Request for Comments: 1325 Xylogics
FYI: 4 A. Marine
Obsoletes: RFC1206 SRI
May 1992
FYI on Questions and Answers
Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User" Questions
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is
unlimited.
Abstract
This FYI RFCis one of two FYI's called, "Questions and Answers"
(Q/A), produced by the User Services Working Group of the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF). The goal is to document the most
commonly asked questions and answers in the Internet.
New Questions and Answers
In addition to updating information contained in the previous version
of this FYI RFC, the following new questions have been added:
Questions About the Internet:
How do I get a list of all the hosts on the Internet?
Questions About Internet Documentation:
What is the RFC-INFO service?
What is an FYI?
What is an STD?
What is the Internet Monthly Report?
Questions About Internet Organizations:
What is the Internet Society?
Questions About Internet Services:
What is "archie"?
How do I Connect to archie?
Mailing Lists and Sending Mail
How Do I Send Mail to Other Networks?
Table of Contents
1. Introduction................................................. 2
2. Acknowledgements............................................. 3
3. Questions About the Internet................................. 3
4. Questions About TCP/IP....................................... 5
5. Questions About the Domain Name System....................... 6
6. Questions About Internet Documentation....................... 6
7. Questions about Internet Organizations and Contacts.......... 14
8. Questions About Services..................................... 19
9. Mailing Lists and Sending Mail............................... 23
10. Miscellaneous "Internet lore" questions..................... 27
11. Suggested Reading........................................... 28
12. References.................................................. 29
13. Condensed Glossary.......................................... 30
14. Security Considerations..................................... 42
15. Authors' Addresses.......................................... 42
1. Introduction
New users joining the Internet community have the same questions as
did everyone else who has ever joined. Our quest is to provide the
Internet community with up to date, basic Internet knowledge and
experience, while moving the redundancies away from the electronic
mailing lists so that the lists' subscribers do not have to read the
same queries and answers over and over again.
Future updates of this memo will be produced as User Services members
become aware of additional questions that should be included, and of
deficiencies or inaccuracies that should be amended in this document.
Although the RFCnumber of this document will change with each
update, it will always have the designation of FYI 4. An additional
FYI Q/A, FYI 7, is published that deals with intermediate and
advanced Q/A topics [11].
The Q/A mailing lists are maintained by Gary Malkin at Xylogics.COM.
They are used by a subgroup of the User Services Working Group to
discuss the Q/A FYIs. They include:
quail@xylogics.com This is a discussion mailing list. Its
primary use is for pre-release review of
the Q/A FYIs. It is not necessary to be
on this list to get the FYI documents.
quail-request@xylogics.com This is how you join and leave the quail
mailing list.
quail-box@xylogics.com This is a write-only list which serves as a
repository for candidate questions and
answers. It is not necessary to be on the
quail mailing list to forward to the
quail-box. Please note that this is not a
place to ask questions to which you don't
know the answers.
2. Acknowledgements
The following people deserve thanks for their help and contributions
to this FYI Q/A: Corinne Carroll (BBN), Vint Cerf (CNRI), Peter
Deutsch (McGill), John Klensin (MIT), Doug Mildram (Xylogics), Tracy
LaQuey Parker (UTexas), Craig Partridge (BBN), Jon Postel (ISI), Matt
Power (MIT), Joyce K. Reynolds (ISI), Karen Roubicek (Faxon),
Patricia Smith (Merit), Gene Spafford (Purdue), and Carol Ward (SRI).
3. Questions About the Internet
What is the Internet?
The Internet is a large collection of networks (all of which run
the TCP/IP protocols) that are tied together so that users of any
of the networks can use the network services provided by TCP/IP to
reach users on any of the other networks. The Internet started
with the ARPANET, but now includes such networks as NSFNET,
NYSERnet, and thousands of others. There are other major wide
area networks, such as BITNET and DECnet networks, that are not
based on the TCP/IP protocols and are thus not part of the
Internet. However, it is possible to communicate between them and
the Internet via electronic mail because of mail gateways that act
as "translators" between the different network protocols involved.
Note: You will often see "internet" with a small "i". This could
refer to any network built based on TCP/IP, or might refer to
networks using other protocol families that are composites built
of smaller networks.
I just got on the Internet. What can I do now?
You now have access to all the resources you are authorized to use
on your own Internet host, on any other Internet host on which you
have an account, and on any other Internet host that offers
publicly accessible information. The Internet gives you the
ability to move information between these hosts via file
transfers. Once you are logged into one host, you can use the
Internet to open a connection to another, login, and use its
services interactively (this is known as remote login or
"TELNETing". In addition, you can send electronic mail to users
at any Internet site and to users on many non-Internet sites that
are accessible via electronic mail.
