
|
The Internet is a large Ònetwork of networks.Ó There is no
|
|
one network known as The Internet; rather, regional nets like SuraNet,
|
|
PrepNet, NearNet, et al., are all inter-connected
|
|
(nay, Òinter-networkedÓ) together into one great living thing,
|
|
communicating at amazing speeds with the TCP/IP protocol. All
|
|
activity takes place in Òreal-time.Ó
|
|
|
|
UUCP
|
|
The UUCP network is a loose association of systems all communicating
|
|
with the UUCP protocol. (UUCP stands for `Unix-to-Unix Copy
|
|
Program'.) It's based on two systems connecting to each other at
|
|
specified intervals, called polling, and executing any work
|
|
scheduled for either of them. Historically most UUCP was done with
|
|
Unix equipment, although the software's since been implemented on
|
|
other platforms (e.g. VMS). For example, the system oregano
|
|
polls the system basil once every two hours. If there's any
|
|
mail waiting for oregano, basil will send it at that time;
|
|
likewise, oregano will at that time send any jobs waiting for
|
|
basil.
|
|
|
|
BITNET
|
|
BITNET (the ÒBecause It's Time NetworkÓ) is comprised of systems
|
|
connected by point-to-point links, all running the NJE protocol.
|
|
It's continued to grow, but has found itself suffering at the hands of
|
|
the falling costs of Internet connections. Also, a number of mail
|
|
gateways are in place to reach users on other networks.
|
|
|
|
The Physical Connection
|
|
|
|
The actual connections between the various networks take a variety of
|
|
forms. The most prevalent for Internet links are 56k leased lines
|
|
(dedicated telephone lines carrying 56kilobit-per-second connections)
|
|
and T1 links (special phone lines with 1Mbps connections). Also
|
|
installed are T3 links, acting as backbones between major locations
|
|
to carry a massive 45Mbps load of traffic.
|
|
|
|
These links are paid for by each institution to a local carrier (for
|
|
example, Bell Atlantic owns PrepNet, the main provider in
|
|
Pennsylvania). Also available are SLIP connections, which carry
|
|
Internet traffic (packets) over high-speed modems.
|
|
|
|
UUCP links are made with modems (for the most part), that run from
|
|
1200 baud all the way up to as high as 38.4Kbps. As was mentioned in
|
|
The Networks, the connections are of the store-and-forward
|
|
variety. Also in use are Internet-based UUCP links (as if things
|
|
weren't already confusing enough!). The systems do their UUCP traffic
|
|
over TCP/IP connections, which give the UUCP-based network some
|
|
blindingly fast Òhops,Ó resulting in better connectivity for the
|
|
network as a whole. UUCP connections first became popular in the
|
|
1970's, and have remained in wide-spread use ever since. Only with
|
|
UUCP can Joe Smith correspond with someone across the country or
|
|
around the world, for the price of a local telephone call.
|
|
|
|
BITNET links mostly take the form of 9600bps modems connected from site
|
|
to site. Often places have three or more links going; the majority,
|
|
however, look to ÒupstreamÓ sites for their sole link to the network.
|
|
|
|
ÒThe Glory and the Nothing of a NameÓ
|
|
Byron, {Churchill's Grave}
|
|
|
|
-----------
|
|
Electronic Mail
|
|
|
|
The desire to communicate is the essence of networking. People have
|
|
always wanted to correspond with each other in the fastest way
|
|
possible, short of normal conversation. Electronic mail (or
|
|
email) is the most prevalent application of this in computer
|
|
networking. It allows people to write back and forth without having
|
|
to spend much time worrying about how the message actually gets
|
|
delivered. As technology grows closer and closer to being a common
|
|
part of daily life, the need to understand the many ways it can be
|
|
utilized and how it works, at least to some level, is vital.
|
|
part of daily life (as has been evidenced by the ISDN effort, the need
|
|
to understand the many ways it can be utilized and how it works, at
|
|
least to some level, is vital.
|
|
|
|
Email Addresses
|
|
|
|
Electronic mail is hinged around the concept of an address; the
|
|
section on Networking Basics made some reference to it while
|
|
introducing domains. Your email address provides all of the
|
|
information required to get a message to you from anywhere in the
|
|
world. An address doesn't necessarily have to go to a human being.
|
|
It could be an archive server, {See Archive Servers, for a
|
|
description.} a list of people, or even someone's pocket pager.
|
|
These cases are the exception to the norm---mail to most addresses is
|
|
read by human beings.
|
|
|
|
%@!.: Symbolic Cacophony
|
|
|
|
Email addresses usually appear in one of two forms---using the
|
|
Internet format which contains @, an ÒatÓ-sign, or using the
|
|
UUCP format which contains !, an exclamation point, also called
|
|
a Òbang.Ó The latter of the two, UUCP ÒbangÓ paths, is more
|
|
restrictive, yet more clearly dictates how the mail will travel.
|
|
|
|
To reach Jim Morrison on the system south.america.org, one would
|
|
address the mail as jm@south.america.org. But if Jim's account was
|
|
on a UUCP site named brazil, then his address would be brazil!jm. If
|
|
it's possible (and one exists), try to use the Internet form of an
|
|
address; bang paths can fail if an intermediate site in the path
|
|
happens to be down. There is a growing trend for UUCP sites to
|
|
register Internet domain names, to help alleviate the problem of path
|
|
failures.
|
|
|
|
Another symbol that enters the fray is %---it acts as an extra
|
|
ÒroutingÓ method. For example, if the UUCP site dream is connected
|
|
to south.america.org, but doesn't have an Internet domain name of its
|
|
own, a user debbie on dream can be reached by writing to the address
|
|
not smallexample!
|
|
|
|
debbie%dream@south.america.org
|
|
|
|
The form is significant. This address says that the local system
|
|
should first send the mail to south.america.org. There the address
|
|
debbie%dream will turn into debbie@dream, which will hopefully be a
|
|
valid address. Then south.america.org will handle getting the mail
|
|
to the host dream, where it will be delivered locally to debbie.
|
|
|
|
All of the intricacies of email addressing methods are fully covered
|
|
in the book Ò!%@@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and
|
|
NetworksÓ published by O'Reilly and Associates, as part of their
|
|
Nutshell Handbook series. It is a must for any active email user.
|
|
Write to nuts@ora.com for ordering information.
|
|
|
|
Sending and Receiving Mail
|
|
|
|
We'll make one quick diversion from being OS-neuter here, to show you
|
|
what it will look like to send and receive a mail message on a Unix
|
|
system. Check with your system administrator for specific
|
|
instructions related to mail at your site.
|
|
|
|
A person sending the author mail would probably do something like this:
|
|
|
|
% mail brendan@cs.widener.edu
|
|
Subject: print job's stuck
|
|
|
|
I typed `print babe.gif' and it didn't work! Why??
|
|
|
|
The next time the author checked his mail, he would see it listed in
|
|
his mailbox as:
|
|
|
|
% mail
|
|
"/usr/spool/mail/brendan": 1 messages 1 new 1 unread
|
|
U 1 joeuser@foo.widene Tue May 5 20:36 29/956 print job's stuck
|
|
?
|
|
|
|
which gives information on the sender of the email, when it was sent,
|
|
and the subject of the message. He would probably use the
|
|
reply command of Unix mail to send this response:
|
|
|
|
? r
|
|
To: joeuser@@foo.widener.edu
|
|
Subject: Re: print job's stuck
|
|
|
|
You shouldn't print binary files like GIFs to a printer!
|
|
|
|
Brendan
|
|
|
|
Try sending yourself mail a few times, to get used to your system's
|
|
mailer. It'll save a lot of wasted aspirin for both you and your
|
|
system administrator.
|
|
|
|
Anatomy of a Mail Header
|
|
|
|
An electronic mail message has a specific structure to it that's
|
|
common across every type of computer system. {The standard is written
|
|
down in RFC-822. See also RFCs for more info on how to get copies of
|
|
the various RFCs.} A sample would be:
|
|
|
|
>From bush@hq.mil Sat May 25 17:06:01 1991
|
|
Received: from hq.mil by house.gov with SMTP id AA21901
|
|
(4.1/SMI for dan@house.gov); Sat, 25 May 91 17:05:56 -0400
|
|
Date: Sat, 25 May 91 17:05:56 -0400
|
|
From: The President <bush@hq.mil>
|
|
Message-Id: <9105252105.AA06631@hq.mil>
|
|
To: dan@senate.gov
|
|
Subject: Meeting
|
|
|
|
Hi Dan .. we have a meeting at 9:30 a.m. with the Joint Chiefs. Please
|
|
don't oversleep this time.
|
|
|
|
The first line, with From and the two lines for Received: are usually
|
|
not very interesting. They give the ÒrealÓ address that the mail
|
|
is coming from (as opposed to the address you should reply to, which
|
|
may look much different), and what places the mail went through to
|
|
get to you. Over the Internet, there is always at least one
|
|
Received: header and usually no more than four or five. When a
|
|
message is sent using UUCP, one Received: header is added for each
|
|
system that the mail passes through. This can often result in more
|
|
than a dozen Received: headers. While they help with dissecting
|
|
problems in mail delivery, odds are the average user will never want
|
|
to see them. Most mail programs will filter out this kind of
|
|
ÒcruftÓ in a header.
|
|
|
|
The Date: header contains the date and time the message was
|
|
sent. Likewise, the ÒgoodÓ address (as opposed to ÒrealÓ address)
|
|
is laid out in the From: header. Sometimes it won't include
|
|
the full name of the person (in this case The President), and
|
|
may look different, but it should always contain an email address of
|
|
some form.
|
|
|
|
The Message-ID: of a message is intended mainly for tracing
|
|
mail routing, and is rarely of interest to normal users. Every
|
|
Message-ID: is guaranteed to be unique.
|
|
|
|
To: lists the email address (or addresses) of the recipients of
|
|
the message. There may be a Cc: header, listing additional
|
|
addresses. Finally, a brief subject for the message goes in the
|
|
Subject: header.
|
|
|
|
The exact order of a message's headers may vary from system to system,
|
|
but it will always include these fundamental headers that are vital to
|
|
proper delivery.
|
|
|
|
Bounced Mail
|
|
|
|
When an email address is incorrect in some way (the system's name is
|
|
wrong, the domain doesn't exist, whatever), the mail system will
|
|
bounce the message back to the sender, much the same way that the
|
|
Postal Service does when you send a letter to a bad street address.
|
|
The message will include the reason for the bounce; a common error is
|
|
addressing mail to an account name that doesn't exist. For example,
|
|
writing to Lisa Simpson at Widener University's Computer Science
|
|
department will fail, because she doesn't have an account. {Though if
|
|
she asked, we'd certainly give her one.}
|
|
|
|
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON>
|
|
Date: Sat, 25 May 91 16:45:14 -0400
|
|
To: mg@gracie.com
|
|
Cc: Postmaster@cs.widener.edu
|
|
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
|
|
|
|
----- Transcript of session follows -----
|
|
While talking to cs.widener.edu:
|
|
>>> RCPT To:<lsimpson@cs.widener.edu>
|
|
<<< 550 <lsimpson@cs.widener.edu>... User unknown
|
|
550 lsimpson... User unknown
|
|
|
|
As you can see, a carbon copy of the message (the Cc: header
|
|
entry) was sent to the postmaster of Widener's CS department. The
|
|
Postmaster is responsible for maintaining a reliable mail system
|
|
on his system. Usually postmasters at sites will attempt to aid you
|
|
in getting your mail where it's supposed to go. If a typing error was
|
|
made, then try re-sending the message. If you're sure that the
|
|
address is correct, contact the postmaster of the site directly and
|
|
ask him how to properly address it.
|
|
|
|
The message also includes the text of the mail, so you don't have to
|
|
retype everything you wrote.
|
|
|
|
----- Unsent message follows -----
|
|
Received: by cs.widener.edu id AA06528; Sat, 25 May 91 16:45:14 -0400
|
|
Date: Sat, 25 May 91 16:45:14 -0400
|
|
From: Matt Groening <mg@gracie.com>
|
|
Message-Id: <9105252045.AA06528@gracie.com>
|
|
To: lsimpson@cs.widener.edu
|
|
Subject: Scripting your future episodes
|
|
Reply-To: writing-group@gracie.com
|
|
|
|
.... verbiage ...
|
|
|
|
The full text of the message is returned intact, including any headers
|
|
that were added. This can be cut out with an editor and fed right
|
|
back into the mail system with a proper address, making redelivery a
|
|
relatively painless process.
|
|
|
|
Mailing Lists
|
|
|
|
People that share common interests are inclined to discuss their
|
|
hobby or interest at every available opportunity. One modern way to
|
|
aid in this exchange of information is by using a mailing
|
|
list---usually an email address that redistributes all mail sent to
|
|
it back out to a list of addresses. For example, the Sun Managers
|
|
mailing list (of interest to people that administer computers
|
|
manufactured by Sun) has the address sun-managers@eecs.nwu.edu. Any
|
|
mail sent to that address will ÒexplodeÓ out to each person named
|
|
in a file maintained on a computer at Northwestern University.
|
|
|
|
Administrative tasks (sometimes referred to as administrivia) are
|
|
often handled through other addresses, typically with the suffix
|
|
-request. To continue the above, a request to be added to or deleted
|
|
from the Sun Managers list should be sent to
|
|
sun-managers-request@eecs.nwu.edu.
|
|
|
|
When in doubt, try to write to the -request version of a mailing list
|
|
address first; the other people on the list aren't interested in your
|
|
desire to be added or deleted, and can certainly do nothing to
|
|
expedite your request. Often if the administrator of a list is busy
|
|
(remember, this is all peripheral to real jobs and real work), many
|
|
users find it necessary to ask again and again, often with harsher
|
|
and harsher language, to be removed from a list. This does nothing
|
|
more than waste traffic and bother everyone else receiving the
|
|
messages. If, after a reasonable amount of time, you still haven't
|
|
succeeded to be removed from a mailing list, write to the postmaster
|
|
at that site and see if they can help.
|
|
|
|
Exercise caution when replying to a message sent by a mailing list. If
|
|
you wish to respond to the author only, make sure that the only
|
|
address you're replying to is that person, and not the entire list.
|
|
Often messages of the sort ÒYes, I agree with you completely!Ó will
|
|
appear on a list, boring the daylights out of the other readers. Likewise,
|
|
if you explicitly do want to send the message to the whole list,
|
|
you'll save yourself some time by checking to make sure it's indeed
|
|
headed to the whole list and not a single person.
|
|
|
|
A list of the currently available mailing lists is available in at
|
|
least two places; the first is in a file on ftp.nisc.sri.com called
|
|
interest-groups under the netinfo/ directory. It's updated fairly
|
|
regularly, but is large (presently around 700K), so only get it every
|
|
once in a while. The other list is maintained by Gene Spafford
|
|
(spaf@cs.purdue.edu), and is posted in parts to the newsgroup
|
|
news.lists semi-regularly. (Usenet News, for info on how to read that
|
|
and other newsgroups.)
|
|
|
|
Listservs
|
|
|
|
On BITNET there's an automated system for maintaining discussion lists
|
|
called the listserv. Rather than have an already harried and
|
|
overworked human take care of additions and removals from a list, a
|
|
program performs these and other tasks by responding to a set of
|
|
user-driven commands.
|
|
|
|
Areas of interest are wide and varied---ETHICS-L deals with ethics in
|
|
computing, while ADND-L has to do with a role-playing game. A full
|
|
list of the available BITNET lists can be obtained by writing to
|
|
LISTSERV@BITNIC.BITNET with a body containing the command
|
|
|
|
list global
|
|
|
|
However, be sparing in your use of this---see if it's already on your
|
|
system somewhere. The reply is quite large.
|
|
|
|
The most fundamental command is subscribe. It will tell the
|
|
listserv to add the sender to a specific list. The usage is
|
|
|
|
subscribe foo-l Your Real Name
|
|
|
|
It will respond with a message either saying that you've been added to
|
|
the list, or that the request has been passed on to the system on
|
|
which the list is actually maintained.
|
|
|
|
The mate to subscribe is, naturally, unsubscribe. It will remove a
|
|
given address from a BITNET list. It, along with all other listserv
|
|
commands, can be abbreviated---subscribe as sub, unsubscribe as
|
|
unsub, etc. For a full list of the available listserv commands,
|
|
write to LISTSERV@BITNIC.BITNET, giving it the command help.
|
|
|
|
As an aside, there have been implementations of the listserv system
|
|
for non-BITNET hosts (more specifically, Unix systems). One of the
|
|
most complete is available on cs.bu.edu in the
|
|
directory pub/listserv.
|
|
|
|
ÒI made this letter longer than usual because
|
|
I lack the time to make it shorter.Ó
|
|
Pascal, Provincial Letters XVI
|
|
|
|
--------------
|
|
|
|
Anonymous FTP
|
|
|
|
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the primary method of transferring
|
|
files over the Internet. On many systems, it's also the name of the
|
|
program that implements the protocol. Given proper permission, it's
|
|
possible to copy a file from a computer in South Africa to one in Los
|
|
Angeles at very fast speeds (on the order of 5--10K per second).
|
|
This normally requires either a user id on both systems or a special
|
|
configuration set up by the system administrator(s).
|
|
|
|
There is a good way around this restriction---the anonymous FTP
|
|
service. It essentially will let anyone in the world have access to
|
|
a certain area of disk space in a non-threatening way. With this,
|
|
people can make files publicly available with little hassle. Some
|
|
systems have dedicated entire disks or even entire computers to
|
|
maintaining extensive archives of source code and information. They
|
|
include gatekeeper.dec.com (Digital), wuarchive.wustl.edu (Washington
|
|
University in Saint Louis), and archive.cis.ohio-state.edu (The Ohio
|
|
State University).
|
|
|
|
The process involves the ÒforeignÓ user (someone not on the system
|
|
itself) creating an FTP connection and logging into the system as the
|
|
user anonymous, with an arbitrary password:
|
|
|
|
Name (foo.site.com:you): anonymous
|
|
Password: jm@south.america.org
|
|
|
|
Custom and netiquette dictate that people respond to the
|
|
Password: query with an email address so that the sites can
|
|
track the level of FTP usage, if they desire. (Addresses for
|
|
information on email addresses).
|
|
|
|
The speed of the transfer depends on the speed of the underlying
|
|
link. A site that has a 9600bps SLIP connection will not get the same
|
|
throughput as a system with a 56k leased line (The Physical
|
|
Connection, for more on what kinds of connections can exist in a
|
|
network). Also, the traffic of all other users on that link will
|
|
affect performance. If there are thirty people all FTPing from one
|
|
site simultaneously, the load on the system (in addition to the
|
|
network connection) will degrade the overall throughput of the
|
|
transfer.
|
|
|
|
FTP Etiquette
|
|
|
|
Lest we forget, the Internet is there for people to do work. People
|
|
using the network and the systems on it are doing so for a purpose,
|
|
whether it be research, development, whatever. Any heavy activity
|
|
takes away from the overall performance of the network as a whole.
