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Network Working Group J. Foster, Editor Request for Comments: 1689 University of Newcastle upon Tyne RARE Technical Report: 13 August 1994 FYI: 25 Category: Informational

                          A Status Report
                                 on
         Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups
   Produced as a collaborative effort by the Joint IETF/RARE/CNI
      Networked Information Retrieval - Working Group (NIR-WG)

Status of this Memo

 This memo provides information for the Internet community.  This memo
 does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
 this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

 The purpose of this report is to increase the awareness of Networked
 Information Retrieval by bringing together in one place information
 about the various networked information retrieval tools, their
 developers, interested organisations, and other activities that
 relate to the production, dissemination, and support of NIR tools.
 NIR Tools covered include Archie, WAIS, gopher and World Wide Web.

Table of Contents

  1.   Introduction ..............................................   2
  2.   How the information was collected .........................   3
  3.   What is covered? ..........................................   3
  4.   Updating information ......................................   5
  5.   Overview of the types of NIR Tool .........................   5
  6.   NIR Tools .................................................   9
  7.   NIR Groups ................................................ 123
  8.   Security Considerations ................................... 180
  9.   Acknowledgements .......................................... 180
 10.   Author's Address .......................................... 180
 11.   Appendix A: NIR Tool Template ............................. 181
 12.   Appendix B: NIR Group Template ............................ 188
 13.   Appendix C: Email Lists and Newsgroups .................... 192
 14.   Appendix D: Coming Attractions ............................ 207
 15.   Appendix E: Extinct Critters (Tools) ...................... 222
 16.   Appendix F: Extinct Critters (Groups) ..................... 222

Foster [Page 1] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

1. Introduction

 As the network has grown, along with it there has been an increase in
 the number of software tools and applications to navigate the network
 and make use of the many, varied resources which are part of the
 network.  Within the past two and a half years we have seen a
 widespread adoption of tools such as the archie servers, the Wide
 Area Information Servers (WAIS), the Internet gopher, and the
 Worldwide Web (WWW).  In addition to the acceptance of these tools
 there are also diverse efforts to enhance and customise these tools
 to meet the needs of particular network communities.
 There are many organisations and associations that are focusing on
 the proliferating resources and tools for networked information
 retrieval (NIR).  The Networked Information Retrieval Group is a
 cooperative effort of three major players in the field of NIR: The
 Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Association of European
 Research Networks (RARE) and the Coalition for Networked Information
 (CNI), specifically tasked to collect and disseminate information
 about the tools and to discuss and encourage cooperative development
 of current and future tools.
 The purpose of this report is to increase the awareness of NIR by
 bringing together in one place information about the various
 networked information retrieval tools, their developers, interested
 organisations, and other activities that relate to the production,
 dissemination, and support of NIR tools.  The intention is to make
 this a "living document".  It will be held on-line so that each
 section may be updated separately as appropriate.  In addition, it is
 intended that the full document will be updated once a year so that
 it provides a "snapshot" report on activities in this area.
 Whilst the NIR tools in this report are being used on a wide variety
 of information sources including files and databases there remains
 much that is currently not accessible by these means.  On the other
 hand, the majority of the NIR Tools described here are freely
 available to the networked Research and Education community.  Tools
 for accessing specialised datasets are often only available at a
 cost.
 It should be noted that in many ways networked information retrieval
 is in its infancy compared with traditional information retrieval
 systems.  Thesaurus construction, boolean searching and
 classification control are issues which are under discussion for the
 popular NIR Tools but as yet are not in widespread use.  However it
 should be said that, with the vast amount of effort that is currently
 going into the NIR field, rapid progress is being made.  Much work is
 currently being done on expanding some of the NIR tools to include

Foster [Page 2] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 handling of multimedia information services.  Progress has also been
 made in the discussions on classifying and cataloguing electronic
 information resources.

2. How the information was collected

 The information contained in this report was collected over the
 network from the contacts for each NIR Tool or Group using two
 templates:
  1. the NIR Tool Template, included in Appendix A;
  2. the NIR Group Template, included in Appendix B.
 The contents of these templates were discussed by the NIR WG in
 Boston (July, 1992) and subsequently on the email list.  (See the
 Section on the NIR-WG for details of how to join this mailing list.)
 The initial draft report was discussed at the NIR Working Group in
 Washington (November, 1992) and updated and added to at subsequent WG
 meetings.  Before the final submission as an RFC the individual
 templates were reviewed by independent reviewers from around the
 world.  Their efforts are acknowledged in Section 9.
 The NIR Tool template was used to collect the information necessary
 to identify and track the development of networked information
 retrieval tools.  This template asked for information such as how and
 where to get the software for each NIR Tool, documentation,
 demonstration sites, etc.  The main part of the template has been
 completed by the main individual responsible for the tool.  Sections
 of the template (e.g., on clients) may have required completion by
 others.
 The NIR Group template requested information on the aim and purpose
 of the group, the current tasks being undertaken, mailing lists,
 document archives, etc.

3. What is covered?

 In the current report you will find information on the following NIR
 tools:
    Alex
    archie
    gopher
    Hytelnet
    Netfind
    Prospero
    Veronica
    WAIS  (including freeWAIS)

Foster [Page 3] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    WHOIS
    World Wide Web  (including MOSAIC)
    X.500 White Pages
    Appendix D covers "Forthcoming Attractions":
       Hyper-G
       Soft Pages
       WHOIS++

and the following NIR Groups:

    CNI          Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)
                 Architectures and Standards
                 Directories and Resource Information Services
                 TopNode for Networked Information Resources,
                                                Services and Tools
    CNIDR        Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery
                                                     and Retrieval
    IETF         Integrated Directory Services (IDS)
                 Integration of Internet Information Resources (IIIR)
                 Networked Information Retrieval (NIR)
                    joint IETF/RARE WG
                 Network Information Services Infrastructure (NISI)
                 OSI-Directory Service (OSI-DS)
                 Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI)
                 Whois and Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS)
    IRTF         Internet Research Task Force Research Group on
                   Resource Discovery and Directory Service (IRTF-RD)
    NISO         Z39.50 Implementors Group
    RARE         Information Services and User Support Working Group
                   (ISUS)
    USMARC/OCLC  USMARC Advisory Group; OCLC Internet Resources
                      Cataloging Experiment (USMARC/OCLC)
 Appendix C contains a list of the relevant email lists and Appendix D
 contains information on "Coming Attractions" which are NIR tools not
 yet in widespread use.

Foster [Page 4] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

4. Updating Information

 Updates on and additions to the information contained in this report
 are welcome. CNIDR have agreed to host the report and to accept
 updates to individual templates from the template maintainers.  Send
 updates using the appropriate template (from Appendix A or Appendix B
 of this report) to:
 nir-updates@cnidr.org
 The current templates and this report may be retrieved from the UK
 Mailbase Server:
 Via anonymous ftp (use your email address as the password):
   URL: ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/nir/files/tool.template
   URL: ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/nir/files/group.template
   URL: ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/nir/files/nir.status.report
 or via gopher or World Wide Web to mailbase.ac.uk
 or via email:
   Mail to:  mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
Text of the message:
   send nir tool.template
   send nir group.template
   send nir nir.status.report

5. Overview of the types of NIR Tools

 The following is an overview of major networked information retrieval
 (NIR) tools available on the Internet.  There are many excellent
 books which discuss the Internet and NIR Tools in detail.  Such books
 include "The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog" by Ed Krol and
 published by O'Reilly and Associates, Inc and "The Internet Guide for
 New Users" by Daniel Dearn and published by Meckler.
 The number of these NIR tools is large and growing quickly.  Certain
 techniques reappear regularly and seemingly different tools may
 perform similar tasks, allowing a simple classification of projects
 encompassing most of the existing tools and services.

Foster [Page 5] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 The classification presented here is only one possible ordering.  The
 goal is to define in broad outlines what can be done with particular
 tools, realizing that users will always find novel unanticipated ways
 of applying them.
 Interactive Information Delivery Services (Gopher, World Wide Web)
    Basic Internet services such as electronic mail and anonymous FTP
    can be used to share information across the Internet, but neither
    allows simple browsing and neither is particularly easy for the
    newcomer to learn to use.  Gopher and the World Wide Web (W3) are
    two recent developments that attempt to make it easier to
    distribute information over the Internet.  Both allow the user to
    browse information across the network without the necessity of
    logging in or knowing in advance where to look for information.
    The Gopher project was first developed at the University of
    Minnesota to provide a simple campus-wide on-line information
    system.  Gopher represents information as a simple hierarchy of
    menus and files.  It has limited capability to recognize different
    types of files, allowing, for example, the display of selected
    types of image files.  Gateways to other services are provided
    (usually in a manner that is transparent to the user).  The
    underlying Gopher protocol is simple, and has facilitated the
    creation of freely available clients for use on a variety of
    hardware platforms and operating systems.  The more recent Gopher+
    protocol adds the ability to provide documents in alternate forms
    (PDF, PostScript, RTF, Word).  These features and the ease of
    installing and administering gopher servers has led to an
    explosive growth of gopher sites since its initial deployment.  As
    of November 1993, there were over 2200 known servers.
    World Wide Web relies on hypertext; formatted documents are
    displayed, and hypertext links within the document can be selected
    to travel from the current document to another.  W3 allows a user
    to annotate documents (using hypertext links), provides gateways
    to other services, and has multimedia support (for example, on
    appropriate hardware platforms it can intermix text and images in
    a displayed document).  There is a range of free W3 clients,
    supporting many environments.  World Wide Web was originally
    developed at CERN for the High Energy Physics Community.
    Gopher and WWW share a maintenance problem in that there is no
    automated way to update links to other documents when those
    documents are moved or removed.

Foster [Page 6] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Directory Services (WHOIS, X.500)
    Directory Service tools are intended to provide a lookup service
    for locating information about users (often referred to as White
    Pages), or services and service providers (Yellow Pages).  For
    example, a White Pages service might be used to locate an
    electronic mail address, given a name and organization, while a
    Yellow Pages service could be used to locate an online library
    catalog or file archive site.
    One of the first directory services deployed on the Internet was
    WHOIS, a simple White Pages service created to track key network
    contacts for the early DARPA-sponsored incarnation of the
    Internet.  A number of sites currently operate WHOIS servers,
    based on a range of extensions and enhancements to the original
    model.  WHOIS enjoys the advantages of simplicity and the presence
    of WHOIS client software on a preponderance of Internet-connected
    hosts.  Work is underway on a more powerful protocol, known as
    WHOIS++, which is backwards-compatible with WHOIS.
    The X.500 Directory Service is a much more ambitious Directory
    project that has been under development for a number of years
    under the aegis of ISO/OSI.  Implementations, concerned primarily
    with White pages services, are available in the public domain and
    from commercial sources.  There are LDAP based X.500 clients
    available for most major platforms, as well as a LDAP based gopher
    gateway to X.500.
    Despite years of effort, there is still no single White Pages
    Directory Service for the entire Internet; Yellow Pages services
    remain even less well developed and deployed.  The cost of setting
    up the service is one obstacle; maintaining the required databases
    is even more daunting.
 Indexing Services (archie, Veronica, online library catalogs)
    There are several Internet-based projects that build indexed
    catalogs of information to facilitate searching and retrieval.
    The first such services provided network access to library card
    catalogs, with more recent projects indexing network-based
    information.
 archie:
    The archie service began as a simple project to catalog the
    contents of hundreds of ftp-accessible online file archives.  The
    archie service gathers location information, name, and other
    details describing such files and creates an index database.

Foster [Page 7] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    Users can contact an archie server and search this database for
    files they require.
    The archie service is accessible through a range of access
    methods, including telnet, stand-alone client programs running on
    a user's own machine, gopher, WWW, or via electronic mail.  The
    initial implementation of archie tracks over 2,100,000 filenames
    on over 1,200 sites around the world (as of November 1993).  There
    are about 30 (geographically distributed) archie servers.  Both
    commercial and freely available versions of the archie client
    software are available.
    Work continues on extending the archie service to provide
    additional types of information.  The latest version is being used
    to provide a prototype Yellow Pages service and directories of
    online library catalogs and electronic mailing lists.
 Veronica:
    Veronica arose as an attempt to do for the world of Gopher what
    archie did for the world of ftp.  A central server periodically
    scans the complete menu hierarchies of Gopher servers appearing on
    an ever-expanding list (over 2000 sites as of November 1993).  The
    resulting index is provided by a veronica server and can be
    accessed by any gopher client.
 Online library catalogs:
    A large number of libraries make their computerized library
    catalogs available over the Internet.  Most are available through
    telnet sessions in which the user connects to a specific address
    and logs in using a specific login name.  Some are also available
    through other tools, such as Gopher.
 Text-based Indexing Services (WAIS)
 WAIS:
    Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS) is a system for indexing and
    serving information in a network-based environment.  It is
    distinct from indexing tools such as archie and veronica in that
    it is used to index text-based target documents on a server, as
    well as descriptions of the contents of a server.
    A WAIS server allows the administrator to set up an index of the
    documents (or resources) to be published.  The user employs a WAIS
    client to attach to a particular WAIS server, and specifies a
    search pattern which is matched against the server's index.  In

Foster [Page 8] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    early WAIS clients, searches are specified as simple natural-
    language queries; common ("stop") words are removed, and Boolean
    "ORs" are implicitly added between the remaining list of words.
    Matching documents are rank-ordered according to a simple
    statistical weighting scheme which attempts to indicate likely
    relevance.  The user may choose to view selected documents, or
    further refine the search.  The results of one search may be used
    to successively refine future searches ("relevance feedback").
    Gopher clients can also access WAIS servers via a transparent
    gateway.
    Both freely available and commercial versions of WAIS servers and
    clients are available.  Current work is attempting to add Boolean
    expressions and proximity and field specifications to queries.
    There are currently (as of November 1993) some 500 registered WAIS
    databases with an estimated 2000 additional databases that are not
    yet registered.  There are approximately another 100 commercial
    WAIS databases.

6. NIR Tools

 This section contains detailed information about the various NIR
 Tools.  It is ordered alphabetically.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

ALEX

Date template updated or checked: 19th March, 1994 By: Name: Vincent Cate

   Email address:    vac@cs.cmu.edu

NIR Tool Name: Alex

Brief Description of Tool:

 OVERVIEW:
    The Alex filesystem provides users and applications transparent
    read access to files in anonymous FTP sites on the Internet.
    Today there are thousands of anonymous FTP sites with a total of a
    few millions of files and roughly a terabyte of data.  The
    standard approach to accessing these files involves logging in to
    the remote machine.  This means that an application can not access
    remote files like local files.  This also means that users do not

Foster [Page 9] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    have any of their aliases or local tools available.  Users who
    want to use an application on a remote file first have to manually
    make a local copy of the file.  There is no mechanism for
    automatically updating this local copy when the remote file
    changes.  The users must keep track of where they get their files
    from and check to see if there are updates, and then fetch these.
    In this approach many different users at the same site may have
    made copies of the same remote file each using up disk space for
    the same data.
    Alex addresses the problems with the existing approach while
    remaining within the existing FTP protocol so that the large
    collection of currently available files can be used.  To get
    reasonable performance long term file caching is used.  Thus
    consistency is an issue.  Traditional solutions to the cache
    consistency problem do not work in the Internet FTP domain:
    callbacks are not an option as the FTP protocol has no provisions
    for this and polling over the Internet is slow.  Therefore, Alex
    relaxes file cache consistency semantics, on a per file basis, and
    uses special caching algorithms that take into account the
    properties of the files and of the network to allow a simple
    stateless filesystem to scale to the size of the Internet.
 USER'S VIEW:
    To a user or application, Alex is just a normal filesystem.  Any
    command that works on local files will work on Alex files.  Since
    Alex is a real filesystem, nothing needs to be recompiled and no
    libraries are changed.  Thus, users can apply all of their
    existing skills and tools for using files.
    The user sees a filesystem with a hierarchical name space.  At the
    top level (/alex) there are top-level Internet domains like "edu",
    "com", "uk", and "jp".  Each component of the hostname becomes a
    directory name. Then the remote path is added at the end.  If the
    user does a "ls /alex/edu/berkeley" he sees some machine names
    such as "ucbvax" and "sprite" and some directories on
    berkeley.edu.  From the "ls" it is not clear what is where.  The
    user may or may not be aware of host boundaries.
 INFORMATION PROVIDER'S VIEW:
    Alex is implemented as a user level NFS server.  NFS was chosen
    because it makes it easy to add Alex to a wide range of machines.
    Most machines can simply use the mount command.

Foster [Page 10] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    The model of usage is that there is one Alex server running at
    each institution (though this is not required in any way).  Users
    mount the local server which caches files for users at that site.
    Any information put into any anonymous FTP site becomes available
    via Alex.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Vincent Cate
Email address:        vac@cs.cmu.edu
Postal Address:       School of Computer Science
                      5000 Forbes Ave.
                      Pittsburgh PA, 15213
Telephone:            +1-412-268-3077
Fax:                  +1-412-681-1998

Help Line:

At this time Alex is a one person project (Vince).

Related Working Groups:

Maybe the FTP working group.

Sponsoring Organization / Funding source:

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Information Science and
Technology Office, under the title "Research on Parallel Computing,"
ARPA Order No.  7330.  Work furnished in connection with this research
is provided under prime contract MDA972-90-C-0035 issued by DARPA/CMO
to Carnegie Mellon University.  Vincent Cate is supported by an "Intel
foundation graduate fellowship".

Foster [Page 11] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Mailing Lists:

Address:              alex-servers@cs.cmu.edu
Administration:       alex-servers-request@cs.cmu.edu
Description:          alex-servers is for people setting up an Alex
                      fileserver.
Archive:              alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu (128.2.209.13)

News groups:

None.

Protocols:

What is supported:   Any machine that can NFS mount a fileserver.
What it runs over:   Unix machine and FTP
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
 Uses FTP sites.
 WAIS can be used to index files in Alex
  (this was done for ftpable-readmes and cs-techreports WAIS servers)
    New versions of archie can output Alex paths.

Future plans: Graduate from CMU.


Servers:

Date completed or updated:    19 March 1994
By: Name:                     Vincent Cate
Platform:                     UNIX
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Vincent Cate

Foster [Page 12] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Email address:                vac@cs.cmu.edu
Telephone:                    +1-412-268-3077
Server software available from:  alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu
Location of more information:
 No other place to go to.
Latest version number:
 New versions all the time.
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 This software is known to still contain bugs.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 200.
General comments:
 You can use lpr, make, grep, more, etc. on files around the world.

Clients:

You just do an NFS mount of the server.  No client software
is needed.

Demonstration sites:

Site name:   alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu
Access details - do the following as root:
 mkdir /alex
 mount -o timeo=30,retrans=300,soft,intr alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu:/ /alex
Example use:
 ln -s /alex/edu/cs/cmu/sp/alex/links alexlinks
 cd alexlinks
 ls
 cd cs-tr
 cd ls
 cd purdue
 ls
 lpr TR758.PS

Foster [Page 13] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

If you like Alex and want to use it regularly please find, or set up,
an Alex fileserver at/near your site.

Documentation:

ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/www/alex.html
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/doc/intro.ps
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/doc/NIR.Tool
ftp://alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu/doc/alex.post

Bibliography:

@InProceedings{cate:alex,
author =      "Vincent Cate",
title =       "Alex - a Global Filesystem",
booktitle =   "Proceedings of the Usenix File Systems Workshop",
year =        1992,
pages =       "1--11",
month =       may,
place =       "Ann Arbor, MI",
keyword =     "distributed file system, wide-area file system"

Other Information:

FTP to alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu and "cd to doc".  Get the "README" or
anything else there.  A current version of this document may be there
and called "NIR.Tool".  In Alex this file is named
"/alex/edu/cmu/cs/sp/alex/doc/NIR.Tool".

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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ARCHIE

Date template updated or checked: 1 March, 1994 By: Name: Peter Deutsch

   Email address:                      peterd@bunyip.com

NIR Tool Name: archie

Brief Description of Tool:

 The archie system is a tool for gathering, indexing and serving
 information from around the Internet.  The current version serves a
 collection of filenames found at anonymous FTP sites, as well as a
 smaller collection of text descriptions for software, data and other
 information found at anonymous FTP archives.  Additional databases
 are under development.
 User's View:
    Users run a client program to connect to an archie server and
    issue search commands to find information in an archie database.
    In the case of an anonymous FTP filename, this information can
    then be used to fetch the file directly from the archive site
    using the `ftp' command.  To the user, archie could be seen as a
    `secondary source' of information which, because of the high cost
    of locating and serving, would not otherwise be available.
    The user searches the archie databases through either a telnet
    session to a machine running an archie server, or by using a
    stand-alone client program (which uses the Prospero protocol for
    sending and receiving requests).  There is also an email interface
    which allows users to send and receive search requests via
    electronic mail.
    Freely available archie clients exist for most operating systems
    and can be fetched using anonymous FTP from most of the current
    archie servers.  There are also gateways to the archie system from
    many other NIR tools, including Gopher, WAIS and WWW.  An X.500
    interface to archie is currently under development.
 Information Provider's View:
    There are two types of information providers who would be
    interested in archie.  Primary information providers are
    interested in having a summary of the information provided by
    their service tracked by an archie server.  Secondary service

Foster [Page 15] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    providers, or those sites wishing to provide a "value-added"
    service for the Internet can elect to run an archie server at
    their site to provide a useful service to users, to raise the
    profile of their institution on the Internet, or to provide market
    differentiation (for commercial service providers).
    The archie system is of particular utility serving information
    where there are many sites to be searched and/or where the cost of
    searching each site is high.
    For example, there are currently over 1,200 anonymous FTP sites on
    the Internet, and the number continues to grow.  Searching for a
    specific filename at a single site may involve scanning hundreds,
    or even thousands of filenames.  Thus, most operators of anonymous
    FTP archives welcome the fact that archie indexes and serves the
    names of all files available from each site tracked.
 Information Types Supported:
    The archie system allows the gathering and serving of arbitrary
    information types, although the current system serves only
    freeform text and a dedicated text format for filename listings.
    Internally, the archie system now supports a WAIS search engine
    and frontends for Gopher, WWW and WHOIS++ for accessing archie
    information through Gopher clients is now being tested.
    Additional collections of information to be served by the archie
    software will be announced.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                   Archie Group, Bunyip Information Systems Inc.
Email address:          info@bunyip.com
Postal  Address:        Bunyip Information Systems Inc.,
                        310 St-Catherine St. West, suite 202,
                        Montreal, QC
                        CANADA H2X 2A1
Telephone:              +1-514-875-8611
Fax:                    +1-514-875-8134

Help Line: for archie server system and telnet client

Foster [Page 16] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Name:           Archie Group, Bunyip Information Systems Inc.
Email address:  info@bunyip.com
Telephone:      +1-514-875-8611
Level of support offered:
                o commercial support for server
                 (primarily for systems maintainers)
                o voluntary helpdesk support for freeware clients
                o volunteer helpdesk support for Internet information
                 gathering tools in general
Hours available:        - server system:
                         email:                24 hour support
                         phone support:        9-5 EST
  1. helpdesk consultation: as time permits

Related Working Groups:

IETF, IIIR, WNILS, URI.

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

Bunyip Information Systems Inc.
Funded by licensing of archie software and development contracts from
sponsors.  Additional information services based upon this software
are now being tested.

Mailing Lists:

Address:              archie-people@bunyip.com
Administration:       archie-people-request@bunyip.com
Description:

Foster [Page 17] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 This mailing list is for people interested in the archie project and
 its future developments.  Announcements of upgrades, new services,
 etc. are made to this list.
Archive:              none
  1. ——————
Address:              archie-maint@bunyip.com
Administration:       archie-maint-request@bunyip.com
Description:
 This mailing list is for people who operate and maintain archie
 servers.  Announcements of bug fixes, new releases and discussion of
 new features are carried out on this list.
Archive:
 "archives.cc.mcgill.ca:/pub/mailing-lists/archie-maint"
  1. ——————
Address:              iafa@bunyip.com
Administration:       iafa-request@bunyip.com
Description:
 This mailing list is for people who are involved in the Internet
 Anonymous FTP Archives Working Group of the IETF.  This group was
 involved in standardizing the encoding of information at anonymous
 FTP archives and thus is of interest to operators and users of the
 archie system.  It came to completion in November, 1992 and produced
 two documents which have been presented to the IETF as informational
 RFCs.
Archive:              "archives.cc.mcgill.ca:/pub/mailing-lists/iafa"

News groups:

Name:                 comp.archives.admin

Foster [Page 18] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Description:
This newsgroup is for operators and maintainers of Internet archives.
Announcements and discussions of issues related to archie are
presented here, as well as discussions of more general issues
relating to archiving and Internet services.
Archive:              not known
  1. ——————
Name:                 alt.internet.services
Description:
This newsgroup is for people interested in Internet-related services,
with a focus at the user level.  Announcements and discussions of
issues related to archie are presented here, as well as discussions
of more general issues relating to Internet services.
Archive:              not known

 Protocols:
 What is supported:
    The current archie system clients use the Prospero protocol for
    communication with the search engine on the archie server.  Freely
    available clients are available which include source to perform
    this communication for those wishing to implement additional
    clients.
    The archie server is capable of building arbitrary databases,
    using arbitrary search and access engines and the current release
    ships with the public domain implementation of WAIS.  We expect
    future archie servers to serve information using this protocol.
    The current server system assumes the TCP/IP protocol suite is
    available, and in particular the ftp protocol for data gathering.
    The archie system can be accessed through systems operating the
    Gopher, WAIS and WWW (HDDL) protocols.  A gateway from the X.500
    system is under development.