There are various other services you can use. For example, some
hosts provide access to specialized databases or to archives of
information. The Internet Resource Guide provides information
regarding some of these sites. The Internet Resource Guide lists
facilities on the Internet that are available to users. Such
facilities include supercomputer centers, library catalogs and
specialized data collections. The guide is published by the NSF
Network Service Center (NNSC) and is continuously being updated.
The Resource Guide is distributed free via e-mail (send a note to
resource-guide-request@nnsc.nsf.net to join the e-mail
distribution) and via anonymous FTP (in nnsc.nsf.net:resource-
guide/*). Hardcopy is available at a nominal fee (to cover
reproduction costs) from the NNSC. Call the NNSC at 617-873-3400
for more information.
How do I find out if a site has a computer on the Internet?
Three good sources to consult are "!%@:: A Directory of Electronic
Mail Addressing and Networks" by Donnalyn Frey and Rick Adams;
"The User's Directory of Computer Networks", by Tracy LaQuey; and
"The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems
Worldwide", by John Quarterman.
In addition, it is possible to find some information about
Internet sites in the WHOIS database maintained at the DDN NIC at
Network Solutions, Inc.. The DDN NIC (Defense Data Network,
Network Information Center) provides an information retrieval
interface to the database that is also called WHOIS. To use this
interface, TELNET to NIC.DDN.MIL and type "whois" (carriage
return). No login is necessary. Type "help" at the whois prompt
for more information on using the facility. WHOIS will show many
sites, but may not show every site registered with the DDN NIC
(simply for reasons having to do with how the program is set up to
search the database).
How do I get a list of all the hosts on the Internet?
You really don't want that. The list includes almost 727,000
hosts. Almost all of them require that you have access permission
to actually use them. However, there are many machines which
serve special functions and are available to the public. There is
not yet a definitive list, but below are some available machines.
They are available via telnet.
A geographic information server which provides latitude,
longitude and other statistics about a city.
telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000
The Library of Congress maintains an online catalog.
telnet dra.com
NASA SpaceLink offers latest NASA news including shuttle
launches and satellite updates.
telnet spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
4. Questions About TCP/IP
What is TCP/IP?
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) [4,5,6]
is the common name for a family of over 100 data-communications
protocols used to organize computers and data-communications
equipment into computer networks. TCP/IP was developed to
interconnect hosts on ARPANET, PRNET (packet radio), and SATNET
(packet satellite). All three of these networks have since been
retired; but TCP/IP lives on. It is currently used on a large
international network of networks called the Internet, whose
members include universities, other research institutions,
government facilities, and many corporations. TCP/IP is also
sometimes used for other networks, particularly local area
networks that tie together numerous different kinds of computers
or tie together engineering workstations.
What are the other well-known standard protocols
in the TCP/IP family?
Other than TCP and IP, the three main protocols in the TCP/IP
suite are the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) [8], the File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) [3], and the TELNET Protocol [9]. There
are many other protocols in use on the Internet. The Internet
Activities Board (IAB) regularly publishes an RFC[2] that
describes the state of standardization of the various Internet
protocols. This document is the best guide to the current status
of Internet protocols and their recommended usage.
5. Questions About the Domain Name System
What is the Domain Name System?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical, distributed method
of organizing the name space of the Internet. The DNS
administratively groups hosts into a hierarchy of authority that
allows addressing and other information to be widely distributed
and maintained. A big advantage to the DNS is that using it
eliminates dependence on a centrally-maintained file that maps
host names to addresses.
What is a Fully Qualified Domain Name?
A Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) is a domain name that
includes all higher level domains relevant to the entity named.
If you think of the DNS as a tree-structure with each node having
its own label, a Fully Qualified Domain Name for a specific node
would be its label followed by the labels of all the other nodes
between it and the root of the tree. For example, for a host, a
FQDN would include the string that identifies the particular host,
plus all domains of which the host is a part up to and including
the top-level domain (the root domain is always null). For
example, PARIS.NISC.SRI.COM is a Fully Qualified Domain Name for
the host at 192.33.33.109. In addition, NISC.SRI.COM is the FQDN
for the NISC domain.
6. Questions About Internet Documentation
What is an RFC?
The Request for Comments documents (RFCs) are working notes of the
Internet research and development community. A document in this
series may be on essentially any topic related to computer
communication, and may be anything from a meeting report to the
specification of a standard. Submissions for Requests for
Comments may be sent to the RFCEditor (RFC-EDITOR@ISI.EDU). The
RFCEditor is Jon Postel.
Most RFCs are the descriptions of network protocols or services,
often giving detailed procedures and formats for their
implementation. Other RFCs report on the results of policy
studies or summarize the work of technical committees or
workshops. All RFCs are considered public domain unless
explicitly marked otherwise.