|
|
|
|
The effects of an FTP connection on a site and its link can vary; the
|
|
general rule of thumb is that any extra traffic created detracts from
|
|
the ability of that site's users to perform their tasks. To help be
|
|
considerate of this, it's highly recommended that FTP sessions
|
|
be held only after normal business hours for that site, preferably
|
|
late at night. The possible effects of a large transfer will be less
|
|
destructive at 2 a.m. than 2 p.m. Also, remember that if it's past
|
|
dinner time in Maine, it's still early afternoon in California---think
|
|
in terms of the current time at the site that's being visited, not of
|
|
local time.
|
|
|
|
Basic Commands
|
|
|
|
While there have been many extensions to the various FTP clients out
|
|
there, there is a de facto ÒstandardÓ set that everyone expects to
|
|
work. For more specific information, read the manual for your
|
|
specific FTP program. This section will only skim the bare minimum of
|
|
commands needed to operate an FTP session.
|
|
|
|
Creating the Connection
|
|
|
|
The actual command to use FTP will vary among operating systems; for
|
|
the sake of clarity, we'll use FTP here, since it's the most
|
|
general form.
|
|
|
|
There are two ways to connect to a system---using its hostname
|
|
or its Internet number. Using the hostname is usually preferred.
|
|
However, some sites aren't able to resolve hostnames properly,
|
|
and have no alternative. We'll assume you're able to use hostnames
|
|
for simplicity's sake. The form is
|
|
|
|
ftp somewhere.domain
|
|
|
|
Domains for help with reading and using domain names
|
|
(in the example below, somewhere.domain is ftp.uu.net).
|
|
|
|
You must first know the name of the system you want to connect to.
|
|
We'll use ftp.uu.net as an example. On your system, type:
|
|
|
|
ftp ftp.uu.net
|
|
|
|
(the actual syntax will vary depending on the type of system the
|
|
connection's being made from). It will pause momentarily then respond
|
|
with the message
|
|
|
|
Connected to ftp.uu.net.
|
|
|
|
and an initial prompt will appear:
|
|
|
|
220 uunet FTP server (Version 5.100 Mon Feb 11 17:13:28 EST 1991) ready.
|
|
Name (ftp.uu.net:jm):
|
|
|
|
to which you should respond with anonymous:
|
|
|
|
220 uunet FTP server (Version 5.100 Mon Feb 11 17:13:28 EST 1991) ready.
|
|
Name (ftp.uu.net:jm): anonymous
|
|
|
|
The system will then prompt you for a password; as noted previously, a
|
|
good response is your email address:
|
|
|
|
331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
|
|
Password: jm@south.america.org
|
|
230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
|
|
ftp>
|
|
|
|
The password itself will not echo. This is to protect a user's
|
|
security when he or she is using a real account to FTP files between
|
|
machines. Once you reach the ftp> prompt, you know you're
|
|
logged in and ready to go.
|
|
|
|
Notice the ftp.uu.net:joe in the Name: prompt? That's
|
|
another clue that anonymous FTP is special: FTP expects a normal user
|
|
accounts to be used for transfers.
|
|
|
|
dir
|
|
At the ftp> prompt, you can type a number of commands to perform
|
|
various functions. One example is dir---it will list the files
|
|
in the current directory. Continuing the example from above:
|
|
|
|
ftp> dir
|
|
|
|
200 PORT command successful.
|
|
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
|
|
total 3116
|
|
drwxr-xr-x 2 7 21 512 Nov 21 1988 .forward
|
|
-rw-rw-r-- 1 7 11 0 Jun 23 1988 .hushlogin
|
|
drwxrwxr-x 2 0 21 512 Jun 4 1990 Census
|
|
drwxrwxr-x 2 0 120 512 Jan 8 09:36 ClariNet
|
|
... etc etc ...
|
|
-rw-rw-r-- 1 7 14 42390 May 20 02:24 newthisweek.Z
|
|
... etc etc ...
|
|
-rw-rw-r-- 1 7 14 2018887 May 21 01:01 uumap.tar.Z
|
|
drwxrwxr-x 2 7 6 1024 May 11 10:58 uunet-info
|
|
|
|
226 Transfer complete.
|
|
5414 bytes received in 1.1 seconds (4.9 Kbytes/s)
|
|
ftp>
|
|
|
|
The file newthisweek.Z was specifically included because we'll
|
|
be using it later. Just for general information, it happens to be a
|
|
listing of all of the files added to UUNET's archives during the past
|
|
week.
|
|
|
|
The directory shown is on a machine running the Unix operating
|
|
system---the dir command will produce different results on other
|
|
operating systems (e.g. TOPS, VMS, et al.). Learning to recognize
|
|
different formats will take some time. After a few weeks of
|
|
traversing the Internet, it proves easier to see, for example, how
|
|
large a file is on an operating system you're otherwise not acquainted
|
|
with.
|
|
|
|
With many FTP implementations, it's also possible to take the output
|
|
of dir and put it into a file on the local system with
|
|
|
|
ftp> dir n* outfilename
|
|
|
|
the contents of which can then be read outside of the live FTP
|
|
connection; this is particularly useful for systems with very long
|
|
directories (like ftp.uu.net). The above example would put the
|
|
names of every file that begins with an n into the local file
|
|
outfilename.
|
|
|
|
cd
|
|
|
|
At the beginning of an FTP session, the user is in a Òtop-levelÓ
|
|
directory. Most things are in directories below it (e.g. /pub). To
|
|
change the current directory, one uses the cd command. To change to
|
|
the directory pub, for example, one would type
|
|
|
|
ftp> cd pub
|
|
|
|
which would elicit the response
|
|
|
|
250 CWD command successful.
|
|
|
|
Meaning the ÒChange Working DirectoryÓ command (cd) worked
|
|
properly. Moving ÒupÓ a directory is more system-specific---in Unix
|
|
use the command cd .., and in VMS, cd [-].
|
|
|
|
get and put
|
|
|
|
The actual transfer is performed with the get and put
|
|
commands. To get a file from the remote computer to the local
|
|
system, the command takes the form:
|
|
|
|
ftp> get filename
|
|
|
|
where filename is the file on the remote system. Again using
|
|
ftp.uu.net as an example, the file newthisweek.Z can be
|
|
retrieved with
|
|
|
|
ftp> get newthisweek.Z
|
|
200 PORT command successful.
|
|
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for newthisweek.Z (42390 bytes).
|
|
226 Transfer complete.
|
|
local: newthisweek.Z remote: newthisweek.Z
|
|
42553 bytes received in 6.9 seconds (6 Kbytes/s)
|
|
ftp>
|
|
|
|
The section below on using binary mode instead of ASCII will describe
|
|
why this particular choice will result in a corrupt and subsequently
|
|
unusable file.
|
|
|
|
If, for some reason, you want to save a file under a different name
|
|
(e.g. your system can only have 14-character filenames, or can only
|
|
have one dot in the name), you can specify what the local filename
|
|
should be by providing get with an additional argument
|
|
|
|
ftp> get newthisweek.Z uunet-new
|
|
|
|
which will place the contents of the file newthisweek.Z in
|
|
uunet-new on the local system.
|
|
|
|
The transfer works the other way, too. The put command will
|
|
transfer a file from the local system to the remote system. If the
|
|
permissions are set up for an FTP session to write to a remote
|
|
directory, a file can be sent with
|
|
|
|
ftp> put filename
|
|
|
|
As with get, put will take a third argument, letting you
|
|
specify a different name for the file on the remote system.
|
|
|
|
ASCII vs Binary
|
|
|
|
In the example above, the file newthisweek.Z was transferred, but
|
|
supposedly not correctly. The reason is this: in a normal ASCII
|
|
transfer (the default), certain characters are translated between
|
|
systems, to help make text files more readable. However, when binary
|
|
files (those containing non-ASCII characters) are transferred, this
|
|
translation should not take place. One example is a binary
|
|
program---a few changed characters can render it completely useless.
|
|
|
|
To avoid this problem, it's possible to be in one of two modes---ASCII
|
|
or binary. In binary mode, the file isn't translated in any way.
|
|
What's on the remote system is precisely what's received. The
|
|
commands to go between the two modes are:
|
|
|
|
ftp> ascii
|
|
200 Type set to A. (Note the A, which signifies ASCII mode.)
|
|
|
|
ftp> binary
|
|
200 Type set to I. (Set to Image format, for pure binary transfers.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note that each command need only be done once to take effect; if the
|
|
user types binary, all transfers in that session are done in
|
|
binary mode (that is, unless ascii is typed later).
|
|
|
|
The transfer of newthisweek.Z will work if done as:
|
|
|
|
ftp> binary
|
|
200 Type set to I.
|
|
ftp> get newthisweek.Z
|
|
200 PORT command successful.
|
|
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for newthisweek.Z (42390 bytes).
|
|
226 Transfer complete.
|
|
local: newthisweek.Z remote: newthisweek.Z
|
|
42390 bytes received in 7.2 seconds (5.8 Kbytes/s)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: The file size (42390) is different from that done
|
|
in ASCII mode (42553) bytes; and the number 42390 matches the one
|
|
in the listing of UUNET's top directory. We can be relatively sure
|
|
that we've received the file without any problems.
|
|
|
|
mget and mput
|
|
|
|
The commands mget and mput allow for multiple file
|
|
transfers using wildcards to get several files, or a whole set of
|
|
files at once, rather than having to do it manually one by one. For
|
|
example, to get all files that begin with the letter f, one
|
|
would type
|
|
|
|
ftp> mget f*
|
|
|
|
Similarly, to put all of the local files that end with .c:
|
|
|
|
ftp> mput *.c
|
|
|
|
Rather than reiterate what's been written a hundred times before,
|
|
consult a local manual for more information on wildcard matching
|
|
(every DOS manual, for example, has a section on it).
|
|
|
|
Normally, FTP assumes a user wants to be prompted for every file in a
|
|
mget or mput operation. You'll often need to get a whole set of
|
|
files and not have each of them confirmed---you know they're all
|
|
right. In that case, use the prompt command to turn the queries off.
|
|
|
|
ftp> prompt
|
|
Interactive mode off.
|
|
|
|
Likewise, to turn it back on, the prompt command should simply
|
|
be issued again.
|
|
|
|
Joe Granrose's List
|
|
Monthly, Joe Granrose (odin@pilot.njin.net) posts to Usenet
|
|
(Usenet News) an extensive list of sites offering anonymous FTP
|
|
service. It's available in a number of ways:
|
|
|
|
The Usenet groups comp.misc and comp.sources.wanted
|
|
|
|
Anonymous FTP from pilot.njin.net [128.6.7.38], in
|
|
/pub/ftp-list.
|
|
|
|
Write to odin@pilot.njin.net with a Subject: line of listserv-request
|
|
and a message body of send help. Please don't bother Joe with your
|
|
requests---the server will provide you with the list.
|
|
|
|
The archie Server
|
|
archie is always in lowercase
|
|
|
|
A group of people at McGill University in Canada got together and created a
|
|
query system called archie. It was originally formed to be a
|
|
quick and easy way to scan the offerings of the many anonymous FTP
|
|
sites that are maintained around the world. As time progressed,
|
|
archie grew to include other valuable services as well.
|
|
|
|
The archie service is accessible through an interactive telnet
|
|
session, email queries, and command-line and X-window clients. The
|
|
email responses can be used along with FTPmail servers for those not
|
|
on the Internet. (FTP-by-Mail Servers, for info on using FTPmail
|
|
servers.)
|
|
|
|
Using archie Today
|
|
|
|
Currently, archie tracks the contents of over 800 anonymous FTP
|
|
archive sites containing over a million files stored across the
|
|
Internet. Collectively, these files represent well over 50 gigabytes
|
|
of information, with new entries being added daily.
|
|
|
|
The archie server automatically updates the listing information from
|
|
each site about once a month. This avoids constantly updating the
|
|
databases, which could waste network resources, yet ensures that the
|
|
information on each site's holdings is reasonably up to date.
|
|
|
|
To access archie interactively, telnet to one of the existing
|
|
servers. {See Telnet, for notes on using the telnet program.} They
|
|
include
|
|
|
|
archie.ans.net (New York, USA)
|
|
archie.rutgers.edu (New Jersey, USA)
|
|
archie.sura.net (Maryland, USA)
|
|
archie.unl.edu (Nebraska, USA)
|
|
archie.mcgill.ca (the first Archie server, in Canada)
|
|
archie.funet.fi (Finland)
|
|
archie.au (Australia)
|
|
archie.doc.ic.ac.uk (Great Britain)
|
|
|
|
At the login: prompt of one of the servers, enter archie to log in.
|
|
A greeting will be displayed, detailing information about ongoing
|
|
work in the archie project; the user will be left at a archie>
|
|
prompt, at which he may enter commands. Using help will yield
|
|
instructions on using the prog command to make queries, set to
|
|
control various aspects of the server's operation, et al. Type quit
|
|
at the prompt to leave archie. Typing the query prog vine.tar.Z will
|
|
yield a list of the systems that offer the source to the X-windows
|
|
program vine; a piece of the information returned looks like:
|
|
|
|
Host ftp.uu.net (137.39.1.9)
|
|
Last updated 10:30 7 Jan 1992
|
|
|
|
Location: /packages/X/contrib
|
|
FILE rw-r--r-- 15548 Oct 8 20:29 vine.tar.Z
|
|
|
|
Host nic.funet.fi (128.214.6.100)
|
|
Last updated 05:07 4 Jan 1992
|
|
|
|
Location: /pub/X11/contrib
|
|
FILE rw-rw-r-- 15548 Nov 8 03:25 vine.tar.Z
|
|
|
|
archie Clients
|
|
|
|
There are two main-stream archie clients, one called (naturally
|
|
enough) archie, the other xarchie (for X-Windows). They query the
|
|
archie databases and yield a list of systems that have the requested
|
|
file(s) available for anonymous FTP, without requiring an interactive
|
|
session to the server. For example, to find the same information you
|
|
tried with the server command prog, you could type
|
|
|
|
% archie vine.tar.Z
|
|
Host athene.uni-paderborn.de
|
|
Location: /local/X11/more_contrib
|
|
FILE -rw-r--r-- 18854 Nov 15 1990 vine.tar.Z
|
|
|
|
Host emx.utexas.edu
|
|
Location: /pub/mnt/source/games
|
|
FILE -rw-r--r-- 12019 May 7 1988 vine.tar.Z
|
|
|
|
Host export.lcs.mit.edu
|
|
Location: /contrib
|
|
FILE -rw-r--r-- 15548 Oct 9 00:29 vine.tar.Z
|
|
|
|
Note that your system administrator may not have installed the archie
|
|
clients yet; the source is available on each of the archie servers, in
|
|
the directory archie/clients.
|
|
|
|
Using the X-windows client is much more intuitive---if it's installed,
|
|
just read its man page and give it a whirl. It's essential for the
|
|
networked desktop.
|
|
|
|
Mailing archie
|
|
|
|
Users limited to email connectivity to the Internet should send a
|
|
message to the address archie@archie.mcgill.ca with the single word
|
|
help in the body of the message. An email message will be returned
|
|
explaining how to use the email archie server, along with the details
|
|
of using FTPmail. Most of the commands offered by the telnet
|
|
interface can be used with the mail server.
|
|
|
|
The whatis database
|
|
|
|
In addition to offering access to anonymous FTP listings, archie also
|
|
permits access to the whatis description database. It includes
|
|
the names and brief synopses for over 3,500 public domain software
|
|
packages, datasets and informational documents located on the
|
|
Internet.
|
|
|
|
Additional whatis databases are scheduled to be added in the
|
|
future. Planned offerings include listings for the names and locations
|
|
of online library catalog programs, the names of publicly accessible
|
|
electronic mailing lists, compilations of Frequently Asked Questions
|
|
lists, and archive sites for the most popular Usenet newsgroups.
|
|
Suggestions for additional descriptions or locations databases are
|
|
welcomed and should be sent to the archie developers at
|
|
archie-l@cs.mcgill.ca.
|
|
|
|
ÒWas f@"ur pl@"undern!Ó
|
|
(ÒWhat a place to plunder!Ó)
|
|
Gebhard Leberecht Bl@"ucher
|
|
|
|
------
|
|
Usenet News
|
|
|
|
Original from: chip@count.tct.com (Chip Salzenberg)
|
|
[Most recent change: 19 May 1991 by spaf@cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford)]
|
|
|
|
The first thing to understand about Usenet is that it is widely
|
|
misunderstood. Every day on Usenet the Òblind men and the
|
|
elephantÓ phenomenon appears, in spades. In the opinion of the
|
|
author, more flame wars (rabid arguments) arise because of a
|
|
lack of understanding of the nature of Usenet than from any other
|
|
source. And consider that such flame wars arise, of necessity, among
|
|
people who are on Usenet. Imagine, then, how poorly understood Usenet
|
|
must be by those outside!
|
|
|
|
No essay on the nature of Usenet can ignore the erroneous impressions
|
|
held by many Usenet users. Therefore, this section will treat
|
|
falsehoods first. Keep reading for truth. (Beauty, alas, is not
|
|
relevant to Usenet.)
|
|
|
|
What Usenet Is
|
|
|
|
Usenet is the set of machines that exchange articles tagged with one
|
|
or more universally-recognized labels, called newsgroups (or
|
|
ÒgroupsÓ for short). (Note that the term newsgroup is correct,
|
|
while area, base, board, bboard, conference, round table, SIG, etc.
|
|
are incorrect. If you want to be understood, be accurate.)
|
|
|
|
The Diversity of Usenet
|
|
|
|
If the above definition of Usenet sounds vague, that's because it is.
|
|
It is almost impossible to generalize over all Usenet sites in any
|
|
non-trivial way. Usenet encompasses government agencies, large
|
|
universities, high schools, businesses of all sizes, home computers of
|
|
all descriptions, etc.
|
|
|
|
Every administrator controls his own site. No one has any real
|
|
control over any site but his own. The administrator gets his power
|
|
from the owner of the system he administers. As long as the owner is
|
|
happy with the job the administrator is doing, he can do whatever he
|
|
pleases, up to and including cutting off Usenet entirely. C'est
|
|
la vie.
|
|
|
|
What Usenet Is Not
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not an organization.
|
|
Usenet has no central authority. In fact, it has no central anything.
|
|
There is a vague notion of ÒupstreamÓ and ÒdownstreamÓ related to
|
|
the direction of high-volume news flow. It follows that, to the
|
|
extent that ÒupstreamÓ sites decide what traffic they will carry for
|
|
their ÒdownstreamÓ neighbors, that ÒupstreamÓ sites have some
|
|
influence on their neighbors. But such influence is usually easy to
|
|
circumvent, and heavy-handed manipulation typically results in a
|
|
backlash of resentment.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not a democracy.
|
|
A democracy can be loosely defined as Ògovernment of the people, by
|
|
the people, for the people.Ó However, as explained above, Usenet is
|
|
not an organization, and only an organization can be run as a
|
|
democracy. Even a democracy must be organized, for if it lacks a
|
|
means of enforcing the peoples' wishes, then it may as well not exist.
|
|
|
|
Some people wish that Usenet were a democracy. Many people pretend
|
|
that it is. Both groups are sadly deluded.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not fair.