Foster [Page 19] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 What it runs over:
    The Prospero protocol implementation runs over its own
    implementation of a reliable datagram protocol based upon UDP.
    Data gathering runs over the TCP/IP protocol suite.
 Other NIR tools this interworks with:
    Prospero, Gopher, WAIS, WWW.
 Future plans:
    The archie system became a commercial product in October, 1992,
    marketed by Bunyip Information Systems Inc.  The company plans to
    market additional data gathering modules to allow the server code
    to build additional types of databases.  Work is also underway to
    integrate extensions to WHOIS to allow the building and
    maintaining of White Pages (names) directories.  The company is
    also working on other Internet information tools that will work
    with the archie system.

Servers:

Date completed or updated:    1 November, 1993
By: Name:                     Peter Deutsch
    Email address:            peterd@bunyip.com
Platform:                 Sun SPARC running SunOS 4.1 or later.
                          IBM RS6000 running AIX version 3.2 or later.
                          for additional UNIX platforms, contact
                          Bunyip Information Systems details.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Alan Emtage
Email address:                bajan@bunyip.com
Telephone:                    +1-514-398-8611
Server software available from:
 Bunyip Information Systems Inc.
 email:  info@bunyip.com
Location of more information:
Additional information on the archie product line is available from
the anonymous ftp archives on the various archie server sites. Try
"archie.ans.net", "archie.sura.net", "archie.au", etc.

Foster [Page 20] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Latest version number:          archie 3.1
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
This is the  commercial inmplementation of the archie system,
replacing a version done as a Masters project at McGill University
during the period 1990-1992.  It comes with an archie telnet client
that offers a number of minor improvements over earlier versions.
Additional releases, with a number of additional improvements, are
planned in the coming months.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 Currently about 27 (not all are publicly available)
General comments:
Most users access archie through a freeware or public domain client
program.  These are available from most archie servers via anonymous
FTP.  Check out the archie directory on any of the publicly available
archie servers or the banner message when logging into any of the
archie telnet clients for more details.

Clients:

Date completed or updated:    1 November, 1993
By: Name:                     Peter Deutsch
    Email address:            peterd@bunyip.com
Platform:                     command line shell, written in C. Works
                              with both UNIX and MSDOS/OS2 shells.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Brendan Kehoe
Email address:                brendan@cygnus.com
Telephone:                    not known
Client software available from: most archie server hosts and major
                                Internet archives. Look for filename
                                "c-archie-1.3.2.tar.Z".
Location of more information:   Packaged with software.
Latest version number:          1.3.2

Foster [Page 21] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Brief Scope and Characteristics:
This program provides a simple command line interface to the archie
server system, using the Prospero protocol.  Written in C, it has
been ported to MSDOS and OS2.
General comments:
This program should not be confused with the archie system telnet
interface, which is a program that runs on the archie server itself.
Future plans:  Not known
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    1 November, 1993
By: Name:                     Peter Deutsch
    Email address:            peterd@bunyip.com
Platform:                     command line shell, written in Perl.
                              Works with both UNIX and MSDOS/OS2
                              shells.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Khun Yee Fung
Email address:                clipper@csd.uwo.ca
Telephone:                    not known
Client software available from: most archie server hosts and major
                                Internet archives. Look for filename
                                "perl-archie-3.8.tar.Z".
Location of more information:   Packaged with software.
Latest version number:          3.8
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
This program provides a simple command line interface to the archie
server system, using the Prospero protocol.  Written in Perl.
General comments:
This program should not be confused with the archie system telnet
interface, which is a program that runs on the archie server itself.
Future plans:  Not known

Foster [Page 22] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:      1 November, 1993
By: Name:                       Peter Deutsch
Email address:                  peterd@bunyip.com
Platform:                       archie client program for VMS systems.
Primary Contact:
Name:                           Brendan Kehoe
Email address:                  brendan@cygnus.com
Telephone:                      not known
Client software available from: most archie server hosts and major
                                Internet archives. Look for filename
                                "archie-vms.com".
Location of more information:   Packaged with software.
Latest version number:          not known.
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
This program provides a simple command line interface to the archie
server system for users of VMS.
General comments:
This program should not be confused with the archie system telnet
interface, which is a program that runs on the archie server itself.
Future plans:  Not known
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:      1 November, 1993
By: Name:                       Peter Deutsch
Email address:                  peterd@bunyip.com
Platform:                       Xwindows client (X11R4)
Primary Contact:
Name:                           George Ferguson
Email address:                  ferguson@cs.rochester.edu
Telephone:                      not known
Client software available from: cs.rochester.edu, most archie server
                                hosts and major Internet archives.

Foster [Page 23] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                                Look for file "xarchie-1.3.tar.Z".
Location of more information:   Packaged with software.
Latest version number:          xarchie-1.3
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
This program provides an Xwindows client that allows users to search
the archie anonymous FTP database.  Also included is the capability of
fetching files (using ftp).
General comments:               none.
Future plans:  Not known
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:      1 November, 1993
By: Name:                       Peter Deutsch
Email address:                  peterd@bunyip.com
Platform:                       NeXTStep client.
Primary Contact:
Name:                          Scott Stark
Email address:                 me@superc.che.udel.edu
Telephone:                     not known
Client software available from: most archie server hosts and major
                                Internet archives. Look for file
                                "NeXTArchie.tar.Z".
Location of more information:   Packaged with software.
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
This program provides a NeXTStep client that allows users to search
the archie anonymous FTP database.  Also included is the capability
of fetching files (using ftp).
General comments:               none.
Future plans:  Not known

Foster [Page 24] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Demonstration sites:

Site name:      any one of:
  archie.rutgers.edu   128.6.18.15     (Rutgers University)
  archie.unl.edu       129.93.1.14     (University of Nebraska in
                                        Lincoln)
  archie.sura.net      128.167.254.179 (SURAnet archie server)
  archie.ans.net       147.225.1.2     (ANS archie server)
  archie.au            139.130.4.6     (Australian server)
  archie.funet.fi      128.214.6.100   (European server in Finland)
  archie.doc.ic.ac.uk  146.169.11.3    (UK/England server)
  archie.cs.huji.ac.il 132.65.6.15     (Israel server)
  archie.wide.ad.jp    133.4.3.6       (Japanese server)
Client software should be supported at all of these sites.
Additional sites are available. Use the "sites" command in the archie
telnet interface at any of the above sites for a more complete lists.
Access details:
              - telnet to any of the above sites
              - login as user `archie' (no password is required)
              - type `help' at the prompt to get started.
Note:  Some people forget and use ftp in place of telnet. This will
       not work. The hint that this is being done is that they claim
       that a password is needed, not that the site can't be found.

Documentation:

Document Title:         What is archie
Location details:       anonymous FTP from archie.ans.net
Site:                   archie.ans.net
Full file name:         "pub/archie/doc/whatis.archie"
Description:            Brief overview of the archie system.
Document Title:         archie man pages
Location details:       anonymous FTP from archie.ans.net
Site:                   archie.ans.net
Full file name:         "pub/archie/doc/archie.man.*"
Description:            Manual pages for the archie system telnet
                        interface in various formats (raw ASCII,
                        nroff, compressed, etc.). This document also
                        explains the various search options and other
                        features, so is of use to users of the other
                        archie client programs.

Foster [Page 25] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Document Title:         What's New in 3.0
Location details:       anonymous FTP from archie.ans.net
Site:                   archie.ans.net
Full file name:         "pub/archie/doc/whats.new"
Description:            Description of the changes to archie for the
                        first commercial release

Bibliography: none


Other Information: none

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 26] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

GOPHER

Date template updated or checked: 14 March 1994 By: Name: Mark P. McCahill

   Email address:   mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu

NIR Tool Name: Internet Gopher

Brief Description of Tool:

 The Internet Gopher protocol is a client/distributed-server document
 search and retrieval protocol originally developed at the University
 of Minnesota.  Gopher was originally created as a fast, simple,
 distributed, campus-wide information search and retrieval system;
 ease of use and implementation has made Gopher increasingly popular
 on the Internet.  Since its original release, many folks on the
 Internet have contributed to its growth, submitting patches, servers,
 clients, and linking their local servers into the worldwide network
 of Gopher servers.  Gateways exist to seamlessly access a variety of
 non-Gopher services such as ftp, WAIS, USENET news, Archie, Z39.50
 (1992 rev), X.500 directories, Sybase and Oracle SQL servers, etc.
 In addition, an "archie for gopherspace" called Veronica (very easy
 rodent-oriented net-wide index to computerized archives) has been
 developed at the University of Nevada.  Veronica makes it easy to
 search for items in gopherspace by title.
 The gopher protocol is often described as "fiercely simple"; it is
 connectionless (stateless), and uses TCP reliable streams.  A client
 connects to a server using TCP, and sends a one-line text "selector
 string".  The server responds by returning the item (a file, a
 directory listing, or a link to some other service) corresponding to
 the selector string and immediately closing the connection.  Items in
 directory listings are returned as a series of lines terminated by
 carriage-return line-feed.  Each item (line) is defined by a one-
 character tag to specify the item type, a display string or item-name
 that the client should display to the user, and a number of tab
 delimited fields to specify the selector string, host domain name and
 port number.  Because of its simple and connectionless nature, gopher
 servers make very minimal demands on their host machines and gopher
 clients are extremely easy to implement.
 The users view the Gopher world as a series of networked hierarchical
 directories much like a familiar filesystem.  However, the links
 define a graph rather than a simple rooted tree.  Links in the Gopher
 graph may define services other than simple files or directories;
 these include cso (qi) servers, telnet sessions, links to other

Foster [Page 27] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 gopher servers, and links to gateway servers.
 The information provider's simplest view is that files and
 directories below a certain root directory on their machine are all
 visible and available for retrieval by gopher clients.  More features
 like long names, item types, links, and gateway services are
 available to the more sophisticated information provider.
 Servers and clients run on most popular hardware, including Macs,
 UNIX boxes, PC-DOS boxes.  The Internet Gopher name is copyright (c)
 1991-1992 by the University of Minnesota.  The Internet Gopher
 protocol is described in an informational RFC (1436) available at
 better RFC archives everywhere.  Extensions to the base gopher
 protocol allow for associating meta-information with gopher items,
 alternate views of documents (i.e., text, postscript, rtf, etc.) and
 electronic forms.  Collectively, these extensions are referred to as
 Gopher+.  Gopher+ is upward compatible with the orginal gopher
 protocol.  The gopher software may be retrieved from numerous Gopher
 or FTP archive sites, including the University of Minnesota Gopher
 server, the Info-Mac Archive Gopher server, and by anonymous FTP from
 boombox.micro.umn.edu and sumex-aim.stanford.edu. As of December
 1993, about 1/3 of the approximately 4800 Gopher servers on the
 internet support Gopher+.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:        gopher@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Postal Address:       Microcomputer & Workstation Networks Center
                      152 Shepherd Labs
                      100 Union Street SE.
                      University of Minnesota
                      Minneapolis, MN 55455
Telephone:            +1-612-625-1300
Fax:                  +1-612-625-6817

Help Line:

Name:                 Microcomputer HelpLine;
                      ask for The Internet Gopher Development Team

Foster [Page 28] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Email address:        gopher@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Telephone:            USA: 612 MA MICRO (+1-612-626-4276)
                      Helpline is for general support at the U of M.
Level of support offered:     all users
Hours available:      Phone Helpline 9-4 weekdays.

Related Working Groups:


Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Mailing Lists:

Address:              gopher-news@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Administration:       gopher-news-request@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Description:          News and views of all things gopher. Tends to
                      be a high volume mailing list and technically
                      oriented.
Archive:              Via Gopher: University of Minnesota Gopher
                      Information About Gopher
Address:              gopher-announce@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Administration:       gopher-announce-request@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Description:          A low-volume mailing list of announcements of
                      new software and servers.

News groups:

Name:                 comp.infosystems.gopher
Description:          Discussion of all things gopher.

Foster [Page 29] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Archive:              Available via gopher client; connect to the
                      gopher server at gopher.tc.umn.edu port 70,
                      look in the "Information About Gopher" section.

Protocols:

What is supported:    Internet Gopher
What it runs over:    Anything you can run TCP/IP over.
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
                      Z39.50 WAIS variant via WAIS gateway
                      FTP via FTP gateway
                      archie/Prospero via an archie gateway
                      veronica (an archie for gopherspace)
                      NNTP via NNTP gateway
                      Finger (subset of gopher)
                      X.500 via X.500 gateway
                      Z39.50 1992 revision variant via Z39.50 gateway
                      Oracle and Sybase SQL servers via SQL gateway
                      CSO (Ph/Qi) online phone books
Future plans:         New user interace metaphor on PowerPC and
                      Pentium-based clients.

Servers:

Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     UNIX.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300
Server software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu

Foster [Page 30] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (things change fast;
                               please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Server, index server for WAIS based indices and for NeXT
 native indexing, tools, gateway code.  Supports Gopher+.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 Over 3000.
General comments:
 The defacto standard workhorse Gopher server.
 Paul Lindner is the architect and keeper of this server.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Macintosh.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300
Server software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
                              Macintosh Gopher Server and tools,
                              supports Gopher+.

Foster [Page 31] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Approximate number of such servers in use:
                              Current estimates between 300 and 400.
General comments:
 Runs on any Macintosh with 1MB memory or more.
 Requires MacTCP.  Can be configured to use Apple Computer's AppleSearch
 full-text search software as a Gopher-accessible search engine.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     PC-DOS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300
Additional contacts:
Name:                         Dennis Sherman
Email address:                Dennis_Sherman@unc.edu
Name:                         Foteos Macrides
Email address:                macrides@sci.wfeb.edu
Server software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        0.91b
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
                              Basic Gopher server for PC-DOS boxes.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
                              Current estimates between 25 and 75.

Foster [Page 32] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

General comments:
 Written by Chris McNeil <cmcneil@mta.ca>, based on Phil Karns net
 package.  The U of M Gopher team forwards difficult problems to
 Chris.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     VMS
Primary Contact:
Name:                         J. Lance Wilkinson
Email address:                jlw@psulias.psu.edu
Telephone:                    +1-814-865-1818
Server software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/VMS/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        1.2 VMS-0
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Basic VMS Server, shares some code with UNIX server.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 35-40 servers in use.
General comments:
 The VMS server was written and is maintained by J. Lance Wilkinson,
 Foteos Macrides, Bruce Tanner and others on the
 VMSGopher-L@trln.lib.unc.edu mailing list.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     VM/CMS

Foster [Page 33] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Primary Contact:
Name:                         Rick Troth
Email address:                TROTH@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU
Telephone:
Server software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu:/pub/gopher/
                              Brazos.IS.Rice.EDU:/pub/vmcms/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        2.4
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher server for IBM VM/CMS installations.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 Unknown.
General comments:
 This server was written and is maintained by Rick Troth.
 This server is commonly referred to as the Rice VM/CMS server.
 There is also another VM/CMS server: the Vienna VM/CMS server.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     VM/CMS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Gerhard Gonter
Email address:                Gerhard.Gonter@WU-Wien.ac.at
Telephone:
Server software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu:/pub/gopher/

Foster [Page 34] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        2.00.00
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher server for IBM VM/CMS installations.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 Unknown.
General comments:
 This server was written and is maintained by Gerhard Gonter.
 This server is commonly referred to as the Vienna VM/CMS server.
 There is also another VM/CMS server: the Rice VM/CMS server.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     MVS
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Steve Bacher
Email address:                seb@draper.com
Telephone:
Server software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu:/pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        2.1
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher server for IBM MVS installations.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 Unknown.
General comments:
 This server was written and is maintained by Steve Bacher.

Foster [Page 35] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Unix veronica server
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Steve Foster
Email address:                gophadm@futique.scs.unr.edu
Telephone:
Server software available from:
 Via FTP:                     veronica.scs.unr.edu:/veronica
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 veronica server software
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 Unknown.
General comments:
 Written and maintained by Steve Foster at the
 University of Nevada.
Future plans: Additional support for searching on Gopher+ attributes

Clients:

Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Macintosh
Primary Contact
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300

Foster [Page 36] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                               /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 One of the many Macintosh Gopher clients.  Requires MacTCP.
General comments:
 Macintosh TurboGopher is as of this writing, the fastest
 Gopher client available for the Mac.  Written by the
 Minnesota Gopher Development Team.  Supports Gopher+.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Macintosh
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Don Gilbert, Biology, Indiana
                              University - Bloomington
Email address:                Software@Bio.Indiana.Edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   Indiana University Gopher Server
                              IUBio Software+Data/GopherApp,
                              Mac Gopher client
Via FTP:                      ftp.bio.indiana.edu:/util/gopher/
                                                   gopherapp/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 One of the many Macintosh Gopher clients.  Requires MacTCP.

Foster [Page 37] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

General comments:
 Written and maintained by Don Gilbert.  Supports Gopher+.
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Macintosh
Primary Contact:
Name:                         "Jonzy"
Email address:                JONZY@CC.UTAH.EDU
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   gopher.cc.utah.edu in Testing directory
Via FTP:                      ftp.cc.utah.edu:/pub/gopher/Macintosh/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 One of the many Macintosh Gopher clients.  Requires MacTCP.
 Has a browser style interface.
 Uses customized Telnet application.
General comments:
 Written and maintained by "Jonzy".
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     UNIX (curses/EMACS based client)
Primary Contact:
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team

Foster [Page 38] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 The UNIX curses-based client.
General comments:
 Written and maintained by Paul Lindner.  Supports Gopher+.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     UNIX (simple client does not use CURSES)
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Sean Fuller
Email address:                fuller@aedc-vax.af.mil
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        0.3
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 sgopher is a simple gopher client for inetd/batch/online; it does not

Foster [Page 39] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 require much of the terminal other than it be 80X24 characters.  It
 can be run stand alone or it can be launched from inetd.  It doesn't
 use termcap or curses.  Sgopher outputs the \r\n pair at the end of
 line and requires a <return> after each command to support more
 terminal types.
General comments:
 Runs on VMS, IRIX, Ultrix, AIX, Solaris 2.x, Solaris 1.x
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Xgopher: UNIX XWindows based client
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Allan Tuchman
Email address:                tuchman@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Makes use of the X interface.
General comments:
 Written and maintained by Allan Tuchman.
Future plans:  Gopher+ support planned for the future.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill

Foster [Page 40] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Xgopher: UNIX XWindows based client
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Andrew Scherpbier
Email address:                xvgopher@gopher.sdsu.edu
                              turtle@sciences.sdsu.edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Makes use of the X interface... displays a way cool chewing gopher
 icon while information is being downloaded.
General comments:
 XView based gopher client.
Future plans:  Gopher+ support.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     NeXT: NeXTstep client
Primary Contact:
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution

Foster [Page 41] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Makes full use of the NeXT interface.
General comments:
 Initial version written by Max Tardiveau.
 Now maintained by Paul Lindner.
Future plans:
  1. ————————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     DOS TurboVision w/Clarkson packet
                              drivers
Primary Contact:
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Character-based graphics and windows under DOS. Uses either Clarkson
 Packet drivers (CRWYN packet drivers) and a built-in TCP/IP protocol
 stack or Ftp, Inc.'s protocol stack (PC/TCP).

Foster [Page 42] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

General comments:
 Gopher+ support.
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     VMS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Mark Van Overbeke
Email address:                mark@ummvxm.mrs.umn.edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        0.6
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
 The VMS client was written and is maintained by Mark Van Overbeke.
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     VMS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         The Internet Gopher Development Team
Email address:                gopher@micro.umn.edu
Telephone:                    +1-612-625-1300

Foster [Page 43] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        1.12
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Identical to Unix gopher1.12. Works on a VMS 5.5-2 system running
 MultiNet 3.1B.  UCX and Wollongong are also supported.
General comments:
 A port of the University of Minnesota Unix client to VMS.
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     VM/CMS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Rick Troth
Email address:                TROTH@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:

Foster [Page 44] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Gopher client for IBM VM/CMS installations.
General comments:
 This client was written and is maintained by Rick Troth.
 This client is commonly referred to as the Rice VM/CMS client.
 There is also another VM/CMS client: the Vienna VM/CMS client.
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     VM/CMS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Gerhard Gonter
Email address:                Gerhard.Gonter@WU-Wien.ac.at
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      boombox.micro.umn.edu
                              /pub/gopher/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher client for IBM VM/CMS installations.
General comments:
 This client was written and is maintained by Gerhard Gonter.
 This client is commonly referred to as the Vienna VM/CMS client.
 There is also another VM/CMS client: the  Rice VM/CMS client.
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill

Foster [Page 45] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     DOS with PC/TCP.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Steven E. Newton
Email address:                snewton@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via FTP:                      oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu:/public/dos/misc/
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher client for DOS with PC/TCP
General comments:
 Written and maintained by Steven E. Newton
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     DOS with PC-NFS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Stan Barber
Email address:                sob@TMC.EDU
Telephone:
Client software available from:
 Via FTP:                     bcm.tmc.edu:/nfs/gopher.exe
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher client for DOS with PC-NFS

Foster [Page 46] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

General comments:
 Written and maintained by Stan Barber
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     DOS Novell LWP Gopher Client
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Jeremy T. James
Email address:                blackp@med.umich.edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via FTP:                      lennon.itn.med.umich.edu:pub/gopher
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 DOS Novell LWP Gopher Client
General comments:
 Written and maintained by Jeremy T. James.
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Windows 3.1 with Winsock or PC/NFS.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Martyn Hampson
Email address:                m.hampson@ic.ac.uk
Telephone:
Client software available from:

Foster [Page 47] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:                      lister.cc.ic.ac.uk
                              /pub/wingopher
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:        (please check software distribution)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher client for Windows; uses either Winsock DLL or PC/NFS network
 interface.
General comments:
 Written and maintained by Martyn Hampson.  Gopher+ support.
Future plans:
  1. ——————
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Windows with Winsock and ToolBook.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Kevin Gamiel
Email address:                kgamiel@kudzu.cnidr.org
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Via Gopher:                   U of M Gopher
                              Information About Gopher
                              Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP:           sunsite.unc.edu
                   /pub/micro/pc-stuff/ms-windows/winsock/gophbook.zip
Location of more information:
 As above.
Latest version number:         1.0
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Gopher client for Windows; uses Asymetrix's ToolBook to paint the
 screen and speaks to the network via a Winsock DLL.