While RFCs are not refereed publications, they do receive
technical review from either the task forces, individual technical
experts, or the RFCEditor, as appropriate. Currently, most
standards are published as RFCs, but not all RFCs specify
standards.
Anyone can submit a document for publication as an RFC.
Submissions must be made via electronic mail to the RFCEditor.
Please consult RFC1111, "Instructions to RFCAuthors" [10], for
further information. RFCs are accessible online in public access
files, and a short message is sent to a notification distribution
list indicating the availability of the memo. Requests to be
added to this distribution list should be sent to RFC-
REQUEST@NIC.DDN.MIL.
The online files are copied by interested people and printed or
displayed at their sites on their equipment. (An RFCmay also be
returned via electronic mail in response to an electronic mail
query.) This means that the format of the online files must meet
the constraints of a wide variety of printing and display
equipment.
Once a document is assigned an RFCnumber and published, that RFC
is never revised or re-issued with the same number. There is
never a question of having the most recent version of a particular
RFC. However, a protocol (such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP))
may be improved and re-documented many times in several different
RFCs. It is important to verify that you have the most recent RFC
on a particular protocol. The "IAB Official Protocol Standards"
[2] memo is the reference for determining the correct RFCto refer
to for the current specification of each protocol.
How do I obtain RFCs?
RFCs are available online at several repositories around the
world. For a list of repositories and instructions about how to
obtain RFCs from each of the major US ones, FTP the file in-
notes/rfc-retrieval.txt from the host ISI.EDU. That host supports
anonymous login. You can also get information about RFC
repositories via electronic mail. Send a message to rfc-
info@isi.edu. In the body of the message, type
"help: ways_to_get_rfcs" (without the quotes).
Two examples of obtaining RFCs online follow.
RFCs can be obtained via FTP from NIC.DDN.MIL, with the pathname
rfc/rfcNNNN.txt (where "NNNN" refers to the number of the RFC).
Login using FTP, username "anonymous" and password "guest".
RFCs can also be obtained via FTP from NIS.NSF.NET. Using FTP,
login with username "anonymous" and password "guest"; then connect
to the RFCdirectory ("cd RFC"). The file name is of the form
RFCnnnn.TXT-1 (where "nnnn" refers to the number of the RFC). The
NIS also provides an automatic mail service for those sites which
cannot use FTP. Address the request to NIS-INFO@NIS.NSF.NET and
leave the subject field of the message blank. The first line of
the text of the message must be "SEND RFCnnnn.TXT-1", where nnnn
is replaced by the RFCnumber.
Requests for special distribution should be addressed to either
the author of the RFCin question, to NIC@NIC.DDN.MIL, or to
NISC@NISC.SRI.COM. SRI International operates the
FTP.NISC.SRI.COM online repository of RFCs and other files, and
makes the RFCs available in hardcopy for those people who have
neither FTP nor e-mail access to the Internet. Hardcopy RFCs are
sold by SRI on a cost-recovery basis. In addition, SRI has a
hardcopy subscription service for RFCs, as well as several
publications that incorporate selections of RFCs. Unless
specifically noted otherwise on the RFCitself, all RFCs are for
unlimited distribution.
How do I obtain a list of RFCs?
SRI maintains a file that is an index of the RFCs. It lists each
RFC, starting with the most recent, and for each RFCprovides the
number, title, author(s), issue date, and number of hardcopy
pages. In addition, it lists the online formats (PostScript or
ASCII text) for each RFCand the number of bytes each such version
is online. If an RFCis also an FYI, that fact is noted, with the
corresponding FYI number. (There is a parallel FYI Index
available). Finally, the Index notes whether or not an RFCis
obsoleted or updated by another RFC, and gives the number of that
RFC, or if an RFCitself obsoletes or updates another RFC, and
gives that RFCnumber. The index is updated online each time an
RFCis issued.
This RFCIndex is available online for anonymous FTP from the
FTP.NISC.SRI.COM host as rfc/rfc-index.txt. The FYI Index is
online as fyi/fyi-index.txt. They are also available via
electronic mail by sending a message to mail-server@nisc.sri.com.
In the body of the message, say "send rfc-index" or "send fyi-
index" (don't use quotes, but do use lowercase). The RFCIndex is
also available from the SRI in hardcopy for $12, as are individual
RFCs. Call SRI at 1-415-859-3695 for help in obtaining the Index.
What is the RFC-INFO service?
The Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern
California (ISI) has announced a service called RFC-Info. Even
though this is a service, rather than a document, we'll discuss it
in this section because it is so closely tied to RFCinformation.