|
|
After all, who shall decide what's fair? For that matter, if someone
|
|
is behaving unfairly, who's going to stop him? Neither you nor I,
|
|
that's certain.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not a right.
|
|
Some people misunderstand their local right of Òfreedom of speechÓ
|
|
to mean that they have a legal right to use others' computers to say
|
|
what they wish in whatever way they wish, and the owners of said
|
|
computers have no right to stop them.
|
|
|
|
Those people are wrong. Freedom of speech also means freedom not to
|
|
speak; if I choose not to use my computer to aid your speech, that is
|
|
my right. Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not a public utility.
|
|
Some Usenet sites are publicly funded or subsidized. Most of them,
|
|
by plain count, are not. There is no government monopoly on Usenet,
|
|
and little or no control.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not a commercial network.
|
|
Many Usenet sites are academic or government organizations; in fact,
|
|
Usenet originated in academia. Therefore, there is a Usenet custom of
|
|
keeping commercial traffic to a minimum. If such commercial traffic
|
|
is generally considered worth carrying, then it may be grudgingly
|
|
tolerated. Even so, it is usually separated somehow from
|
|
non-commercial traffic; see comp.newprod.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not the Internet.
|
|
The Internet is a wide-ranging network, parts of which are subsidized
|
|
by various governments. The Internet carries many kinds of traffic;
|
|
Usenet is only one of them. And the Internet is only one of the
|
|
various networks carrying Usenet traffic.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not a Unix network, nor even an ASCII network.
|
|
|
|
Don't assume that everyone is using ÒrnÓ on a Unix machine. There
|
|
are Vaxen running VMS, IBM mainframes, Amigas, and MS-DOS PCs reading
|
|
and posting to Usenet. And, yes, some of them use (shudder) EBCDIC.
|
|
Ignore them if you like, but they're out there.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not software.
|
|
There are dozens of software packages used at various sites to
|
|
transport and read Usenet articles. So no one program or package can
|
|
be called Òthe Usenet software.Ó
|
|
|
|
Software designed to support Usenet traffic can be (and is) used for
|
|
other kinds of communication, usually without risk of mixing the two.
|
|
Such private communication networks are typically kept distinct from
|
|
Usenet by the invention of newsgroup names different from the
|
|
universally-recognized ones.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is not a UUCP network.
|
|
|
|
UUCP is a protocol (some might say protocol suite, but that's a
|
|
technical point) for sending data over point-to-point connections,
|
|
typically using dialup modems. Usenet is only one of the various
|
|
kinds of traffic carried via UUCP, and UUCP is only one of the various
|
|
transports carrying Usenet traffic.
|
|
|
|
Well, enough negativity.
|
|
|
|
Propagation of News
|
|
|
|
In the old days, when UUCP over long-distance dialup lines was the
|
|
dominant means of article transmission, a few well-connected sites
|
|
had real influence in determining which newsgroups would be carried
|
|
where. Those sites called themselves Òthe backbone.Ó
|
|
|
|
But things have changed. Nowadays, even the smallest Internet site
|
|
has connectivity the likes of which the backbone admin of yesteryear
|
|
could only dream. In addition, in the U.S., the advent of cheaper
|
|
long-distance calls and high-speed modems has made long-distance
|
|
Usenet feeds thinkable for smaller companies. There is only one
|
|
pre-eminent UUCP transport site today in the U.S., namely UUNET. But
|
|
UUNET isn't a player in the propagation wars, because it never
|
|
refuses any traffic---it gets paid by the minute, after all; to
|
|
refuse based on content would jeopardize its legal status as an
|
|
enhanced service provider.
|
|
|
|
All of the above applies to the U.S. In Europe, different cost
|
|
structures favored the creation of strictly controlled hierarchical
|
|
organizations with central registries. This is all very unlike the
|
|
traditional mode of U.S. sites (pick a name, get the software, get a
|
|
feed, you're on). Europe's Òbenign monopoliesÓ, long uncontested,
|
|
now face competition from looser organizations patterned after the
|
|
U.S. model.
|
|
|
|
Group Creation
|
|
|
|
As discussed above, Usenet is not a democracy. Nevertheless,
|
|
currently the most popular way to create a new newsgroup involves a
|
|
ÒvoteÓ to determine popular support for (and opposition to) a
|
|
proposed newsgroup. Newsgroup Creation, for detailed instructions and
|
|
guidelines on the process involved in making a newsgroup.
|
|
|
|
If you follow the guidelines, it is probable that your group will be
|
|
created and will be widely propagated. However, due to the nature of
|
|
Usenet, there is no way for any user to enforce the results of a
|
|
newsgroup vote (or any other decision, for that matter). Therefore,
|
|
for your new newsgroup to be propagated widely, you must not only
|
|
follow the letter of the guidelines; you must also follow its spirit.
|
|
And you must not allow even a whiff of shady dealings or dirty tricks
|
|
to mar the vote.
|
|
|
|
So, you may ask: How is a new user supposed to know anything about the
|
|
ÒspiritÓ of the guidelines? Obviously, she can't. This fact leads
|
|
inexorably to the following recommendation:
|
|
|
|
If you're a new user, don't try to create a new newsgroup alone.
|
|
|
|
If you have a good newsgroup idea, then read the news.groups
|
|
newsgroup for a while (six months, at least) to find out how things
|
|
work. If you're too impatient to wait six months, then you really
|
|
need to learn; read news.groups for a year instead. If you just
|
|
can't wait, find a Usenet old hand to run the vote for you.
|
|
|
|
Readers may think this advice unnecessarily strict. Ignore it at your
|
|
peril. It is embarrassing to speak before learning. It is foolish to
|
|
jump into a society you don't understand with your mouth open. And it
|
|
is futile to try to force your will on people who can tune you out
|
|
with the press of a key.
|
|
|
|
If You're Unhappy...
|
|
Property rights being what they are, there is no higher authority on
|
|
Usenet than the people who own the machines on which Usenet traffic is
|
|
carried. If the owner of the machine you use says, ÒWe will not
|
|
carry alt.sex on this machine,Ó and you are not happy with
|
|
that order, you have no Usenet recourse. What can we outsiders do,
|
|
after all?
|
|
|
|
That doesn't mean you are without options. Depending on the nature
|
|
of your site, you may have some internal political recourse. Or you
|
|
might find external pressure helpful. Or, with a minimal investment,
|
|
you can get a feed of your own from somewhere else. Computers capable
|
|
of taking Usenet feeds are down in the $500 range now, Unix-capable
|
|
boxes are going for under $2000, and there are at least two Unix
|
|
lookalikes in the $100 price range.
|
|
|
|
No matter what, appealing to ÒUsenetÓ won't help. Even if those who
|
|
read such an appeal regarding system administration are sympathetic to
|
|
your cause, they will almost certainly have even less influence at
|
|
your site than you do.
|
|
|
|
By the same token, if you don't like what some user at another site is
|
|
doing, only the administrator and/or owner of that site have any
|
|
authority to do anything about it. Persuade them that the user in
|
|
question is a problem for them, and they might do something (if they
|
|
feel like it). If the user in question is the administrator or owner
|
|
of the site from which he or she posts, forget it; you can't win.
|
|
Arrange for your newsreading software to ignore articles from him or
|
|
her if you can, and chalk one up to experience.
|
|
|
|
The History of Usenet (The ABCs)
|
|
|
|
In the beginning, there were conversations, and they were good. Then
|
|
came Usenet in 1979, shortly after the release of V7 Unix with UUCP;
|
|
and it was better. Two Duke University grad students in North
|
|
Carolina, Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis, thought of hooking computers
|
|
together to exchange information with the Unix community. Steve
|
|
Bellovin, a grad student at the University of North Carolina, put
|
|
together the first version of the news software using shell scripts
|
|
and installed it on the first two sites: unc and duke. At the
|
|
beginning of 1980 the network consisted of those two sites and phs
|
|
(another machine at Duke), and was described at the January 1980
|
|
Usenix conference in Boulder, CO. {The Usenix conferences are
|
|
semi-annual meetings where members of the Usenix Association, a
|
|
group of Unix enthusiasts, meet and trade notes.} Steve Bellovin
|
|
later rewrote the scripts into C programs, but they were never
|
|
released beyond unc and duke. Shortly thereafter, Steve Daniel did
|
|
another implementation in the C programming language for public
|
|
distribution. Tom Truscott made further modifications, and this
|
|
became the ÒAÓ news release.
|
|
|
|
In 1981 at the University of California at Berkeley, grad student Mark
|
|
Horton and high school student Matt Glickman rewrote the news software
|
|
to add functionality and to cope with the ever increasing volume of
|
|
news---ÒAÓ news was intended for only a few articles per group per
|
|
day. This rewrite was the ÒBÓ news version. The first public
|
|
release was version 2.1 in 1982; all versions before 2.1 were
|
|
considered in beta test. As The Net grew, the news software was
|
|
expanded and modified. The last version maintained and released
|
|
primarily by Mark was 2.10.1.
|
|
|
|
Rick Adams, then at the Center for Seismic Studies, took over
|
|
coordination of the maintenance and enhancement of the news software
|
|
with the 2.10.2 release in 1984. By this time, the increasing volume
|
|
of news was becoming a concern, and the mechanism for moderated groups
|
|
was added to the software at 2.10.2. Moderated groups were inspired
|
|
by ARPA mailing lists and experience with other bulletin board
|
|
systems. In late 1986, version 2.11 of news was released, including a
|
|
number of changes to support a new naming structure for newsgroups,
|
|
enhanced batching and compression, enhanced ihave/sendme control
|
|
messages, and other features. The current release of news is 2.11,
|
|
patchlevel 19.
|
|
|
|
A new version of news, becoming known as ÒCÓ news, has been
|
|
developed at the University of Toronto by Geoff Collyer and Henry
|
|
Spencer. This version is a rewrite of the lowest levels of news to
|
|
increase article processing speed, decrease article expiration
|
|
processing and improve the reliability of the news system through
|
|
better locking, etc. The package was released to The Net in the
|
|
autumn of 1987. For more information, see the paper News Need Not Be
|
|
Slow, published in the Winter 1987 Usenix Technical Conference
|
|
proceedings.
|
|
|
|
Usenet software has also been ported to a number of platforms, from
|
|
the Amiga and IBM PCs all the way to minicomputers and mainframes.
|
|
|
|
Hierarchies
|
|
Newsgroups are organized according to their specific areas of
|
|
concentration. Since the groups are in a tree structure, the
|
|
various areas are called hierarchies. There are seven major categories:
|
|
|
|
|
|
comp
|
|
Topics of interest to both computer professionals and
|
|
hobbyists, including topics in computer science, software sources, and
|
|
information on hardware and software systems.
|
|
|
|
misc
|
|
Group addressing themes not easily classified into any of the other
|
|
headings or which incorporate themes from multiple categories.
|
|
Subjects include fitness, job-hunting, law, and investments.
|
|
|
|
sci
|
|
Discussions marked by special knowledge relating to research in or
|
|
application of the established sciences.
|
|
|
|
soc
|
|
Groups primarily addressing social issues and socializing. Included
|
|
are discussions related to many different world cultures.
|
|
|
|
talk
|
|
Groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature long
|
|
discussions without resolution and without appreciable amounts of
|
|
generally useful information.
|
|
|
|
news
|
|
Groups concerned with the news network, group maintenance, and software.
|
|
|
|
rec
|
|
Groups oriented towards hobbies and recreational activities
|
|
|
|
These ÒworldÓ newsgroups are (usually) circulated around the entire
|
|
Usenet---this implies world-wide distribution. Not all groups
|
|
actually enjoy such wide distribution, however. The European Usenet
|
|
and Eunet sites take only a selected subset of the more ÒtechnicalÓ
|
|
groups, and controversial ÒnoiseÓ groups are often not carried by many
|
|
sites in the U.S. and Canada (these groups are primarily under the talk
|
|
and soc classifications). Many sites do not carry some or all of
|
|
the comp.binaries groups because of the typically large size of
|
|
the posts in them (being actual executable programs).
|
|
|
|
Also available are a number of ÒalternativeÓ hierarchies:
|
|
|
|
|
|
alt
|
|
True anarchy; anything and everything can and does appear;
|
|
subjects include sex, the Simpsons, and privacy.
|
|
|
|
gnu
|
|
Groups concentrating on interests and software with the GNU
|
|
Project of the Free Software Foundation. For further info on what the
|
|
FSF is, FSF.
|
|
|
|
biz
|
|
Business-related groups.
|
|
|
|
Moderated vs Unmoderated
|
|
|
|
Some newsgroups insist that the discussion remain focused and
|
|
on-target; to serve this need, moderated groups came to be. All
|
|
articles posted to a moderated group get mailed to the group's
|
|
moderator. He or she periodically (hopefully sooner than later)
|
|
reviews the posts, and then either posts them individually to Usenet,
|
|
or posts a composite digest of the articles for the past day or
|
|
two. This is how many mailing list gateways work (for example, the
|
|
Risks Digest).
|
|
|
|
news.groups & news.announce.newgroups
|
|
|
|
Being a good net.citizen includes being involved in the continuing
|
|
growth and evolution of the Usenet system. One part of this
|
|
involvement includes following the discussion in the groups
|
|
news.groups and the notes in news.announce.newgroups. It is there
|
|
that discussion goes on about the creation of new groups and
|
|
destruction of inactive ones. Every person on Usenet is allowed and
|
|
encouraged to vote on the creation of a newsgroup.
|
|
|
|
How Usenet Works
|
|
|
|
The transmission of Usenet news is entirely cooperative. Feeds are
|
|
generally provided out of good will and the desire to distribute news
|
|
everywhere. There are places which provide feeds for a fee (e.g.
|
|
UUNET), but for the large part no exchange of money is involved.
|
|
|
|
There are two major transport methods, UUCP and NNTP. The first is
|
|
mainly modem-based and involves the normal charges for telephone
|
|
calls. The second, NNTP, is the primary method for distributing news
|
|
over the Internet.
|
|
|
|
With UUCP, news is stored in batches on a site until the
|
|
neighbor calls to receive the articles, or the feed site happens to
|
|
call. A list of groups which the neighbor wishes to receive is
|
|
maintained on the feed site. The Cnews system compresses its batches,
|
|
which can dramatically reduce the transmission time necessary for a
|
|
relatively heavy newsfeed.
|
|
|
|
NNTP, on the other hand, offers a little more latitude with how news
|
|
is sent. The traditional store-and-forward method is, of course,
|
|
available. Given the Òreal-timeÓ nature of the Internet, though,
|
|
other methods have been devised. Programs now keep constant
|
|
connections with their news neighbors, sending news nearly
|
|
instantaneously, and can handle dozens of simultaneous feeds, both
|
|
incoming and outgoing.
|
|
|
|
The transmission of a Usenet article is centered around the unique
|
|
Message-ID: header. When an NNTP site offers an article to a
|
|
neighbor, it says it has that specific Message ID. If the neighbor
|
|
finds it hasn't received the article yet, it tells the feed to send it
|
|
through; this is repeated for each and every article that's waiting
|
|
for the neighbor. Using unique IDs helps prevent a system from
|
|
receiving five copies of an article from each of its five news
|
|
neighbors, for example.
|
|
|
|
Further information on how Usenet works with relation to the various
|
|
transports is available in the documentation for the Cnews and NNTP
|
|
packages, as well as in RFC-1036, the Standard for Interchange of
|
|
USENET Messages and RFC-977, Network News Transfer Protocol: A
|
|
Proposed Standard for the Stream-Based Transmission of News. The
|
|
RFCs do tend to be rather dry reading, particularly to the new user.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mail Gateways
|
|
|
|
A natural progression is for Usenet news and electronic mailing lists
|
|
to somehow become merged---which they have, in the form of news
|
|
gateways. Many mailing lists are set up to ÒreflectÓ messages not
|
|
only to the readership of the list, but also into a newsgroup.
|
|
Likewise, posts to a newsgroup can be sent to the moderator of the
|
|
mailing list, or to the entire mailing list. Some examples of this in
|
|
action are comp.risks (the Risks Digest) and
|
|
comp.dcom.telecom (the Telecom Digest).
|
|
|
|
This method of propagating mailing list traffic has helped solve the
|
|
problem of a single message being delivered to a number of people at
|
|
the same site---instead, anyone can just subscribe to the group.
|
|
Also, mailing list maintenance is lowered substantially, since the
|
|
moderators don't have to be constantly removing and adding users to
|
|
and from the list. Instead, the people can read and not read the
|
|
newsgroup at their leisure.
|
|
|
|
from ÒDear Emily PostnewsÓ by Brad Templeton
|
|
Usenet ÒNetiquetteÓ
|
|
|
|
There are many traditions with Usenet, not the least of which is
|
|
dubbed netiquette---being polite and considerate of others. If
|
|
you follow a few basic guidelines, you, and everyone that reads your
|
|
posts, will be much happier in the long run.
|
|
|
|
Signatures
|
|
|
|
At the end of most articles is a small blurb called a person's
|
|
signature. In Unix this file is named .signature in the
|
|
person's login directory---it will vary for other operating systems.
|
|
It exists to provide information about how to get in touch with the
|
|
person posting the article, including their email address, phone
|
|
number, address, or where they're located. Even so, signatures have
|
|
become the graffiti of computers. People put song lyrics, pictures,
|
|
philosophical quotes, even advertisements in their Ò.sigsÓ.
|
|
(Note, however, that advertising in your signature will more often
|
|
than not get you flamed until you take it out.)
|
|
|
|
Four lines will suffice---more is just extra garbage for Usenet sites
|
|
to carry along with your article, which is supposed to be the intended
|
|
focus of the reader. Netiquette dictates limiting oneself to this
|
|
ÒquotaÓ of four---some people make signatures that are ten lines or
|
|
even more, including elaborate ASCII drawings of their hand-written
|
|
signature or faces or even the space shuttle. This is not
|
|
cute, and will bother people to no end.
|
|
|
|
Similarly, it's not necessary to include your signature---if you
|
|
forget to append it to an article, don't worry about it. The
|
|
article's just as good as it ever would be, and contains everything
|
|
you should want to say. Don't re-post the article just to include the
|
|
signature.
|
|
|
|
Posting Personal Messages
|
|
|
|
If mail to a person doesn't make it through, avoid posting the message
|
|
to a newsgroup. Even if the likelihood of that person reading the
|
|
group is very high, all of the other people reading the articles don't
|
|
give a whit what you have to say to Jim Morrison. Simply wait for the
|
|
person to post again and double-check the address, or get in touch
|
|
with your system administrator and see if it's a problem with local
|
|
email delivery. It may also turn out that their site is down or is
|
|
having problems, in which case it's just necessary to wait until
|
|
things return to normal before contacting Jim.
|
|
|
|
Posting Mail
|
|
|
|
In the interests of privacy, it's considered extremely bad taste to post
|
|
any email that someone may have sent, unless they explicitly give you
|
|
permission to redistribute it. While the legal issues can be heavily
|
|
debated, most everyone agrees that email should be treated as anything
|
|
one would receive via normal snailmail, {The slang for the normal land and air
|
|
postal service.} , with all of the assumed rights that are carried with it.