Foster [Page 48] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

General comments:
 Written and maintained by Kevin Gamiel
Future plans:
  1. —————————–
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Air Gopher commercial client for windows
Primary Contact:
Name:                         David Pool, Spry Software, Inc.
Email address:                dave@spry.com
Telephone:                    +1-206-447-0300
Client software available from:
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General Comments:
Future plans:
 Gopher+ support planned.
  1. —————————–
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     Win Gopher
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Bill Easton, Notis, Inc.
Telephone:                    +1-708-866-0159
Client software available from:
Location of more information:
Latest version number:

Foster [Page 49] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General Comments:
 Requires Winsock.  Supports gopher.
Future plans:
 Gopher+ support planned.
  1. —————————–
Date completed or updated:    14 March, 1994
By: Name:                     Mark McCahill
    Email address:            mpm@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Platform:                     GINA
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Mark Resmer, California Technology
                              Project
Email address:                resmer@eis.calstale.edu
Client software available from:
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General Comments:
 Macintosh and windows clients include netnews, email.
Future plans:

Demonstration sites:

List of sites which are willing to act as demonstration
sites for this application.
        site name              ip address   login as   serving area
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
   consultant.micro.umn.edu  134.84.132.4    gopher    North America
   gopher.uiuc.edu           128.174.33.160  gopher    North America
   panda.uiowa.edu           128.255.40.201  panda     North America
   info.anu.edu.au           150.203.84.20   info      Australia

Foster [Page 50] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

   gopher.chalmers.se        129.16.221.40   gopher    Sweden
   tolten.puc.cl             146.155.1.16    gopher    South America

Documentation:

Title:  (1) Gopher Protocol and
        (2) Gopher+ Proposed Extensions
Location details:
     Via Gopher: U of M Gopher
               Information About Gopher
                    Gopher Software Distribution
Via FTP: boombox.micro.umn.edu
            /pub/gopher/
Title: RFC 1436   The Internet Gopher Protocol
                  (a distributed document search and retrieval
                  protocol)
Via FTP: nic.ddn.mil
            /rfc/rfc1436.txt

Bibliography:

The Whole Internet, Ed Kroll, O'Reilly, 1992
The Internet Gopher, "ConneXions", July 1992, Interop.
Exploring Internet GopherSpace "The Internet Society News", v1n2 1992
The Internet Gopher Protocol, Proceedings of the Twenty-Third
    IETF, CNRI, Section 5.3
Internet Gopher, Proceedings of Canadian Networking '92
The Internet Gopher, INTERNET: Getting Started, SRI
    International, Section 10.5.5
Tools help Internet users discover on-line treasures, Computerworld,
    July 20, 1992
TCP/IP Network Administration, O'Reilly.
Balakrishan, B. (Oct 1992) "SPIGopher: Making SPIRES databases
   accessible through the Gopher protocol".  SPIRES Fall '92
   Workshop, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Foster [Page 51] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Other Information:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 52] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

HYTELNET

Date template updated or checked: 28 February, 1994 By: Name: Peter Scott

   Email address:     aa375@freenet.carleton.ca

NIR Tool Name: HYTELNET

Brief Description of Tool:

 HYTELNET is a terminate-and-stay-resident hypertext browser, which
 gives a user full instructions for logging into telnet-accessible
 sites on the Internet i.e., library catalogs, campus-wide information
 systems, bulletin boards, directory services, gophers, etc.  The
 browser does not make remote connections.  A Unix/VMS version, which
 does make remote connections, has been written by Earl Fogel,
 Computing Services, University of Saskatchewan.  Macintosh and Amiga
 versions are also available (see ftp site information below).

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Peter Scott
Email address:        aa375@freenet.carleton.ca
Postal Address:       324 8th Street East
                      Saskatoon, Sask, Canada S7H 0P5
Telephone:            +1-306-966-5920
Fax:                  +1-306-966-6040

Help Line:

Name:                 Peter Scott
Email address:        aa375@freenet.carleton.ca
Telephone:            +1-306-966-5920
Level of support offered:
                      o volunteer

Foster [Page 53] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Hours available:      8:00 a.m - 3:30 p.m CST

Related Working Groups:

None

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

None

Mailing Lists: HYTELNET Updates Distribution

Address:              hytel-l@kentvm.kent.edu
Administration:       By listowner Peter Scott
                      aa375@freenet.carleton.ca
Description:
To inform members of new versions of the software, and to keep users
informed of new/changed/defunct Telnet-accessible sites
To subscribe send e-mail message to listserv@kentvm.kent.edu with
no subject, and    sub hytel-l firstname lastname  as the body of the
message.
Archive:              None

News groups: bit.listserv.hytel-l


Protocols:

What is supported:
What it runs over:
Other NIR tools this interworks with:

Foster [Page 54] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Future plans:         Possible translation into gopher format

Servers:

 None.

Clients:

Date completed or updated: 21 December, 1993
By: Name:                  Peter Scott
    Email address:         aa375@freenet.carleton.ca
Platform:                  DOS
Primary Contact
Name:                      Peter Scott
Email address:             aa375@freenet.carleton.ca
Telephone:                 +1-306-966-5920
Client software available from:
 ftp.usask.ca in
 pub/hytelnet/pc as hytelnXX.zip, where XX = latest version number.
 pub/hytelnet/{amiga,unix,vms,mac}/* for respective versions
Location of more information: finger scottp@jester.usask.ca
Latest version number:     6.6 (Issued October 23, 1993)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
Future plans:
 To contine to produce updated versions in current form.

Demonstration sites:

The Unix/VMS version can be accessed via telnet to access.usask.ca
(login: hytelnet)

Foster [Page 55] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Documentation: None


Bibliography:

HYTELNET as software for accessing the Internet: a personal
perspective on the development of HYTELNET.
Electronic Networking, Vol. 2, No. 1 Spring 1992 pp 38-44
Hypertext...Information at your fingertips.
In: Designing Information: new roles for librarians.
Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993

Other Information:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 56] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

NETFIND

Date template updated or checked: 1 March, 1994 By: Name: Mike Schwartz

   Email address:     schwartz@cs.colorado.edu

NIR Tool Name: Netfind

Brief Description of Tool:

 Given the name of a person on the Internet and a rough description of
 where the person works, Netfind attempts to locate information about
 the person.  People can be specified by first, last, or login name.
 Their place of work can be described by name and/or the
 city/state/country.
 Netfind provides textual information about people, when it is able to
 locate such information.  It is not a directory in the usual sense of
 the word.  Rather, it searches for people using a number of Internet
 services and heuristics about how to locate user information.
 Because of the techniques it uses, Netfind can locate information
 about more people than any other Internet user directory - over 5
 million people in over 9,000 domains worldwide when last measured.
 You can use the University of Colorado Netfind server by telnet to
 bruno.cs.colorado.edu: login as "netfind" (with no password).  Help
 screens providing more detailed instructions and technical
 information are available there.  There is currently no way for non-
 Internet users to access Netfind (e.g., using an email interface).

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Mike Schwartz
Email address:        netfind-dvl@cs.colorado.edu
Postal Address:       Department of Computer Science
                      University of Colorado
                      Boulder, CO  80309-0430
Telephone:            Declined.  (Note: Netfind is currently a
                      volunteer service.  We do not have staff
                      resources to support telephone inquiries.)

Foster [Page 57] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Fax:                  Declined.

Help Line:

There are an increasing number of Netfind servers being set up at
various Network Information Centers (including the U.S. Internic).
However, since Netfind is provided as a volunteer service at this
time, there is no help line.

Related Working Groups:

Gopher, NIR, IIIR, IRTF-RD.

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

None.  Netfind was originally a research prototype.  It is offered
as-is, on an unsupported basis.  From time to time the original
developers make improvements, but it is not currently funded.

Mailing Lists:

Address:              netfind-users@cs.colorado.edu
Administration:       netfind-users-request@cs.colorado.edu
Description:          mailing list for user changes and updates.
Archive:              None.
  1. —————————
Address:              netfind-servers@cs.colorado.edu
Administration:       netfind-servers-request@cs.colorado.edu
Description:          mailing list for sites running Netfind servers.
Archive:              None.

Foster [Page 58] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

News groups:

None.

Protocols:

What is supported:    NVT ASCII.  At present no formal protocol is
                      used. We are currently implementing a client/
                      server protocol, which will allow better clients
                      and more efficient servers.
What it runs over:    TCP/IP.
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
                      Finger, Gopher, PH, SMTP, USENET news, UUCP
                      maps, Various NIC databases, Various service
                      logs, WAIS, WHOIS, X.500, DNS
Future plans:
 Many.  Telnet to the server and see the "Future Directions" menu
 under the "Frequently Asked Questions" help menu.
 In addition to the above list, we are currently exploring
 possibilities to integrate the Netfind seed database gathering
 mechanisms into the Fremont framework, to make the process more
 scalable, and to support other types of information (e.g., to help
 with mapping the Internet).

Servers:

Date completed or updated:    October 12, 1993
By: Name:                     Mike Schwartz
    Email address:            schwartz@cs.colorado.edu
Platform:                     SunOS 4.1 or more recent.  Uncertain
                              whether Netfind will run on Solaris.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Mike Schwartz
Email address:                schwartz@cs.colorado.edu
Telephone:                    (not supplied)
Server software available from: ftp.cs.colorado.edu, in the

Foster [Page 59] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

        directory pub/cs/distribs/netfind.
Location of more information: in above directory.
Latest version number:        4.4.
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
   This version of Netfind incorporates the ability for sites to
   register a set of URLs in their DNS server, pointing Netfind to a
   variety of different sources for information.  Netfind can now tap
   information from X.500, WHOIS, and PH, in addition to the previous
   sources it used (finger, etc.).  For more information see
   ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/cs/distribs/netfind/Netfind.WP.URLs
 Approximate number of such servers in use:
 17 public servers; hundreds or thousands of private stand-alone
 clients.

Clients:

The Netfind client is available in the same release as the server.
See above.

Demonstration sites:

Site name: bruno.cs.colorado.edu
The current list is:
   archie.au (AARNet, Melbourne, Australia)
   bruno.cs.colorado.edu (University of Colorado, Boulder)
   dino.conicit.ve (Nat. Council for Techn. & Scien. Research,
     Venezuela)
   ds.internic.net (InterNIC Directory and DB Services,
     S. Plainfield, NJ)
   eis.calstate.edu (California State University, Fullerton, CA)
   lincoln.technet.sg (Technet Unit, Singapore)
   malloco.ing.puc.cl (Catholic University of Chile, Santiago)
   monolith.cc.ic.ac.uk (Imperial College, London, England)
   mudhoney.micro.umn.edu (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis)
   netfind.anu.edu.au (Australian National University, Canberra)
   netfind.ee.mcgill.ca (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
   netfind.if.usp.br (University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil)
   netfind.oc.com (OpenConnect Systems, Dallas, Texas)
   netfind.vslib.cz (Liberec University of Technology, Czech Republic)
   nic.nm.kr (Korea Network Information Center, Taejon, Korea)

Foster [Page 60] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

   nic.uakom.sk (Academy of Sciences, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia)
   redmont.cis.uab.edu (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Documentation:

There are three primary sets of information available about Netfind.
The first is a set of help information, available in the FTP
distribution as well as from the help screens available from any
Netfind server.  This information includes a fairly complete set of
Frequently Asked Questions, as well as user help information and
pointers to other related information.  The second is a
pre-publication version of a technical paper about Netfind, available
in
ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/PostScript/
    Netfind.Gathering.ps.Z  (compressed PostScript)
or
ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/ASCII/
    Netfind.Gathering.txt.Z (compressed ASCII).
An earlier paper is also available in
ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/PostScript/
    White.Pages.ps.Z
or
ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/ASCII/
    White.Pages.txt.Z,
containing some of the original ideas in Netfind and measurements of
the system.  The Netfind.Gathering paper contains an up-to-date
description of the data gathering and integration algorithms.
The third source of information focuses particularly on the URL-based
remote site customization mechanism, and is available in
ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/cs/distribs/netfind/Netfind.WP.URLs

Bibliography:

Netfind is one prototype developed by the Networked Resource Discovery
Project, at the University of Colorado - Boulder.  A bibliography and
set of project papers is available by anonymous FTP from

Foster [Page 61] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

ftp.cs.colorado.edu, in pub/cs/techreports/schwartz.  This directory
contains a file called "README" that contains a project overview and
bibliography.  The files in this directory are also available via an
electronic mail interface.  For more information, send a mail message
to infosrv@ftp.cs.colorado.edu, containing the message body (not
subject line) "send HELP" (without quotes).

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 62] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

PROSPERO

Date template updated or checked: 1 March, 1994 By: Name: Steven Augart

   Email address:                 info-prospero@isi.edu

NIR Tool Name: Prospero

Brief Description of Tool:

 The Prospero directory service supports a user centered view of files
 scattered across the Internet.  It can be used to organize references
 to files as if they were on your local system, without the need to
 physically move them.
 Prospero provides access to existing directories and indices that can
 be used to find files of interest that are available from Internet
 archive sites.  Among the indices available is the archie database
 and a gateway to all Gopher menus, files, and searches.  We hope to
 have WAIS indices and World Wide Web documents online in the near
 future.
 Prospero also provides a mechanism to make directories and indices
 available to end-users and applications in a format that allows
 information from different sources to be integrated into a coherent
 whole.
 Prospero does not interpret the data that it organizes.  It does
 provide mechanisms to retrieve the data, but the display and use of
 the data is up to the user's application.  Prospero is intended to
 serve as infrastructure that integrates information from a variety of
 sources and supports a variety of user applications.
 Prospero allows fine grained authorization of requests to all
 objects, including directories and indices.  Prospero supports the
 authentication of clients through four mechanisms: (a) simple client
 assertion of the user's identity; (b) a trusted port mechanism
 similar to that used by the Berkeley UNIX R commands; (c) a simple
 cleartext passwording mechanism; (d) Kerberos (version 5).  The
 maintainer of an ACL chooses which of these mechanisms he or she
 wishes to accept as proof of the client's identity.

Primary Contact(s):

Foster [Page 63] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Name:                 Info Prospero  (preferred contact address)
Email address:        info-prospero@isi.edu
  1. ————————-
Name:                 Clifford Neuman
Email address:        bcn@isi.edu
Postal Address:       U.S.C. Information Sciences Institute
                      4676 Admiralty Way
                      Marina del Rey, CA 90292-6695
                      U.S.A.
Telephone:            +1-310-822-1511
  1. ———————–
Name:                 Steven Augart
Email address:        swa@isi.edu
Postal Address:       U.S.C. Information Sciences Institute
                      4676 Admiralty Way
                      Marina del Rey, CA 90292-6695
                      U.S.A.
Telephone:            +1-310-822-1511

Help Line:

Name: Info Prospero
Email address: info-prospero@isi.edu

Related Working Groups:

IETF IAFA WG
IETF IIIR WG
IETF URI WG
IETF NIR WG
IRTF Resource Discovery WG

Foster [Page 64] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California
The design and implementation was supported in part by the National
Science Foundation (Grant No. CCR-8619663), the Washington Technology
Center, Digital Equipment Corporation, and the Advanced Research
Projects Agency under NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC-2-539.

Mailing Lists:

Address:              info-prospero@ISI.EDU
Administration:       info-prospero-request@ISI.EDU
Description:          This mailing list is really two one-way mailing
                      lists.  Send mail to INFO-PROSPERO to obtain
                      information about Prospero, papers, or the
                      release.  Mail to INFO-PROSPERO will not be
                      passed on to subscribers. INFO-PROSPERO is also
                      the list to which we will send status updates
                      and information on how to obtain new releases.
Archive:              Via anonymous FTP to PROSPERO.ISI.EDU as
                      /pub/prospero/mail/info-prospero.arc
          Via Prospero in the "#/INET/EDU/ISI/GUEST/prototype" virtual
          system as /sites/isi.edu/pub/prospero/mail/info-prospero.arc
  1. ————————-
Address:              prospero@ISI.EDU
Administration:       prospero-request@ISI.EDU
Description:          This mailing list is for general discussion of
                      Prospero, for announcements of new sites that
                      have come on board, and for announcements of
                      directories that people have created to organize
                      the information already accessible.
Archive:              Via anonymous FTP to PROSPERO.ISI.EDU as
                      /pub/prospero/mail/prospero.arc

Foster [Page 65] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

          Via Prospero in the "#/INET/EDU/ISI/GUEST/prototype" virtual
          system as /sites/isi.edu/pub/prospero/mail/prospero.arc.

News groups:

NONE

Protocols:

What is supported:
     Prospero directory service requests are formatted
     according to the Prospero protocol.
     Prospero does not have its own file retrieval
     protocol.  Files may be automatically retrieved using
     FTP, NFS, AFS, and GOPHER.  Loginable services may also be
     accessed via TELNET.
What it runs over:
     Directory service requests are layered on top of
     UDP, with our own (included) reliable message delivery
     layer.
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
     Archie, Gopher, Wais, WWW
Future plans:

Servers:

Date completed or updated:    1 November, 1993
Platform:                     UNIX
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Clifford Neuman and Steven Augart
Email address:                info-prospero@isi.edu
Telephone:                    +1-310-822-1511
Server software available from:
 Via anonymous FTP: PROSPERO.ISI.EDU, /pub/prospero/prospero.tar.Z

Foster [Page 66] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Via Prospero: /releases/prospero/prospero.tar.Z, in the
     "#/INET/EDU/ISI/GUEST/prototype" virtual system.
 Note that the name prospero.tar.Z refers to the most stable release
 (currently Beta version 5.1).  If you want the latest version of
 the server (which includes the Gopher gateway), you should retrieve
 it by version number; the name for the latest version is
 prospero-alpha.5.2.tar.Z
Location of more information:
 Contained within the release.
Latest version number:
 Alpha Version 5.3
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 The server allows the maintainer to make directory information
 available about selected portions of the server's filesystem, such as
 anonymously FTPable files.  The server also is used to publish
 information from other databases, such as Archie.  The server also
 allows users and maintainers to store their own customized organizing
 views of the namespace.  Release Alpha.5.2 of the server includes a
 gateway feature which treats all Gopher servers as a Prospero
 database.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 50
General comments:
Future plans:
 We have a prototype NFS server that makes Prospero queries, but it is
 not yet ready to release.  We plan to develop a gateway similar to
 the existing Gopher gateway feature for World Wide Web.  There is
 also active work being done on exporting WAIS indices through
 Prospero in a way similar to the way the archie database is exported.

Clients:

Date completed or updated:    1st November, 1993
Platform:                     UNIX

Foster [Page 67] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Primary Contact
Name:                         Clifford Neuman and Steven Augart
Email address:                info-prospero@isi.edu
Telephone:                    +1-310-822-1511
Client software available from:
 Via anonymous FTP: PROSPERO.ISI.EDU, /pub/prospero/prospero.tar.Z
 Via Prospero: /releases/prospero/prospero.tar.Z, in the
     "#/INET/EDU/ISI/swa" virtual system.
 Note that the name prospero.tar.Z refers to the most stable release
 (currently Beta version 5.1).  If you want the latest version of
 the clients (which includes the Prospero menu browser), you should
 retrieve it by version number; the name for the latest version is
 prospero-alpha.5.2.tar.Z
Latest Version number:
 Alpha Version 5.2
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 We provide two client interfaces.  The older one is a command-line
 client, which can be configured to use the same syntax to navigate
 through the Prospero namespace that a user uses to navigate through
 the UNIX filesystem.  ("cd", "ls", etc.) The newer one is a menu-
 based file and directory browser similar to the UNIX Gopher client.
General comments:
 Archie clients also make queries in the Prospero namespace, so all
 Archie clients are Prospero clients too.  They are better described
 in the Archie report.
Future plans:
 We are working on enhancing the menu browser client to allow users to
 remotely customize and update virtual systems.  We plan to develop a
 Prospero hypertext browser.

Demonstration sites:

A guest virtual system is available on PROSPERO.ISI.EDU.  However, to
use it, you must compile the Prospero command-line client on your own
machine.  Instructions for using it come with the Prospero
distribution.

Foster [Page 68] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Documentation:

All of these papers are available via anonymous FTP from
PROSPERO.ISI.EDU.  They may additionally be obtained through
Prospero itself by preceding the 'Full file name:' given below with
'/sites/isi.edu' and looking in the '#/INET/EDU/ISI/GUEST/prototype'
virtual system.
Document Title: The Prospero Protocol, version 5
Location details:
     Site: PROSPERO.ISI.EDU
     Full file name: /pub/prospero/doc/prospero-protocol.PS.Z
Document Title: Prospero User's Manual
Location details:
     Site: PROSPERO.ISI.EDU
     Full file name: /pub/prospero/doc/prospero-user-manual.PS.Z
Document Title: Prospero Library Manual
Location details:
     Site: PROSPERO.ISI.EDU
     Full file name: /pub/prospero/doc/prospero-library-manual.PS.Z
Document Title: Prospero Menu-based Browser API Manual
Location details:
     Site: PROSPERO.ISI.EDU
     Full file name: /pub/prospero/doc/prospero-menu-api.PS.Z
Document Title: Description of Prospero Documents and Papers
Location details:
     Site: PROSPERO.ISI.EDU
     Full file name: /pub/prospero/papers/README-prospero-documents

Bibliography:

A bibliography listing all publicly available Prospero documents and
papers is available via anonymous FTP from PROSPERO.ISI.EDU as
/pub/prospero/README-prospero-documents The following papers are also
available via anonymous FTP from PROSPERO.ISI.EDU:
Prospero:/papers/subjects/operating-systems/prospero/prospero-bii.ps.Z
Anonymous FTP: /pub/papers/prospero/prospero-bii.ps.Z
(POSTSCRIPT)
   @INPROCEEDINGS{prosperobii,

Foster [Page 69] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

   AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford and Augart, Steven Seger",
   TITLE       = "Prospero: A Base for Building Information
                  Infrastructure",
   BOOKTITLE   = "Proceedings of INET'93",
   YEAR        = 1993,
   MONTH       = "August"}
For the readers of this report, this is the first paper you probably
want to read about Prospero.  This paper describes how Prospero can
be used to integrate internet information services, including
Gopher, WAIS, Archie, and World Wide Web.  The paper was
presented at INET'93 in August.
Prospero:/papers/subjects/operating-systems/prospero/prospero-oir.ps.Z
Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-oir.ps.Z
(POSTSCRIPT)
@ARTICLE{oir,
AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
TITLE       = "Prospero: A Tool for Organizing {I}nternet Resources",
JOURNAL     = "Electronic Networking: Research, Applications and
               Policy",
MONTH       = "Spring",
YEAR        = 1992,
VOLUME      = 2,
NUMBER      = 1}
This is the first paper we give to more general computer science
audiences to read.  It's also a good first paper to look at.  It
gives a good overview of Prospero and what it does.  It also
describes a bit about the Virtual System model, of which Prospero is
a prototype implementation.  Describes what Prospero does, not how
it does it.
Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-gfsvsm.ps.Z
(POSTSCRIPT)
   @INPROCEEDINGS{gfsvsm,
   AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
   TITLE       = "The {P}rospero {F}ile {S}ystem: A Global File System
                  based on the {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel",
   BOOKTITLE   = "Proceedings of the Workshop on File Systems",
   YEAR        = 1992,
   MONTH       = "May"}
This is a good third paper to read about Prospero.  This one is
targeted more toward system implementors.  It provides more
implementation details than the paper on organizing Internet
resources, but less of the vision of how Prospero can be used together
with other systems.

Foster [Page 70] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Prospero:
 /papers/subjects/operating-systems/prospero/prospero-smlic.ps.Z
 Anonymous FTP: /pub/papers/prospero/prospero-smlic.ps.Z
 (POSTSCRIPT)
   @INPROCEEDINGS{prosperosmlic,
   AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford and Augart, Steven Seger and
                  Upasani, Shantaprasad",
   TITLE       = "Using Prospero to Support Integrated
                  Location-Independent Computing",
   BOOKTITLE   = "Proceedings of the Usenix Symposium on Mobile and
                  Location-Independent Computing",
   YEAR        = 1993,
   MONTH       = "August"}
This paper describes how the Prospero Directory Service can be used to
solve the server selection problem and the user location problem.  The
paper was presented in August at the Usenix Symposium on Mobile
and Location-Independent Computing.
Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/UW-CS-89-01-07.PS.Z
(POSTSCRIPT)
   @TECHREPORT{vsmldos,
   AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
   TITLE       = "The {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel for Large Distributed
                  Operating Systems",
   INSTITUTION = "Department of Computer Science, University of
                  Washington",
   YEAR        = 1989,
   MONTH       = "April",
   NUMBER      = "89-01-07"}
This describes the initial vision for the Virtual System
Model, the model on which Prospero is based.  Much of the material in
this paper appears in greater detail in other papers.
Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/UW-CSE-90-05-01.PS.Z
(POSTSCRIPT)
   @TECHREPORT{vsmtp,
   AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
   TITLE       = "The {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel: A Scalable Approach
                  to Organizing Large Systems (A Thesis Proposal)",
   INSTITUTION = "Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
                  University of Washington",
   YEAR        = 1990,
   MONTH       = "May",
   NUMBER      = "90-05-01"}
for a long time this was the best description of Prospero, but

Foster [Page 71] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

all the information in this document appears in more recent papers and
the dissertation itself.
Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-closure.ps.Z
(POSTSCRIPT)
   @ARTICLE{nfclosure,
   AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
   TITLE       = "The Need for Closure in Large Distributed Systems",
   JOURNAL     = "Operating Systems Review",
   MONTH       = "October",
   YEAR        = 1989,
   VOLUME      = 23,
   NUMBER      = 4,
   PAGES       = "28--30"}
This paper describes the reasons that operating systems need to
support closure, that is they need to make it clear which name space
is to be used when resolving names.  While closure is one of the
important features of Prospero, the concept should be applied in other
operating systems too.
Prospero:

/papers/subjects/operating-systems/prospero/prospero-neuman-thesis.ps.Z

Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-neuman-thesis.ps.Z
(POSTSCRIPT)
   @PHDTHESIS{phdneuman,
   AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
   TITLE       = "The {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel: A Scalable Approach
                  to Organizing Large Systems",
   SCHOOL      = "University of Washington",
   MONTH       = "June",
   YEAR        = 1992,
   NOTE        = "Department of Computer Science and Engineering
                  Technical Report 92-06-04"}
This is Clifford Neuman's Ph.D. Dissertation.  It is currently the
definitive work on Prospero and the Virtual System Model.  Includes
an obsolete version of the Prospero User's Manual and of the Prospero
Protocol Specification.