RFC-Info is an e-mail based service to help in locating and
retrival of RFCs and FYIs. Users can ask for "lists" of all RFCs
and FYIs having certain attributes ("filters") such as their ID,
keywords, title, author, issuing organization, and date. Once an
RFCis uniquely identified (e.g., by its RFCnumber) it may also
be retrieved.
To use the service send e-mail to RFC-INFO@ISI.EDU with your
requests in the body of the message. Feel free to put anything in
the SUBJECT, the system ignores it. All input is case
independent. Report problems to RFC-MANAGER@ISI.EDU.
To get started, you may send a message to RFC-INFO@ISI.EDU with
requests such as in the following examples (without the
explanations between brackets):
Help: Help [to get this information]
List: FYI [list the FYI notes]
List: RFC[list RFCs with window as keyword or in title]
keywords: window
List: FYI [list FYIs about windows]
Keywords: window
List: * [list both RFCs and FYIs about windows]
Keywords: window
List: RFC[list RFCs about ARPANET, ARPA NETWORK, etc.]
title: ARPA*NET
List: RFC[list RFCs issued by MITRE, dated 1989-1991]
Organization: MITRE
Dated-after: Jan-01-1989
Dated-before: Dec-31-1991
List: RFC[list RFCs obsoleting a given RFC]
Obsoletes: RFC0010
List: RFC[list RFCs by authors starting with "Bracken"]
Author: Bracken* [* is a wild card matches everything]
List: RFC[list RFCs by both Postel and Gillman]
Authors: J. Postel [note, the "filters" are ANDed]
Authors: R. Gillman
List: RFC[list RFCs by any Crocker]
Authors: Crocker
List: RFC[list only RFCs by S.D. Crocker]
Authors: S.D. Crocker
List: RFC[list only RFCs by D. Crocker]
Authors: D. Crocker
Retrieve: RFC[retrieve RFC-822]
Doc-ID: RFC0822 [note, always 4 digits in RFC#]
Help: Manual [to retrieve the long user manual, 30+ pages]
Help: List [how to use the LIST request]
Help: Retrieve [how to use the RETRIEVE request]
Help: Topics [list topics for which help is available]
Help: Dates ["Dates" is such a topic]
List: keywords [list the keywords in use]
List: organizations [list the organizations known to the system]
Which RFCs are Standards?
See "IAB Official Protocol Standards" (currently, RFC1280) [2].
What is an FYI?
FYI stands for For Your Information. FYIs are a subset of the RFC
series of online documents.
FYI 1 states, "The FYI series of notes is designed to provide
Internet users with a central repository of information about any
topics which relate to the Internet. FYI topics may range from
historical memos on operational questions. The FYIs are intended
for a wide audience. Some FYIs will cater to beginners, while
others will discuss more advanced topics."
In general, then, FYI documents tend to be more information
oriented, while RFCs are usually (but not always) more technically
oriented.
FYI documents are assigned both an FYI number and an RFCnumber.
As RFCs, if an FYI is ever updated, it is issued again with a new
RFCnumber; however, its FYI number remains unchanged. This can
be a little confusing at first, but the aim is to help users
identify which FYIs are about which topics. For example, FYI 4
will always be FYI 4, even though it may be updated several times
and during that process receive different RFCnumbers. Thus, you
need only to remember the FYI number to find the proper document.
Of course, remembering titles often works as well.
FYIs can be obtained in the same way RFCs can and from the same
repositories. In general, their pathnames are fyi/fyiNN.txt or
fyi/fyiNN.ps, where NN is the number of the FYI without leading
zeroes.
What is an STD?
The newest subseries of RFCs are the STDs (Standards). RFC1311
[12], which introduces this subseries, states that the intent of
STDs is to identify clearly those RFCs that document Internet
standards. An STD number will be assigned only to those
specifications that have completed the full process of
standardization in the Internet. Existing Internet standards have
been assigned STD numbers; a list of them can be found both in RFC
1311 and in the IAB Official Protocol Standards RFC.
Like FYIs, once a standard has been assigned an STD number, that
number will not change, even if the standard is reworked and re-
specified and later issued with a new RFCnumber.
It is important to differentiate between a "standard" and
"document." Different RFCdocuments will always have different RFC
numbers. However, sometimes the complete specification for a
standard will be contained in more than one RFCdocument. When
this happens, each of the RFCdocuments that is part of the
specification for that standard will carry the same STD number.
For example, the Domain Name System (DNS) is specified by the
combination of RFC1034 and RFC1035; therefore, both of those
RFCs are labeled STD 13.
What is the Internet Monthly Report?
The Internet Monthly Report communicates online to the Internet
Research Group the accomplishments, milestones reached, or
problems discovered by the participating organizations. Many
organizations involved in the Internet provide monthly updates of
their activities for inclusion in this report.
The Internet Monthly Report is for Internet information purposes
only.