|
|
|
|
Test Messages
|
|
|
|
Many people, particularly new users, want to try out posting before
|
|
actually taking part in discussions. Often the mechanics of getting
|
|
messages out is the most difficult part of Usenet. To this end,
|
|
many, many users find it necessary to post their tests to ÒnormalÓ
|
|
groups (for example, news.admin or comp.mail.misc). This is
|
|
considered a major netiquette faux pas in the Usenet world. There are
|
|
a number of groups available, called test groups, that exist solely
|
|
for the purpose of trying out a news system, reader, or even new
|
|
signature. They include
|
|
|
|
alt.test
|
|
gnu.gnusenet.test
|
|
misc.test
|
|
|
|
some of which will generate auto-magic replies to your posts to
|
|
let you know they made it through. There are certain denizens of
|
|
Usenet that frequent the test groups to help new users out. They
|
|
respond to the posts, often including the article so the poster can
|
|
see how it got to the person's site. Also, many regional hierarchies
|
|
have test groups, like phl.test in Philadelphia.
|
|
|
|
By all means, experiment and test---just do it in its proper place.
|
|
|
|
Famous People Appearing
|
|
|
|
Every once in a while, someone says that a celebrity is accessible
|
|
through ÒThe NetÓ; or, even more entertaining, an article is forged
|
|
to appear to be coming from that celebrity. One example is Stephen
|
|
Spielberg---the rec.arts.movies readership was in an uproar for
|
|
two weeks following a couple of posts supposedly made by Mr.
|
|
Spielberg. (Some detective work revealed it to be a hoax.)
|
|
|
|
There are a few well-known people that are acquainted with
|
|
Usenet and computers in general---but the overwhelming majority are
|
|
just normal people. One should act with skepticism whenever a notable
|
|
personality is ÒseenÓ in a newsgroup.
|
|
|
|
Summaries
|
|
|
|
Authors of articles occasionally say that readers should reply by
|
|
mail and they'll summarize. Accordingly, readers should do just
|
|
that---reply via mail. Responding with a followup article to such an
|
|
article defeats the intention of the author. She, in a few days,
|
|
will post one article containing the highlights of the responses she
|
|
received. By following up to the whole group, the author may not
|
|
read what you have to say.
|
|
|
|
When creating a summary of the replies to a post, try to make it as
|
|
reader-friendly as possible. Avoid just putting all of the messages
|
|
received into one big file. Rather, take some time and edit the
|
|
messages into a form that contains the essential information that
|
|
other readers would be interested in.
|
|
|
|
Also, sometimes people will respond but request to remain anonymous
|
|
(one example is the employees of a corporation that feel the
|
|
information's not proprietary, but at the same time want to protect
|
|
themselves from political backlash). Summaries should honor this
|
|
request accordingly by listing the From: address as
|
|
anonymous or (Address withheld by request).
|
|
|
|
Quoting
|
|
|
|
When following up to an article, many newsreaders provide the facility
|
|
to quote the original article with each line prefixed by >
|
|
, as in
|
|
|
|
In article <1232@foo.bar.com>, sharon@foo.bar.com wrote:
|
|
> I agree, I think that basketweaving's really catching on,
|
|
> particularly in Pennsylvania. Here's a list of every person
|
|
> in PA that currently engages in it publicly:
|
|
line ... etc ...
|
|
|
|
This is a severe example (potentially a horribly long article), but
|
|
proves a point. When you quote another person, edit out whatever
|
|
isn't directly applicable to your reply. {But not changing their
|
|
words, of course. } This gives the reader of the new article a better
|
|
idea of what points you were addressing. By including the entire
|
|
article, you'll only annoy those reading it. Also, signatures in the
|
|
original aren't necessary; the readers already know who wrote it (by
|
|
the attribution).
|
|
|
|
Avoid being tedious with responses---rather than pick apart an
|
|
article, address it in parts or as a whole. Addressing practically
|
|
each and every word in an article only proves that the person
|
|
responding has absolutely nothing better to do with his time.
|
|
|
|
If a ÒwarÓ starts (insults and personal comments get thrown back
|
|
and forth), take it into email---exchange email with the person
|
|
you're arguing with. No one enjoys watching people bicker
|
|
incessantly.
|
|
|
|
Crossposting
|
|
|
|
The Newsgroups: line isn't limited to just one group---an
|
|
article can be posted in a list of groups. For instance, the line
|
|
|
|
Newsgroups: sci.space,comp.simulation
|
|
|
|
posts the article to both the groups sci.space and
|
|
comp.simulation. It's usually safe to crosspost to up to three
|
|
or four groups. To list more than that is considered Òexcessive
|
|
noise.Ó
|
|
|
|
It's also suggested that if an article is crossposted a
|
|
Followup-To: header be included. It should name the group to
|
|
which all additional discussion should be directed to. For the above
|
|
example a possible Followup-To: would be
|
|
|
|
Followup-To: sci.space
|
|
|
|
which would make all followups automatically be posted to just
|
|
sci.space, rather than both sci.space and comp.simulation. If every
|
|
response made with a newsreader's ÒfollowupÓ command should go to
|
|
the person posting the article no matter what, there's also a
|
|
mechanism worked in to accommodate. The Followup-To: header should
|
|
contain the single word poster:
|
|
|
|
Followup-To: poster
|
|
|
|
Certain newsreaders will use this to sense that a reply should never
|
|
be posted back onto The Net. This is often used with questions that
|
|
will yield a summary of information later, a vote, or an
|
|
advertisement.
|
|
|
|
Recent News
|
|
|
|
One should avoid posting ÒrecentÓ events---sports scores, a plane
|
|
crash, or whatever people will see on the evening news or read in the
|
|
morning paper. By the time the article has propagated across all of
|
|
Usenet, the ÒnewsÓ value of the article will have become stale.
|
|
(This is one case for the argument that Usenet news is a misnomer.
|
|
{Note that the Clarinet News service (Clarinet) offers news items in
|
|
a Usenet format as a precise alternative to the morning paper, et.
|
|
al.)
|
|
|
|
Quality of Postings
|
|
|
|
How you write and present yourself in your articles is important. If
|
|
you have terrible spelling, keep a dictionary near by. If you have
|
|
trouble with grammar and punctuation, try to get a book on English
|
|
grammar and composition (found in many bookstores and at garage
|
|
sales). By all means pay attention to what you say---it makes you who
|
|
you are on The Net.
|
|
|
|
Likewise, try to be clear in what you ask. Ambiguous or vague
|
|
questions often lead to no response at all, leaving the poster
|
|
discouraged. Give as much essential information as you feel is
|
|
necessary to let people help you, but keep it within limits. For
|
|
instance, you should probably include the operating system of your
|
|
computer in the post if it's needed, but don't tell everybody what
|
|
peripherals you have hanging off of it.
|
|
|
|
Useful Subjects
|
|
|
|
The Subject: line of an article is what will first attract
|
|
people to read it---if it's vague or doesn't describe what's contained
|
|
within, no one will read the article. At the same time,
|
|
Subject: lines that're too wordy tend to be irritating. For
|
|
example:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good
|
|
Subject: Building Emacs on a Sun Sparc under 4.1
|
|
|
|
Good
|
|
Subject: Tryin' to find Waldo in NJ.
|
|
|
|
Bad
|
|
Subject: I can't get emacs to work !!!
|
|
|
|
Bad
|
|
Subject: I'm desperately in search of the honorable Mr. Waldo in the state
|
|
of...
|
|
|
|
Simply put, try to think of what will best help the reader when he or
|
|
she encounters your article in a newsreading session.
|
|
|
|
Tone of Voice
|
|
|
|
Since common computers can't portray the inflection or tone in a
|
|
person's voice, how articles are worded can directly affect the
|
|
response to them. If you say
|
|
|
|
Anybody using a Vic-20 should go buy themselves a life.
|
|
|
|
you'll definitely get some responses---telling you to take a leap.
|
|
Rather than be inflammatory, phrase your articles in a way that
|
|
rationally expresses your opinion, like
|
|
|
|
What're the practical uses of a Vic-20 these days?
|
|
|
|
which presents yourself as a much more level-headed individual.
|
|
|
|
Also, what case (upper or lower) you use can indicate how you're
|
|
trying to speak---netiquette dictates that if you USE ALL CAPITAL
|
|
LETTERS, people will think you're Òshouting.Ó Write as you would in
|
|
a normal letter to a friend, following traditional rules of English
|
|
(or whatever language you happen to speak).
|
|
|
|
Computer Religion
|
|
|
|
No matter what kind of computer a person is using, theirs is always
|
|
the best and most efficient of them all. Posting articles
|
|
asking questions like What computer should I buy? An Atari ST or an
|
|
Amiga? will lead only to fervent arguments over the merits and
|
|
drawbacks of each brand. Don't even ask The Net---go to a local user
|
|
group, or do some research of your own like reading some magazine
|
|
reviews. Trying to say one computer is somehow better than another is
|
|
a moot point.
|
|
|
|
The Anatomy of an Article
|
|
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
|
|
|
|
A number of groups include Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) lists,
|
|
which give the answers to questions or points that have been raised
|
|
time and time again in a newsgroup. They're intended to help cut
|
|
down on the redundant traffic in a group. For example, in the
|
|
newsgroup alt.tv.simpsons, one recurring question is Did you notice
|
|
that there's a different blackboard opening at the beginning of every
|
|
Simpsons episode? As a result, it's part of the FAQ for that group.
|
|
|
|
Usually, FAQ lists are posted at the beginning of each month, and are
|
|
set to expire one month later (when, supposedly, the next FAQ will be
|
|
published). Nearly every FAQ is also crossposted to news.answers,
|
|
which is used as a Usenet repository for them.
|
|
|
|
The Pit-Manager Archive
|
|
|
|
MIT, with Jonathan Kamens, has graciously dedicated a machine to the
|
|
archiving and storage of the various periodic postings that are
|
|
peppered throughout the various Usenet groups. To access them, FTP to
|
|
the system pit-manager.mit.edu and look in the directory
|
|
/pub/usenet.
|
|
|
|
ÒBe it true or false, so it be news.Ó
|
|
Ben Jonson, News from the New World
|
|
|
|
-----
|
|
Telnet
|
|
|
|
Telnet is the main Internet protocol for creating a connection
|
|
with a remote machine. It gives the user the opportunity to be on one
|
|
computer system and do work on another, which may be across the street
|
|
or thousands of miles away. Where modems are limited, in the majority,
|
|
by the quality of telephone lines and a single connection, telnet
|
|
provides a connection that's error-free and nearly always faster than
|
|
the latest conventional modems.
|
|
|
|
Using Telnet
|
|
|
|
As with FTP (Anonymous FTP), the actual command for negotiating a telnet
|
|
connection varies from system to system. The most common is
|
|
telnet itself, though. It takes the form of:
|
|
|
|
telnet somewhere.domain
|
|
|
|
To be safe, we'll use your local system as a working example. By now,
|
|
you hopefully know your site's domain name. If not, ask or try
|
|
to figure it out. You'll not get by without it.
|
|
|
|
To open the connection, type
|
|
|
|
telnet your.system.name
|
|
|
|
If the system were wubba.cs.widener.edu, for example, the
|
|
command would look like
|
|
|
|
telnet wubba.cs.widener.edu
|
|
|
|
The system will respond with something similar to
|
|
|
|
Trying 147.31.254.999...
|
|
Connected to wubba.cs.widener.edu.
|
|
Escape character is '^]'.
|
|
|
|
The escape character, in this example ^] (Control-]), is the
|
|
character that will let you go back to the local system to close the
|
|
connection, suspend it, etc. To close this connection, the user
|
|
would type ^], and respond to the telnet> prompt with the command
|
|
close. Local documentation should be checked for information on
|
|
specific commands, functions, and escape character that can be used.
|
|
|
|
Telnet Ports
|
|
|
|
Many telnet clients also include a third option, the port on
|
|
which the connection should take place. Normally, port 23 is the
|
|
default telnet port; the user never has to think about it. But
|
|
sometimes it's desirable to telnet to a different port on a system,
|
|
where there may be a service available, or to aid in debugging a
|
|
problem. Using
|
|
|
|
telnet somewhere.domain port
|
|
|
|
will connect the user to the given port on the system
|
|
somewhere.domain. Many libraries use this port method to offer their
|
|
facilities to the general Internet community; other services are also
|
|
available. For instance, one would type
|
|
|
|
telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000
|
|
|
|
to connect to the geographic server at the University of Michigan
|
|
(Geographic Server). Other such port connections follow the
|
|
same usage.
|
|
|
|
Publicly Accessible Libraries
|
|
|
|
Over the last several years, most university libraries have switched
|
|
from a manual (card) catalog system to computerized library catalogs.
|
|
The automated systems provide users with easily accessible and
|
|
up-to-date information about the books available in these libraries.
|
|
This has been further improved upon with the advent of local area
|
|
networks, dialup modems, and wide area networks. Now many of us can
|
|
check on our local library's holdings or that of a library halfway
|
|
around the world!
|
|
|
|
Many, many institutions of higher learning have made their library
|
|
catalogs available for searching by anyone on the Internet. They
|
|
include Boston University, the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries
|
|
(CARL), and London University King's College.
|
|
|
|
To include a listing of some of the existing sites would not only be
|
|
far too long for this document, it would soon be out of date.
|
|
Instead, several lists are being maintained and are available either
|
|
by mail or via FTP. Also, the Internet Resource Guide (IRG) also
|
|
describes a few libraries that are accessible---IRG for further
|
|
information.
|
|
|
|
Art St. George and Ron Larsen are maintaining a list of
|
|
Internet-accessible libraries and databases often referred to as
|
|
Òthe St. George directory.Ó It began with only library catalogs
|
|
but has expanded to include sections on campus-wide information
|
|
systems, and even bulletin board systems that are not on the
|
|
Internet. The library catalog sections are divided into those that
|
|
are free, those that charge, and international (i.e. non-U.S.)
|
|
catalogs; they are arranged by state, province, or country within
|
|
each section. There is also a section giving dialup information for
|
|
some of the library catalogs. It's available for FTP (Anonymous FTP)
|
|
on nic.cerf.net in the directory
|
|
cerfnet/cerfnet_info/library_catalog. The file internet-catalogs has
|
|
a date suffix; check for the most current date. The information is
|
|
updated periodically.
|
|
|
|
Billy Barron, Systems Manager at the University of North Texas,
|
|
produces a directory as an aid to his user community. It complements
|
|
the St. George guide by providing a standard format for all systems
|
|
which lists the Internet address, login instructions, the system
|
|
vendor, and logoff information. The arrangement is alphabetic by
|
|
organization name. It's available for FTP on vaxb.acs.unt.edu in the
|
|
subdirectory library as the file libraries.txt.
|
|
|
|
For announcements of new libraries being available and discussion on
|
|
related topics, consult the Usenet newsgroup
|
|
comp.internet.library (Usenet News to learn how to read
|
|
news).
|
|
|
|
Bulletin Board Systems
|
|
|
|
The Cleveland Freenet
|
|
|
|
Freenets are open-access, free, community computer systems. One such
|
|
system is the Cleveland Freenet, sponsored by CWRU (Case Western
|
|
Reserve University). Anyone and everyone is welcome to join and take
|
|
part in the exciting project---that of a National Telecomputing Public
|
|
Network, where everyone benefits. There's no charge for the
|
|
registration process and no charge to use the system.
|
|
|
|
To register, telnet to any one of
|
|
|
|
freenet-in-a.cwru.edu
|
|
freenet-in-b.cwru.edu
|
|
freenet-in-c.cwru.edu
|
|
|
|
After you're connected, choose the entry on the menu that signifies
|
|
you're a guest user. Another menu will follow; select Apply for
|
|
an account, and you'll be well on your way to being a FreeNet member.
|
|
|
|
You will need to fill out a form and send it to them through the
|
|
Postal Service---your login id and password will be created in a few
|
|
days. At that point you're free to use the system as you wish. They
|
|
provide multi-user chat, email, Usenet news, and a variety of other
|
|
things to keep you occupied for hours on end.
|
|
|
|
Directories
|
|
|
|
There are a few systems that are maintained to provide the Internet
|
|
community with access to lists of information---users, organizations,
|
|
etc. They range from fully dedicated computers with access to papers
|
|
and research results, to a system to find out about the faculty
|
|
members of a university.
|
|
|
|
Knowbot
|
|
|
|
Knowbot is a Òmaster directoryÓ that contains email address
|
|
information from the NIC WHOIS database (Whois), the PSI White
|
|
Pages Pilot Project, the NYSERNET X.500 database and MCI Mail. Most
|
|
of these services are email registries themselves, but Knowbot
|
|
provides a very comfortable way to access all of them in one place.
|
|
Telnet to nri.reston.va.us on port 185.
|
|
|
|
White Pages
|
|
|
|
PSI maintains a directory of information on individuals. It will
|
|
list the person's name, organization, and email address if it is
|
|
given. Telnet to wp.psi.net and log in as fred. The White Pages
|
|
Project also includes an interface to use Xwindows remotely.
|
|
|
|
Faculty and Staff Listings
|
|
|
|
Many universities offer access to information on current faculty and
|
|
staff. Included are:
|
|
|
|
Cornell Telnet to cuinfo.cornell.edu on port 3000.
|
|
NC State Telnet to ccvax1.cc.ncsu.edu and log in as info.
|
|
Rutgers Telnet to hangout.rutgers.edu on port 98.
|
|
U of Maryland Telnet to umail.umd.edu and log in as lookup.
|
|
UNC Chapel Hill Telnet to info.acs.unc.edu and log in as info.
|
|
Yale Telnet to yalevm.ycc.yale.edu on port 300.
|
|
|
|
Databases
|
|
|
|
For information on database services, Commercial Databases.
|
|
Not all databases on the Internet require payment for use, though.
|
|
There do exist some, largely research-driven databases, which are
|
|
publicly accessible. New ones spring up regularly.
|
|
|
|
To find out more about the databases in this section, contact the
|
|
people directly responsible for them. Their areas of concentration
|
|
and the software used to implement them are widely disparate, and are
|
|
probably beyond the author's expertise. Also, don't forget to check
|
|
with your local library---the reference librarian there can provide
|
|
information on conventional resources, and possibly even those
|
|
available over the Internet (they are becoming more common).
|
|
|
|
Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL)
|
|
|
|
The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL), in association
|
|
with CARL Systems Inc., operates a public access catalog of services.
|
|
Offered are a number of library databases, including searches for
|
|
government periodicals, book reviews, indices for current articles,
|
|
and access to to other library databases around the country. Other
|
|
services are available to CARL members including an online
|
|
encyclopedia. Telnet to pac.carl.org, or write to help@carl.org for
|
|
more details.
|
|
|
|
PENpages
|
|
|
|
PENpages is an agriculturally-oriented database administered by
|
|
Pennsylvania State University. Information entered into PENpages is
|
|
provided by numerous sources including the Pennsylvania Dept. of
|
|
Agriculture, Rutgers University, and Penn State. Easy-to-use menus
|
|
guide users to information ranging from cattle and agricultural
|
|
prices to current weather information, from health information to
|
|
agricultural news from around the nation. A keyword search option
|
|
also allows users to search the database for related information and
|
|
articles. The database is updated daily, and a listing of most
|
|
recent additions is displayed after login. Telnet to psupen.psu.edu
|
|
and log in as the user PNOTPA.