Other Information:

We provide three documented library interfaces to Prospero in order to
make client writing easy.

Foster [Page 72] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

The PFS and PCOMPAT libraries are documented in the library reference
manual.  The PFS library allows one to directly make Prospero requests
and parse the results and to manipulate Prospero objects as
abstractions.  The PCOMPAT library is an interface to the PFS library
which uses the same interface as the UNIX filesystem; one can link
many existing programs with the PCOMPAT library in order to get it to
resolve names in the Prospero namespace.  It is not as portable as the
PFS library and does not provide as much functionality.
The third library interface is the menu-browser API library.  It is
documented in the menu-based browser API manual and is used by our
menu-based browser.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 73] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

VERONICA

Date template updated or checked: 28 February, 1994 By: Name: Steven Foster

   Email address:     foster@veronica.scs.unr.edu

NIR Tool Name: veronica

Brief Description of Tool:

 veronica: Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized
           Archives.
 veronica is the comprehensive title-index of the world's gopher
 servers.  Because of veronica, the Gopher web is a search-and-
 retrieval system as well as a browsing system.  veronica is popular
 because the ubiquitous Gopher client can both access the search
 server, and provide immediate access to the discovered resources.
 Taking advantage of Gopher's linked menus, and of the policy of open
 access at most gopher sites, veronica finds and indexes almost all
 items on publicly-accessible gopher servers.
 As of February, 1994, veronica holds indexes to more than 3200 gopher
 servers on approximately 2500 internet hosts.  In February 1994 the
 public-access veronica sites served an estimated 1,200,000 queries.
 Most queries are resolved in less than twenty seconds.  Eight server
 sites offer searches to the internet community, and several other
 institutions run servers for internal access.
 veronica is easily accessed via any Gopher client.  It offers various
 types of searches, ranging from single-keyword searches to boolean
 queries of indefinite complexity.
 A veronica search originates with a user's request for a search,
 submitted from a gopher client.  The searches may include boolean
 operators ( AND, OR, NOT, and parentheses ) and several options to
 control the number of items returned, and to restrict the search to
 certain gopher types.  The result of a veronica search is a set of
 gopher-type data items, which is returned to the gopher client as a
 gopher menu.  Each item on this menu contains the user's desired
 keyword or keywords in the item title.
 The user can access any of the gopher items by selecting from the
 returned menu.  Items on this menu may be drawn from many gopher
 servers.  Because veronica is accessed through gopher clients, it
 provides immediate access to all types of data supported by the

Foster [Page 74] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 gopher protocol and the client implementation.
 The veronica service comprises two functions:
 1) Harvesting menu data from gopher servers, and preparing it for
    use;
 2) Offering searches of that database to gopher clients.
 These two functions are not necessarily provided by the same host
 computer.  Currently collection and preparation of data are done at
 University of Nevada, and datasets are distributed to the other
 veronica servers.
 The veronica service infrastructure has been fairly stable since
 July, 1993, with eight server sites offering searches for the
 internet community (March 1994).  These servers are supported by the
 participating institutions: NYSERNET, PSI, SERRA, CNIDR, University
 of Koeln, SUNET, University of Bergen and the University of Nevada
 System Computing Services.  Several additional servers offer searches
 with access limited to internal users; in this class are servers at
 MSU, SUNET, and the Australian University system.
 An auxiliary tool to build a locally held menu of Public available
 has been created.  Called "maltshop", it has been distributed since
 January, 1994.  It appears that maltshop is rapidly being accepted,
 but its long-term effect on loading of the servers may be
 problematic.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 veronica development team
Email address:        veronica@veronica.scs.unr.edu
Postal Address:       VERONICA development team
                      SCS Computer Center Building  mailstop 270
                      University of Nevada, Reno
                      Reno,
                      NV  89557-0023
Telephone:            +1-702-784-4292  or +1-702-784-6557
Fax:                  +1-702-784-1108
Name:                 Fred Barrie
Email address:        barrie@cs.unr.edu
Postal Address:       SCS Computer Center Building  mailstop 270
                      University of Nevada, Reno
                      Reno,
                      NV  89557-0023

Foster [Page 75] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Telephone:            +1-702-784-4292  or +1-702-784-6557
Fax:                  +1-702-784-1108
Name:                 Steven Foster
Email address:        foster@nevada.edu
Postal Address:       SCS Computer Center Building  mailstop 270
                      University of Nevada, Reno
                      Reno,
                      NV  89557-0023
Telephone:            +1-702-784-4292  or +1-702-784-6557
Fax:                  +1-702-784-1108

Help Line:

Name:                 veronica development team
Email address:        veronica@veronica.scs.unr.edu
Telephone:            no telephone support available
Level of support offered:  all users
Hours available:      irregular response latencies to email queries,
                      based on schedule of developers.

Related Working Groups: GOPHER, FACETS


Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

University and Community College System of Nevada Computer Services,
and University of Nevada, Reno.  Additional support has been
provided by CNIDR, Pandora Systems, Inc., and Pacific Bell Co.
Server hosts have been provided by the sites listed above in
the Description section.

Mailing Lists:

Address:              gopher-news@boombox.micro.umn.edu
Address:              veronica-news@veronica.scs.unr.edu

Foster [Page 76] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


News groups:

Name:         veronica discussion happens on comp.infosystems.gopher

Protocols:

What is supported:    Gopher protocol, Gopher+ protocol
What it runs over:    TCP
Other NIR tools this interworks with:  Gopher, WAIS, ftp
Future plans:         Implement extensions with Gopher+.
                      Support for URN/URL standards.
                      Per-site updates of indexes.
                      Subject-area-specific indexes.
                      Indexes for USENET news and LISTSERV articles.
                      Automated server load-levelling.

Servers:

Date completed or updated:    February 28, 1994
By: Name:                     Steven Foster
    Email address:            foster@nevada.edu
Platform:                     UNIX
Primary Contact:
Name:                         veronica development team
Email address:                veronica@veronica.scs.unr.edu
Telephone:                    +1-702-784-4292 or +1-702-784-6557
Server software available from:
      Via ftp:                veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                veronica-code/
                                veronica-data/
                                veronica-data.tar.Z
Location of more information:
      Via Gopher:             veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                veronica/

Foster [Page 77] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                                  veronica-faq
                                  how-to-compose-veronica-queries
      Via Gopher:             gopher.cnidr.org
                                 veronica
                                   veronica-faq
                                   how-to-compose-veronica-queries
      Via ftp:                veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                veronica-code/
                                veronica-docs/
Latest version number:        0.6.5
Next planned version:         0.7b   (March 1994)
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Two modules:    a data-collection module and a data-server module.
 1.      Data-collector runs on any Unix computer that does TCP
         and compiles perl.  This has not been distributed yet.
         Data collection, data preparation, and indexing are being
         done at veronica.scs.unr.edu.  The harvester "walks" all
         advertised gopher servers, and any newly-discovered servers.
         Almost all redundant links are removed, leaving the
         ( hopefully ) canonical reference for each item.
         Indexes are built at Nevada, and the indexed dataset is
         distributed to server sites.
 2.      Server module.
         Servers run on unix computers and answer to gopher-type-7
         requests.  Boolean keyword logic is implemented.  See file
         "how-to-compose-veronica-queries".  Several options allow
         retrieval of items with specified gopher-types, retrieval
         of a file of links containing the search results, and
         override for the default limit on number of results returned,
         which is 200 items.
         Server software runs on most flavors of unix, requires dbm
         and perl, and requires about 1.4 GB of data on disk, with
         considerable /tmp space available.
         Server software is available to any site which wants to run
         a server.  Server sites are encouraged to offer the service
         to the net at large.

Foster [Page 78] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Approximate number of such servers in use:  twelve.
Auxiliary tool:  Maltshop v. 0.2d
Maltshop builds a menu of Public Gopher Servers for the local
gopher menu.
 Maltshop software available from:
      Via ftp:                veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                veronica-code/
                                menu-builder-0.2d
      Via Gopher:             veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70
                              11/Search ALL of Gopherspace
                                12/Script to automate your local
                                   Veronica menu
General comments:
 Basic veronica service has been fairly stable since July 1993.
 Indexing is quite efficient, and most queries are resolved in ten
 seconds or quicker.  More than 1,000,000 queries were resolved in
 February, 1994.
 Though veronica is well-accepted at this level of service, we are
 undertaking significant upgrade efforts during Winter 93-94.

Clients:

Date completed or updated:    October 19, 1993
By: Name:                     Steven Foster
    Email address:            foster@nevada.edu
Platform:                     veronica is accessed through any of the
                              gopher clients.
Primary Contact:              As for gopher clients.
Client software available from:       As for gopher clients.
Location of more information:
Via Gopher:                   gopher.tc.umn.edu, port 70
                              1/Information About Gopher
Future plans:                 veronica will interoperate with Gopher+

Foster [Page 79] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                              clients, allowing queries to be
                              composed by ASK blocks.

Demonstration sites:

Site name:            UCCSN veronica server
Access details:       gopher to veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                      Open "veronica" folder; choose one of
                      the search types available.
Site name:            University of Minnesota Gopher server
Access details:       gopher to gopher.tc.umn.edu, port 70.
                      Other Gopher and Information Servers
                      Search Gopherspace with veronica.
                      choose one of the search types available.
Site name:            NYSERNET veronica server
Access details:       gopher to nysernet.org, port 70.
                      Open "Search the Internet" folder;
                              choose one of veronica searches.
Site name:            SERRA veronica server
Access details:       gopher to gopher.unipi.it, port 70.
                      Open "University of Pisa - Services"  folder;
                              choose the veronica search.

Documentation:

Document Title:       veronica FAQ:  Common Questions and answers
                      about veronica, a title search and retrieval
                      system for use with the internet gopher.
Location details:
      Via Gopher:
      Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                        veronica
                           veronica FAQ
                      Full file name: veronica-faq
      Site:           gopher.micro.umn.edu, port 70.
                        Other Gopher and Information services
                          Search Gopherspace with veronica
                            veronica FAQ
                      Full file name: veronica-faq

Foster [Page 80] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

      Site:           gopher.cnidr.org, port 70.
                        veronica
                          veronica FAQ
                      Full file name: veronica-faq
      Via anonymous ftp:
      Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu
                      veronica-docs/veronica-faq
Document Title:       How to Compose veronica Search Queries.
Location details:
      Via Gopher:
      Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                        veronica
                           How to Compose veronica Search Queries.
                      Full file name:  how-to-query-veronica
      Site:           gopher.cnidr.org, port 70.
                        veronica
                           How to Compose veronica Search Queries.
                      Full file name:  how-to-query-veronica
      Via anonymous ftp:
      Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu
                      veronica-docs/how-to-query-veronica
Document Title:       About veronica.
Location details:
      Via Gopher:
      Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                        veronica
                          About veronica
                      Full file name: veronica-about
      Site:           gopher.micro.umn.edu, port 70.
                        Other Gopher and Information services
                          Search Gopherspace with veronica
                            About veronica
                      Full file name: veronica-about
      Site:           gopher.cnidr.org, port 70.
                        veronica
                          About veronica
                      Full file name: veronica-about

Foster [Page 81] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Bibliography: none

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 82] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

WAIS (WAIS, Inc.)

Date template updated or checked: 1 March 1994 By: Name: Nathaniel Lee

   Email address: than@wais.com

freeWAIS (CNIDR)

Date template updated or checked: 1 March 1994 By: Name: Jane Smith and Jim Fullton

   Email address: Jane.Smith@CNIDR.org and Jim.Fullton@CNIDR.org

NIR Tool Name: WAIS

Brief Description of Tool:

 WAIS - The Wide Area Information Servers system - is an electronic
 publishing software set which allows you to search out and retrieve
 multimedia information from databases anywhere in the world.  WAIS
 databases may be accessed by WAIS, gopher, and WWW clients (such as
 Mosaic), and via online services such as Delphi and America OnLine.
 WAIS software includes user interfaces for most platforms, and server
 software that provides automatic indexing of databases.
 WAIS was developed by Thinking Machines Corporation of Cambridge,
 Massachusetts in collaboration with Apple Computer, Inc., Dow Jones &
 Company, and KPMG Peat Marwick.  With over 100 databases and 5,000
 users worldwide, WAIS is rapidly becoming a standard for information
 distribution within the Internet environment.
 WAIS is a client-server application.  Most of the clients remain
 freely available with a few exceptions.  WAIS, Inc.  develops and
 sells commercial versions of WAIS and the Clearinghouse for Networked
 Information Discovery and Retrieval (CNIDR) develops freeWAIS, a
 version free for distribution and use.  A few freely distributable
 versions remain available from Thinking Machines, Inc.  and other
 organizations.
 What does WAIS do?
    WAIS allows multimedia information to be stored anywhere on any
    platform.  Using your interface of choice, WAIS enables you to
    find personal, corporate and public information.  The information
    is accessible regardless of format: text, formatted documents,
    pictures, spreadsheets, graphics, sound, or video.

Foster [Page 83] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    WAIS recognizes natural language queries. The search and retrieval
    of relevant information is made using your native language.  To
    date, we have used English, French, Italian, and Latin!  The most
    relevant documents, regardless of size, can be sent back to the
    server in their entirety to further refine your search (telling
    the server, "Find me more like this document.") Proven searches
    can be automatically repeated, monitoring and alerting you to new
    information as it becomes available.
 How does WAIS work?
    WAIS uses a single computer-to-computer protocol (NISO Z39.50-
    1988).  Each WAIS server reads your question and based on its
    words, searches the full text of the database for the most
    relevant documents, and ranks them using automatic word weighting.
    Servers need not fully understand your query; the retrieval
    process is based on a search method called relevance feedback.

Primary Contact(s) (WAIS, Inc.):

Name:                 Than Lee
Email address:        info@wais.com
Postal Address:       1040 Noel Drive, Suite 102, Menlo Park CA 94025
                      (USA)
Telephone:            +1-415-617-0444
Fax:                  +1-415-327-6513

Primary Contact(s) (CNIDR):

Name:                 George Brett
Email address:        George.Brett@CNIDR.org
Postal Address:       3021 Cornwallis Rd., Research Triangle Park
                      NC 27709 (USA)
Telephone:            +1-919-248-1499
Fax:                  +1-919-248-1101

Foster [Page 84] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Help Line (WAIS, Inc.):

Name:
Email address:        support@wais.com
Telephone:
Level of support offered:      commercial customers only
Hours available:      anytime

Help Line (CNIDR):

Name:                 Kevin Gamiel
Email address:        Kevin.Gamiel@CNIDR.org
Telephone:            +1-919-248-1499
Level of support offered:  developers only
Hours available:      9-5 EST

Related Working Groups (WAIS, Inc.):

Z39.50 protocol group

Related Working Groups (CNIDR):

NISO: Z39.50 Implementor's Group (ZIG)
IETF: IIIR (Integrating Internet Information Resources) Working Group
      URI (Uniform Resource Identifiers) Working Group

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source (WAIS, Inc.):

WAIS, Inc.

Foster [Page 85] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source (CNIDR):

National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement MCNC University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill Other U.S.  Government agencies

Mailing Lists (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

Address:              wais-discussion@wais.com
Administration:       wais-discussion-request@wais.com
Description:          Moderated, digested biweekly posting about WAIS
                      and Electronic publishing subjects.  Please
                      submit interesting material.
Archive:     /pub/mail-archives/wais-discussion/issue-*@wais.com
             and wais-discussion-archive WAIS server

Mailing Lists (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

Address:              wais-talk@wais.com
Administration:       wais-talk-request@wais.com
Description:          Implementors forum on WAIS/freeWAIS.  This is
                      for talking about nitty gritty details of
                      protocols and implementations.
Archive:              /pub/mail-archives/wais-talk@wais.com

News groups (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

Name:                 comp.infosystems.wais
Description:          Variable quality information on WAIS/freeWAIS.
Archive:              wais-talk-archive WAIS server

Foster [Page 86] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Protocols (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

What is supported:    z39.50-1988
What it runs over:
 The freeware runs over tcp/ip.  Production versions have worked
 over x.25 and modems as well.
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
 Gopher and WWW have been used as front ends to WAIS.
Future plans:
 freeWAIS: Z39.50-1992 compliance, search engine independence

Servers (WAIS, Inc.): Connection Machine WAIS server

Date completed or updated:     13th December, 1993
By: Name:                      Brewster Kahle
    Email address:             Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                      Connection Machine Model 2
Primary Contact:
Name:                          Ottavia Bassetti
Email address:                 ottavia@wais.com
Telephone:                     +1-617-234-1000
Server software available from: Thinking Machines Corp.
                                245 First Street
                                Cambridge, MA  02145 Location of more
                                information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Software that runs on CM2 Connection Machines to make them into WAIS
 servers.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 10
General comments:     Requires CM2 super computer.

Servers (CNIDR): freeware for most UNIX platforms

Foster [Page 87] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Jane Smith
    Email address:            Jane.Smith@CNIDR.org
Platform:                     Most Unix variations
Primary Contact:
Name:                         George Brett
Email address:                George.Brett@CNIDR.org
Telephone:                    +1-919-248-1499
Server software available from:
      ftp://pub/NIDR.tools/freewais @ftp.cnidr.org
      gopher://gopher.cnidr.org
      http://cnidr.org
Location of more information: info@CNIDR.org
Latest version number:        freeWAIS 0.202
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 server and client code for freeWAIS.
Approximate number of such servers in use:
 Unknown. ~568 databases are registered and freely accessible.
General comments:
 Source code freely available for use and modification.  Internet
 community contributes to the software development, CNIDR incorporates
 these developments into the freeWAIS releases.

Clients (CNIDR): many varied for most platforms

Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Jane Smith
    Email address:            Jane.Smith@CNIDR.org
Platform:                     varied
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Kevin Gamiel
Email address:                Kevin.Gamiel@CNIDR.org
Telephone:                    +1-919-248-1499
Client software available from:
      URL:ftp://pub/NIDR.tools/freewais @ftp.cnidr.org

Foster [Page 88] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Location of more information:
     phone or e-mail CNIDR
Latest version number:         N/A
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Many clients of varying capability available for most popular
 computing platforms
General comments:
 Clients developed and updated regularly; check mailing lists or ftp
 sites for latest information
Future plans:
 New clients when freeWAIS 1.0 (Z39.50-1992 version) is released

Clients:

Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     NeXT
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Paul Burchard
Email address:                burchard@math.utah.edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
       /pub/freeware/next@wais.com via anonymous FTP
Location of more information:
Latest version number:        WAIStation-NeXT-1.9.6
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:             NeXT client and server
Future plans:
  1. —————–
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle

Foster [Page 89] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    Email address:            brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     EIWAIS 1.55
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Kevin Gourley
Email address:                pc-shareware@einet.net
Telephone:
Client software available from:
       /pub/freeware/windows@wais.com via anonymous FTP
       /einet/pc@ftp.einet.net via anonymous FTP
Location of more information:
Latest version number:        Version 1.55
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
       WAIS client for Windows and Windows Sockets
General comments:  Windows WAIS Client for Windows Sockets
                   - supporting multiple source queries
                   - advanced program/viewer launching
                   - embedded (any file size) text viewer
                   - auto-keyword highlighting
                   - graphics viewers included
                   - auto-browse mode for redirected source queries
                   - auto-parsing of WAIS catalogs returned by servers
                   - runs on wide range of winsock TCP/IP stacks
Future plans:
  1. ————————-
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     telnet access (vt100)
Primary Contact:
Name:                         John Curran
Email address:                jcurran@nnsc.nsf.net
Telephone:
Client software available from:
     /pub/freeware/unix-src/wais-8-b5.1-swais-patches @wais.com

Foster [Page 90] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Location of more information:
     telnet to quake.think.com log in as wais.
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
Future plans:
  1. —————–
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     MacWAIS 1.28
Primary Contact:
Name:                         John Hardin
Email address:                mac-shareware@einet.net
Telephone:
Client software available from:
     /pub/freeware/mac@wais.com via anonymous FTP
Location of more information:
Latest version number:        1.28
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
Future plans:
  1. —————–
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     Mac Hypercard
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Francois Schiettecatte
Email address:                francois@wais.com

Foster [Page 91] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Telephone:
Client software available from:
     /pub/freeware/mac/HyperWais* @wais.com
Location of more information: contact author
Latest version number: 1.9
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
      HyperWais is a hypercard implementation of a WAIS client.
      Its main characteristic is that it allows the user to remodel
      the interface completely to their liking.
General comments:             Requires approximately 1.7Mb to run
                              (including Hypercard).
                              Requires system 7.0 or greater.
                              Requires Hypercard 2.1
                              Requires Mac TCP
Future plans:                 None at present
  1. —————–
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     VMS
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Jim Fullton
Email address:                Jim.Fullton@cnidr.org
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
Future plans:
  1. —————–

Foster [Page 92] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     DOS
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Jim Fullton
Email address:                Jim.Fullton@cnidr.org
Telephone:
Client software available from:  /pub/freeware/dos/pc.wais @wais.com
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
Future plans:
  1. —————–
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     DOS
     (Clarkson packet driver and Erick Englke's WATT/TCP)
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Faeiz Hindi
Email address:                hindi@eniac.seas.upenn.edu
Telephone:
Client software available from:
     /pub/tcpip/pcwais.zip@hilbert.wharton.upenn.edu
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:

Foster [Page 93] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Future plans:
  1. —————–
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     AVS
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Steve Thorpe
Email address:                thorpe@ncsc.org
Telephone:
Client software available from:
     avs_modules/data_input/awais/* @avs.ncsc.org
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
Future plans:
  1. —————–
Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
    Email address:            Brewster@wais.com
Platform:                     RS6000
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Dennis Shiao
Email address:                shiao@ans.net
Telephone:
Client software available from:
     /pub/freeware/rs6000/wais-8-b3-dist.tar.Z@wais.com
Location of more information:
Latest version number:

Foster [Page 94] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:             client and server
      "The details are correct, but I must point out that this
      version of WAIS is most outdated.  I'd suggest replacing it
      with AIX ports of the wais-8-b5 or freeWAIS packages, if
      anyone's done those (I haven't) .."
                              -Dennis.
Future plans:

Demonstration sites:

List of sites which are willing to act as demonstration sites for this
application.
    Site name:                  quake.think.com
    Access details:           telnet quake.think.com
                                      login as wais.
    Site name:                cnidr.org
    Access details:           telnet cnidr.org
                                   login as demo
                                   select #2 (Demos of NIDR software)
                                   select #2 (WAIS)
     (this is the worst of all possible interfaces since it is just a
     dumb terminal interface)

Documentation:

o   current overview
  1. "WAIS Server, WAIS Workstation, and WAIS Forwarder for UNIX

Technical Description", Release 1.1, December, 1993.

Available via anonymous ftp:
  /pub/wais-inc-doc/msWord/Tech-description -1.1.sit.hqx @ftp.wais.com
  1. "Interfaces for Distributed Systems of Information Servers",

Brewster Kahle, Harry Morris, Jonathan Goldman (Thinking Machines

   Corporation), Thomas Erickson (Apple Computer), John Curran (NSF
   Network Service Center), March, 1992.  (formally named "Interfaces
   for Wide Area Information Servers")

Foster [Page 95] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Available via anonymous ftp:
     /pub/wais-inc-doc/txt/Interfaces.txt@ftp.wais.com
     or WAIS server wais-discussion-archives.src
o   instructions to information providers
See the documentation in the release:
     /pub/freeware/unix-src/wais-8-b5.1.tar.z@wais.com
     or the wais-docs.src WAIS server.
o   user manuals
The Mac interface WAIStation has a user manual.  The unix
commands have man pages.
o   training materials
     - tutorials
     - canned demos
  1. Macintosh demostration screen-movie: Steve Cisler of Apple put

together a short screen-recorder movie for seeing some of what

  WAIStation does.
  Available via anonymous FTP:
  /pub/wais-doc/WAIStation-Canned-Demo.sit.hqx@wais.com
             - sample session (screen dumps)
- "WAIStation, A User Interface for WAIS", February 1991, Thinking
  Machines technical report TMC-203.
  User interface documentation with screen shots.
  1. videos
Available in special circumstances. Contact info@wais.com.