You can receive the report online by joining the mailing list that
distributes the rerpot. Requests to be added or deleted from the
Internet Monthly report list should be sent to "cooper@isi.edu".
In addition, back issues of the Report are available for anonymous
FTP from the host NIS.NSF.NET in the 'imr' directory with the file
names in the form IMRYY-MM.TXT, where YY is the last two digits of
the year and MM two digits for the month. For example, the June
1991 Report is in the file IMR91-06.TXT.
What is an Internet Draft? Are there any guidelines available for
writing one?
Internet Drafts (I-Ds) are the current working documents of the
IETF. Internet Drafts are generally in the format of an RFCwith
some key differences:
- The Internet Drafts are not RFCs and are not a numbered
document series.
- The words INTERNET-DRAFT appear in place of RFCXXXX
in the upper left-hand corner.
- The document does not refer to itself as an RFCor as a
Draft RFC.
- An Internet Draft does not state nor imply that it is a
proposed standard. To do so conflicts with the role of
the IAB, the RFCEditor, and the Internet Engineering
Steering Group (IESG).
An Internet Drafts Directory has been installed to make available,
for review and comment by the IETF members, draft documents that
will be submitted ultimately to the IAB and the RFCEditor to be
considered for publishing as an RFC. The Internet Drafts
Directories are maintained primarily at the NSFNET Network Service
Center (NNSC). There are several "shadow" machines which contain
the IETF and Internet Drafts Directories. They are:
NSF Network Service Center: nnsc.nsf.net
DDN NIC: nic.ddn.mil
SRI International: ftp.nisc.sri.com
Pacific Rim: munnari.oz.au
Europe: nic.nordu.net (192.36.148.17)
To access these directories, use anonymous FTP. Login with
username, "anonymous", password, "guest". Once logged in, change
to the directory, "cd internet-drafts". Internet Draft files can
then be retrieved.
For further information on the Internet Drafts of the IETF, or if
you have problems with retrieving Internet Draft documents,
contact Megan Davies (mdavies@nri.reston.va.us) or Greg Vaudreuil
(gvaudre@nri.reston.va.us) for assistance.
How do I obtain OSI Standards documents?
OSI Standards documents are NOT available from the Internet via
anonymous FTP due to copyright restrictions. These are available
from:
Omnicom Information Service
501 Church Street NE
Suite 304
Vienna, VA 22180 USA
Telephone: (800) 666-4266 or (703) 281-1135
Fax: (703) 281-1505
American National Standards Institute
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036 USA
Telephone: (212) 642-4900
However, the GOSIP specification which covers the use of OSI
protocols within the U.S. Government is available from SRI and
from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The final text of GOSIP Version 2 is now available from both
sites.
Online sources:
Available through anonymous ftp from osi.ncsl.nist.gov
(129.6.48.100) as:
./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.txt -- ascii
./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.txt.Z -- ascii compressed
./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.ps -- PostScript
./pub/gosip/gosip_v2.ps.Z -- PostScript compressed
Available through anonymous ftp from ftp.nisc.sri.com
(192.33.33.22) as:
netinfo/gosip-v2.txt -- ascii
netinfo/gosip-v2.ps -- PostScript
Hardcopy sources:
Standards Processing Coordinator (ADP)
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Technology Building, Room B-64
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
(301) 975-2816
Network Information Systems Center
SRI International, Room EJ291
333 Ravenswood Ave.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
1-415-859-3695
7. Questions about Internet Organizations and Contacts
What is the IAB?
The Internet Activities Board (IAB) is the coordinating committee
for Internet design, engineering and management [7]. IAB members
are deeply committed to making the Internet function effectively
and evolve to meet a large scale, high speed future. The chairman
serves a term of two years and is elected by the members of the
IAB. The current Chair of the IAB is Lyman Chapin. The IAB
focuses on the TCP/IP protocol suite, and extensions to the
Internet system to support multiple protocol suites.
The IAB performs the following functions:
1) Sets Internet Standards,
2) Manages the RFCpublication process,
3) Reviews the operation of the IETF and IRTF,
4) Performs strategic planning for the Internet, identifying
long-range problems and opportunities,
5) Acts as an international technical policy liaison and
representative for the Internet community, and
6) Resolves technical issues which cannot be treated within
the IETF or IRTF frameworks.
The IAB has two principal subsidiary task forces:
1) Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
2) Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
Each of these Task Forces is led by a chairman and guided by a
Steering Group which reports to the IAB through its chairman. For
the most part, a collection of Research or Working Groups carries
out the work program of each Task Force.
All decisions of the IAB are made public. The principal vehicle
by which IAB decisions are propagated to the parties interested in
the Internet and its TCP/IP protocol suite is the Request for
Comments (RFC) note series and the Internet Monthly Report.