|
|
|
|
Clemson Univ. Forestry & Agricultural Network
|
|
|
|
Clemson maintains a database similar to PENpages in content, but the
|
|
information provided tends to be localized to the Southeastern United
|
|
States. A menu-driven database offers queries involving the weather,
|
|
food, family, and human resources. Telnet to eureka.clemson.edu and
|
|
log in as PUBLIC. You need to be on a good VT100 emulator (or a real
|
|
VT terminal).
|
|
|
|
University of Maryland Info Database
|
|
|
|
The Computer Science department of the University of Maryland
|
|
maintains a repository of information on a wide variety of topics.
|
|
They wish to give a working example of how network technology can
|
|
(and should) provide as much information as possible to those who use
|
|
it. Telnet to info.umd.edu and log in as info. The information
|
|
contained in the database is accessible through a screen-oriented
|
|
interface, and everything therein is available via anonymous FTP.
|
|
|
|
There is a mailing list used to discuss the UMD Info Database,
|
|
welcoming suggestions for new information, comments on the interface
|
|
the system provides, and other related topics. Send mail to
|
|
listserv@umdd.umd.edu with a body of
|
|
|
|
subscribe INFO-L Your Full Name
|
|
|
|
Listservs for more information on using the Listserv system.
|
|
|
|
University of Michigan Weather Underground
|
|
|
|
The University of Michigan's Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, &
|
|
Space Sciences maintains a database of weather and related
|
|
information for the United States and Canada. Available are current
|
|
weather conditions and forecasts for cities in the U.S., a national
|
|
weather summary, ski conditions, earthquake and hurricane updates,
|
|
and a listing of severe weather conditions. Telnet to
|
|
madlab.sprl.umich.edu on port 3000 to use the system.
|
|
|
|
Geographic Name Server
|
|
|
|
A geographic database listing information for cities in the United
|
|
States and some international locations is maintained by Merit, Inc.
|
|
The database is searchable by city name, zip code, etc. It will
|
|
respond with a lot of information: the area code,
|
|
elevation, time zone, and longitude and latitude are included. For
|
|
example, a query of 19013 yields
|
|
|
|
0 Chester
|
|
1 42045 Delaware
|
|
2 PA Pennsylvania
|
|
3 US United States
|
|
F 45 Populated place
|
|
L 39 50 58 N 75 21 22 W
|
|
P 45794
|
|
E 22
|
|
Z 19013
|
|
Z 19014
|
|
Z 19015
|
|
Z 19016
|
|
..
|
|
|
|
|
|
To use the server, telnet to martini.eecs.umich.edu on port
|
|
3000. The command help will yield further instructions, along
|
|
with an explanation for each of the fields in a reponse.
|
|
|
|
FEDIX---Minority Scholarship Information
|
|
|
|
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 FEDIX whatsoever.
|
|
|
|
FEDIX offers the Minority On-Line Information Service (MOLIS), a
|
|
database listing current information about Black and Hispanic colleges
|
|
and universities.
|
|
|
|
Daily information updates are made on federal education and research
|
|
programs, scholarships, fellowships, and grants, available used
|
|
research equipment, and general information about FEDIX itself. To
|
|
access the database, telnet to fedix.fie.com and log in as
|
|
fedix.
|
|
|
|
Science & Technology Information System
|
|
|
|
The STIS is maintained by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and
|
|
provides access to many NSF publications. The full text of
|
|
publications can be searched online and copied from the system, which
|
|
can accommodate up to ten users at one time. Telnet to stis.nsf.gov
|
|
and log in as public. Everything on the system is also available via
|
|
anonymous FTP. For further information, contact:
|
|
|
|
STIS, Office of Information Systems, Room 401
|
|
National Science Foundation
|
|
1800 G. Street, N.W.
|
|
Washington, D.C. 20550
|
|
stis-request@nsf.gov
|
|
(202) 357-7492
|
|
(202) 357-7663 (Fax)
|
|
|
|
Ocean Network Information Center
|
|
|
|
The University of Delaware College of Marine Studies offers access to
|
|
an interactive database of research information covering all aspects
|
|
of marine studies, nicknamed OCEANIC. This includes the World Oceanic
|
|
Circulation Experiment (WOCE) information and program information,
|
|
research ship schedules and information, and a Who's Who of email and
|
|
mailing addresses for oceanic studies. Data from a variety of
|
|
academic institutions based on research studies is also available.
|
|
Telnet to delocn.udel.edu and log in as INFO.
|
|
|
|
NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED)
|
|
|
|
The NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) is an ongoing project,
|
|
funded by NASA, to make data and literature on extragalactic objects
|
|
available over computer networks. NED is an object-oriented database
|
|
which contains extensive information for nearly 132,000 extragalactic
|
|
objects taken from about major catalogs of galaxies, quasars, infrared
|
|
and radio sources. NED provides positions, names, and other basic
|
|
data (e.g. magnitude types, sizes and redshifts as well as
|
|
bibliographic references and abstracts). Searches can be done by
|
|
name, around a name, and on an astronomical position. NED contains a
|
|
tutorial which guides the user through the retrieval process. Telnet
|
|
to ipac.caltech.edu and log in as ned.
|
|
|
|
U.S. Naval Observatory Automated Data Service
|
|
|
|
Operated by the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., this
|
|
automated data service provides database access to information
|
|
ranging from current navigational satellite positioning, astronomical
|
|
data, and software utilities. A wide variety of databases can be
|
|
searched and instructions for file transfer are given. Telnet to
|
|
tycho.usno.navy.mil and log in as ads.
|
|
|
|
ÒMy consciousness suddenly switched locations, for the first time in
|
|
my life, from the vicinity of my head and body to a point about
|
|
twenty feet away from where I normally see the world.Ó Howard
|
|
Rheingold, Virtual Reality p255
|
|
|
|
-----------------
|
|
Various Tools
|
|
|
|
New and interesting ways to use the Internet are being dreamed up
|
|
every day. As they gain wide-spread use, some methods become
|
|
near-standard (or actual written standard) tools for Internet users to
|
|
take advantage of. A few are detailed here; there are undoubtedly
|
|
others, and new ideas spring up all the time. An active user of the
|
|
Internet will discover most of the more common ones in time. Usually,
|
|
these services are free. Commercial Services for applications
|
|
that are commercially available over the Internet.
|
|
|
|
Usenet is often used to announce a new service or capability on
|
|
the Internet. In particular, the groups comp.archives and
|
|
comp.protocols.tcp-ip are good places to look. Information
|
|
will drift into other areas as word spreads. Usenet News for
|
|
information on reading news.
|
|
|
|
Finger
|
|
|
|
On many systems there exists the finger command, which yield
|
|
information about each user that's currently logged in. This command
|
|
also has extensions for use over the Internet, as well. Under normal
|
|
circumstances, the command is simply finger for a summary of who's
|
|
logged into the local system, or finger username for specific
|
|
information about a user. It's also possible to go one step further
|
|
and go onto the network. The general usage is
|
|
|
|
finger @hostname
|
|
|
|
To see who's currently logged in at Widener University, for instance, use
|
|
|
|
% finger @cs.widener.edu
|
|
[cs.widener.edu]
|
|
Login Name TTY Idle When Where
|
|
brendan Brendan Kehoe p0 Fri 02:14 tattoo.cs.widene
|
|
sven Sven Heinicke p1 Fri 04:16 xyplex3.cs.widen
|
|
|
|
|
|
To find out about a certain user, they can be fingered specifically
|
|
(and need not be logged in):
|
|
|
|
% finger bart@cs.widener.edu
|
|
[cs.widener.edu]
|
|
Login name: bart In real life: Bart Simpson
|
|
Directory: /home/springfield/bart Shell: /bin/underachiever
|
|
Affiliation: Brother of Lisa Home System: channel29.fox.org
|
|
Last login Thu May 23 12:14 (EDT) on ttyp6 from channel29.fox.org.
|
|
No unread mail
|
|
Project: To become a "fluff" cartoon character.
|
|
Plan:
|
|
Don't have a cow, man.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please realize that some sites are very security conscious, and need
|
|
to restrict the information about their systems and users available
|
|
to the outside world. To that end, they often block finger requests
|
|
from outside sites---so don't be surprised if fingering a computer or
|
|
a user returns with Connection refused.
|
|
|
|
Internet Relay Chat
|
|
|
|
The Lamont View Server System
|
|
On lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu in pub/gb.tar.Z.
|
|
|
|
Ping
|
|
|
|
The ping command allows the user to check if another system is
|
|
currently ÒupÓ and running. The general form of the command
|
|
is ping system. {The usage will, again, vary.}
|
|
For example,
|
|
|
|
ping cs.widener.edu
|
|
|
|
will tell you if the main machine in Widener University's Computer
|
|
Science lab is currently online (we certainly hope so!).
|
|
|
|
Many implementations of ping also include an option to let you
|
|
see how fast a link is running (to give you some idea of the load on
|
|
the network). For example:
|
|
|
|
% ping -s cs.swarthmore.edu
|
|
PING cs.swarthmore.edu: 56 data bytes
|
|
64 bytes from 130.58.68.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=251 time=66 ms
|
|
64 bytes from 130.58.68.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=251 time=45 ms
|
|
64 bytes from 130.58.68.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=251 time=46 ms
|
|
^C
|
|
--- cs.swarthmore.edu ping statistics ---
|
|
3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss
|
|
round-trip min/avg/max = 45/52/66 ms
|
|
|
|
|
|
This case tells us that for cs.swarthmore.edu it takes about 46
|
|
milliseconds for a packet to go from Widener to Swarthmore College and
|
|
back again. It also gives the average and worst-case speeds, and any
|
|
packet loss that may have occurred (e.g. because of network
|
|
congestion).
|
|
|
|
While ping generally doesn't hurt network performance, you
|
|
shouldn't use it too often---usually once or twice will leave
|
|
you relatively sure of the other system's state.
|
|
|
|
Talk
|
|
|
|
Sometimes email is clumsy and difficult to manage when one really
|
|
needs to have an interactive conversation. The Internet provides for
|
|
that as well, in the form of talk. Two users can literally see
|
|
each other type across thousands of miles.
|
|
|
|
To talk with Bart Simpson at Widener, one would type
|
|
|
|
talk bart@@cs.widener.edu
|
|
|
|
which would cause a message similar to the following to be displayed
|
|
on Bart's terminal:
|
|
|
|
Message from Talk_Daemon@cs.widener.edu at 21:45 ...
|
|
talk: connection requested by joe@ee.someplace.edu
|
|
talk: respond with: talk joe@ee.someplace.edu
|
|
|
|
Bart would, presumably, respond by typing talk joe@ee.someplace.edu.
|
|
They could then chat about whatever they wished, with instantaneous
|
|
response time, rather than the write-and-wait style of email. To
|
|
leave talk, on many systems one would type Ctrl-C (hold down
|
|
the Control key and press C). Check local documentation to be sure.
|
|
|
|
There are two different versions of talk in common use today. The
|
|
first, dubbed Òold talk,Ó is supported by a set of Unix systems
|
|
(most notably, those currently sold by Sun). The second, ntalk
|
|
(aka Ònew talkÓ), is more of the standard. If, when attempting to
|
|
talk with another user, it responds with an error about protocol
|
|
families, odds are the incompatibilities between versions of talk is
|
|
the culprit. It's up to the system administrators of sites which use
|
|
the old talk to install ntalk for their users.
|
|
|
|
Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
|
|
|
|
The WHOIS Database
|
|
|
|
The main WHOIS database is run at the Network Information Center
|
|
(NIC). The whois command will let you search a database of every
|
|
registered domain (e.g. mit.edu) and of registered users. It's
|
|
primarily used by system postmasters or listowners to find the Points
|
|
of Contact for a site, to let them know of a problem or contact them
|
|
for one reason or another. You can also find out their postal
|
|
address. For example:
|
|
|
|
% whois mit.edu
|
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) MIT.EDU 18.72.2.1
|
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-DOM) MIT.EDU
|
|
|
|
Note that there are two entries for mit.edu; we'll go for the
|
|
second.
|
|
|
|
% whois mit-dom
|
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-DOM)
|
|
Cambridge, MA 02139
|
|
|
|
Domain Name: MIT.EDU
|
|
|
|
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
|
|
Schiller, Jeffrey I. (JIS) JIS@MIT.EDU
|
|
(617) 253-8400
|
|
|
|
Record last updated on 22-Jun-88.
|
|
|
|
Domain servers in listed order:
|
|
STRAWB.MIT.EDU 18.71.0.151
|
|
W20NS.MIT.EDU 18.70.0.160
|
|
BITSY.MIT.EDU 18.72.0.3
|
|
LITHIUM.LCS.MIT.EDU 18.26.0.121
|
|
|
|
To see this host record with registered users, repeat the command with
|
|
a star ('*') before the name; or, use '%' to show JUST the registered users.
|
|
|
|
Much better! Now this information (sought, possibly, by a system
|
|
administrator) can be used to find out how to notify MIT of a security
|
|
issue or problem with connectivity.
|
|
|
|
Queries can be made for individuals as well; the following would yield
|
|
an entry for the author:
|
|
|
|
% whois brendan
|
|
Kehoe, Brendan (BK59) brendan@cs.widener.edu
|
|
Widener University
|
|
Department of Computer Science
|
|
Kirkbride 219
|
|
P.O. Box 83 Widener University
|
|
Chester, PA 19013
|
|
(215)/499-4011
|
|
|
|
Record last updated on 02-May-91.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Included is the author's name, his handle (a unique sequence of letters
|
|
and numbers), information on how to contact him, and the last time the record
|
|
was modified in any way.
|
|
|
|
Anyone can register with the whois database. People who are
|
|
administrative or technical contacts for domains are registered
|
|
automatically when their domain applications are processed. For
|
|
normal users, one must simply fill out a form from the NIC. FTP to
|
|
nic.ddn.mil and get the file netinfo/user-template.txt. The completed
|
|
form should be mailed to registrar@nic.ddn.mil.
|
|
|
|
Other Uses of WHOIS
|
|
|
|
Also, many educational sites run WHOIS servers of their own, to offer
|
|
information about people who may be currently on the staff or
|
|
attending the institution. To specify a WHOIS server, many
|
|
implementations include some sort of option or qualifier---in VMS
|
|
under MultiNet, it's /HOST, in Unix -h. To receive
|
|
information about using the Stanford server, one might use the command
|
|
|
|
whois -h stanford.edu help
|
|
|
|
A large list of systems offering WHOIS services is being maintained by
|
|
Matt Power of MIT (mhpower@stan.mit.edu). It is available via
|
|
anonymous FTP from sipb.mit.edu, in the directory
|
|
pub/whois. The file is named whois-servers.list.
|
|
|
|
The systems available include, but are certainly not limited to,
|
|
Syracuse University (syr.edu), New York University
|
|
(acfcluster.nyu.edu), the University of California at San Diego
|
|
(ucsd.edu), and Stanford University (stanford.edu).
|
|
|
|
ÒFingers were made before forks.Ó
|
|
Jonathan Swift, Polite Conversation
|
|
|
|
-------
|
|
Commercial Services
|
|
|
|
Many services can be accessed through the Internet. As time
|
|
progresses and more outlets for commercial activity appear,
|
|
once-restricted traffic (by the NSFnet Acceptable Use Policy) may now
|
|
flow freely. Now that there are other networks for that information
|
|
to travel on, businesses are making their move.
|
|
|
|
Internet Service Providers
|
|
|
|
Providers (AlterNet, PSI, etc)...
|
|
|
|
Supercomputers
|
|
The Internet Resource Guide (IRG) contains a chapter on
|
|
computer time that's available for a fee. Rather than reproduce it
|
|
here, which would fast become out-of-date as well as triple the size
|
|
of this guide, it's suggested that the reader consult the IRG if such
|
|
services are of interest.
|
|
|
|
Electronic Journals
|
|
|
|
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) publishes a hard-copy
|
|
directory of electronic journals, newsletters, and scholarly
|
|
discussion lists. It is a compilation of entries for hundreds of
|
|
|
|
sts, dozens of journals and newsletters, and a many
|
|
ÒotherÓ titles, including newsletter-digests, into one reference
|
|
source. Each entry includes instructions on how to access the
|
|
referenced publication or list.
|
|
|
|
The documents are available electronically by sending the commands
|
|
|
|
get ejournl1 directry
|
|
get ejournl2 directry
|
|
|
|
to the server at LISTSERV@OTTAWA.BITNET.
|
|
Listservs for further instructions on using a listserv.
|
|
|
|
The directory, along with a compilation by Diane Kovacs called
|
|
Directories of Academic E-Mail Conferences, is available in
|
|
print and on diskette (DOS WordPerfect and MacWord) from:
|
|
|
|
Office of Scientific & Academic Publishing
|
|
Association of Research Libraries
|
|
1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
|
|
Washington, DC 20036
|
|
ARLHQ@UMDC.BITNET
|
|
(202) 232--2466
|
|
(202) 462--7849 (Fax)
|
|
|
|
The ARL is a not-for-profit organization representing over one
|
|
hundred research libraries in the United States and Canada. The
|
|
publication is available to ARL members for $10 and to non-members
|
|
for $20 (add $5 postage per directory for foreign addresses). Orders
|
|
of six or more copies will receive a 10% discount; all orders must be
|
|
prepaid and sent to the ARL.
|
|
|
|
Commercial Databases
|
|
|
|
The American Institute of Physics maintains the Physics Information
|
|
Network. It contains the bibliographic SPIN and General Physics
|
|
Advanced Abstracts databases. Also available is access to bulletin
|
|
boards and several searchable lists (job notices, announcements, etc).
|
|
Telnet to pinet.aip.org; new users must log in as NEW
|
|
and give registration information.
|
|
|
|
Some of the databases accessible through WAIS (WAIS) are
|
|
available for a fee.
|
|
|
|
Clarinet News
|
|
|
|
Clarinet's an electronic publishing network service that provides
|
|
professional news and information, including live UPI wireservice
|
|
news, in the Usenet file format.
|
|
|
|
Clarinet lets you read an Òelectronic newspaperÓ right on the local
|
|
system; you can get timely industry news, technology related
|
|
wirestories, syndicated columns and features, financial information,
|
|
stock quotes and more.
|
|
|
|
Clarinet's provided by using the Usenet message interchange format,
|
|
and is available via UUCP and other delivery protocols, including
|
|
NNTP.
|
|
|
|
The main feature is ClariNews, an Òelectronic newspaper,Ó
|
|
gathered live from the wire services of United Press International
|
|
(UPI). ClariNews articles are distributed in 100 newsgroups based on
|
|
their subject matter, and are keyworded for additional topics and the
|
|
geographical location of the story. ClariNews includes headlines,
|
|
industry news, box scores, network TV schedules, and more. The main
|
|
products of ClariNews are:
|
|
|
|
|
|
ClariNews General, the general newsÒpaperÓ with news,
|
|
sports, and features, averaging about 400 stories per day.