Bibliography:

  1. "WAIS Bibliography", WAIS Inc, (last update) September 1993.
Available via anonymous ftp:
/pub/wais-inc-doc/txt/WAIS-bibliography.txt @wais.com or WAIS server
wais-discussion-archive.src

Foster [Page 96] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Other Information:

Check for current information about freeWAIS on CNIDR's gopher and WWW
servers: gopher.cnidr.org and www.cnidr.org

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 97] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

WHOIS

Date template updated or checked: 17 March, 1994 By: Name: Joan Gargano

   Email address:  jcgargano@ucdavis.edu

NIR Tool Name: Whois

Brief Description of Tool:

 As currently defined, NICNAME/WHOIS services is a TCP transaction
 based query/response server, running on a few specific central
 machines, that provides netwide directory service to internet users.
 Since the WHOIS service was defined in 1985, it has evolved into a
 distributed service.
 The InterNIC Registration Services is located at Network Solutions,
 Inc., Herndon, VA, and is funded by a cooperative agreement from the
 National Science Foundations to provide assistance in registering
 networks, domains, asn's, and other entities to the Internet
 community via telephone, electronic mail, and U.S. postal mail.
 Databases and information servers of interest to network users are
 provided, including the WHOIS registry of domains, networks, asn's
 and their associated poc's.  Gopher and Wais interfaces are also
 available for retrieving information and accessing whois.  Online
 documents maintained at registration services include registration
 related rfc's, registration templates, and various netinfo files.
 Many of the online files are available through our automatic mail
 service, MAILSERV@RS.INTERNIC.NET.  Whois queries can also be
 directed to rs.internic.net.  From a host, use the TELNET program to
 connect to host RS.INTERNIC.NET.  When greeted by the Registration
 host, type "WHOIS" and press RETURN.
 MAILSERV@RS.INTERNIC.NET is an automated service provided by InterNIC
 Registration Services.  It allows access to documents and information
 via ordinary electronic mail.  This is especially useful for users
 who do not have access to the NIC via a direct Internet link, such as
 users of BITNET, CSNET and UUCP sites.
 To use the mail service, send a mail message to
 MAILSERV@RS.INTERNIC.NET.  In the SUBJECT field, request the type of
 service you wish followed by any needed arguments.  The message body
 is normally ignored.  Large files will be broken into smaller
 separate messages.  The information you request will be sent back to
 you as soon as possible.

Foster [Page 98] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 WHOIS xxx       Returns information about xxx from the WHOIS service.
                 Use "WHOIS HELP" for information on how to use WHOIS.
 The MILNET Network Information Center, maintains the central NICNAME
 database and server, providing online look-up of individuals, network
 organizations, MILNET nodes, and other information of interest to
 those involved in management of the Internet.  Whois queries can be
 sent to nic.ddn.mil.

Primary Contact(s): Network Solutions, Inc.

Name:                 Hostmaster
Email address:        hostmaster@rs.internic.net
Postal Address:       Network Solutions
                      AttN: InterNIC Registration Services
                      505 Huntmar Park Drive
                      Herndon, VA 22070
Telephone:            +1-703-742-4777

Help Line: (for major center as well as each client)

Name:                 Hostmaster
                      Help information available via gopher,
                      gopher.internic.net
Email address:        hostmaster@rs.internic.net
Telephone:            +1-703-742-4777
Level of support offered:
      o funded
      o all users
Hours available:      24 hours/day, 7 days per week.

Related Working Groups:

Whois and Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS)

Foster [Page 99] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

National Science Foundations

Mailing Lists:

Address:              ietf-wnils@ucdavis.edu
Administration:       ietf-wnils-request
Description:          This mailing list is used by the IETF Whois and
                      Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS)
                      working group which is defining enhancements
                      to whois.
Archive:              ftp.ucdavis.edu:/archive/wnils-archive

News groups: None.


Protocols:

What is supported:    TCP/whois
What it runs over:    TCP/IP networks
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
Future plans:         Enhancements through Whois++
                      Enhancements  through Referral Whois.

Servers:

Date completed or updated:      4 March, 1994
By: Name:                       Joan Gargano
Platform:                       Unix
Primary Contact:                Network Solutions, Inc.

Foster [Page 100] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Name:                           Hostmaster
Email address:                  hostmaster@rs.internic.net
Telephone:                      +1-703-742-4777

Clients:

Clients are available from the source listed for server software.  VMS
clients are available from TVG/Multinet Most TCP/IP networking
packages for personal computers include a whois client.

Demonstration sites:

Site name:                    rs.internic.net
  Access details:             Using a whois client,
                                      whois -h rs.internic.net "name"
                              where "name" is the name of a person.

Documentation:

Document Title:       RFC 954
Location details:
     Site:            nic.ddn.mil:/rfc
     Full file name:  rfc954.txt
Document Title:       Specifications for WHOIS Services
Location details:
     Site:            ftp.ucdavis.edu
     Full file name:  /archive/ietf-wnils/Discussion.Paper

Bibliography:

      RFC 954
      Internet Drafts:
      draft-ietf-wnils-whois-01.txt
      draft-ietf-wnils-whois-02.txt
      draft-ietf-wnils-whois-lookup-00.txt
      draft-huitema-solo-00.txt

Foster [Page 101] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

      Please check the 1id-abstracts.txt listing contained in the
      internet-drafts Shadow Directories on nic.ddn.mil,
      nnsc.nsf.net, nic.nordu.net, ftp.isi.edu, or munnari.oz.au
      to learn the current status of any Internet Draft.

Other Information:


Evaluation:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 102] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

World-Wide Web

Date template updated or checked: 28th January, 1994 By: Name: Tim Berners-Lee

   Email address:                     timbl@info.cern.ch

NIR Tool Name: World-Wide Web

Brief Description of Tool:

 The WWW project merges the techniques of networked information and
 hypertext to make an easy but powerful global information system.  W3
 uses the concept of a seamless information space (the "web"), in
 which all objects including those accessed by earlier protocols
 (wais, gopher, ftp, etc.) exist.
 The project allows information sharing within internationally
 dispersed teams, and the dissemination of information by support
 groups.  Originally aimed at the High Energy Physics community, it
 has spread to other areas and attracted much interest in user
 support, resource discovery and collaborative work areas.  It is
 currently the most advanced information system deployed on the
 Internet.
 READER VIEW
    The WWW world consists of documents, and links.  Indexes are
    special documents which, rather than being read, may be searched.
    The result of such a search is another ("virtual") document
    containing links to the documents found.  A simple protocol ("
    HTTP ") is used to allow a browser program to request a keyword
    search by a remote information server.
    The web contains documents in many formats.  Those documents which
    are hypertext, (real or virtual) contain links to other documents,
    or places within documents.  All documents, whether real, virtual
    or indexes, look similar to the reader and are contained within
    the same addressing scheme.
    To follow a link, a reader clicks with a mouse (or types in a
    number if he or she has no mouse).  To search and index, a reader
    gives keywords (or other search criteria).  These are the only
    operations necessary to access the entire world of data.

Foster [Page 103] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 INFORMATION PROVIDER VIEW
    The WWW browsers can access many existing data systems via
    existing protocols (FTP, NNTP) or via HTTP and a gateway.  In this
    way, the critical mass of data is quickly exceeded, and the
    increasing use of the system by readers and information suppliers
    encourage each other.
    Providing information is as simple as running the W3 server and
    pointing it at an existing directory structure.  The server
    automatically generates the hypertext view of your files to guide
    the user around.
    To personalize it, you can write a few SGML hypertext files to
    give an even more friendly view.  Also, any file available by
    anonymous FTP, or any internet newsgroup can be immediately linked
    into the web.  The very small start-up effort is designed to allow
    small contributions.  At the other end of the scale, large
    information providers may provide an HTTP server with full text or
    keyword indexing.  This may allow access to a large existing
    database without changing the way that database is managed.  Such
    gateways have already been made into Oracle(tm), WAIS, and
    Digital's VMS/Help systems, to name but a few.
    The WWW model gets over the frustrating incompatibilities of data
    format between suppliers and reader by allowing negotiation of
    format between a smart browser and a smart server.  This should
    provide a basis for extension into multimedia, and allow those who
    share application standards to make full use of them across the
    web.
    This summary does not describe the many exciting possibilities
    opened up by the WWW project, such as efficient document caching.
    The reduction of redundant out-of-date copies, and the use of
    knowledge daemons.  There is more information in the online
    project documentation, including some background on hypertext and
    many technical notes.
 GETTING STARTED
    You can bootstrap yourself into the web by telnetting to
    info.cern.ch (no user or password). You can try a full screen
    interface "Lynx" by telnetting to ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu, login in
    as "www".  You can also find out more about WWW in this way.
    These are the least sophisticated browsers -- remember that the
    window-oriented ones are much smarter!  It is much more efficient
    to install a browser on your own machine, and you have many more
    facilities.

Foster [Page 104] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    If you have an X-windows based workstation, PC or Mac just FTP to
    FTP.NCSA.UIUC.EDU and get the binary of NCSA's "Mosaic" browser in
    directory /Web/Mosaic-binaries. Download it, uncompress it, set it
    executable, and run it.  It will tell you all you need to know.
    Mosaic is now available for PCs and Apple Macs.
    If you have an MSDOS machine with Windows, you could try the
    "Cello" browser from FATTY.LAW.CORNELL.EDU in directory
    /pub/LII/Cello.
    The line mode browser is currently available in source form by
    anonymous FTP from node info.cern.ch [currently 128.141.201.74] if
    you take both files
              /pub/www/src/WWWLibrary_v.vv.tar.Z.
              /pub/www/src/WWWLineMode_v.vv.tar.Z.
    (v.vv is the version number - take the latest.)
 Also available is a hypertext editor for the NeXT (in
 /pub/www/bin/next), the MidasWWW and ViolaWWW browsers for X11, an
 alpha-test Mac browser, and and a basic server
 (/pub/www/src/WWWDaemon_v.vv.tar.Z).  Documentation, including the
 latest list of software available , is readable using www.  A plain
 text version of the installation instructions is included in the tar
 file!
 Printable (postscript) documentation and articles are in /pub/www/doc
 on info.cern.ch.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Tim Berners-Lee
Email address:        timbl@info.cern.ch
Postal Address:       CERN, 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland
Telephone:            +41-22-767-3755
Fax:                  +41-22-767-7155
Name:                 Robert Cailliau
Email address:        cailliau@cernnext.cern.ch
Postal Address:       CERN, 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland
Telephone:            +41-22-767-5005
Fax:                  +41-22-767-7155

Foster [Page 105] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Help Line: (for www technical or political issues, to report bugs, to register

new servers, or new software)
Name:                 www support
Email address:        www-request@info.cern.ch
Telephone:            none.
Telnet:               info.cern.ch for information.
Level of support offered:
     o funded         for High-Energy Physics users
     o volunteer      for others who have read the online
                      information already.
While CERN collaborates with all NIR and W3 development anywhere, CERN
cannot provide user support for non-HEP end users.

Related Working Groups: NIR, URI, IIIR


Sponsoring Organisations / Funding source: NO FUNDING SOURCE

Bodies providing development effort include
HEP labs (CERN, CH; SLAC, CA, USA; FNAL, IL, USA; NIKHEF, NL; etc.),
National Center for SuperComputer Applications (NCSA, IL, USA),
O'Reilly Associates, (ORA, CA, USA),
Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval
(CNIDR, NC, USA),
BSD Inc (BSD, CA, USA) and many others too numerous to mention.
Other sources welcomed!

Newsgroup:

Name:                 comp.infosystems.www
Description:          General technical discussion, announcements
                      of new software, etc.

Foster [Page 106] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                      Please mail new server announcements to
                      www-request@info.cern.ch.

Mailing Lists:

1. Address:           www-talk@info.cern.ch for CONTRIBUTIONS ONLY
   Administration:    listserv@info.cern.ch      (robot)
                      www-talk-request@info.cern.ch (human)
   Description:       Technical discussion, W3 related.
                      Experts to experts. General questions to
                      comp.infosystems.www, please.
   Archive:           Not currently served, but kept.
  1. ——————
2. Address:           www-announce@info.cern.ch
                      NOT FOR GENERAL USE - serious low-volume
                                            announcements only
   Administration:    listserv@info.cern.ch             (robot)
                      www-announce-request@info.cern.ch (human)
   Description:       Low volume summary announcemements
                      of product releases, etc.
   Archive:           Not currently public

Protocols:

What is supported:   HTTP
                     FTP
                     anonymous FTP
                     Gopher
                     NNTP
                     WAIS (compile time option)
                     Local mounted file access
                     Telnet sessions
                     Rlogin sessions
What it runs over:   TCP/IP
                     DECnet option.

Foster [Page 107] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Other NIR servers W3 clients interworks with:
                     Techinfo, Hyper-G and X.500 via gateways.
                     Built-in capability in clients for others above
                     Archie access via WWW "WARCHIE" archie server
                     with direct hypertext pointers to FTP sites.
Resource indexing:   Many browsable and searchable indexes of
                     available information, by subject (virtual
                     libraries), and by position (geographical list of
                     servers).  Many of these point to any form of
                     data, HTTP or other server. A list of such
                     indexes is at
                     http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/DataSources/
                          bySubject/Virtual_libraries/Overview.html
Future plans:        Collaborative work features,
                     Hypertext editors for information organisation

HTTP Servers: CERN httpd

Platform:            unix, VMS, VM/XA, VM/CMS
Primary Contact:     www-request@info.cern.ch
Server software available from:
     ftp://info.cern.ch/pub/www/src
Location of more information:
     http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Daemon/User/Guide.html
Latest version number:        2.14
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
  • Fast stateless file server runs over TCP/IP.
  • Suitable for rapid documentation navigation.
  • Multimedia server allows multiple file formats to be used.
  • File format selected for transmission based on client

capabilities.

  • Add special functions using scripts. Standard CGI interface.
  • Logging
Approximate number of such servers in use:   600

Foster [Page 108] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

General comments:
     Some servers serve many databases.
     Many tools available for serving different sorts
     of information
             Gnu info
             teX
             SGML
             man pages
     etc., as hypertext.
  1. ——————————-
Other servers:
 For more information use WWW to access
 http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Daemon/Overview.html
 Servers include:
  NCSA server    Similar feature set to CERN's httpd, support from
                 NCSA.
  Plexus         Written in Perl -- many features.  Unix.
  MacHTTPD       Server for the Macintosh
  REXX for VM    A server consisting of a small C program which
                 passes control to a server written in REXX.
  1. ————————–

Mail Server:

Platform:             unix
Primary Contact:      www-request@info.cern.ch
Server software available from:
     ftp://info.cern.ch/pub/www/src/WWWMailRobot_*.tar.Z
Location of more information:
     http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/MailRobot/Overview.html
Latest version number:        1.0

Foster [Page 109] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Brief Scope and Characteristics:
     Mailing list subscription/unsubscription handling (crude)
     Return of documents given URL
     Restricts length of data returned.
     Allows access to ANY document by URL unless restrictions
     are imposed (FTP, news, etc., included). Quite generic.
     When hypertext messages are retrieved, the links are
     numbered like [1] and a list of URLs of referenced documents
     is appended to the document.
     Send message containing HELP to listserv@info.cern.ch for
     details.
Approximate number of such servers in use:   1 (-3?)
General comments
     Extends potential readership of W3 information to anyone
     with email, so an important step for universal readership.

NOTE: A full list of client software is kept in

     http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Clients.html
     and is not repeated here, as the list is constantly
     changing. Around 20 different clients. Telnet to info.cern.ch
     to see the list. Only the Line Mode Browser, lynx and
     Mosaic are covered here.

Client: Line Mode Browser

Date completed or updated:    28th January, 1994
By: Name:                     Tim Berners-Lee
    Email address:            timbl@info.cern.ch
Platform:                     Anything.  Even a hard copy terminal.
                              Written in portable C.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Tim Berners-Lee
Email address:                timbl@info.cern.ch

Foster [Page 110] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Client software available from:
     ftp://info.cern.ch/pub/www/src
Location of more information:
     http://info.cern.ch./hypertext/WWW/LineMode/Browser.html
     and linked documents
Latest version number:        2.14
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 The LineMode Browser is suitable for use on dumb terminals, requiring
 no control sequences except for carriage return and line feed.  It is
 also of course useable from terminal emulators in workstation windows.
 It can also be used as a text formatter, as part of a mail server,
 and as a general information retrieval tool.
 History list, Back/Next/Previous/Home navigation, ability to print or
 save documents (or pipe to shell commands on unix).
General comments:
 Very stable product which has many uses apart from interactive use.
 Generates C .h files from hypertext marked files, etc.
 Source release requires W3 library product.
 Public Domain.
Future plans:
 Future enhancements to include tracing of many links.
Demonstration sites:
 telnet info.cern.ch or telnet 128.141.201.74 (SWITZERLAND)
 telnet vms.huji.ac.il or telnet 128.139.4.3 (www) (ISRAEL)
  1. ———————————-
Client:                      Lynx
 Date completed or updated:  11 February 1994
 By: Name:                   Lou Montulli
 Email address:              montulli@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
 Platform:                   Unix + VMS
 Primary Contact(s):
 Name:                       Lou Montulli, Michael Grobe

Foster [Page 111] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Email address:              montulli@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu,
                             grobe@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
 Postal Address:             Computer Center, University of Kansas,
                             Lawrence KS, 66045
 Telephone:                  +1-913-864-0436 (Lou)
                             +1-913-864-0452 (Michael)
 Fax:                        +1-913-864-0485
 Client software available from:
      ftp2.cc.ukans.edu in directory /pub/lynx.
Location of more information: ftp2.cc.ukans.edu
Latest version number:       2.2
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Lynx clients provide a user-friendly hypertext interface to
 all of the major internet protocols for character cell (vt100)
 terminal users on UNIX and VMS platforms.  Lynx natively
 understands Gopher, HTTP, WAIS, FTP, NNTP (USENET NEWS) and
 CSO protocols and can transparently retrieve information using
 any of them.  Lynx can also launch telnet and tn3270 sessions
 and has support to run executable programs on the local machine
 so that it can be used as a menuing system.  Lynx is a part of
 the World Wide Web (WWW) project and has all of the features
 of a WWW client including HTML support and HTML+ forms support.
 Additional resource types such as Archie Techinfo, X.500, and
 Hytelnet may be also accessed through HTTP and Gopher gateway
 functions.
Future plans:
 Development of a DOS (non windows) version.
Help Line:
 Name:                       Lou Montulli
 Email address:              montulli@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
 Telephone:                  +1-913-864-0436
 Level of support offered:   volunteer
 Hours available:            11-5pm M-F CST
Demonstration sites:
 Site name:                  ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
 Access details:             telnet ukanaix.cc.ukanse.du
                             login as "www"

Foster [Page 112] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Documentation:
  o   current overview
        http://www.cc.ukans.edu/about_lynx/about_lynx/about_lynx.html
  o   user manuals
        http://www.cc.ukans.edu/lynx_help/lynx_help_main.html
  o   miscellaneous documents
        tar file of all documentation:
        ftp://ftp2.cc.ukans.edu/pub/lynx/lynx_help_files.tar.Z
Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:
  Academic Computing Services
  University of Kansas
Mailing Lists:
  Address:                   lynx-dev@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
  Administration:            listserv@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
  1. ———————————-
Client:                      NCSA MOSAIC for X
Date completed or updated:   16th December, 1993
By: Name:                    Marc Andreessen
    Email address:           marca@ncsa.uiuc.edu
Platform:                    X Window System (Unix)
                              -- Sun, DEC, IBM, SGI, HP, others.
Primary Contact:
Name:                        Marc Andreessen
Email address:               marca@ncsa.uiuc.edu
Postal Address:              National Center for Supercomputing
                              Applications
                             605 E. Springfield
                             Champaign, IL 61820
Telephone:                   +1-217-244-0765
Client software available from:
   ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in /Web/Mosaic.
Location of more information:
   ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in /Web/mosaic, and online, within Mosaic.
   http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/Docs/help-about.html

Foster [Page 113] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 o Frequently Asked Questions
   http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/Docs/mosaic-faq.html
 o user manuals
   http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/Docs/mosaic-docs.html
Latest version number:  1.1
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 NCSA Mosaic for the X Window System is a client interface to a wide
 variety of networked information systems, including World Wide Web,
 Gopher, WAIS, FTP, Usenet News, Archie, Techinfo, X.500, Hytelnet,
 Telnet, NCSA Data Management Facility, CSO ph/qi and others.  It
 offers a Motif-based point-and-click X interface with support for
 plaintext, formatted text, and embedded images; hyperlinks can also
 refer to images, video sequences, audio clips, PostScript files, etc.
 Mosaic also offers substantial interaction and collaboration
 facilities, including global history tracking, text and voice
 annotations, group/community-wide annotations, and more.
General comments:
Sponsoring Organisation:
 National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Future plans:
 Enhancement of the NCSA Mosaic environment to support advanced
 networked information systems and collaboration capabilities;
 development of clients on other architectures; research and
 development into intelligent agent-style user assistance mechanisms
 and novel navigation and representation strategies for dense, dynamic
 distributed information spaces.  (This is all dependent upon funding,
 of course.) Beta-test versions of Mac and Microsoft Windows 3.1
 were released in the fall of 1993.

Demonstration sites:

 See individual sections on clients.

Foster [Page 114] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Documentation:

All the W3 documentation available is in the web.  Some is also dumped
off into postscript.  Here are the URLs of entry points into the web
for the subjects requested:
  • * To retrieve any document by URL, use WWW (www <url> for example) or
  • * send mail containing the command "send " followed by the URL to
  • * listserv@info.cern.ch
  o current overview
     http://info.cern.ch./hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html
     see also
     http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/Docs/help-about.html
  o executive summary
     http://info.cern.ch./hypertext/WWW/Summary.html
  o instructions to information providers
     http://info.cern.ch./hypertext/WWW/Provider/Overview.html
  o Frequently Asked Questions
     http://info.cern.ch./hypertext/WWW/FAQ/List.html
  o user manuals
     See under individual products.
     ftp://info.cern.ch/pub/www/doc/*.txt
  o training materials
     Illustrated talk on WWW including transparencies: see
     ftp://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Talks/General/html
     see also
     http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/demoweb/demo.html

Foster [Page 115] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

[General WWW bibliography]

Bibliography:

o For latest list, see:
         http://info.cern.ch./hypertext/WWW/Bibliography.html
                Bibliography for the World Wide Web
                   WORLD-WIDE WEB BIBLIOGRAPHY
 This lists papers and articles about the W3 initiative and related
 matters which you may want to pick up for background reading or quote
 as references.  You can of course also quote any page you read with
 W3 by its document address.  The FTP server info.cern.ch has some of
 these in /pub/www/doc.

Other Information:

All WWW working notes and specs are on the web.  If it is not there
somewhere, it may not be anywhere.
Seek and ye shall find.  And if ye don't, mail someone to fix it.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 116] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

X.500 White Pages

Date completed or updated: 10 March, 1994
By: Name:          Chris Weider
    Email address: clw@bunyip.com

NIR Tool Name: X.500

Brief Description of Tool:

 X.500 is an international standard designed to provide a distributed
 global directory service.  It is primarily used today to provide
 'White Pages' services, although other types of services which have
 directory components (automated mail aliasing, for example) are
 beginning to be run over X.500.  In addition to information about
 people and organizations, the Directory also contains a pilot K-12
 Directory, pilot Information Resource information, and some other
 non-White Pages information.  X.500 contains a number of security
 features, which are implemented on different paradigms in the various
 servers.
 User's View:
    Users (either human or electronic) run a client program to connect
    to a local X.500 server.  Since X.500 is distributed, it appears
    that the entire global X.500 directory is available from the local
    server.  From this server connection, the user can add, delete, or
    modify information held by the Directory, or issue powerful search
    commands to locate individuals or other information.
    The first solid version of the X.500 protocol was released in
    1988, and has been the subject of much research in the past 5
    years.  Consequently, there are a large number of clients, for
    almost every platform, and a healthy number of servers.  There are
    mail interfaces to some parts of the X.500 directory, and there is
    a X.500 to Gopher gateway.  An X.500 interface to archie is
    currently under development, as well as an X.500 to WWW interface.
 Information Provider's View:
    X.500 provides a set of mechanisms to allow distributed location
    of, maintenance of, and access to a large set of data.  However,
    current servers force a hierarchical view on the location of the
    data, so it may not be suitable for all applications.  Also, the
    X.500 directory is today unable to provide access to information
    at a rate which would allow 'real-time' applications (such as

Foster [Page 117] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    keeping routing information in the directory).
    Also, there is a great effort underway to reduce the startup costs
    of X.500 access by providing a lightweight X.500 access protocol
    for client-server applications.  This work is detailed in RFC
    1487:
    "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol", by Yeong, Howes, and
    Kille.  This protocol is expected to make the cost of entry for a
    service provider much less that it has been.
 Information Types Supported:
    X.500 allows information to be served in an attribute:value
    paradigm, with related attributes grouped into 'objects'. Each
    entry in the directory can be described by multiple objects.
    Attributes can have values which are text strings, dereferenceable
    file names, or text-encoded photographs, and experimentation is
    underway to keep digitally encoded sounds in the directory.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 The PARADISE Project
Email address:        helpdesk@paradise.ulcc.ac.uk
Name:                 The White Pages Pilot Project
Email address:        wpp-manager@psi.com

Help Line:

X.500 encompasses a great number of clients and as a distributed
system does not have a central help line. Please see the
Documentation section for pointers to servers, clients, and associated
help lines.