What is the IETF?
The Internet has grown to encompass a large number of widely
geographically dispersed networks in academic and research
communities. It now provides an infrastructure for a broad
community with various interests. Moreover, the family of
Internet protocols and system components has moved from
experimental to commercial development. To help coordinate the
operation, management and evolution of the Internet, the IAB
established the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
The IETF is chaired by Phill Gross and managed by its Internet
Engineering Steering Group (IESG). The IETF is a large open
community of network designers, operators, vendors, and
researchers concerned with the Internet and the Internet protocol
suite. It is organized around a set of several technical areas,
each managed by a technical area director. In addition to the
IETF Chairman, the area directors make up the IESG membership.
The IAB has delegated to the IESG the general responsibility for
making the Internet work and for the resolution of all short- and
mid-range protocol and architectural issues required to make the
Internet function effectively.
What is the IRTF?
To promote research in networking and the development of new
technology, the IAB established the Internet Research Task Force
(IRTF).
In the area of network protocols, the distinction between research
and engineering is not always clear, so there will sometimes be
overlap between activities of the IETF and the IRTF. There is, in
fact, considerable overlap in membership between the two groups.
This overlap is regarded as vital for cross-fertilization and
technology transfer.
The IRTF is a community of network researchers, generally with an
Internet focus. The work of the IRTF is governed by its Internet
Research Steering Group (IRSG). The chairman of the IRTF and IRSG
is Jon Postel.
What is the Internet Society?
The Internet Society is a relatively new, professional, non-profit
organization with the general goal of fostering the well-being and
continued interest in, and evolution and use of the Internet. The
Society (often abbreviated ISOC) anticipates that it will
integrate the IAB, IETF, and IRTF functions into its operation.
The following goals of the Society are taken from its charter:
A. To facilitate and support the technical evolution of
the Internet as a research and education infrastructure, and to
stimulate the involvement of the scientific community,
industry, government and others in the evolution of the
Internet;
B. To educate the scientific community, industry and the
public at large concerning the technology, use and application
of the Internet;
C. To promote educational applications of Internet
technology for the benefit of government, colleges and
universities, industry, and the public at large;
D. To provide a forum for exploration of new Internet
applications, and to stimulate collaboration among
organizations in their operational use of the global Internet.
More information about the Internet Society is available for
anonymous FTP from the host NNSC.NSF.NET in the directory isoc.
Here is a list of the files available:
Filename (Topic) Description
index-isoc An index of the isoc directory
announcement Internet Society Announcement
charter Internet Society Charter
inet-conference INET 92 Internet Society Annual Meeting
Announcement and Call for Participation
isoc-advisory-council The Internet Society advisory council
isoc-founding-members List of the Internet Society founding
members
isoc-secretariat Information about the Internet Society
secretariat
isoc-trustees List of the Internet Society trustees
questions-and-answers Internet Society Questions & Answers
by Vint Cerf
membership-organizations Internet Society Organizational
Membership Form
membership-individuals Internet Society Individual Membership
Form
This information is also available via electronic mail via the
NNSC Info-Server. The Info-Server is an automated program that
retrieves information through electronic mail. To receive these
files via the Info-Server, send a mail message to: info-
server@nnsc.nsf.net. In the body of the message, type "Request:
isoc" followed by the topic names of any files you'd like. For
example:
Request: isoc
Topic: inet-conference
Topic: questions-and-answers
Topic: charter
Topic: announcement
Request: end
Notice that the "Topics" for the Info-Server correspond to the
file names used when FTPing.
What is the IANA?
The task of coordinating the assignment of values to the
parameters of protocols is delegated by the Internet Activities
Board (IAB) to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
These protocol parameters include op-codes, type fields, terminal
types, system names, object identifiers, and so on. The "Assigned
Numbers" Request for Comments (RFC) [1] documents the currently
assigned values from several series of numbers used in network
protocol implementations. Internet addresses and Autonomous
System numbers are assigned by the Network Information Center at
Network Solutions, Inc. This responsibility has been delegated by
the IANA to the DDN NIC which serves as the Internet Registry.
The IANA is located at USC/Information Sciences Institute.
Current types of assignments listed in Assigned Numbers and
maintained by the IANA are:
Address Resolution Protocol Parameters
ARPANET and MILNET X.25 Address Mappings
ARPANET and MILNET Logical Addresses
ARPANET and MILNET Link Numbers
BOOTP Parameters and BOOTP Extension Codes
Domain System Parameters
IANA Ethernet Address Blocks
Ethernet Numbers of Interest
IEEE 802 Numbers of Interest
Internet Protocol Numbers
Internet Version Numbers
IP Time to Live Parameter
IP TOS Parameters
Machine Names
Mainl Encryption Types
Multicast Addresses
Network Management Parameters
Point-to-Point Protocol Field Assignments
PRONET 80 Type Numbers
Port Assignments
Protocol and Service Names
Protocol/Type Field Assignments
Public Data Network Numbers
Reverse Address Resolution Protocol Operation Codes
TELNET Options
Terminal Type Names
Unix Ports
X.25 Type Numbers
For more information on number assignments, contact IANA@ISI.EDU.