|
|
|
|
TechWire, special groups for stories on science,
|
|
technology, and industry stories around them.
|
|
|
|
ClariNews-Biz, business and financial stories.
|
|
|
|
Newsbytes, a daily computer industry newsmagazine.
|
|
|
|
Syndicated Columns, including Dave Barry (humor) and Mike
|
|
Royko (opinion).
|
|
|
|
Full information on ClariNet, including subscription information, is
|
|
available from
|
|
|
|
Clarinet Communications Corp.
|
|
124 King St. North
|
|
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2X8
|
|
info@@clarinet.com
|
|
(800) USE-NETS
|
|
|
|
or with anonymous FTP in the directory /Clarinet on
|
|
ftp.uu.net (Anonymous FTP).
|
|
|
|
ÒNeedless to say, Aristotle did not envisage modern finance.Ó
|
|
Frederick Copleston, S.J.
|
|
A History of Philosophy: Vol 1 Greece & Rome Part II, p95
|
|
|
|
---------
|
|
Things You'll Hear About
|
|
|
|
There are certain things that you'll hear about shortly after you
|
|
start actively using the Internet. Most people assume that everyone's
|
|
familiar with them, and they require no additional explanation. If
|
|
only that were true!
|
|
|
|
This section addresses a few topics that are commonly encountered and
|
|
asked about as a new user explores Cyberspace. Some of them are
|
|
directly related to how the networks are run today; other points are
|
|
simply interesting to read about.
|
|
|
|
The Internet Worm
|
|
|
|
from a letter by Severo M. Ornstein, in ACM June 89 Vol32 No6
|
|
and the appeal notice
|
|
|
|
On November 2, 1988, Robert Morris, Jr., a graduate student in
|
|
Computer Science at Cornell, wrote an experimental, self-replicating,
|
|
self-propagating program called a worm and injected it into the
|
|
Internet. He chose to release it from MIT, to disguise the fact that
|
|
the worm came from Cornell. Morris soon discovered that the program
|
|
was replicating and reinfecting machines at a much faster rate than
|
|
he had anticipated---there was a bug. Ultimately, many machines at
|
|
locations around the country either crashed or became Òcatatonic.Ó
|
|
When Morris realized what was happening, he contacted a friend at
|
|
Harvard to discuss a solution. Eventually, they sent an anonymous
|
|
message from Harvard over the network, instructing programmers how to
|
|
kill the worm and prevent reinfection. However, because the network
|
|
route was clogged, this message did not get through until it was too
|
|
late. Computers were affected at many sites, including universities,
|
|
military sites, and medical research facilities. The estimated cost
|
|
of dealing with the worm at each installation ranged from $200 to
|
|
more than $53,000. {Derived in part from a letter by Severo M.
|
|
Ornstein, in the Communications of the ACM, Vol 32 No 6, June 1989.}
|
|
|
|
The program took advantage of a hole in the debug mode of the Unix
|
|
sendmail program, which runs on a system and waits for other systems
|
|
to connect to it and give it email, and a hole in the finger daemon
|
|
fingerd, which serves finger requests (Finger). People at the
|
|
University of California at Berkeley and MIT had copies of the
|
|
program and were actively disassembling it (returning the program
|
|
back into its source form) to try to figure out how it worked.
|
|
|
|
Teams of programmers worked non-stop to come up with at least a
|
|
temporary fix, to prevent the continued spread of the worm. After
|
|
about twelve hours, the team at Berkeley came up with steps that
|
|
would help retard the spread of the virus. Another method was also
|
|
discovered at Purdue and widely published. The information didn't
|
|
get out as quickly as it could have, however, since so many sites had
|
|
completely disconnected themselves from the network.
|
|
|
|
After a few days, things slowly began to return to normalcy and
|
|
everyone wanted to know who had done it all. Morris was later named
|
|
in The New York Times as the author (though this hadn't yet been
|
|
officially proven, there was a substantial body of evidence pointing
|
|
to Morris).
|
|
|
|
Robert T. Morris was convicted of violating the computer Fraud and
|
|
Abuse Act (Title 18), and sentenced to three years of probation, 400
|
|
hours of community service, a fine of $10,050, and the costs of his
|
|
supervision. His appeal, filed in December, 1990, was rejected the
|
|
following March.
|
|
|
|
The Cuckoo's Egg
|
|
|
|
First in an article entitled ÒStalking the Wily Hacker,Ó and later
|
|
in the book The Cuckoo's Egg, Clifford Stoll detailed his experiences
|
|
trying to track down someone breaking into a system at Lawrence
|
|
Berkeley Laboratory in California. {See the bibliography for full
|
|
citations.}
|
|
|
|
A 75-cent discrepancy in the Lab's accounting records led Stoll on a
|
|
chase through California, Virginia, and Europe to end up in a small
|
|
apartment in Hannover, West Germany. Stoll dealt with many levels of
|
|
bureaucracy and red tape, and worked with the FBI, the CIA, and the
|
|
German Bundespost trying to track his hacker down.
|
|
|
|
The experiences of Stoll, and particularly his message in speaking
|
|
engagements, have all pointed out the dire need for communication
|
|
between parties on a network of networks. The only way everyone can
|
|
peacefully co-exist in Cyberspace is by ensuring rapid recognition of
|
|
any existing problems.
|
|
|
|
Organizations
|
|
|
|
The indomitable need for humans to congregate and share their common
|
|
interests is also present in the computing world. User groups
|
|
exist around the world, where people share ideas and experiences.
|
|
Similarly, there are organizations which are one step ÒaboveÓ user
|
|
groups; that is to say, they exist to encourage or promote an idea or
|
|
set of ideas, rather than support a specific computer or application
|
|
of computers.
|
|
|
|
The Association for Computing Machinery
|
|
|
|
The Association for Computing Machinery (the ACM) was founded in
|
|
1947, immediately after Eckert and Mauchly unveiled one of the first
|
|
electronic computers, the ENIAC, in 1946. Since then, the ACM has
|
|
grown by leaps and bounds, becoming one of the leading educational
|
|
and scientific societies in the computer industry.
|
|
|
|
The ACM's stated purposes are:
|
|
|
|
To advance the sciences and arts of information processing;
|
|
|
|
To promote the free interchange of information about the sciences and
|
|
arts of information processing both among specialists and among the
|
|
public;
|
|
|
|
To develop and maintain the integrity and competence of individuals
|
|
engaged in the practices of the sciences and arts of information
|
|
processing.
|
|
|
|
Membership in the ACM has grown from seventy-eight in September, 1947,
|
|
to over 77,000 today. There are local chapters around the world, and
|
|
many colleges and universities endorse student chapters. Lecturers
|
|
frequent these meetings, which tend to be one step above the normal
|
|
Òuser groupÓ gathering. A large variety of published material is
|
|
also available at discounted prices for members of the association.
|
|
|
|
The ACM has a number of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that
|
|
concentrate on a certain area of computing, ranging from graphics to
|
|
the Ada programming language to security. Each of the SIGs also
|
|
publishes its own newsletter. There is a Usenet group, comp.org.acm,
|
|
for the discussion of ACM topics. Usenet News for more information
|
|
on reading news.
|
|
|
|
For more information and a membership application, write to:
|
|
|
|
Assocation for Computing Machinery
|
|
1515 Broadway
|
|
New York City, NY 10036
|
|
ACMHELP@ACMVM.BITNET
|
|
(212) 869-7440
|
|
|
|
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
|
|
from their letter to prospective members
|
|
|
|
The CPSR is an alliance of computer professionals concentrating on
|
|
certain areas of the impact of computer technology on society. It
|
|
traces its history to the fall of 1981, when several researchers in
|
|
Palo Alto, California, organized a lunch meeting to discuss their
|
|
shared concerns about the connection between computing and the
|
|
nuclear arms race. Out of that meeting and the discussions which
|
|
followed, CPSR was born, and has been active ever since. {This
|
|
section is part of the CPSR's letter to prospective members.}
|
|
|
|
The national CPSR program focuses on the following project areas:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reliability and Risk This area reflects on the concern that
|
|
overreliance on computing technology can lead to unacceptable risks
|
|
to society. It includes, but isn't limited to, work in analyzing
|
|
military systems such as SDI.
|
|
|
|
Civil Liberties and Privacy This project is concerned with such
|
|
topics as the FBI National Crime Information Center, the growing use
|
|
of databases by both government and private industry, the right of
|
|
access to public information, extension of First Amendment rights to
|
|
electronic communication, and establishing legal protections for
|
|
privacy of computerized information.
|
|
|
|
Computers in the Workplace The CPSR Workplace Project has
|
|
concentrated its attention on the design of software for the
|
|
workplace, and particularly on the philosophy of Òparticipatory
|
|
design,Ó in which software designers work together with users to
|
|
ensure that systems meet the actual needs of that workplace.
|
|
|
|
The 21st Century Project This is a coalition with other
|
|
professional organizations working towards redirecting national
|
|
research priorities from concentrating on military issues to
|
|
anticipating and dealing with future problems as science and
|
|
technology enter the next century.
|
|
|
|
For more information on the CPSR, contact them at:
|
|
|
|
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
|
|
P.O. Box 717
|
|
Palo Alto, CA 94302
|
|
cpsr@csli.stanford.edu
|
|
(415) 322--3778
|
|
(415) 322--3798 (Fax)
|
|
|
|
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
|
|
|
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was established to help
|
|
civilize the Òelectronic frontierÓ---the Cyberspacial medium
|
|
becoming ever-present in today's society; to make it truly useful and
|
|
beneficial not just to a technical elite, but to everyone; and to do
|
|
this in a way which is in keeping with the society's highest
|
|
traditions of the free and open flow of information and
|
|
communication. {This section was derived from eff.about, available
|
|
along with other material via anonymous FTP from ftp.eff.org}
|
|
|
|
The mission of the EFF is to engage in and support educational
|
|
activities which increase popular understanding of the opportunities
|
|
and challenges posed by developments in computing and
|
|
telecommunications;
|
|
|
|
to develop among policy-makers a better understanding of the
|
|
issues underlying free and open telecommunications, and support the
|
|
creation of legal and structural approaches which will ease the
|
|
assimilation of these new technologies by society;
|
|
|
|
to raise public awareness about civil liberties issues arising from
|
|
the rapid advancement in the area of new computer-based
|
|
communications media and, where necessary, support litigation in the
|
|
public interest to preserve, protect, and extend First Amendment
|
|
rights within the realm of computing and telecommunications
|
|
technology;
|
|
|
|
to encourage and support the development of new tools which will
|
|
endow non-technical users with full and easy access to computer-based
|
|
telecommunications;
|
|
|
|
The Usenet newsgroups comp.org.eff.talk and comp.org.eff.news are
|
|
dedicated to discussion concerning the EFF. They also have mailing
|
|
list counterparts for those that don't have access to Usenet,
|
|
eff-talk-request@eff.org and eff-news-request@eff.org. The first is
|
|
an informal arena (aka a normal newsgroup) where anyone may voice his
|
|
or her opinions. The second, comp.org.eff.news, is a moderated area
|
|
for regular postings from the EFF in the form of EFFector Online. To
|
|
submit a posting for the EFFector Online, or to get general
|
|
information about the EFF, write to eff@eff.org. There is also a
|
|
wealth of information available via anonymous FTP on ftp.eff.org.
|
|
|
|
The EFF can be contacted at
|
|
|
|
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc.
|
|
155 Second St. #1
|
|
Cambridge, MA 02141
|
|
eff@eff.org
|
|
(617) 864-0665
|
|
(617) 864-0866 (Fax)
|
|
|
|
The Free Software Foundation
|
|
|
|
The Free Software Foundation was started by Richard Stallman (creator
|
|
of the popular GNU Emacs editor). It is dedicated to eliminating
|
|
restrictions on copying, redistributing, and modifying software.
|
|
|
|
The word ÒfreeÓ in their name does not refer to price; it refers to
|
|
freedom. First, the freedom to copy a program and redistribute it to
|
|
your neighbors, so that they can use it as well as you. Second, the
|
|
freedom to change a program, so that you can control it instead of it
|
|
controlling you; for this, the source code must be made available to
|
|
you.
|
|
|
|
The Foundation works to provide these freedoms by developing free
|
|
compatible replacements for proprietary software. Specifically, they
|
|
are putting together a complete, integrated software system called
|
|
ÒGNUÓ that is upward-compatible with Unix. {As an aside, the editor
|
|
of the GNU project, emacs, contains a built-in LISP interpreter and a
|
|
large part of its functionality is written in LISP. The name GNU is
|
|
itself recursive (the mainstay of the LISP language); it stands for
|
|
ÒGnu's Not Unix.Ó}
|
|
|
|
When it is released, everyone will be permitted to copy it and
|
|
distribute it to others. In addition, it will be distributed with
|
|
source code, so you will be able to learn about operating systems by
|
|
reading it, to port it to your own machine, and to exchange the
|
|
changes with others.
|
|
|
|
For more information on the Free Software Foundation and the status of
|
|
the GNU Project, or for a list of the current tasks that still need to
|
|
be done, write to gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu.
|
|
|
|
The IEEE
|
|
|
|
Need IEEE...
|
|
|
|
The League for Programming Freedom
|
|
|
|
The League for Programming Freedom is a grass-roots organization of
|
|
professors, students, businessmen, programmers and users dedicated to
|
|
Òbringing backÓ the freedom to write programs, which they contend
|
|
has been lost over the past number years. The League is not opposed
|
|
to the legal system that Congress intended--copyright on individual
|
|
programs. Their aim is to reverse the recent changes made by judges in
|
|
response to special interests, often explicitly rejecting the public
|
|
interest principles of the Constitution.
|
|
|
|
The League works to abolish the new monopolies by publishing articles,
|
|
talking with public officials, boycotting egregious offenders, and in
|
|
the future may intervene in court cases. On May 24, 1989, the League
|
|
picketed Lotus headquarters because of their lawsuits, and then
|
|
again on August 2, 1990. These marches stimulated widespread media
|
|
coverage for the issue. They welcome suggestions for other
|
|
activities, as well as help in carrying them out.
|
|
|
|
For information on the League and how to join, write to
|
|
|
|
League for Programming Freedom
|
|
1 Kendall Square #143
|
|
P.O. Box 9171
|
|
Cambridge, MA 02139
|
|
league@prep.ai.mit.edu
|
|
|
|
Networking Initiatives
|
|
|
|
Research and development are two buzz words often heard when
|
|
discussing the networking field---everything needs to go faster, over
|
|
longer distances, for a lower cost. To Òkeep current,Ó one should
|
|
read the various trade magazines and newspapers, or frequent the
|
|
networking-oriented newsgroups of Usenet. If possible, attend trade
|
|
shows and symposia like Usenix, Interop, et. al.
|
|
|
|
ISDN
|
|
|
|
NREN
|
|
|
|
The National Research and Education Network (NREN) is a five-year
|
|
project approved by Congress in the Fall of 1991. It's intended to
|
|
create a national electronic Òsuper-highway.Ó The NREN will be 50
|
|
times faster than the fastest available networks (at the time of this
|
|
writing). Proponents of the NREN claim it will be possible to
|
|
transfer the equivalent of the entire text of the Encyclopedia
|
|
Britannica in one second. Further information, including the
|
|
original text of the bill presented by Senator Al Gore (D--TN), is
|
|
available through anonymous FTP to nis.nsf.net, in the directory
|
|
nsfnet. In addition, Vint Cerf wrote on the then-proposed NREN in
|
|
RFC-1167, Thoughts on the National Research and Education Network.
|
|
RFCs for information on obtaining RFCs.
|
|
|
|
A mailing list, nren-discuss@uu.psi.com, is available for
|
|
discussion of the NREN; write to
|
|
nren-discuss-request@uu.psi.com to be added.
|
|
|
|
ÒTo talk in publick, to think in solitude,
|
|
to read and to hear, to inquire,
|
|
and to answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar.Ó
|
|
Samuel Johnson
|
|
Chapter VIII
|
|
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
|
|
|
|
-----
|
|
Finding Out More
|
|
|
|
Internet Resource Guide
|
|
|
|
The NSF Network Service Center (NNSC) compiles and makes available an
|
|
Internet Resource Guide (IRG). The goal of the guide is to increase the
|
|
visibility of various Internet resources that may help users do their
|
|
work better. While not yet an exhaustive list, the guide is a useful
|
|
compendium of many resources and can be a helpful reference for a new
|
|
user.
|
|
|
|
Resources listed are grouped by types into sections. Current sections
|
|
include descriptions of online library catalogs, data archives, online
|
|
white pages directory services, networks, network information centers,
|
|
and computational resources, such as supercomputers. Each entry
|
|
describes the resource, identifies who can use the resource, explains
|
|
how to reach the local network via the Internet, and lists contacts
|
|
for more information. The list is distributed electronically by the
|
|
NNSC. To receive a guide, or to get on a mailing list that alerts you
|
|
to when it is updated, send a message to
|
|
resource-guide-request@nnsc.nsf.net.
|
|
|
|
The current edition of the IRG is available via anonymous FTP from
|
|
nnsc.nsf.net, in the directory /resource-guide.
|
|
|
|
Requests for Comments
|
|
|
|
The internal workings of the Internet are defined by a set of
|
|
documents called RFCs (Request for Comments). The general process
|
|
for creating an RFC is for someone wanting something formalized to
|
|
write a document describing the issue and mailing it to Jon Postel
|
|
(postel@isi.edu). He acts as a referee for the proposal. It is then
|
|
commented upon by all those wishing to take part in the discussion
|
|
(electronically, of course). It may go through multiple revisions.
|
|
Should it be generally accepted as a good idea, it will be assigned a
|
|
number and filed with the RFCs.
|
|
|
|
The RFCs can be divided into five groups: required, suggested,
|
|
directional, informational and obsolete. Required RFCs (e.g.,
|
|
RFC-791, The Internet Protocol) must be implemented on any host
|
|
connected to the Internet.
|
|
|
|
Suggested RFCs are generally implemented by network hosts. Lack of
|
|
them does not preclude access to the Internet, but may impact its
|
|
usability. RFC-793, Transmission Control Protocol, is a must for
|
|
those implementing TCP.
|
|
|
|
Directional RFCs were discussed and agreed to, but their application
|
|
has never come into wide use. This may be due to the lack of wide
|
|
need for the specific application (RFC-937, The Post Office Protocol) or
|
|
that, although technically superior, ran against other pervasive
|
|
approaches (RFC-891, Hello). It is suggested that, should the facility
|
|
be required by a particular site, an implementation be done in
|
|
accordance with the RFC. This ensures that, should the idea be one
|
|
whose time has come, the implementation will be in accordance with
|
|
some standard and will be generally usable.
|
|
|
|
Informational RFCs contain factual information about the Internet and
|
|
its operation (RFC-990, Assigned Numbers).
|
|
|
|
There is also a subset of RFCs called FYIs (For Your Information).