Related Working Groups:

IETF's OSI-DS (OSI Directory Services)
IETF's IDS (Integrated Directory Services)

Foster [Page 118] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

OSI Implementor's Workshop's DS-SIG (Directory Services-SIG)
RARE's WG-NAP (Network Application Support)

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

Not Applicable

Mailing Lists:

Address:              osi-ds@cs.ucl.ac.uk
Administration:       osi-ds-request@cs.ucl.ac.uk
Description:          Mail list for OSI-DS working group.
  1. ——————
Address:              ietf-ids@umich.edu
Administration:       ietf-ids@umich.edu
Description:          Mail list for IDS working group.
Archive:              Anonymous FTP, merit.edu in directory
                      /pub/ietf-ids-archive.
  1. ——————
Address:              dssig@ics.uci.edu
Administration:       dssig-request@ics.uci.edu
Description:          Mail list for OIW DS-SIG group
  1. ——————
Address:              wg-nap@rare.nl
Administration:       mailserver@rare.nl
Description:          Mail list for RARE working group WG-NAP
Archive:              Anonymous FTP, ftp.rare.nl, directory
                      /rare/working-groups/wg-nap/mail/current

Foster [Page 119] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Protocols:

What is supported:    X.500
What it runs over:    Applications run on full ISO stack down to
                      transport over TCP/IP + RFC1006, CONS, CLNS, or
                      X.25(80)
Other NIR tools this interworks with: Gateways to Gopher and WWW.

Servers:

A full list of servers and clients is available in FYI 11, RFC 1292,
"A guide to available X.500 Implementations". See the Documentation
section for the location of this document. However, the most widely
deployed server is listed here for convenience.
QUIPU
Date completed or updated:    21 October, 1993
By: Name:                     Chris Weider
    E-Mail:                   clw@bunyip.com
Platform:                     BSD 4.2, 4.3; AT&T System V; SunOS; AIX
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Steve Kille
E-Mail:                       S.Kille@isode.com
Telephone:                    +44-81-332-9091
Fax:                          +44-81-332-9019
Location of more information:
 RFC 1292
Latest Version Number:        8.0 (public domain)
                              IC R1 (ISODE consortium version)
Approximate number of such servers in use: 400

Demonstration sites:
 Site name: paradise.ulcc.ac.uk

Foster [Page 120] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Access details: telnet to paradise.ulcc.ac.uk
                 login as dua

Documentation:

Document Title: FYI 11, RFC 1292, "Catalog of Available X.500
  Implementations", R. Lang, R. Wright.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1292.txt
An update of this document is in preparation:
Document Title: "A Revised Catalog of Available X.500
  Implementations", A. Getchell, S. Sataluri.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: draft-ietf-ids-catalog-00.txt
Document Title: FYI 13, RFC 1308, "Executive Introduction to directory
  services using the X.500 protocol", C. Weider, J. K. Reynolds
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1308.txt
Document Title: FYI 14, RFC 1309, "Technical Overview of Directory
  Services using the X.500 protocol", C. Weider, J. K. Reynolds,
  S. Heker.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1309.txt
Document Title: RFC 1430, "A Strategic Plan for Deploying an Internet
  X.500 Directory Service",
  S. Kille, E. Huizer, V. Cerf, R. Hobby, S. Kent.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1430.txt
Document Title: FYI 21, RFC 1491, "A Survey of Advanced Usages of
  X.500", C. Weider, R. Wright.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1491.txt
Document Title: RFC 1487, "Lightweight Directory Access Protocol",
  W. Yeong, T. Howes, and S. Hardcastle-Kille

Foster [Page 121] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1487.txt
Document Title: RFC 1588, "WHITE PAGES MEETING REPORT",
  J. Postel, C. Anderson
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1588.txt
These documents contain pointers to the rest of the literature.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 122] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

7. NIR Groups

 This section contains information about the various groups working in
 the area of networked information retrieval.  The groups are listed
 alphabetically within their overall groupings (CNI, IETF, RARE,
 etc.).  See Section 3.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

CNI Groups

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994 By: Name: Craig A. Summerhill

   Email address: craig@cni.org

NIR Group Name: Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

Sponsoring Organisation: Association of Research Libraries

                       (ARL), CAUSE, and EDUCOM

Working subgroups:

Name of subgroup:       Modernization of Scholarly Publishing
                        Transformation of Scholarly Communication
                        Directories and Information Resource Services
                        Architecture and Standards
                        Legislation, Codes, Policies and Practices
                        Access to Public Information
                        Teaching and Learning
                        Management and Professional and User Education
Mailinglist-Address:    cni-announce@cni.org

Description of main group:

 The Coalition for Networked Information was founded in March 1990 to
 help realize the promise of high performance networks and computers
 for the advancement of scholarship and the enrichment of intellectual
 productivity.  The Coalition is a partnership of the Association of
 Research Libraries (ARL), CAUSE, and EDUCOM.  ARL is dedicated to
 equitable access to, and effective use of, recorded knowlege in
 support of teaching, research, scholarship, and community service,
 and CAUSE and EDUCOM are dedicated to different aspects of the
 introduction, use, and management of information technology and
 related resources in research and education in general and higher
 education in particular.  The Coalition pursues its mission with the

Foster [Page 123] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 assistance of a task force that provides a common vehicle by which
 more than 190 institutions and organizations are exploring a shared
 vision of how information management must change in the 1990s to meet
 the social and economic opportunities and challenges of the 21st
 century.  Members of the Coalition Task Force include, among others,
 higher education institutions, publishers, network service providers,
 computer hardware, software, and systems companies, library networks
 and organizations, and public and state libraries. A truly diverse
 collaboration of institutions and organizations.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                         Paul Evan Peters
Email address:                paul@cni.org
Postal Address:               Coalition for Networked Information
                              21 Dupont Circle, N.W.
                              Washington, D.C. 20036
                              USA
Telephone:                    +1-202-296-5098
Fax:                          +1-202-872-0884
  1. ——————–
Name:                         Joan K. Lippincott
Email address:                joan@cni.org
Postal Address:               Coalition for Networked Information
                              21 Dupont Circle, N.W.
                              Washington, D.C. 20036
                              USA
Telephone:                    +1-202-296-5098
Fax:                          +1-202-872-0884
  1. ——————–
Name:                         Craig A. Summerhill
Email address:                craig@cni.org

Foster [Page 124] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Postal Address:               Coalition for Networked Information
                              21 Dupont Circle, N.W.
                              Washington, D.C. 20036
                              USA
Telephone:                    +1-202-296-5098
Fax:                          +1-202-872-0884

Mailing Lists:

Address:         cni-announce@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-announce <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI News and Announcements
  1. ————————–
Address:         cni-architecture@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-architecture <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Architecture and Standards Working Group Forum
  1. ————————-
Address:         cni-bigideas@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-bigideas <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Big Ideas Project Forum
  1. —————————
Address:         cni-copyright@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-copyright <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     Copyright and Intellectual Property Forum
  1. ———————–

Foster [Page 125] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Address:         cni-directories@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-directories <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Directories and Information Resource Services
                 Working Group Forum
  1. ———————–
Address:         cni-legislation@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-legislation <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Legislation, Codes, Policies, and Practices
                 Working Group Forum
  1. ———————–
Address:         cni-management@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-management <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Management & Professional & User Education
                 Working Group Forum
  1. ————————
Address:         cni-modernization@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-modernization <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Modernization of Scholarly Publication
                 Working Group Forum
  1. ————————
Address:         cni-pubinfo@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-pubinfo <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Access to Public Information Working Group
                 Forum

Foster [Page 126] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

  1. ————————-
Address:         cni-teaching@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-teaching <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Teaching and Learning Working Group Forum
  1. ————————–
Address:         cni-transformation@cni.org
Administration:  listproc@cni.org
                 subscribe cni-transformation <lastname> <firstname>
Description:     CNI Transformation of Scholarly Communication
                 Working Group Forum

News groups: None


Document Archive:

URL:ftp://ftp.cni.org/CNI/*

Official Publications:

None.  The Coalition relies on the publication programs of its parent
organizations (ARL, CAUSE, and EDUCOM) to disseminate printed
information on the Coalition's projects and programs.  Information on
the Coalition's program is also disseminated via electronic mailing
lists on the network.

Bibliography: None


Other Information:

URL:gopher://gopher.cni.org 70/CNI Working Group Forums/*

Foster [Page 127] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

BRS/SEARCH full-text       telnet a.cni.org
information retrieval
system:                    login: brsuser

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 128] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994 By: Name: Craig A. Summerhill

   Email address: craig@cni.org

NIR Group Name: Architecture and Standards Working Group

Sponsoring Organisation: Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

 Working subgroups
    Name of subgroup:         Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed
    Mailinglist-Address:

Description of main group:

 Program priorities are 1) to facilitate a consistent and complete
 mechanism for linking bibliographic, abstracting, and indexing files
 to files of their associated source materials; 2) a single standard
 for the transmission of bitmapped image files; 3) protocols for
 handling networked requests for delivery of source materials; 4)
 mechanisms for interorganizational authentication, accounting, and
 billing; and 5) to integrate lessons drawn from the experience of
 pilot projects that exercise networked printing utilities and 6) to
 provide an "interoperability workshop" to specify, implement, and
 test advanced functions of Z39.50 to accelerate the pace and to
 ensure the quality of standardization efforts in this area.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                         Clifford Lynch
Email address:                calur@uccmvsa.bitnet
Postal Address:               Office of the President
                              University of California
                              300 Lakeside Dr., 8th Floor
                              Oakland, CA  94612-3350
                              USA
Telephone:                    +1-415-987-0522
Fax:                          +1-415-839-3573

Foster [Page 129] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Mailing Lists:

Address:                      cni-architecture@cni.org
Administration:               listproc@cni.org
                              SUB cni-architecture Lastname Firstname
Archive:
  URL:ftp://ftp.cni.org/CNI/forums/cni-architecture/*
  URL:gopher//gopher.cni.org 70/CNI Working Group Forums/
      cni-architecture/*

News groups: None


Document Archive: None


Official Publications: None


Bibliography: None


Other Information: None

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 130] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994 By: Name: Craig A. Summerhill

   Email address: craig@cni.org

NIR Group Name: Directories and Information Resource

                               Services Working Group

Sponsoring Organisation: Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

Working subgroups:

  Name of subgroup:          TopNode Management Team
  Mailinglist-Address:       cni-directories@cni.org

Description of main group:

This group recognizes the need for open systems, standards, and
therefore, interoperable products and services based upon a
distributed architecture of servers that draw upon a common or at
least comparable set of data elements.  It is creating a (printed
and networked) directory of directories and resource information
services that provide qualitative (consumer) as well as descriptive
information.  The group supports the Library of Congress effort to
enhance the MARC formats to account for the cataloging requirements of
networked resources and services, and the National Science Foundation
effort to procure a new NSFNet Network Information Center.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                         George Brett
Email address:                George.Brett@cnidr.org
Postal Address:
 Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval
 Center for Communications at MCNC
 PO Box 12889, 3021 Cornwallis Road
 Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-2889
 USA
Telephone:                    +1-919-248-1499
Fax:                          +1-919-248-1101

Foster [Page 131] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

  1. ——————–
Name:                         Peggy Seiden
Email address:                pseiden@skidmore.edu
Postal Address:               Scribner Library
                              Skidmore College
                              North Broadway
                              Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Telephone:                    +1-518-584-5000 ext. 2126
Fax:

Mailing Lists:

Address:                      cni-directories@cni.org
Administration:               listproc@cni.org
                              SUB cni-directories Lastname Firstname
Archive:
URL:ftp://ftp.cni.org/CNI/forums/cni-directories/*
URL:gopher//gopher.cni.org 70/Coalition Working Groups /
    WG E-mail Forums/CNI-directories/*

News groups: None


Document Archive:

Location details
     Site:                    ftp.cni.org
     Directory:               /CNI/forums/cni-directories/*

Official Publications: None


Foster [Page 132] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Bibliography: None


Other Information: None

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 133] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994 By: Name: Craig A. Summerhill

   Email address: craig@cni.org

NIR Group Name: TopNode for Networked Information Resources,

                          Services, and Tools

Sponsoring Organisation: Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

                          Directories and Information Resource
                          Services Working Group

Working subgroups:

  Name of subgroup:
  Mailinglist-Address:

Description of main group:

 (from ARL Newsletter #164 -- September 9, 1992)
    The Coalition's TopNode Project is creating a directory of
    directories, catalogs and aids of networked information resources,
    services and tools.  The project is intended to facilitate the
    network navigational duties, responsibilities and tasks of staff
    in libraries, computer centers, networking offices and other
    similar operations.  The primary product of the TopNode project
    will be a set of records describing these networked information
    resources, records that can be loaded into a wide range of
    database management systems.
    Based on their response to a Call for Statements of Interest and
    Experience, Indiana University and Merit Network, Inc.  were
    chosen to lead the development effort on the Coalition TopNode
    project.  Pete Percival, Manager, Academic Information Environment
    at Indiana University and Craig Summerhill, Coalition Systems
    Coordinator, have completed the design for the database structure
    which is being built on the Coalition's Internet fileserver using
    BRS/SEARCH.  Based on earlier work of the leaders of the
    Directories and Resource Information Services Working Group,
    George Brett II of the University of North Carolina General
    Administration and Peggy Seiden of Skidmore College Library,
    Percival and Summerhill have developed a data structure that they
    believe to be both flexible and responsive to the needs of the
    many interested parties who have been consulted.
    Under the direction of Gary Charbonneau of the Indiana University
    Libraries, records are being created and prepared for loading.  A

Foster [Page 134] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    thesaurus of added descriptor terms is being maintained.  As of
    mid-August 1992, close to 200 records had been verified and had
    received descriptive cataloging.
    When the database is complete, libraries will be alerted and
    encouraged to mount the TopNode records into their online
    catalogs.  Records will be available from the Coalition.  In
    addition, MERIT will use the TopNode database in an experiment to
    test the viability of the X.500 directory format standard for
    providing yellow pages-type services (e.g., with subject access).
    After its initial release, the database will be maintained by
    Indiana University libraries on the Coalition server; BRS has
    assisted in the development of procedures for online data entry.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                         Pete Percival
Email address:                percival@indiana.edu
Postal Address:               Indiana State University
Telephone:                    +1-812-855-9146
Fax:                          +1-812-855-0299
  1. —————–
Name:                         Craig Summerhill
Email address:                craig@cni.org
Postal Address:               Coalition for Networked Information
                              21 Dupont Cricle, N.W.
                              Washington, D.C. 20036
                              USA
Telephone:                    +1-202-296-5098
Fax:                          +1-202-872-0884
  1. —————–
Name:                         Gary Charbonneau
Email address:                charbonn@indiana.edu

Foster [Page 135] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Postal Address:               Indiana University
Telephone:
Fax:

Mailing Lists: None


News groups: None


Document Archive:

Location details
     Site:                    ftp.cni.org
     Directory:               /CNI/projects/topnode/*

Official Publications:

Status Report - TopNode Directory of Directories.  Pete Percival.
Presented at Coalition's 1992 Fall Task Force meeting, Landsdowne VA
site: gopher.cni.org/ Coalition FTP archives / Coalition Projects /
      TopNode / *

Bibliography: None


Other Information:

The Coalition has an alpha implementation of Topnode setup using the
BRS/SEARCH full text information retrieval software.  This database
was created during the data element definition portion of the project,
so the data may not be of production-level service quality.
URL:telnet://brsuser

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 136] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

CNIDR

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994 By: Name: Jane Smith

   Email address: Jane.Smith@cnidr.org

NIR Group Name: Clearinghouse for Networked Information

                                               Discovery and Retrieval

Sponsoring Organisation: National Science Foundation,

                               Center for Communications at MCNC

Working subgroups:

  Name of subgroup:
  Mailinglist-Address:

Description of main group:

Several user-friendly client-server software tools have  been
developed recently for locating and retrieving information
published on computer platforms reachable over wide-area data
communications networks like the Internet. Among them, freeWAIS
(freely available wide-area information system), the Internet
Gopher, archie, and the WorldWide Web (WWW) have become popular.
freeWAIS, archie, and Gopher indicate where information of
interest is likely to reside and then assist the user in locating
specific information. WWW permits a user to thread a path through
the network by selecting tagged hypertext items.
While focused on the evolution of wide-area information retrieval
systems, the Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery
and Retrieval (CNIDR) works closely with developers of other
tools toward providing compatibility, consistency, and, to the
extent possible, convergence of the tools.
Specific activities are to provide a central focus and forum for
networked information discovery and retrieval (NIDR) tools and to
minimize the divergence of individual implementations by
providing a repository for the collection, evaluation, and
distribution of protocol-compliant releases and enhanced
versions.
CNIDR participates in standards and policy associations such as
the Internet Engineering Task Force and the Coalition for
Networked Information, with the goal of increasing consensus
among developers and exploring appropriate uses of networked

Foster [Page 137] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

information. CNIDR also actively promotes the use of networked
information discovery and retrieval tools at many national and
international conferences to inform and educate implementors and
end users.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                         George Brett
Email address:                George.Brett@cnidr.org
Postal Address:
 Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval
   (CNIDR)
 Center for Communications at MCNC
 PO Box 12889, 3021 Cornwallis Road
 Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-2889 USA
Telephone:                    +1-919-248-1886
Fax:                          +1-919-248-1101
  1. —————–
Name:                         Jane Smith
Email address:                Jane.Smith@cnidr.org
Postal Address:
 Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval
   (CNIDR)
 Center for Communications at MCNC
 PO Box 12889, 3021 Cornwallis Road
 Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-2889 USA
Telephone:                    +1-919-248-9213
Fax:                          +1-919-248-1101
  1. —————–
Name:                         Jim Fullton
Email address:                Jim.Fullton@cnidr.org

Foster [Page 138] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Postal Address:
 Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval
  (CNIDR)
 Center for Communications at MCNC
 PO Box 12889, 3021 Cornwallis Road
 Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-2889 USA
Telephone:                    +1-919-248-9247
Fax:                          +1-919-248-1101

Mailing Lists:

Address:              info@cnidr.org
Administration:       none.
Description:          e-mail sent to this address will receive an
                      automated response containing more information
                      about current CNIDR activities.
Archive:              none
  1. ——————————

Mailing Lists: zip@cnidr.org

Address:              zip@cnidr.org
Administration:       zip-request@cnidr.org
                      sub zip Lastname Firstname
Description:          Technical discussion of Z39.50-92 application
                      development. Subscribers receive brief overview
                      of project and information on how to access
                      archives.
Archive:
     ftp://ftp.cnidr.org/NIDR.tools/zip
     gopher://gopher.cnidr.org/NIDR Tools/Discussion/Online Discussion

News groups: None

Foster [Page 139] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Document Archive: ftp.cnidr.org


Official Publications: None


Bibliography: None


Other Information: info@cnidr.org

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 140] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

IETF Groups

 The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the protocol
 engineering, development and standardisation arm of the Internet.  It
 has grown to be a large open international community of network
 designers, operators, vendors and researchers concerned with the
 evolution of the Internet protocol architecture and the smooth
 operation of the Internet.
 IETF Information including RFCs and Internet Drafts is available by
 anonymous FTP from several sites.
 East Coast (US) Address: ds.internic.net
 West Coast (US) Address: ftp.isi.edu
 Europe Address: nic.nordu.net
 Pacific Rim Address: munnari.oz.au
       (The Internet-Drafts on this machine are stored in Unix
        compressed form (.Z).)
 In addition the information is available via gopher from
 cnri.reston.va.us under the menu item "Internet Society".

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 141] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

IDS

Date template updated or checked: 21 October, 1993 By: Name: Chris Weider

   Email address: clw@bunyip.com

NIR Group Name: Integrated Directory Services (IDS)

Sponsoring Organisation: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

Working subgroups: NONE

Description of main group:

 The Integrated Directory Services Working Group (IDS) is chartered to
 facilitate the integration and interoperability of current and future
 directory services into a unified directory service.  This work will
 unite directory services based on a heterogeneous set of directory
 services protocols (X.500, WHOIS++, etc.).  In addition to specifying
 technical requirements for the integration, the IDS group will also
 contribute to the administrative and maintenance issues of directory
 service offerings by publishing guidelines on directory data
 integrity, maintenance, security, and privacy and legal issues for
 users and administrators of directories.
 Membership is open, and is not limited to IETF attendees.  A full
 charter for this group is available for anonymous FTP from
 ds.internic.net as ids-charter.txt in directory ietf/ids.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                         Chris Weider, Chair
Email address:                clw@bunyip.com
Postal Address:               2001 South Huron Parkway 12
                              Ann Arbor
                              Michigan
                              48104, USA
Telephone:                    +1-313-971-2223
Fax:                          +1-313-971-2223

Foster [Page 142] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Mailing Lists:

Address:                      ietf-ids@umich.edu
Administration:               ietf-ids-request@umich.edu
Archive:                      Anonymous FTP to merit.edu, directory
                              /pub/ietf-ids/archive.

Document Archive:

Location details:
     Site: ds.internic.net or any Internet Draft Server (see
      sub-section entitled IETF groups)
     Directory: internet-drafts. All IDS document file names start
      with either draft-ietf-disi or draft-ietf-ids.

Official Publications: None.


Bibliography:

Document Title: FYI 11, RFC 1292, "Catalog of Available X.500
  Implementations", R. Lang, R. Wright.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1292.txt
An update of this document is in preparation:
Document Title: "A Revised Catalog of Available X.500
  Implementations", A. Getchell, S. Sataluri.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: draft-ietf-ids-catalog-00.txt
Document Title: FYI 21, RFC 1491, "A Survey of Advanced Usages of
  X.500", C. Weider, R. Wright.
Location details: Available for anonymous FTP from
   Site: ds.internic.net
   Full file name: RFC-1491.txt

Foster [Page 143] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Marine, A, X.500 Pilot Projects, June 1993. Available as
 draft-ietf-ids-pilots-00.txt from any Internet Draft server.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 144] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

IIIR

Date template updated or checked: 14 March, 1994 By: Name: Chris Weider

   Email address: clw@bunyip.com

NIR Group Name: Integration of Internet Information Resources (IIIR)

Sponsoring Organisation: Internet Engineering Task Forces (IETF)

Working subgroups: None

Description of main group:

 The IIIR group was chartered in September 1992 to facilitate
 interoperability between and integration of the various Internet
 information services (Archie, Gopher, WAIS, etc.), just as the IETF
 was founded to facilitate the integration of various LANs running
 different protocols. It will develop, specify, and align protocols to
 integrate the services into a single "virtually unified information
 service" (VUIS).
 Also, where necessary for interoperability, IIIR will create
 technical documentation for protocols used for information services
 in the internet.
 Membership is open, and is not limited to IETF attendees. A full
 charter for this group is available via anonymous FTP from
 ds.internic.net as ietf/iiir/iiir-charter.txt

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                         Chris Weider, Chair
Email address:                clw@bunyip.com
Postal Address:               2001 South Huron Parkway 12
                              Ann Arbor
                              Michigan
                              48104
                              USA
Telephone:                    +1-313-971-2223

Foster [Page 145] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Fax:                          +1-313-971-2223
                  -------------------------------
Address:                      iiir@merit.edu
Administration:               iiir-request@merit.edu
Archive:                      Anonymous FTP, iiir/archive

Document Archive:

Location details:
 Site: ds.internic.net or any Internet Draft Server (see sub-section
  entitled IETF groups).
 Directory: internet-drafts
 All IIIR document file names start with the string 'draft-ietf-iiir-'

Official Publications: None.


Bibliography:

 Weider, Chris, and Peter Deutsch, 'A vision of an integrated Internet
 information service', Internet Draft, March 1993. Available as
 draft-ietf-iiir-vision-00.txt from any Internet Draft server.
 Weider, Chris, 'Resource Transponders', Internet Draft, March 1993.
 Available as draft-ietf-iiir-transponder-00.txt from any Internet
 Draft server.
 Ankelesaria, et al, 'The Internet Gopher Protocol', RFC 1436, March
 1993. Available from any RFC repository.
 Berners-Lee, Tim. 'Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)', Internet Draft,
 March 1993. Available as draft-ietf-iiir-html-00.ps from any Internet
 Draft server.