What is a NIC? What is a NOC?
"NIC" stands for Network Information Center. It is an
organization which provides network users with information about
services provided by the network.
"NOC" stands Network Operations Center. It is an organization
that is responsible for maintaining a network.
For many networks, especially smaller, local networks, the
functions of the NIC and NOC are combined. For larger networks,
such as mid-level and backbone networks, the NIC and NOC
organizations are separate, yet they do need to interact to fully
perform their functions.
What is "The NIC"?
"The NIC" usually refers to the Defense Data Network, Network
Information Center (DDN NIC), which is now at Network Solutions,
Inc. The DDN NIC is a network information center that maintains a
repository for RFCs and Internet Drafts. The host name is
NIC.DDN.MIL. Shadow copies of the RFCs and the Internet Drafts
are maintained on several other hosts as well, including
NIS.NSF.NET and FTP.NISC.SRI.COM.
The DDN NIC also provides various user assistance services for DDN
users; contact NIC@NIC.DDN.MIL or call 1-800-365-3642 for more
information. In addition, the DDN NIC is the Internet
registration authority for the root domain and several top and
second level domains; maintains the official DoD Internet Host
Table; is the site of the Internet Registry (IR); and maintains
the WHOIS database of network users, hosts, domains, networks, and
Points of Contact.
This NIC was located for many years at SRI International, so you
may also hear the term "SRI NIC". SRI also maintains an online
information repository and provides general Internet information
services. For example, the SRI Network Information Systems Center
is currently the only site that provides paper copies of the RFCs,
which are made available on a cost recovery basis. Call 415-859-
3695 for more information on this service.
What is the IR?
The Internet Registry (IR) is the organization that is responsible
for assigning identifiers, such as IP network numbers and
autonomous system numbers, to networks. The IR also gathers and
registers such assigned information. The IR may, in the future,
allocate the authority to assign network identifiers to other
organizations; however, it will continue to gather data regarding
such assignments. At present, the DDN NIC at Network Solutions,
Inc., serves as the IR.
8. Questions About Services
How do I find someone's electronic mail address?
There are a number of directories on the Internet; however, all of
them are far from complete. The largest directories are the WHOIS
database at the DDN NIC, the PSInet White Pages, and KNOWBOT.
Generally, it is still necessary to ask the person for his or her
email address.
How do I use the WHOIS program at the DDN NIC?
To use the WHOIS program to search the WHOIS database at the DDN
NIC, TELNET to the NIC host, NIC.DDN.MIL. There is no need to
login. Type "whois" to call up the information retrieval program.
Next, type the name of the person, host, domain, network, or
mailbox for which you need information. If you are only typing
part of the name, end your search string with a period. Type
"help" for a more in-depth explanation of what you can search for
and how you can search. If you have trouble, send a message to
NIC@NIC.DDN.MIL or call 1-800-365-3642.
How do I become registered in the DDN NIC's WHOIS database?
If you would like to be listed in the WHOIS database, you must
have an electronic mailbox accessible from the Internet. First
obtain the file netinfo/user-template.txt. You can retrieve this
file via anonymous FTP from NIC.DDN.MIL.
Fill out the name and address information requested in the file
and return it to REGISTRAR@NIC.DDN.MIL. Your application will be
processed and you will be added to the database. Unless you are
an official Point of Contact for a network entity registered at
the DDN NIC, the DDN NIC will not regularly poll you for updates,
so you should remember to send corrections to your information as
your contact data changes.
How do I use the White Pages at PSI?
Performance Systems International, Inc. (PSI), sponsors a White
Pages Pilot Project that collects personnel information from
member organizations into a database and provides online access to
that data. This effort is based on the OSI X.500 Directory
standard.
To access the data, TELNET to WP.PSI.COM and login as "fred" (no
password is necessary). You may now look up information on
participating organizations. The program provides help on usage.
For example, typing "help" will show you a list of commands,
"manual" will give detailed documentation, and "whois" will
provide information regarding how to find references to people.
For a list of the organizations that are participating in the
pilot project by providing information regarding their members,
type "whois -org *".
For more information, send a message to WP-INFO@PSI.COM.
How do I use the Knowbot Information Service?