|
|
They are written in a language much more informal than that used in
|
|
the other, standard RFCs. Topics range from answers to common
|
|
questions for new and experienced users to a suggested bibliography.
|
|
|
|
Finally, as the Internet has grown and technology has changed, some
|
|
RFCs become unnecessary. These obsolete RFCs cannot be ignored,
|
|
however. Frequently when a change is made to some RFC that causes a
|
|
new one to obsolete others, the new RFC only contains explanations and
|
|
motivations for the change. Understanding the model on which the
|
|
whole facility is based may involve reading the original and
|
|
subsequent RFCs on the topic.
|
|
|
|
RFCs and FYIs are available via FTP from many sources, including:
|
|
|
|
The nic.ddn.mil archive, as /rfc/rfc-xxxx.txt, where
|
|
xxxx is the number of the RFC.
|
|
|
|
from ftp.uu.net, in the directory /RFC.
|
|
|
|
They're also available through mail by writing to
|
|
service@nic.ddn.mil, with a Subject: line of send RFC-xxxx.TXT, again
|
|
with xxxx being the RFC number.
|
|
|
|
ÒKnowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we
|
|
know where we can find information upon it.Ó
|
|
Samuel Johnson
|
|
Letter to Lord Chesterfield
|
|
February, 1755
|
|
a book of quotes said April 18, 1775 .. the book of Johnson's works
|
|
said it's 1755; I'll go with the latter.
|
|
|
|
-------
|
|
Conclusion
|
|
|
|
This guide is far from complete---the Internet changes on a daily (if
|
|
not hourly) basis. However, this booklet should provide enough
|
|
information to make the incredible breadth and complexity of the
|
|
Internet a mite less imposing. Coupled with some exploration and
|
|
experimentation, every user has the potential to be a competent net
|
|
citizen, using the facilities that are available to their fullest.
|
|
|
|
You, the reader, are strongly encouraged to suggest improvements to
|
|
any part of this booklet. If something was unclear, left you with
|
|
doubts, or wasn't addressed, it should be fixed. If you find any
|
|
problems, inaccuracies, spelling errors, etc., please report them to:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brendan Kehoe
|
|
Department of Computer Science
|
|
Widener University
|
|
Chester, PA 19013
|
|
|
|
Internet: guide-bugs@cs.widener.edu
|
|
UUCP: ...!widener!guide-bugs
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you are interested in future updates to this guide (aside from
|
|
normal new editions), discussion about information to be included or
|
|
removed, etc., write to guide-request@cs.widener.edu to be placed on
|
|
a mailing list for such things.
|
|
|
|
@dots is actually `. . . .'
|
|
ÒI've seed de first an de last @dots I seed de beginnin,
|
|
en now I sees de endin.Ó
|
|
William Faulkner
|
|
The Sound & The Fury
|
|
April 8, 1928
|
|
|
|
--------
|
|
|
|
Getting to Other Networks
|
|
|
|
Inter-connectivity has been and always will be one of the biggest
|
|
goals in computer networking. The ultimate desire is to make it so
|
|
one person can contact anyone else no matter where they are. A number
|
|
of ÒgatewaysÓ between networks have been set up. They include:
|
|
|
|
AppleLink
|
|
Quantum Services sells access to AppleLink, which is similar to
|
|
QuantumLink for Commodore computers and PCLink for IBM PCs and
|
|
compatibles. It also provides email access through the address
|
|
user@applelink.apple.com.
|
|
|
|
ATTMail
|
|
AT&T sells a commercial email service called ATTMail. Its users
|
|
can be reached by writing to user@attmail.com.
|
|
|
|
BIX
|
|
Users on BIX (the Byte Information eXchange) can be reached
|
|
through the DAS gateway at user@cibix.das.net.
|
|
|
|
CompuServe (CI$)
|
|
To reach a user on the commercial service CompuServe, you must
|
|
address the mail as xxxxx.xxx@compuserve.com, with
|
|
xxxxx.xxx being their CompuServe user ID. Normally CompuServe
|
|
ids are represented as being separated by a comma (like
|
|
71999,141); since most mailers don't react well to having
|
|
commas in addresses, it was changed to a period. For the above
|
|
address, mail would be sent to 71999.141@compuserve.com.
|
|
|
|
EasyNet
|
|
Digital sells a service called EasyNet; users that subscribe to it can
|
|
be reached with the addresses user@host.enet.dec.com or
|
|
user%host.enet@decwrl.dec.com.
|
|
|
|
FidoNet
|
|
The FidoNet computer network can be reached by using a special
|
|
addressing method. If John Smith is on the node 1:2/3.4 on
|
|
FidoNet, his or her email address would be
|
|
john.smith@p4.f3.n2.z1.fidonet.org
|
|
(notice how the numbers fall in place?).
|
|
|
|
MCI Mail
|
|
MCI also sells email accounts (similar to ATTMail). Users can be
|
|
reached with user@mcimail.com.
|
|
|
|
PeaceNet
|
|
Users on the PeaceNet network can be reached by writing to
|
|
user@igc.org.
|
|
|
|
The Well
|
|
Users on the service The Well can be reached by writing to
|
|
user@well.sf.ca.us. The Well is directly connected to the Internet.
|
|
|
|
This table is far from complete. In addition to sites not being
|
|
listed, some services are not (nor do they plan to be) accessible
|
|
from the ÒoutsideÓ (like Prodigy); others, like GEnie, are actively
|
|
investigating the possibility of creating a gateway into their
|
|
system. For the latest information, consult a list called the
|
|
Inter-Network Mail Guide. It's available from a number of FTP sites,
|
|
including UUNET; Anonymous FTP, for more information on getting a
|
|
copy of it using anonymous FTP.
|
|
|
|
Retrieving Files via Email
|
|
|
|
For those who have a connection to the Internet, but cannot FTP, there
|
|
do exist a few alternatives to get those files you so desperately
|
|
need. When requesting files, it's imperative that you keep in mind
|
|
the size of your request---odds are the other people who may be using
|
|
your link won't be too receptive to sudden bursts of really heavy
|
|
traffic on their normally sedate connection.
|
|
|
|
Archive Servers
|
|
|
|
An alternative to the currently well over-used FTPmail system is
|
|
taking advantage of the many archive servers that are presently
|
|
being maintained. These are programs that receive email messages that
|
|
contain commands, and act on them. For example, sending an archive
|
|
server the command help will usually yield, in the form of a
|
|
piece of email, information on how to use the various commands that
|
|
the server has available.
|
|
|
|
One such archive server is service@nic.ddn.mil. Maintained by
|
|
the Network Information Center (NIC) in Chantilly, VA, the server is
|
|
set up to make all of the information at the NIC available for people
|
|
who don't have access to FTP. This also includes the WHOIS service
|
|
(Whois). Some sample Subject: lines for queries to the
|
|
NIC server are:
|
|
|
|
Subject: help Describes available commands.
|
|
Subject: rfc 822 Sends a copy of RFC-822.
|
|
Subject: rfc index Sends an index of the available RFCs.
|
|
Subject: netinfo domain-template.txt Sends a domain application.
|
|
Subject: whois widener Sends WHOIS information on `widener'.
|
|
|
|
More information on using their archive server can be obtained by
|
|
writing to their server address service@nic.ddn.mil with a
|
|
Subject: of help.
|
|
|
|
There are different ÒbrandsÓ of archive server, each with its own
|
|
set of commands and services. Among them there often exists a common
|
|
set of commands and services (e.g. index, help, etc).
|
|
Be that as it may, one should always consult the individual help for a
|
|
specific server before assuming the syntax---100K surprises can be
|
|
hard on a system.
|
|
|
|
FTP-by-Mail Servers
|
|
Some systems offer people the ability to receive files through a
|
|
mock-FTP interface via email. Anonymous FTP for a general overview of
|
|
how to FTP. The effects of providing such a service varies, although
|
|
a rule of thumb is that it will probably use a substantial amount of
|
|
the available resources on a system.
|
|
|
|
The ÒoriginalÓ FTP-by-Mail service, BITFTP, is available to BITNET
|
|
users from the Princeton node PUCC. It was once accessible to
|
|
anyone, but had to be closed out to non-BITNET users because of the
|
|
heavy load on the system.
|
|
|
|
In response to this closure, Paul Vixie designed and installed a
|
|
system called FTPmail on one of Digital's gateway computers,
|
|
decwrl.dec.com. Write to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com with help in the
|
|
body of the letter for instructions on its use. The software is
|
|
undergoing constant development; once it reaches a stable state,
|
|
other sites will be encouraged to adopt it and provide the service
|
|
also.
|
|
|
|
Newsgroup Creation
|
|
|
|
Everyone has the opportunity to make a Call For Votes on the
|
|
Usenet and attempt to create a newsgroup that he/she feels would be of
|
|
benefit to the general readership. The rules governing newsgroup
|
|
creation have evolved over the years into a generally accepted method.
|
|
They only govern the ÒworldÓ groups; they aren't applicable to
|
|
regional or other alternative hierarchies.
|
|
|
|
Discussion
|
|
|
|
A discussion must first take place to address issues like the naming
|
|
of the group, where in the group tree it should go (e.g.
|
|
rec.sports.koosh vs rec.games.koosh?), and whether or not it should
|
|
be created in the first place. The formal Request For Discussion
|
|
(RFD) should be posted to news.announce.newgroups, along with any
|
|
other groups or mailing lists at all related to the proposed topic.
|
|
news.announce.newgroups is moderated. You should place it first in
|
|
the Newsgroups: header, so that it will get mailed to the moderator
|
|
only. The article won't be immediately posted to the other
|
|
newsgroups listed; rather, it will give you the opportunity to have
|
|
the moderator correct any inconsistencies or mistakes in your RFD.
|
|
He or she will take care of posting it to the newsgroups you
|
|
indicated. Also the Followup-To: header will be set so that the
|
|
actual discussion takes place only in news.groups. If a user has
|
|
difficulty posting to a moderated group, he or she may mail
|
|
submissions intended for news.announce.newgroups to the address
|
|
announce-newgroups@rpi.edu.
|
|
|
|
The final name and charter of the group, and whether it will be
|
|
moderated or unmoderated, will be determined during the discussion
|
|
period. If it's to be moderated, the discussion will also decide who
|
|
the moderator will be. If there's no general agreement on these
|
|
points among those in favor of a new group at the end of 30 days,
|
|
the discussion will be taken into mail rather than continued posting
|
|
to news.groups; that way, the proponents of the group can iron out
|
|
their differences and come back with a proper proposal, and make
|
|
a new Request For Discussion.
|
|
|
|
Voting
|
|
After the discussion period (which is mandatory), if it's been
|
|
determined that a new group really is desired, a name and charter are
|
|
agreed upon, and it's been determined whether the group will be
|
|
moderated (and by whom), a Call For Votes (CFV) should be posted
|
|
to news.announce.newgroups, along with any other groups that
|
|
the original Request For Discussion was posted to. The CFV should be
|
|
posted (or mailed to the news.announce.newgroups moderator) as
|
|
soon as possible after the discussion ends (to keep it fresh in
|
|
everyone's mind).
|
|
|
|
The Call for Votes should include clear instructions on how to cast a
|
|
vote. It's important that it be clearly explained how to both vote
|
|
for and against a group (and be of equivalent difficulty or
|
|
ease). If it's easier for you or your administrator, two separate
|
|
addresses can be used to mail yes and no votes to, providing that
|
|
they're on the same machine. Regardless of the method, everyone
|
|
must have a very specific idea of how to get his/her vote counted.
|
|
|
|
The voting period can last between 21 and 31 days, no matter what the
|
|
preliminary results of the vote are. A vote can't be called off
|
|
simply because 400 ÒnoÓ votes have come in and only two ÒyesÓ
|
|
votes. The Call for Votes should include the exact date that the
|
|
voting period will end---only those votes arriving on the vote-taker's
|
|
machine before this date can be counted.
|
|
|
|
To keep awareness high, the CFV can be repeated during the vote,
|
|
provided that it gives the same clear, unbiased instructions for
|
|
casting a vote as the original; it also has to be the same proposal as
|
|
was first posted. The charter can't change in mid-vote. Also, votes
|
|
that're posted don't count---only those that were mailed to the
|
|
vote-taker can be tallied.
|
|
|
|
Partial results should never be included; only a statement of
|
|
the specific proposal, that a vote is in progress on it, and how to
|
|
cast a vote. A mass acknowledgement (ÒMass ACKÓ or ÒVote ACKÓ) is
|
|
permitted; however, it must be presented in a way that gives no
|
|
indication of which way a person voted. One way to avoid this is to
|
|
create one large list of everyone who's voted, and sort it in
|
|
alphabetical order. It should not be two sorted lists (of the yes and
|
|
no votes, respectively).
|
|
|
|
Every vote is autonomous. The votes for or against one group can't be
|
|
transferred to another, similar proposal. A vote can only count for
|
|
the exact proposal that it was a response to. In particular, a vote
|
|
for or against a newsgroup under one name can't be counted as a vote
|
|
for or against another group with a different name or charter, a
|
|
different moderated/unmoderated status, or, if it's moderated, a
|
|
different moderator or set of moderators. Whew!
|
|
|
|
Finally, the vote has to be explicit; they should be of the form I
|
|
vote for the group foo.bar as proposed or I vote against the group
|
|
foo.bar as proposed. The wording doesn't have to be exact, your
|
|
intention just has to be clear.
|
|
|
|
The Result of a Vote
|
|
|
|
At the end of the voting period, the vote-taker has to post (to
|
|
news.announce.newgroups) the tally and email addresses of the votes
|
|
received. Again, it can also be posted to any of the groups listed in
|
|
the original CFV. The tally should make clear which way a person
|
|
voted, so the results can be verified if it proves necessary to do so.
|
|
|
|
After the vote result is posted to news.announce.newgroups,
|
|
there is a mandatory five-day waiting period. This affords everyone
|
|
the opportunity to correct any errors or inconsistencies in the voter
|
|
list or the voting procedure.
|
|
|
|
Creation of the Group
|
|
|
|
If, after the waiting period, there are no serious objections that
|
|
might invalidate the vote, the vote is put to the Òwater test.Ó If
|
|
there were 100 more valid YES/create votes than NO/don't create
|
|
votes, and at least two-thirds of the total number of votes are in
|
|
favor of creation, then a newgroup control message can be sent out
|
|
(often by the moderator of news.announce.newgroups). If the 100-vote
|
|
margin or the two-thirds percentage isn't met, the group has failed
|
|
and can't be created.
|
|
|
|
If the proposal failed, all is not lost---after a six-month waiting
|
|
period (a Òcooling downÓ), a new Request For Discussion can be posted
|
|
to news.groups, and the whole process can start over again. If after
|
|
a couple of tries it becomes obvious that the group is not
|
|
wanted or needed, the vote-taker should humbly step back and accept
|
|
the opinion of the majority. (As life goes, so goes Usenet.)
|
|
|
|
--------
|
|
|
|
Glossary
|
|
|
|
This glossary is only a tiny subset of all of the various terms and
|
|
other things that people regularly use on The Net. For a more
|
|
complete (and very entertaining) reference, it's suggested you get a
|
|
copy of The New Hacker's Dictionary, which is based on a VERY large
|
|
text file called the Jargon File. Edited by Eric Raymond
|
|
(eric@snark.thyrsus.com), it is available from the MIT Press,
|
|
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142; its ISBN number is 0-262-68069-6.
|
|
Also see RFC-1208, A Glossary of Networking Terms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
:-)
|
|
This odd symbol is one of the ways a person can portray ÒmoodÓ in
|
|
the very flat medium of computers---by using Òsmilies.Ó This is
|
|
`metacommunication', and there are literally hundreds of them, from
|
|
the obvious to the obscure. This particular example expresses
|
|
Òhappiness.Ó Don't see it? Tilt your head to the left 90 degrees.
|
|
Smilies are also used to denote sarcasm.
|
|
|
|
Network addresses are usually of two types:
|
|
|
|
the physical or hardware address of a network interface card; for
|
|
ethernet this 48-bit address might be 0260.8C00.7666. The hardware
|
|
address is used to forward packets within a physical network.
|
|
Fortunately, network users do not have to be concerned about hardware
|
|
addresses since they are automatically handled by the networking
|
|
software.
|
|
|
|
The logical or Internet address is used to facilitate moving data
|
|
between physical networks. The 32-bit Internet address is made up of a
|
|
network number, a subnetwork number, and a host number. Each host
|
|
computer on the Internet, has a unique address. For example, all
|
|
Internet addresses at Colorado State have a network number of 129.82, a
|
|
subnet number in the range of 1-254, and a host number in the range of
|
|
1-254. All Internet hosts have a numeric address and an English-style
|
|
name. For example, the Internet address for UCC's CYBER 840 is
|
|
129.82.103.96; its Internet name is csugreen.UCC.ColoState.EDU.
|
|
|
|
address resolution
|
|
Conversion of an Internet address to the corresponding physical address.
|
|
On an ethernet, resolution requires broadcasting on the local area network.
|
|
|
|
administrivia
|
|
Administrative tasks, most often related to the maintenance of mailing
|
|
lists, digests, news gateways, etc.
|
|
|
|
anonymous FTP
|
|
Also known as Òanon FTPÓ; a service provided to make files available
|
|
to the general Internet community---Anonymous FTP.
|
|
|
|
ANSI
|
|
The American National Standards Institute disseminates basic standards
|
|
like ASCII, and acts as the United States' delegate to the ISO.
|
|
Standards can be ordered from ANSI by writing to the ANSI Sales Department,
|
|
1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, or by telephoning (212) 354-3300.
|
|
|
|
archie
|
|
A service which provides lookups for packages in a database of the
|
|
offerings of countless of anonymous FTP sites. archie for a
|
|
full description.
|
|
|
|
archive server
|
|
An email-based file transfer facility offered by some systems.
|
|
|
|
ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency)
|
|
Former name of DARPA, the government agency that funded ARPAnet and
|
|
later the DARPA Internet.
|
|
|
|
ARPAnet
|
|
A pioneering long haul network funded by ARPA. It
|
|
served as the basis for early networking research as well as a
|
|
central backbone during the development of the Internet. The
|
|
ARPAnet consisted of individual packet switching computers
|
|
interconnected by leased lines. The ARPAnet no longer exists as a
|
|
singular entity.
|
|
|
|
asynchronous
|
|
Transmission by individual bytes, not related to specific timing on the
|
|
transmitting end.
|
|
|
|
auto-magic
|
|
Something which happens pseudo-automatically, and is usually too
|
|
complex to go into any further than to say it happens Òauto-magically.Ó
|
|
|
|
backbone
|
|
A high-speed connection within a network that connects shorter,
|
|
usually slower circuits. Also used in reference to a system that acts
|
|
as a ÒhubÓ for activity (although those are becoming much less
|
|
prevalent now than they were ten years ago).
|
|
|
|
bandwidth
|
|
The capacity of a medium to transmit a signal. More informally, the
|
|
mythical ÒsizeÓ of The Net, and its ability to carry the files and
|
|
messages of those that use it. Some view certain kinds of traffic
|
|
(FTPing hundreds of graphics images, for example) as a Òwaste of
|
|
bandwidthÓ and look down upon them.