Foster [Page 146] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Other Information:

This is a new area, one with lots of interesting open problems and
the potential to help shape the future of information services on the
Internet. Even if you can't make the IETF meetings, you are
strongly encouraged to join the group and contribute.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 147] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

NIR

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994
By: Name:          Jill Foster
    Email address: Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk

NIR Group Name: Networked Information Retrieval Working Group (NIR-WG)

Sponsoring Organisation: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and RARE (Association of European Research Networks)

Working subgroups: None

Description of main group:

 There are many organizations and associations that have begun to
 focus on the proliferating resources and tools for networked
 information retrieval (NIR).  The Networked Information Retrieval
 Group will be a cooperative effort of three major players in the
 field of NIR: IETF, RARE, and the Coalition for Networked Information
 (CNI) specifically tasked to collect and disseminate information
 about the tools and to discuss and encourage cooperative development
 of current and future tools such as the archie servers, the Wide Area
 Information Servers (WAIS), the Internet Gopher, and the WorldWide
 Web (WWW).
 The NIR Working Group intends to increase the useful base of
 information about networked information retrieval (NIR) tools, their
 developers, interested organizations, and other activities that
 relate to the production, dissemination, and support of NIR tools.
 Membership is open and is not limited to attendees of the quarterly
 IETF meetings; the mailing list is open to all.  The NIR-WG charter
 is available via anonymous ftp from the various IETF repositories as
 nir-charter.txt.

Goals:

 To disseminate information about NIR tools and those groups working
 on them.  The information in the NIR Status report will be updated
 and new entries added as appropriate once per year.  This report will
 be submitted as an RFC.
 Current work includes discussing the criteria for evaluating the
 major NIR tools available.

Foster [Page 148] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Jill Foster
Email address:        Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk
Postal Address:       Computing Service
                      University of Newcastle upon Tyne
                      Newcastle upon Tyne
                      NE1 7RU
                      U.K.
Telephone:            +44-91-222-8250
Fax:                  +44-91-222-8765
  1. ——————————–
Name:                 Kevin Gamiel
Email address:        kevin.gamiel@cnidr.org
Postal Address:
Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval
Center for Communications - MCNC
PO Box 12889  3021 Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-2889
U.S.A.
Telephone:            +1-919-248-1886
Fax:                  +1-919-248-1101

Mailing Lists:

Address:              nir@mailbase.ac.uk
Administration:       Auto subscriptions to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
                      "subscribe nir firstname lastname"
                      Human admin to: nir-request@mailbase.ac.uk
Description:

Foster [Page 149] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Archive:              ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/nir/files/*
                      or via gopher to mailbase.ac.uk

News groups: None


Document Archive:

Location details
     Site: mailbase.ac.uk
     Directory: /pub/lists/nir/files
or from any Internet Draft Server (see sub-section entitled IETF
groups)

Bibliography:


Other Information:

This Working Group was formed jointly in the User Services and
Applications Areas of the Internet Engineering Task Force.
The RARE (Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne) ISUS WG
(Information Services and User Support Working Group) is
represented by NIR-WG co-chair Jill Foster.  NIR-WG information
is also posted to the mailing list for the ISUS WG at
"wg-isus@rare.nl".
More information about CNI (Coalition for Networked Information) may
be obtained via anonymous ftp files from ftp.cni.org.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 150] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

NISI

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994
By: Name:          April Marine
    Email address: april@atlas.arc.nasa.gov

NIR Group name: Network Information Services Infrastructure (NISI) Working Group

Sponsoring Organisation: IETF

Description of main group:

 The NISI Working Group will explore the requirements for common,
 shared Internet-wide network information services.  The goal is to
 develop an understanding for what is required to implement an
 information services "infrastructure" for the Internet.  Membership
 is open.  Charter is online in the various IETF repositories as
 nisi-charter.txt.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 April Marine
Email address:        april@atlas.arc.nasa.gov
Postal Address:       Network Applications and Information Center
                      NASA Ames Research Center
                      M/S 204-14
                      Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000
                      USA
Telephone:            +1-415-604-0762
Fax:                  +1-415-604-0978

Mailing Lists:

Address:              nisi@merit.edu
Administration:       nisi-request@merit.edu

Foster [Page 151] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Official Publications: Internet-Drafts and FYI RFCs


Bibliography:

RFC 1302:  Building a Network Information Services Infrastructure
RFC 1355:  Privacy and Accuracy Issues in Network
           Information Centre Databases

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 152] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

OSI-DS

Date template updated or checked: 24 February, 1994 By: Name: Chris Weider

   Email address: clw@bunyip.com

NIR Group Name: OSI Directory Services (OSI-DS)

Sponsoring Organisation: Internet Engineering Task Forces (IETF)

Working subgroups: NONE

Description of main group:

 The OSI-DS group's mission is to enable building a global Directory
 Service based on X.500 and to facilitate its deployment on the
 Internet.  The primary focus is on developing agreements and
 technical specifications needed to make this happen.  The WG will not
 be directly concerned with piloting and service activities, but will
 liaise with such activities.
 Membership is open, and is not limited to IETF attendees.  A full
 charter for this group is available for anonymous FTP from
 ds.internic.net as ietf/osids/osids-charter.txt

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Steve Kille, Chair
Email address:        kille@isode.com
Postal Address:       ISODE Consortium
                      P.O. Box 505
                      SW11 1DX London
                      England
Telephone:            +44-71-223-4062

Mailing Lists:

Address:              ietf-osi-ds@cs.ucl.ac.uk

Foster [Page 153] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Administration:       ietf-osi-ds-request@cs.ucl.ac.uk
Archive:              Anonymous FTP, bells.cs.ucl.ac.uk

Document Archive:

Location details:
 Site: bells.cs.ucl.ac.uk
 Directory:/osi-ds
 Site: ds.internic.net
 Directory: /ietf/osids

Official Publications: None.


Bibliography:

The COSINE and Internet X.500 Schema, P. Barker, S. Kille, RFC-1274.
Replication and Distributed Operations Extensions to Provide an
 Internet Directory Usign X.500, S. Hardcastle-Kille, RFC-1276
Requirements to provide an Internet Directory using X.500.
 S. Hardcastle-Kille, RFC-1275
A Strategic Plan for Deploying an Internet X.500 Directory Service,
 S. Hardcastle-Kille et al, RFC-1340

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 154] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

URI

Date template updated or checked: 14 March, 1994 By: Name: Chris Weider

   Email address: clw@bunyip.com

NIR Group Name: Uniform Resource Identifiers (uri)

Sponsoring Organisation: Internet Engineering Task Forces (IETF)

Working subgroups: NONE

Description of main group:

 The Uniform Resource Identifiers Archives Working Group is chartered
 to define a set of standards for the encoding of system independent
 Resource Location and Identification information for the use of
 Internet information services.  There are three classes of
 information being standardized in this group:
    1)  Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), which specify a standardized
        method for encoding location and access information to
        resources across multiple information systems,
    2)  Uniform Resource Names (URNs), which specify a standardized
        method for encoding a unique resource identifier for a given
        content, and
    3)  Uniform Resource Citations (URCs), which specify a
        standardized method for encoding information about a given
        instantiation of a content.
 The URLs allow an information service to give a user access and
 location information for a resource.  The URN allows an information
 service to determine if the contents of two information resources are
 the same or not.  The URC allows an information service to select
 which of a number of different encodings of a resource are
 appropriate for a given user's retrieval capabilities, and may
 contain such things as file size and compression techniques.
 Membership is open, and is not limited to IETF attendees.  A full
 charter for this group is available for anonymous FTP from
 ds.internic.net as /ietf/uri/uri-charter.txt

Foster [Page 155] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Jim Fullton, co-chair
Email address:        fullton@concert.net
Postal Address:       Center for Communications
                      P.O. Box 12889
                      3021 Cornwallis Road
                      Research Triangle Park
                      North Carolina 27709-2889
Telephone:            +1-919-248-1499
Fax:                  +1-919-248-1101
  1. ———————————-
Name:                 Alan Emtage, co-chair
Email address:        bajan@bunyip.com
Postal Address:       Bunyip Information Systems, Inc.
                      266 Blvd. Neptune
                      Dorval QUEBEC H9S 2L4 CANADA
Telephone:            +1-514-875-8611

Mailing Lists:

Address:              uri@bunyip.com
Administration:       uri-request@bunyip.com
Archive:              archives.cc.mcgill.ca:~/pub/uri-archive

Document Archive:

Location details:
     Site: ds.internic.net
     Directory: internet-drafts. All documents will start with the
       string draft-ietf-uri.

Foster [Page 156] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Official Publications:        None

Bibliography:

 Berners-Lee, Tim, 'Uniform Resource Locators', Internet Draft, March
 1993.
 Available as draft-ietf-uri-url-00.ps from any Internet Draft server.
 Weider, Chris and Peter Deutsch, 'Uniform Resource Names', Internet
 Draft, May 1993. Available as draft-ietf-uri-resource-names-00.txt
 from any Internet Draft server.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 157] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

WNILS

Date template updated or checked: 28 February, 1994
By: Name:          Joan Gargano
    Email address: jcgargano@ucdavis.edu

NIR Group Name: Whois and Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS)

Sponsoring Organisation: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

Working subgroups:

Name of subgroup:
Mailinglist-Address:  ietf-wnils@ucdavis.edu

Description of main group:

This description is the current WNILS-WG charter.

 The Network Information Center (NIC) maintains the central NICNAME
 database and server, defined in RFC 954, providing online look-up of
 individuals, network organizations, key nodes, and other information
 of interest to those who use the Internet.  Other distributed
 directory information servers and information retrieval tools have
 been developed and it is anticipated more will be created.  Many
 sites now maintain local directory servers with information about
 individuals, departments and services at that specific site.
 Typically these directory servers are network accessible.  Because
 these servers are local, there are now wide variations in the type of
 data stored, access methods, search schemes, and user interfaces.
 The purpose of the Whois and Network Information Lookup Service
 (WNILS) working group is to expand and define the standard for WHOIS
 services, to resolve issues associated with the variations in access
 and to promote a consistent and predictable service across the
 network.

Goals and Milestones:

Done    Review and approve the charter making any changes deemed
        necessary. Examine the particular functional needs for
        expanded whois directory service. Begin work on a framework
        for recommendations.  Assign writing assignments for first
        draft of document.
12/1/93 Submit the Whois and Network Information Lookup Service
        Recommendations document to the IESG as an Internet Draft.

Foster [Page 158] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

12/1/93 Submit the WHOIS++ protocol document to the IESG as an
        Internet Draft.
12/1/93 Submit the "Architecture of the Whois++ Index Service"
        document to the IESG as a revised Internet Draft.
12/1/93 Freeze all work on the Internet Drafts for 6 months for
        software development.
Membership is open to attendees of the quarterly IETF meetings; the
mailing list is open to all.  The WNILS-WG charter can be obtained via
anonymous ftp from the Document Archive sites listed in the Networked
Information Retrieval Working Group (WNILS-WG) template.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                Joan Gargano
Email address:       jcgargano@ucdavis.edu
Postal Address:      Distributed Computing Analysis and Support (DCAS)
                     Information Technology
                     University of California, Davis
                     Davis, California  95616
                     U.S.A
Telephone:           +1-916-752-2591
Fax:                 +1-916-752-9158

Mailing Lists:

Address:             ietf-wnils@ucdavis.edu
Administration:      ietf-wnils-request@ucdavis.edu
Description:
Archive:             ftp://ftp.ucdavis.edu:/pub/archive

News groups: None.

Foster [Page 159] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Document Archive:

Location details: Gopher: gopher.ucdavis.edu 70

                     ftp://ftp.ucdavis.edu/archive/wnils-archive

Other Information:

This Working Group formed jointly in the User Services and
Applications Areas of the Internet Engineering Task Force.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 160] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

IRTF-RD

Date template updated or checked: 1st March, 1994 By: Name: Mike Schwartz

   Email address: schwartz@cs.colorado.edu

NIR Group Name: Internet Research Task Force Research Group on Resource

               Discovery and Directory Service (IRTF-RD)

Sponsoring Organisation: Internet Society

Working subgroups: None

Description of main group:

The IRTF-RD group is focused on problems of scale that will arise in
resource discovery systems in the next 3-5 years.  We divide these
scaling problems into three dimensions: volume of information, size of
the user base, and information diversity.
Our goal is to explore techniques for dealing with these problems
through a set of interrelated prototypes demonstrating advances in
each of these dimensions.  Briefly, our current approaches are:
   - deal with information diversity through a coordinated set
     of techniques to gather, transform, and manage entropy of data
   - deal with user scale through large scale replication
   - deal with information volume using a combination of
     views, space efficient indexing, and customization w.r.t.
     vocabulary, search methods, and personal user history
We expect these approaches to evolve significantly over time.
Membership of this group is closed.  We will consider new members,
with two constraints.  First, the group must be kept small and focused
to make substantive progress - at most 4 or 5 members seems
appropriate at this time.  Second, prospective members must be active
resource discovery researchers, who will bring clear strengths to the
group.  Prospective members should send a vitae and a one page
position paper describing what they propose to do to advance the
group's efforts, addressed to the group chair.
The group currently consists of:
   Mic Bowman (Transarc, Inc.)
   Peter Danzig (University of Southern California)
   Udi Manber (University of Arizona)
   Mike Schwartz (University of Colorado - Boulder; chair)

Foster [Page 161] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Mike Schwartz
Email address:        schwartz@cs.colorado.edu
Postal Address:       Department of Computer Science
                      University of Colorado
                      Boulder, CO  80309-0430
Telephone:            +1-303-492-3902
Fax:                  Declined.

Mailing Lists:

The IRTF-RD group has no formal mailing list or archive.

News groups:

The IRTF-RD group has no news groups.

Document Archive:

The IRTF-RD group has no document archive, although our paper(s) and
prototype(s) are available from the members' FTP archives (see below).

Official Publications:

Occasional updates in the Internet Monthly Report.

Bibliography:

  C. Mic Bowman, Peter B. Danzig and Michael F. Schwartz.
  Research Problems for Scalable Internet Resource Discovery.
  Technical Report CU-CS-643-93, Department of Computer Science,

Foster [Page 162] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

  University of Colorado, Boulder, March 1993.  To appear,
  Proceedings of INET '93.  Available by anonymous FTP from
  ftp.cs.colorado.edu in the file
  pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/PostScript/RD.ResearchProblems.ps.Z
  (compressed PostScript) or in the file
  pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/ASCII/RD.ResearchProblems.txt.Z
  (compressed ASCII).
  C. Mic Bowman, Peter B. Danzig, Udi Manber and Michael F.
  Schwartz.  Scalable Internet Resource Discovery: Research
  Problems and Approaches.  Technical Report CU- CS-679-93,
  Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado, Boulder,
  October 1993.  To appear, Communications of the ACM, 1994.  A
  pre-publication version of this paper is available by anonymous
  FTP and e-mail from ftp.cs.colorado.edu in the file
  pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/PostScript/RD.ResearchProblems.Jour.ps.Z
  (compressed PostScript) or in the file
  pub/cs/techreports/schwartz/ASCII/RD.ResearchProblems.Jour.txt.Z
  (compressed ASCII).

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 163] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Z39.50 Implementors Group

Date template updated or checked:  28 February 1994
By: Name:          Mark Needleman
    Email address: mhn@stubbs.ucop.edu

NIR Group name: Z39.50 Implementors Group

Description of main group:

 The Z39.50 Implementors group (ZIG) is a volunteer organization
 consisting of representatives of most of the organizations in the
 United States and Canada that are actively engaged in implementing
 the Z39.50 protocol.  This includes the United States Library of
 Congress, The National Library of Canada, the major bibliographic
 utilities, many library automation vendors, and other information
 service providers.  The group is a volunteer effort whose meetings
 are open at no charge to all.  The group meets about 3 times a year
 and conducts its activities extensively on its mailing list which is
 also open to any interested party.
 The group was originally formed to deal with interoperability issues
 among the Z39.50 implementations that were beginning to emerge in
 1989 and 1990 but the group has since expanded its role and has now
 become the primary forum in which new features and versions of the
 Z39.50 are developed.

Primary Contact(s): Z39.50 Implementors Group

Name:                 Mark Hinnebusch (Chair)
Email address:        fclmth@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (Internet)
                      FCLMTH@NERVM  (Bitnet)
Postal address:       Florida Center For Library Automation
                      Suite 320
                      2002 NW 13th Street
                      Gainesville, FL 32609
Telephone:            +1-904-392-9020
Fax:                  +1-904-392-9185
  1. ———————–

Foster [Page 164] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Z39.50 Maintenance Agency
Name:                 Ray Denenberg
Email address:        RAY@RDEN.loc.gov
Postal address:       Library of Congress
                      Network Development and MARC Standards Office
                      Collections Services
                      Washington, DC 20540
Telephone:            +1-202-707-5795

Mailing Lists:

Name:                 Z39.50 Implementors Group (ZIG)
Address:              Z3950IW@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu
Administration/Subscriptions:  listserv@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu
                      (archives of the mailing list are also
                      available at this address.)
Archive:              gopher://sally.fcla.ufl.edu
                      ftp://sally.fcla.ufl.edu
                      gopher://marvel.loc.gov/11/services/z3950

Documentation and References for the Z39.50 Protocol

American National Standard Information Retrieval Application
Service Definition and Protocol Specification for Open Systems
Interconnection Version 2, National Information Standards
Organization, July 1992
Mark Hinnebusch "A Primer on Z39.50 Parts 1-8", Academic and
Library Computing Volume 9, Numbers 2-9, February-October 1992,
Meckler Corporation, Westport CN. (ISSN 1055-4769)
Mark Hinnebusch "The Z39.50 Explain Service", Campus Wide
Information Systems, Volume 10, Number 1, January/February 1993,
Meckler Corporation, Westport, CT. (ISSN 1065-0741)
Michael Buckland and Clifford Lynch. "THE LINKED SYSTEMS PROTOCOL
AND THE FUTURE OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS,"

Foster [Page 165] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Information Technology and Libraries 6:2 (June 1987), pp. 83-88.
Michael Buckland and Clifford Lynch. "NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
IMPLICATIONS OF THE LINKED SYSTEMS PROTOCOL FOR ONLINE
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SYSTEMS," Cataloging and Classification Quarterly
8:3/4 (Spring 1988), pp. 15-33.
Clifford Lynch. "INTERSYSTEM LINKING AND DISTRIBUTED DATABASE
TECHNOLOGY: A COMPARISON OF TWO APPROACHES TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF
NETWORK-BASED INFORMATION UTILITIES," Proceedings of the Fourth
Integrated Online Library Systems Meeting, New York, New York,
May 10-11, 1989. (Medford, NJ: Learned Information, Inc., 1989),
pp. 107-112.
Clifford A. Lynch "LIBRARY AUTOMATION AND THE NATIONAL RESEARCH
NETWORK," EDUCOM Review (Fall 1989), pp. 21-28.
Clifford A. Lynch. "ACCESS TECHNOLOGY FOR NETWORK INFORMATION
RESOURCES," CAUSE/EFFECT (Summer 1990), pp. 15-20.
Clifford A. Lynch; Cecilia M. Preston. "INTERNET ACCESS TO
INFORMATION RESOURCES," Annual Review of Information Science and
Technology (ARIST) Volume 25. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press,
1990), pp. 264-312.
Clifford A. Lynch. "THE CLIENT-SERVER MODEL IN INFORMATION
RETRIEVAL," Interfaces for Information Retrieval and Online
Systems: The State of the Art Martin Dillon, ed. (Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press, 1991); pp. 301-318.
Clifford A. Lynch. "INFORMATION RETRIEVAL AS A NETWORK
APPLICATION," Library Hi Tech 8:4, Issue 32 (1990), pp. 59-74.
Clifford A. Lynch.  "THE Z39.50 INFORMATION RETRIEVAL PROTOCOL:
AN OVERVIEW AND STATUS REPORT," Computer Communications Review
21:1   (Sigcomm) (January 1991), pp. 58-70.
Clifford A. Lynch. THE Z39.50 PROTOCOL: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
Produced as a pamphlet by Data Research Associates (1991).
Dennis Lynch "Z39.50 Extended Services" Campus Wide Information
Systems Volume 10, Number 3 May/June 1993, Meckler Corporation,
Westport, CT  (ISSN 1065 0741)
Mark H Needleman. "The Z39.50 Protocol: An Implementor's Perspective",
Resource Sharing and Information Networks Volume 8 Number 1, 1992, The
Haworth Press Inc, Binghamton, NY (ISSN 0737-7797)

Foster [Page 166] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Kunze, John A.  "Nonbibliographic Applications of Z39.50."  The
Public-Access Computer Systems Review 3, no. 5 (1992): 4-30.
(Refereed Article.)  To retrieve this article, send the following
e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU:
GET KUNZE PRV3N5 F=MAIL.

Other Information:

Brief Description of the Z39.50 Protocol

 Z39.50 is a US ANSI standard protocol for information retrieval.  It
 uses a client server model that allows clients ( or origins in Z39.50
 terminology) to search servers (targets in Z39.50 usage) and retrieve
 records from remote databases.  The type and format of the data
 retrieved is not constrained by the protocol but is agreed to by the
 origin and the target.  There is a mechanism that allows popular
 record syntax's to be registered and then referred to by well known
 identifiers.  Z39.50 is an OSI application layer protocol; that is,
 it is designed to make use of the OSI presentation layer protocol.
 It may be used with or without the presentation protocol, and below
 that, it is irrelevant (to the Z39.50 protocol) what protocols are
 used.  Most implementations of Z39.50 currently run directly over
 TCP/IP.

User's View:

 Users (either human or electronic) run client software to connect
 with servers to retrieve information using the Z39.50 protocol.  Many
 clients already exist at least in prototype version today and more
 are being written.  Most of the major library automation vendors have
 announced that they will be supporting Z39.50 in either client or
 server mode or both.  Many of the major information vendors either
 currently have or are working on implementations of Z39.50 for their
 systems.  There are also a couple of Z39.50 implementations that are
 expected to be put in the public domain at some point.  The recently
 announced FREEWAIS software incorporates Z39.50 Version 2 into it
 (the older version used a variant of the 1988 version 1 protocol).
 The Library of Congress acts as the maintenance agency for Z39.50 and
 can be contacted for a list of registered Implementors.
 Z39.50 provides a protocol mechanism for accessing remote information
 sources.  It defines the model for the interaction between two sides,
 a client and a server.  It makes no assumptions or presumptions about
 how the data is actually organized in the server, nor about how the
 data is presented to the end user by the client.

Foster [Page 167] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 The model postulates one or more databases on the remote system that
 can be searched using attributes from defined search attribute sets,
 creating a result set.  Records can be retrieved from the result set
 using agreed upon record formats.

Information types supported:

 The Z39.50 protocol was designed as a general purpose search and
 retrieval mechanism that could be used with a wide variety of data
 types.  The MARC format (a format used for cataloging library
 material among other things) and a search attribute set suitable for
 bibliographic and similar types of data are registered within the
 current version of the standard.  It is assumed that, as the protocol
 begins to be used by other communities and for other types of data,
 other attribute sets and record syntaxes will be developed.  This
 process has already begun and a generic record syntax and attribute
 set are already under development, as well as some others,
 specifically those supporting chemical structures, general science
 and technology, and business information.  The design philosophy
 behind Z39.50 is that it will be used with other standards such as
 Postscript, SGML, ODIF (and others), to communicate a wide variety of
 data types, including full text, images, and many others.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 168] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

RARE Groups

RARE (Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne) is the
Association of European Networking Organizations and their users.
RARE's aim is to overcome national boundaries in research networking
by creating a harmonized computer communications infrastructure for
the European research community.  At this point in time RARE has over
40 members, most of which are national networking organizations
providing networking services to their national research and education
community.
RARE's technical programme is carried out by volunteers working in a
number of Working Groups.
For further information on RARE contact:
RARE Secretariat
Singel 466-468
NL-1017 AW AMSTERDAM
Telephone number        +31-20-639-1131
Fax number              +31-20-639-3289
E-mail address RFC8222
raresec@rare.nl
E-mail address X.400
C=nl; ADMD=400net; PRMD=surf; O=rare; S=raresec;

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 169] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

RARE ISUS

Date template updated or checked: 28th February, 1994
By: Name:            Jill Foster
    Email address:   Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk

NIR Group Name: RARE Information Services and User Support Working

                Group

Sponsoring Organisation:

                RARE (Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne)

Working subgroups (of relevance to nir):

Name of subgroup:     MMIS Task Force
Mailinglist-Address:  mmis@mailbase.ac.uk
Name of subgroup:     NIR Task Force
Mailinglist-Address:  nir@mailbase.ac.uk
Name of subgroup:     UNITE Task Force
Mailinglist-Address:  unite@mailbase.ac.uk

Description of main group:

The Information Services and User Support (ISUS) Working Group has
been established by the RARE Technical Committee as one of the major
working groups in the RARE Technical Programme.  ISUS is concerned
with all aspects of networked information services, group
communications and network user support.  It is open to all those
involved in working in these areas and should include:
Network User Support Staff: National and European Support Staff
                            (whether RARE, RIPE, EARN, Eunet etc.)
                            Site Computing Centre Support Staff
                            Special subject related User Support Staff
Library Staff
Networked Information Providers
Networked Information Service Providers
Application Developers
The ISUS WG mailing list will act both as a forum for discussion
amongst experts in this field and as a means for disseminating
information to the wider community.