The Knowbot Information Service is a white pages "meta-service"
that provides a uniform interface to heterogeneous white pages
services in the Internet. Using the Knowbot Information Service,
you can form a single query that can search for white pages
information from the NIC WHOIS service, the PSI White Pages Pilot
Project, and MCI Mail, among others, and have the responses
displayed in a single, uniform format.
Currently, the Knowbot Information Service can be accessed through
TELNET to port 185 on hosts nri.reston.va.us and sol.bucknell.edu.
From a UNIX host, use "telnet nri.reston.va.us 185". There is
also an electronic mail interface avaliable by sending mail to
netaddress at either nri.reston.va.us or sol.bucknell.edu.
The commands "help" and "man" summarize the command interface.
Simply entering a user name at the prompt searches a default list
of Internet directory services for the requested information.
Organization and country information can be included thorgh the
syntax: "userid@organization.country". For example, the queries
"droms@bucknell" and "kille@ucl.gb" are both valid. Note that
these are not Domain Names, but rather a syntax to specify an
organization and a country for the search.
The default list of directory services currently includes the
whois services at the DDN NIC and the white pages service for
MCIMail. If an organization is specified, the PSI X.500 service
is also searched. Other services can be requested explicitly.
What is USENET? What is Netnews?
USENET is the formal name, and Netnews a common informal name, for
a distributed computer information service that some hosts on the
Internet use. USENET handles only news and not mail. USENET uses
a variety of underlying networks for transport, including parts of
the Internet, UUCP, BITNET, and others. USENET is not part of the
Internet proper. Netnews can be a valuable tool to economically
transport traffic that would otherwise be sent via mail. USENET
has no central administration.
How do I get on USENET?
To get on USENET, you must acquire the software, which is
available for some computers at no cost from some anonymous FTP
sites across the Internet, and you must find an existing USENET
site that is willing to support a connection to your computer. In
many cases, this "connection" merely represents additional traffic
over existing Internet access channels.
One well-known anonymous FTP archive site for software and
information regarding USENET is ftp.uu.net. There is a "news"
directory which contains many software distribution and
information sub-directories.
It is recommended that new users subscribe to and read
news.announce.newusers since it will help to become oriented to
USENET and the Internet.
What is anonymous FTP?
Anonymous FTP is a conventional way of allowing you to sign on to
a computer on the Internet and copy specified public files from it
[3]. Some sites offer anonymous FTP to distribute software and
various kinds of information. You use it like any FTP, but the
username is "anonymous". Many systems will allow any password and
request that the password you choose is your userid. If this
fails, the generic password is usually "guest".
What is "archie"?
The archie system was created by a group at McGill University in
Montreal to automatically track anonymous FTP archive sites, and
this is still its primary function. The system curently makes
available the names and locations of some 1,500,000 files at some
900 archive sites.
Archie's User Access component allows you to search the "files"
database for these filenames. When matches are found, you are
presented with the appropriate archive site name, IP address, the
location within the archive, and other useful information.
You can also use archie to "browse" through a site's complete
listing in search of information of interest, or obtain a complete
list of the archive sites known to that server.
The archie server also offers a "package descriptions" (or
"whatis") database. This is a collection of names and descriptions
gathered from a variety of sources and can be used to identify
files located throughout the Internet, as well as other useful
information. Files identified in the whatis database can then be
found by searching the files database as described above.
Additional databases are planned for the coming months.
How do I connect to archie?
You can connect to archie in a variety of ways. There is a
conventional TELNET interface, an electronic mail interface, and a
variety of client programs available. There are currently nine
archie servers located throughout the world.
To try the TELNET interface to archie you can TELNET to the host
ARCHIE.MCGILL.CA and login as user "archie" (there is no password
required). Type "help" to get you started. The "servers" command
can be used to locate an archie server closer to your site. Using
an archie server closer to you relieves some of the load on the
McGill host.
You can obtain details on using the electronic mail interface by
sending mail to "archie@archie.mcgill.ca" with the word "help" in
either the subject or body of the message.
Documentation on archie is available for anonymous ftp from
ARCHIE.MCGILL.CA in the subdirectory "archie/doc". A variety of
archie client programs are available in the subdirectory
"archie/clients". Questions, comments, and suggestions can be
sent to the archie development group by sending mail to "archie-
group@archie.mcgill.ca".
What is "TELNET"?
The term "TELNET" refers to the remote login that's possible on
the Internet because of the TELNET Protocol [9]. The use of this
term as a verb, as in "telnet to a host" means to establish a
connection across the Internet from one host to another. Usually,
you must have an account on the remote host to be able to login to
it once you've made a connection. However, some hosts, such as
those offering white pages directories, provide public services
that do not require a personal account.
9. Mailing Lists and Sending Mail
What is a mailing list?
A mailing list is really nothing more than an alias that has
multiple destinations. Mailing lists are usually created to