|
|
|
|
BITNET (Because It's Time Network)
|
|
An NJE-based international educational network.
|
|
|
|
bounce
|
|
The return of a piece of mail because of an error in its delivery.
|
|
|
|
btw
|
|
An abbreviation for Òby the way.Ó
|
|
|
|
CFV (Call For Votes)
|
|
Initiates the voting period for a Usenet newsgroup. At least one
|
|
(occasionally two or more) email address is customarily included as a
|
|
repository for the votes. See Newsgroup Creation
|
|
for a full description of the Usenet voting process.
|
|
|
|
ClariNews
|
|
The fee-based Usenet newsfeed available from ClariNet Communications.
|
|
|
|
client
|
|
The user of a network service; also used to describe a computer that
|
|
relies upon another for some or all of its resources.
|
|
|
|
Cyberspace
|
|
A term coined by William Gibson in his fantasy novel
|
|
Neuromancer to describe the ÒworldÓ of computers, and the
|
|
society that gathers around them.
|
|
|
|
datagram
|
|
The basic unit of information passed across the Internet. It contains
|
|
a source and destination address along with data. Large messages are
|
|
broken down into a sequence of IP datagrams.
|
|
|
|
disassembling
|
|
Converting a binary program into human-readable machine language code.
|
|
|
|
DNS (Domain Name System)
|
|
The method used to convert Internet names to their corresponding
|
|
Internet numbers.
|
|
|
|
domain
|
|
A part of the naming hierarchy. Syntactically, a domain name consists
|
|
of a sequence of names or other words separated by dots.
|
|
|
|
dotted quad
|
|
A set of four numbers connected with periods that make up an Internet
|
|
address; for example, 147.31.254.130.
|
|
|
|
email
|
|
The vernacular abbreviation for electronic mail.
|
|
|
|
email address
|
|
The UUCP or domain-based address that a user is referred to with. For
|
|
example, the author's address is brendan@cs.widener.edu.
|
|
|
|
ethernet
|
|
A 10-million bit per second networking scheme originally developed by
|
|
Xerox Corporation. Ethernet is widely used for LANs because it can
|
|
network a wide variety of computers, it is not proprietary, and
|
|
components are widely available from many commercial sources.
|
|
|
|
FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface)
|
|
An emerging standard for network technology based on fiber optics that
|
|
has been established by ANSI. FDDI specifies a 100-million bit per
|
|
second data rate. The access control mechanism uses token ring
|
|
technology.
|
|
|
|
flame
|
|
A piece of mail or a Usenet posting which is violently argumentative.
|
|
|
|
FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name)
|
|
The FQDN is the full site name of a system, rather than just its
|
|
hostname. For example, the system lisa at Widener University
|
|
has a FQDN of lisa.cs.widener.edu.
|
|
|
|
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
|
|
The Internet standard high-level protocol for transferring files from
|
|
one computer to another.
|
|
|
|
FYI
|
|
An abbreviation for the phrase Òfor your information.Ó There is
|
|
also a series of RFCs put out by the Network Information Center called
|
|
FYIs; they address common questions of new users and many other useful
|
|
things. RFCs for instructions on retrieving FYIs.
|
|
|
|
gateway
|
|
A special-purpose dedicated computer that attaches to two or more
|
|
networks and routes packets from one network to the other. In
|
|
particular, an Internet gateway routes IP datagrams among the networks
|
|
it connects. Gateways route packets to other gateways until they can be
|
|
delivered to the final destination directly across one physical network.
|
|
|
|
header
|
|
The portion of a packet, preceding the actual data, containing source
|
|
and destination addresses and error-checking fields. Also part of a
|
|
message or news article.
|
|
|
|
hostname
|
|
The name given to a machine. (See also FQDN.)
|
|
|
|
IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)
|
|
This usually accompanies a statement that may bring about personal
|
|
offense or strong disagreement.
|
|
|
|
Internet
|
|
A concatenation of many individual TCP/IP campus, state, regional, and
|
|
national networks (such as NSFnet, ARPAnet, and Milnet) into one
|
|
single logical network all sharing a common addressing scheme.
|
|
|
|
Internet number
|
|
The dotted-quad address used to specify a certain system. The
|
|
Internet number for the site cs.widener.edu is 147.31.254.130. A
|
|
resolver is used to translate between hostnames and Internet
|
|
addresses.
|
|
|
|
interoperate
|
|
The ability of multi-vendor computers to work together using a common
|
|
set of protocols. With interoperability, PCs, Macs, Suns, Dec VAXen,
|
|
CDC Cybers, etc, all work together allowing one host computer to
|
|
communicate with and take advantage of the resources of another.
|
|
|
|
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
|
|
Coordinator of the main networking standards that are put into use today.
|
|
|
|
kernel
|
|
The level of an operating system or networking system that contains the
|
|
system-level commands or all of the functions hidden from the user. In
|
|
a Unix system, the kernel is a program that contains the device drivers,
|
|
the memory management routines, the scheduler, and system calls. This
|
|
program is always running while the system is operating.
|
|
|
|
LAN (Local Area Network)
|
|
Any physical network technology that operates at high speed over short
|
|
distances (up to a few thousand meters).
|
|
|
|
mail gateway
|
|
A machine that connects to two or more electronic mail systems
|
|
(especially dissimilar mail systems on two different networks) and
|
|
transfers mail messages among them.
|
|
|
|
mailing list
|
|
A possibly moderated discussion group, distributed via email from a
|
|
central computer maintaining the list of people involved in the
|
|
discussion.
|
|
|
|
mail path
|
|
A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one user
|
|
to another.
|
|
|
|
medium
|
|
The material used to support the transmission of data. This can be
|
|
copper wire, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or electromagnetic wave (as in
|
|
microwave).
|
|
|
|
multiplex
|
|
The division of a single transmission medium into multiple logical
|
|
channels supporting many simultaneous sessions. For example, one
|
|
network may have simultaneous FTP, telnet, rlogin, and SMTP
|
|
connections, all going at the same time.
|
|
|
|
net.citizen
|
|
An inhabitant of Cyberspace. One usually tries to be a good
|
|
net.citizen, lest one be flamed.
|
|
|
|
netiquette
|
|
A pun on ÒetiquetteÓ; proper behavior on The Net. Usenet Netiquette.
|
|
|
|
network
|
|
A group of machines connected together so they can transmit information
|
|
to one another. There are two kinds of networks: local networks and
|
|
remote networks.
|
|
|
|
NFS (Network File System)
|
|
A method developed by Sun Microsystems to allow computers to share
|
|
files across a network in a way that makes them appear as if they're
|
|
ÒlocalÓ to the system.
|
|
|
|
NIC
|
|
The Network Information Center.
|
|
|
|
node
|
|
A computer that is attached to a network; also called a host.
|
|
|
|
NSFnet
|
|
The national backbone network, funded by the National Science Foundation
|
|
and operated by the Merit Corporation, used to interconnect regional
|
|
(mid-level) networks such as WestNet to one another.
|
|
|
|
packet
|
|
The unit of data sent across a packet switching network. The term is
|
|
used loosely. While some Internet literature uses it to refer
|
|
specifically to data sent across a physical network, other literature
|
|
views the Internet as a packet switching network and describes IP
|
|
datagrams as packets.
|
|
|
|
polling
|
|
Connecting to another system to check for things like mail or news.
|
|
|
|
postmaster
|
|
The person responsible for taking care of mail problems, answering
|
|
queries about users, and other related work at a site.
|
|
|
|
protocols
|
|
A formal description of message formats and the rules two computers must
|
|
follow to exchange those messages. Protocols can describe low-level
|
|
details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g., the order in which bits
|
|
and bytes are sent across a wire) or high-level exchanges between
|
|
allocation programs (e.g., the way in which two programs transfer a file
|
|
across the Internet).
|
|
|
|
recursion
|
|
The facility of a programming language to be able to call functions
|
|
from within themselves.
|
|
|
|
resolve
|
|
Translate an Internet name into its equivalent IP address or other DNS
|
|
information.
|
|
|
|
RFD (Request For Discussion)
|
|
Usually a two- to three-week period in which the particulars of
|
|
newsgroup creation are battled out.
|
|
|
|
route
|
|
The path that network traffic takes from its source to its destination.
|
|
|
|
router
|
|
A dedicated computer (or other device) that sends packets from one
|
|
place to another, paying attention to the current state of the network.
|
|
|
|
RTFM (Read The Fantastic Manual).
|
|
This anacronym is often used when someone asks a simple or common
|
|
question. The word `Fantastic' is usually replaced with one much more
|
|
vulgar.
|
|
|
|
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
|
|
The Internet standard protocol for transferring electronic mail messages
|
|
from one computer to another. SMTP specifies how two mail systems
|
|
interact and the format of control messages they exchange to transfer
|
|
mail.
|
|
|
|
server
|
|
A computer that shares its resources, such as printers and files, with
|
|
other computers on the network. An example of this is a Network File
|
|
System (NFS) server which shares its disk space with other computers.
|
|
|
|
signal-to-noise ratio
|
|
When used in reference to Usenet activity, signal-to-noise
|
|
ratio describes the relation between amount of actual information in
|
|
a discussion, compared to their quantity. More often than not,
|
|
there's substantial activity in a newsgroup, but a very small number
|
|
of those articles actually contain anything useful.
|
|
|
|
signature
|
|
The small, usually four-line message at the bottom of a piece of email
|
|
or a Usenet article. In Unix, it's added by creating a file
|
|
..signature in the user's home directory. Large signatures are
|
|
a no-no.
|
|
|
|
summarize
|
|
To encapsulate a number of responses into one coherent, usable
|
|
message. Often done on controlled mailing lists or active newsgroups,
|
|
to help reduce bandwidth.
|
|
|
|
synchronous
|
|
Data communications in which transmissions are sent at a fixed rate,
|
|
with the sending and receiving devices synchronized.
|
|
|
|
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
|
|
A set of protocols, resulting from ARPA efforts, used by the Internet to
|
|
support services such as remote login (telnet), file transfer
|
|
(FTP) and mail (SMTP).
|
|
|
|
telnet
|
|
The Internet standard protocol for remote terminal connection service.
|
|
Telnet allows a user at one site to interact with a remote timesharing
|
|
system at another site as if the user's terminal were connected directly
|
|
to the remote computer.
|
|
|
|
terminal server
|
|
A small, specialized, networked computer that connects many terminals to
|
|
a LAN through one network connection. Any user on the network can then
|
|
connect to various network hosts.
|
|
|
|
TeX
|
|
A free typesetting system by Donald Knuth.
|
|
|
|
twisted pair
|
|
Cable made up of a pair of insulated copper wires wrapped around each
|
|
other to cancel the effects of electrical noise.
|
|
|
|
UUCP (Unix to Unix Copy Program)
|
|
A store-and-forward system, primarily for Unix systems but currently
|
|
supported on other platforms (e.g. VMS and personal computers).
|
|
|
|
WAN (Wide-Area Network)
|
|
A network spanning hundreds or thousands of miles.
|
|
|
|
workstation
|
|
A networked personal computing device with more power than a standard
|
|
IBM PC or Macintosh. Typically, a workstation has an operating system
|
|
such as unix that is capable of running several tasks at the same time.
|
|
It has several megabytes of memory and a large, high-resolution display.
|
|
Examples are Sun workstations and Digital DECstations.
|
|
|
|
worm
|
|
A computer program which replicates itself. The Internet worm
|
|
(The Internet Worm) was perhaps the most famous; it
|
|
successfully (and accidentally) duplicated itself on systems across
|
|
the Internet.
|
|
|
|
wrt
|
|
With respect to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
ÒI hate definitions.Ó
|
|
Benjamin Disraeli
|
|
Vivian Grey, bk i chap ii
|
|
|
|
------
|
|
Bibliography
|
|
|
|
What follows is a compendium of sources that have information that
|
|
will be of use to anyone reading this guide. Most of them were used
|
|
in the writing of the booklet, while others are simply noted because
|
|
they are a must for any good net.citizen's bookshelf.
|
|
|
|
Books
|
|
|
|
Comer, Douglas E.
|
|
Internetworking With TCP/IP, 2nd ed., 2v
|
|
Prentice Hall
|
|
Englewood Cliffs, NJ
|
|
1991
|
|
|
|
Davidson, John
|
|
An Introduction to TCP/IP
|
|
Springer-Verlag
|
|
Berlin
|
|
1988
|
|
|
|
Frey, Donnalyn, and Adams, Rick
|
|
!@%:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and Networks
|
|
O'Reilly and Associates
|
|
Newton, MA
|
|
1989
|
|
|
|
Gibson, William
|
|
Neuromancer
|
|
Ace
|
|
New York, NY
|
|
1984
|
|
|
|
LaQuey, Tracy
|
|
Users' Directory of Computer Networks
|
|
Digital Press
|
|
Bedford, MA
|
|
1990
|
|
|
|
Levy, Stephen
|
|
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
|
|
Anchor Press/Doubleday
|
|
Garden City, NY
|
|
1984
|
|
|
|
Partridge, Craig
|
|
Innovations in Internetworking
|
|
ARTECH House
|
|
Norwood, MA
|
|
1988
|
|
|
|
Quarterman, John S.
|
|
The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide
|
|
Digital Press
|
|
Bedford, MA
|
|
1989
|
|
|
|
Raymond, Eric (ed)
|
|
The New Hacker's Dictionary
|
|
MIT Press
|
|
Cambridge, MA
|
|
1991
|
|
|
|
Stoll, Clifford
|
|
The Cuckoo's Egg
|
|
Doubleday
|
|
New York
|
|
1989
|
|
|
|
Tanenbaum, Andrew S.
|
|
Computer Networks, 2d ed
|
|
Prentice-Hall
|
|
Englewood Cliffs, NJ
|
|
1988
|
|
|
|
Todinao, Grace
|
|
Using UUCP and USENET: A Nutshell Handbook
|
|
O'Reilly and Associates
|
|
Newton, MA
|
|
1986
|
|
|
|
The Waite Group
|
|
Unix Communications, 2nd ed.
|
|
Howard W. Sams & Company
|
|
Indianapolis
|
|
1991
|
|
|
|
Periodicals & Papers
|
|
magazine: Barlow, J
|
|
Coming Into The Country
|
|
Communications of the ACM 34:3
|
|
2
|
|
March 1991
|
|
Addresses ÒCyberspaceÓ---John Barlow was a co-founder of the EFF.
|
|
|
|
proceedings: Collyer, G., and Spencer, H
|
|
News Need Not Be Slow
|
|
Proceedings of the 1987 Winter USENIX Conference
|
|
181--90
|
|
USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA
|
|
January 1987
|
|
|
|
magazine: Denning, P
|
|
The Internet Worm
|
|
American Scientist
|
|
126--128
|
|
March--April 1989
|
|
|
|
magazine: The Science of Computing: Computer Networks
|
|
American Scientist
|
|
127--129
|
|
March--April 1985
|
|
|
|
magazine: Frey, D., and Adams, R
|
|
USENET: Death by Success?
|
|
UNIX REVIEW
|
|
55--60
|
|
August 1987
|
|
|
|
magazine: Gifford, W. S
|
|
ISDN User-Network Interfaces
|
|
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications
|
|
343--348
|
|
May 1986
|
|
|
|
magazine: Ginsberg, K
|
|
Getting from Here to There
|
|
UNIX REVIEW
|
|
45
|
|
January 1986
|
|
|
|
magazine: Hiltz, S. R
|
|
The Human Element in Computerized Conferencing Systems
|
|
Computer Networks
|
|
421--428
|
|
December 1978
|
|
|
|
|
|
proceedings: Horton, M
|
|
What is a Domain?
|
|
Proceedings of the Summer 1984 USENIX Conference
|
|
368--372
|
|
USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA
|
|
June 1984
|
|
|
|
magazine: Jacobsen, Ole J
|
|
Information on TCP/IP
|
|
ConneXions---The Interoperability Report
|
|
14--15
|
|
July 1988
|
|
|
|
|
|
magazine: Jennings, D., et al
|
|
Computer Networking for Scientists
|
|
Science
|
|
943--950
|
|
28 February 1986
|
|
|
|
|
|
paper: Markoff, J
|
|
ÒAuthor of computer `virus' is son of U.S. electronic security expert.Ó
|
|
New York Times
|
|
Nov. 5, 1988
|
|
A1
|
|
|
|
paper: ÒComputer snarl: A `back door' ajar.Ó
|
|
New York Times
|
|
Nov. 7, 1988
|
|
B10
|
|
|
|
magazine: McQuillan, J. M., and Walden, D. C
|
|
The ARPA Network Design Decisions
|
|
Computer Networks
|
|
243--289
|
|
1977
|
|
|
|
|
|
magazine: Ornstein, S. M
|
|
A letter concerning the Internet worm
|
|
Communications of the ACM 32:6
|
|
June 1989
|
|
|
|
proceedings: Partridge, C
|
|
Mail Routing Using Domain Names: An Informal Tour
|
|
Proceedings of the 1986 Summer USENIX Conference
|
|
366--76
|
|
USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA
|
|
June 1986
|
|
|
|
magazine: Quarterman, J
|
|
Etiquette and Ethics
|
|
ConneXions---The Interoperability Report
|
|
12--16
|
|
March 1989
|
|
|
|
|
|
magazine: Notable Computer Networks
|
|
Communications of the ACM 29:10
|
|
October 1986
|
|
This was the predecessor to The Matrix.
|
|
|
|
magazine: Raeder, A. W., and Andrews, K. L
|
|
Searching Library Catalogs on the Internet: A Survey
|
|
Database Searcher 6
|
|
16--31
|
|
September 1990
|
|
|
|
proceedings: Seeley, D
|
|
A tour of the worm
|
|
Proceedings of the 1989 Winter USENIX Conference
|
|
287--304
|
|
USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA
|
|
February 1989
|
|
|
|
magazine: Shulman, G
|
|
Legal Research on USENET Liability Issues
|
|
;login: The USENIX Association Newsletter
|
|
11--17
|
|
December 1984
|
|
|
|
magazine: Smith, K
|
|
E-Mail to Anywhere
|
|
PC World
|
|
220--223
|
|
March 1988
|
|
|
|
magazine: Stoll, C
|
|
Stalking the Wily Hacker
|
|
Communications of the ACM 31:5
|
|
14
|
|
May 1988
|
|
This article grew into the book The Cuckoo's Egg.
|
|
|
|
proceedings: Taylor, D
|
|
The Postman Always Rings Twice: Electronic Mail in a Highly Distributed
|
|
Environment
|
|
Proceedings of the 1988 Winter USENIX Conference
|
|
145--153
|
|
USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA
|
|
December 1988
|
|
|
|
magazine: U.S.Gen'l Accounting Ofc
|
|
Computer Security: Virus Highlights Need for Improved Internet Management
|
|
GAO/IMTEC-89-57,
|
|
1989
|
|
Addresses the Internet worm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
ÒAnd all else is literature.Ó
|
|
Paul Verlaine
|
|
The Sun, New York
|
|
While he was city editor in 1873--1890.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
Bill Walther, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
|
|
|