Foster [Page 170] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

The ISUS Working Group is chartered to have a very broad area of
interest which is broken down into several sub-areas:
             Network User Support
             Asynchronous Group Communication
             Networked Information Retrieval and Services
             Liaison
Current tasks being worked on in the area of NIR include:
o    Coordination of NIR services in Europe
o    Collection of information related to NIR tools and groups.
     This is a joint effort with the IETF and CNI.
o    Network Interface to everything (UNITE).  This group is starting
     to look at the user requirements for a single interface to the
     network (network information services, email, bulletin boards,
     etc.).   (unite@mailbase.ac.uk)
o    Multimedia Information Services task force (MMIS).  This group is
     a joint task force of the RARE ISUS Working Group and RARE
     Interactive Multimedia Working Group (mmis@mailbase.ac.uk).
charter:  anonymous ftp from mailbase.ac.uk
          file:  /pub/lists/wg-isus/files/isus.charter

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Jill Foster
Email address:        Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk
Postal Address:       Computing Service
                      University of Newcastle upon Tyne
                      Newcastle upon Tyne
                      NE1 7RU
                      UK
Telephone:            +44-91-222-8250
Fax:                  +44-91-222-8765

Mailing Lists:

Foster [Page 171] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Address:              wg-isus@rare.nl
Administration:       Auto subscriptions to: mailserver@rare.nl
                      "subscribe wg-isus <firstname> <lastname>"
                      Human admin to: wg-isus-request@rare.nl
Description:          General purpose mailing list for whole ISUS WG.
Archive:              Not yet available

News groups: None


Document Archive:

Location details
     Site:            raredoc.rare.nl
     Directory:       /rare/working-groups
Location details
     Site:            mailbase.ac.uk
     Directory:       /pub/lists/wg-isus/files
                      /pub/lists/nir/files

Official Publications: RARE Technical Reports


Bibliography:

RARE Technical Report 1: User Support and Information Services
in the RARE Community - a Status Report.   Jill Foster
RARE Technical Report 5: A Survey of Distributed Multimedia -
Research, Standards and Products.  Chris Adie

Other Information:

This group was formed in May 1992 and takes over and expands on the
work of the former RARE WG3 USIS Subgroup. The group conducts most

Foster [Page 172] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

of its business by email, but meets twice a year before the European
Networking Conferences.
The EARNinfo group has recently joined forces with RARE ISUS WG, they
will be working together in the areas of documentation and network
training.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 173] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

USMARC/OCLC

Date template updated or checked:  10 March 1994
By: Name:          Rebecca Guenther
    Email address: rgue@seq1.loc.gov

Working Group or Organisation: USMARC/OCLC

Name of group: USMARC Advisory Group; OCLC Internet Resources

              Cataloging Experiment

Sponsoring Organisations: OCLC, Library of Congress,

                         USMARC Advisory Group

Working subgroups: None

Description of main group:

OCLC and the Library of Congress have formed a working group to
consider how libraries can create cataloging records for online
information resources.  The group initiated a cataloging experiment
designed to test and verify the applicability of the cataloging rules
and the USMARC format for computer files.  Guidelines have been
written for cataloging Internet resources and were considered by the
American Library Association committee responsible for maintaining the
Anglo- American Cataloging Rules.  Changes to the USMARC format were
initiated to accommodate a subset of these materials (electronic data
resources, such as software, electronic text, bibliographic and
nonbibliographic databases).  USMARC format changes which were
approved included an identification of type of file and a field for
location and access of the resource (very much like a URL).
The group is continuing its work by looking at how online systems and
services can be accommodated in USMARC.  This work will be done within
the USMARC Advisory Group of the American Library Association, which
considers changes to the USMARC formats.  Data elements will be
defined with mapping to MARC fields; in some cases new fields will be
proposed.  This will be accomplished in conjunction with efforts by
other working groups (e.g., Government Information Locator Service, or
GILS).
A proposal was presented and approved in February 1994 to the USMARC
Advisory Group to add data elements to the Electronic Location and
Access Field (USMARC field 856).  Included among these was a subfield
for URL (Uniform Resource Locator).  It is intended to be used instead
of or in addition to other data identifying location of and access to

Foster [Page 174] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

a networked information resource.
Membership is closed at this point.

Primary Contact(s): Rebecca Guenther rgue@seq1.loc.gov

Name:                 Rebecca Guenther
Email address:        rgue@seq1.loc.gov; rebecca@rgue.loc.gov
Postal address:       Network Development and MARC Standards Office,
                      Library of Congress,
                      Washington, DC 20540-4020
Telephone:            +1-202-707-5092
Fax:                  +1-202-707-6269
  1. ——————————
Name:                 Erik Jul
Email address:        ekj@oclc.org
Postal address:       OCLC, Inc.
                      6565 Franz Rd.
                      Dublin OH 43017-0702
Telephone:            +1-614-764-4364
Fax:                  +1-614-764-2344
  1. —————————
Name:                 Priscilla Caplan
Email address:        p-caplan@uchicago.edu
Postal Address:       University of Chicago Library,
                      1100 E. 57th St.,
                      Chicago, IL 60637
Telephone:            +1-312-702-5079
Fax:                  +1-312-702-6623

Foster [Page 175] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

  1. —————————
Name:                 William W. Jones, Jr.
Email Address:        jones@acfcluster.nyu.edu
Postal Address:       New York University/Elmer Holmes Bobst Library,
                      Technical and Automated Services Division,
                      70 Washington Square South,
                      New York, NY 10012
Telephone:            +1-212-998-4070
Fax:                  +1-212-995-4070
  1. ————————–
Name:                 Nancy Olson
Email Address:        nbolson@msus1.msus.edu
Postal Address:       Memorial Library,
                      Mankato State University,
                      Mankato, MN 56001
Telephone:            +1-507-389-5062
Fax:                  +1-507-389-5488
  1. —————————
Name:                 Glenn Patton
Email address:        gep@oclc.org
Postal address:       OCLC, Inc.
                      6565 Franz Rd.
                      Dublin OH 43017-0702
Telephone:            +1-800-848-5878
Fax:                  +1-614-764-0155
  1. ——————————-
Name:                 Martin Dillon
Email address:        mjd@oclc.org

Foster [Page 176] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Postal address:       OCLC, Inc.
                      6565 Franz Rd.
                      Dublin OH 43017-0702
Telephone:            +1-614-764-6079
Fax:                  +1-614-764-2344

Mailing Lists: None.


News groups: None.


Document Archive:

Archives under USMARC listserv.
Documents available:
94-2.doc (Proposal 94-2: Addition of Subfields $g and $3 to Field 856
          Electronic Location and Access) in the USMARC
          Holdings/Bibliographic
          Formats:   Document)
94-2.cov (Cover sheet with status information)
94-3.doc (Proposal 94-3: Addition of Subfield $u (Uniform
          Resource Locator) to Field 856 in the USMARC
          Holdings/Bibliographic
          Formats: Document)
94-3.cov (Cover sheet with status information)
93-4.doc (Proposal 93-4: Changes to the USMARC Bibliographic
          Format (Computer Files) to Accommodate Online Information
          Resources: Document)
93-4.cov (Proposal 93-4: Cover sheet with status information)
dp69.doc (Discussion Paper No. 69: Accommodating Online Systems
          and Services within USMARC: Document)
dp69.cov (Discussion Paper No. 69: Cover sheet with status
          information)
Location details
 Telnet to: marvel.loc.gov
 Login: marvel

Foster [Page 177] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Select: Services to Libraries and Publishers
 Select: USMARC Standards
 Select: USMARC Listserv
 See list of documents
  1. or-
 Site: listserv@sun7.loc.gov
Send email message with
 get usmarc 93-4.doc
 get usmarc 93-4.cov
 get usmarc dp69.doc
 get usmarc dp69.cov
 etc.

Official Publications:

"Assessing Information on the Internet: Toward Providing Library
 Services for Computer-Mediated Communication". Dublin, OH: OCLC
 Online Computer Library Center, 1993.  Available in print form
 from OCLC, Inc. for $20 or electronically from:
 ftp.rsch.oclc.org
 /pub/internet_resources_project/report
 Filenames: *.*

Bibliography:

 Proposal 94-2: Addition of Subfields $g and $3 to Field 856
 Electronic Location and Access) in the USMARC Holdings/Bibliographic
 Formats)
 Proposal 94-3: Addition of Subfield $u (Uniform Resource Locator) to
 Field 856 in the USMARC Holdings/Bibliographic Formats
 Discussion Paper No. 69: Accommodating Online Systems and
 Services in USMARC  (Washington: Library of Congress, Network
 Development and MARC Standards Office, Apr. 1993).
 Proposal 93-4:  Changes to the USMARC Bibligraphic Format
 (Computer Files) to Accommodate Online Information Resources
 (Washington: Library of Congress, Network Development and MARC

Foster [Page 178] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Standards Office, Nov. 1992 (rev. Mar. 1993).

Other Information:             None.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 179] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

8. Security Considerations

 Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

9. Acknowledgements

 The report was very much a collaborative effort of the members of the
 NIR WG and in particular Peter Deutsch (who contributed the mailing
 list section and the basis for Section 5), April Marine, Rick
 Rodgers, Lars-Gunnar Olsson, Farhad Anklesaria, Marsha Perrott, Kevin
 Gamiel, George Brett, Barbara Thomas and all those who helped review
 the document.  Special thanks are due to all those contributors who
 took the time to submit and update descriptions of their NIR tools
 and groups; their names are included in the templates in Sections 6
 and 7.
 Before final submission of the report as an RFC, independent
 reviewers from around the world took two or three templates each and
 checked them out for accuracy and currency as best they could.  They
 liaised with the original template authors over the changes they
 made.  The volunteers were: Larry Masinter, Marilyn Martin, Sinha
 Velu, Ton Verschuren, Shirley Browne, Alfred Vella, Bert Stals,
 Yannis Corovesis, Gerard Egan, Robert Janz and Andy Linton.  They
 provided some very valuable input.

10. Author's Address

 Jill Foster
 Computing Service
 University of Newcastle upon Tyne
 Claremont Road
 Newcastle upon Tyne
 NE1 7RU
 UK
 Phone: +44-91-222-8250
 Fax:   +44-91-222-8765
 Email: Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk

Foster [Page 180] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

APPENDIX A

NIR TOOL Template (last updated 22.12.93)

Purpose and scope:

This template is to be used to collect the information necessary to
identify and track the development of networked information retrieval
tools.  It is intended that the main part of this will be completed by
the main individual responsible for the tool.  Sections of the
template may require completion by others.
The NIR tools included are defined by enumeration.  The IETF/RARE/CNI
NIR-WG welcome suggestions for others to be included.

NIR Tools:

    Alex
    archie
    gopher
    Hytelnet
    Netfind
    Prospero
    Veronica
    WAIS  (including freeWAIS)
    WHOIS
    World Wide Web  (including Mosaic)
    X.500 White Pages

New entries: Please complete this template and return it to Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk (NIR-WG co-chair). Receipt of your message will be acknowledged.

Please imbed descriptive text by at least one more column than the heading for that item:

For example:

Brief description of tool:

This is the best application ever seen.  It makes finding information
very easy.  This is the decription imbedded one more column.
Updates: updates to existing information on NIR Tools may be sent by
the appropriate contact person at any time to:

Foster [Page 181] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

      nir-updates@cnidr.org
The full report will be updated annually and will form the basis of a
"snapshot" report on the activities in the area of networked
information retrieval (NIR).

————————-x—- cut here —-x————————–

Date template updated or checked: (e.g., 02 November, 1992) By: Name:

   Email address:

NIR Tool Name:

Brief Description of Tool:

    Note: This should be a maximum of 100 line description which
    should cover the following:
    - overview of use, purpose, scope and characteristics
    - user's view
    - information provider's view
    - information types supported (e.g., text, sound, etc.)

Primary Contact(s): [Please duplicate this section for each separate contact]

Name:
[May be the name of a role e.g., nirtool-support or of an
individual]
Email address:
Postal Address:
Telephone:
Fax:

Help Line: [for major center as well as each client if available]

Name:
[May be the name of a role e.g., nirtool-support or of an

Foster [Page 182] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

individual]
Email address:
Telephone:
Level of support offered: [delete as appropriate]
     o volunteer
     o funded
     o for experts only
     o all users
Hours available:

Related Working Groups:

[Name only]

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

[Name only]

Mailing Lists:

[Duplicate this section for each list]
Address:          [Email Address to send contributions]
Administration:   [<listname>-request etc.]
Description:
[This is optional - if the group has only one mailing list]
Archive:  [Location of message archive for this list]

News groups:

[Duplicate this section for each news group]
Name:
Description:
[This is optional - if the group has only one news group]

Foster [Page 183] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Archive:  [Location of message archive for this news group]

Protocols:

What is supported:   [e.g., Z39.50]
What it runs over:
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
Future plans:

Servers:

[Duplicate the following for each platform
e.g., Unix, VMS, VM/CMS,....]
[The main contact for this NIR tool should complete at least
"platform" and "contact" for each server known to them.]
Date completed or updated:
By: Name:
    Email address: [If different from that of the Primary
                   contact listed below]
Platform:
Primary Contact:
Name:
Email address:
Telephone:
Server software available from:
Location of more information:
     [Such as installation instructions
      copyright statements,
      warnings & bug reports etc.
      Eventually this will be the Unique Resource
      Identifiers of the documents]
Latest version number:

Foster [Page 184] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Brief Scope and Characteristics:
Approximate number of such servers in use:
General comments:

Clients:

[Duplicate the following for each platform
e.g., MS-DOS PC, MAC, vt100,...]
[The main contact for this NIR tool should complete
"platform" and "contact" for each server known to them.]
Date completed or updated:
By: Name:
    Email address: [If different from that of the Primary
                   contact listed below]
Platform:
Primary Contact:
Name:
Email address:
Telephone:
Client software available from:
Location of more information:
     [Such as installation instructions
      copyright statements,
      warnings & bug reports etc.
      Eventually this will be the Unique Resource
      Identifiers of the documents]
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
Future plans:
     Items included here could include
     - optional items to come.
     - plans for moving to international standards
     - plans for interoperating with other NIR tools
     - other functionality to be supported

Foster [Page 185] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Demonstration sites:

List of sites which are willing to act as demonstration
sites for this application.
[Duplicate for each site]
     Site name:
     Access details:
         [e.g.,
               telnet archie.sura.net
               login as archie              ]

Documentation:

The following is a list of suggested items to be found in a
document archive. Note that the location pointers below could be
replaced in the future by the "Uniform Resource Name".
     o   current overview
     o   instructions to information providers
     o   Frequently Asked Questions
     o   user manuals
     o   training materials
             -   tutorials
             -   canned demos
             -   sample session (screen dumps)
             -   videos
             -   etc.
     o   miscellaneous documents
[Duplicate the following for each existing document as
necessary]
Document Title:
Location details:
     Site:
     Full file name:

Bibliography:

[A list of a maximum of 10 key papers, books etc. on this NIR tool.
Optionally a pointer to a fuller bibliography could be given.]

Foster [Page 186] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Other Information:

[Feel free to add other information that you feel is relevant.
This will be considered for inclusion in the report.]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 187] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

APPENDIX B

NIR Group Template (last updated 22.12.93)

Purpose and scope:

This template is to be used to collect the information necessary to
identify and track major groups that are working to promote or develop
networked information retrieval.  It is intended that this will be
completed by the group representative.
The groups included are defined by enumeration.  The IETF/RARE/CNI
NIR-WG welcome suggestions for other groups to be included.

Groups:

  CNI         Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)
              Architectures and Standards
              Directories and Resource Information Services
              TopNode for Networked Information Resources, Services,
                                                         and Tools
  CNIDR       Clearing House for Networked Information Discovery
                                                    and Retrieval
  IETF        Integrated Directory Services (IDS)
              Integration of Internet Information Resources (IIIR)
              Networked Information Retrieval (NIR) joint IETF/RARE WG
              Network Information Services Infrastructure (NISI)
              OSI-Directory Service (OSI-DS)
              Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI)
              Whois and Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS)
  IRTF        Internet Research Task Force Research Group on
                Resource Discovery and Directory Service (IRTF-RD)
  NISO        Z39.50 Implementors Group
  RARE        Information Services and User Support Working Group
                (ISUS)
  USMARC/OCLC USMARC Advisory Group; OCLC Internet Resources
                 Cataloging Experiment (USMARC/OCLC)

New Entries: Please complete this template for your group or organisation and return it to Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk (NIR-WG co-chair). Receipt of your message will be acknowledged.

Foster [Page 188] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Please imbed descriptive text by at least one more column than the heading for that item:

For example:

Description of main group:

This is the most active NIR group.  This is the decription imbedded
one more column.

Updates: updates to existing information on NIR Groups may be sent by the appropriate contact person at any time to:

     nir-updates@cnidr.org

The full report will be updated annually and will form the basis of a "snapshot" report on the activities in the area of networked information retrieval (NIR).

———————–x—- cut here —-x—————————-

Date template updated or checked: (e.g., 02 November, 1992)
By: Name:
    Email address:

NIR Group Name:

Sponsoring Organisation:

Working subgroups:

  Name of subgroup:
  Mailinglist-Address:

Description of main group:

    [Description of the scope and purpose of the group and the
    current tasks being worked on.  (Recommended maximum of
    100 lines.)  Please indicate whether membership is open or
    closed.  Include a pointer to an on-line charter if
    appropriate]

Primary Contact(s):

[Please duplicate this section for each separate contact]

Foster [Page 189] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Name:
[May be the name of a role e.g., group-secretariat or of an
individual]
Email address:
Postal Address:
Telephone:
Fax:

Mailing Lists:

[Duplicate this section for each list]
Address:          [Email Address to send contributions]
Administration:   [<listname>-request etc.]
Description:
[This is optional - if the group has only one mailing list]
Archive:  [Location of message archive for this list]

News groups:

[Duplicate this section for each news group]
Name:
Description:
[This is optional - if the group has only one news group]
Archive:  [Location of message archive for this news group]

Document Archive:

[Duplicate if necessary]
Location details:
     Site:
     Directory:

Foster [Page 190] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Official Publications:

[for example: Journal, Newsletter, Report Series]

Bibliography:

[A list of a maximum of 10 key papers, books etc. produced by
this group on their NIR work].

Other Information:

[Feel free to add other information that you feel is relevant.
This will be considered for inclusion in the report.]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 191] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

APPENDIX C

/* A summary of email lists and newsgroups dealing with    */
/* various issues in resource discovery and networked      */
/* information retrieval.                                  */

Created-By: Peter Deutsch Email Address: peterd@bunyip.com Last Updated: 16 December 1993 Comments: Please send comments, corrections and

                       additions to the author at the above address.

/* The following mailing lists are in IAFA format. NIR Groups and */ /* Tool developers are encouraged to make such descriptions */ /* available for their lists. */


Mailinglist-Name: Alex

Address: alex-users@cs.cmu.edu

Administration: alex-users-request@cs.cmu.edu

Address: alex-servers@cs.cmu.edu

Administration: alex-servers-request@cs.cmu.edu

Description: alex-servers is for people setting up an Alex

                       fileserver.  alex-users is for people who just
                       want to use Alex.

Archive: alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu (128.2.209.13)


Mailinglist-Name: Archie

Address: archie-maint@bunyip.com

Administration: archie-maint-request@bunyip.com

Description: This mailing list is for people who operate and

Foster [Page 192] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                       maintain archie servers.  Announcements of bug
                       fixes, new releases and discussion of new
                       features are carried out on this list.

Archive: archives.cc.mcgill.ca:/pub/mailing-lists/archie-maint

  1. ———————————

Mailinglist-Name: The archie People Mailing List

Address: archie-people@bunyip.com

Administration: archie-people-request@bunyip.com

Description: This mailing list is for people interested in

                       the archie project and its future developments.
                       Announcements of upgrades, new services, etc.
                       are made to this list.

Archive: None


Mailinglist-Name Gopher

Address: gopher-news@boombox.micro.umn.edu

Administration: gopher-news-request@boombox.micro.umn.edu

Description: News and views of all things gopher.

Archive: Via gopher: University of Minnesota Gopher

                       Information About Gopher

Mailinglist-Name: HYTELNET Updates Distribution

Address: hytel-l@kentvm.kent.edu

Administration: By listowner Peter Scott

                       aa375@freenet.carleton.ca

Description: To inform members of new version of the

                       software, and to keep users informed of
                       new/changed/defunct Telnet-accessible sites.
                       To subscribe send email message to
                       listserv@kentvm.kent.edu with no subject, and

Foster [Page 193] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                       sub hytel-l firstname lastname  as the body of
                       the message.

Archive: None.


Mailinglist-Name: Netfind

Address: netfind-users@cs.colorado.edu

Administration: netfind-users-request@cs.colorado.edu

Description: Mailing list for user changes and updates.

Archive: None.

  1. ————————–

Address: netfind-servers@cs.colorado.edu

Administration: schwartz@cs.colorado.edu

Description: Mailing list for sites running Netfind servers.

Archive: None.


Mailinglist-Name: Prospero

Address: info-prospero@isi.edu

Administration: info-prospero-request@isi.edu

Description: This mailing list is really two one-way mailing

                       lists.  Send mail to INFO-PROSPERO to obtain
                       information about Prospero, papers or the
                       release. Mail to INFO-PROSPERO will not be
                       passed on to subscribers.  INFO-PROSPERO is
                       also the list to which we will send status
                       updates and information on how to obtain new
                       releases.

Archive: Via anonymous FTP to PROSPERO.ISI.EDU as

                       /pub/prospero/mail/info-prospero.arc

Foster [Page 194] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                 Via prospero in the "#/INET/EDU/ISI/GUEST/prototype"
                 virtual system as
                 /sites/isi.edu/pub/prospero/mail/info-prospero.arc.
  1. —————————-

Address: prospero@isi.edu

Administration: prospero-request@isi.edu

Description: This mailing list is for general discussion of

                       Prospero, for announcements of new sites that
                       have come on board, and for announcments of
                       directories that people have created to
                       organize the information already accessible.

Archive: Via anonymous FTP to PROSPERO.ISI.EDU as

                       /pub/prospero/mail/prospero.arc
                  Via Prospero in the "#/INET/EDU/ISI/GUEST/prototype"
                  virtual system as
                  /sites/isi.edu/pub/prospero/mail/prospero.arc.

Mailinglist-Name: Veronica

Address: veronica-news@veronica.scs.unr.edu


Mailinglist-Name: WAIS

Address: wais-discussion@wais.com

Administration: wais-discussion-request@wais.com

Description: Moderated, digested biweekly posting about WAIS

                       and Electronic publishing subjects.  Please
                       submit interesting materials.

Archive:

              /pub/wais/mail-archives/wais-discussion/issue-*@wais.com
              and wais-discussion-archive WAIS server
  1. —————————-

Address: wais-talk@wais.com

Foster [Page 195] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Administration: wais-talk-request@wais.com

Description: Implementors forum on WAIS. This is for

                       talking about nitty gritty details of protocols
                       and implementations.

Archive: /pub/wais/mail-archives/wais-talk@wais.com

  1. —————————-

Mailinglist-Name: freeWAIS

Address: freeWAIS@cnidr.org

Administration: not applicable

Description: Mailing list for reporting bugs in freeWAIS.

Archive: None.


Mailinglist-Name: WWW

Address: www-talk@info.cern.ch for CONTRIBUTIONS ONLY

Administration: listserv@info.cern.ch (robot)

                       www-talk-request@info.cern.ch (human)

Description: Technical discussions, W3 related. Experts to

                       experts.  General questions to
                       comp.infosystems.www please.

Archive: Not currently served, but kept.

  1. ————————–

Address: www-announce@info.cern.ch

                       NOT FOR GENERAL USE - serious low-volume
                                             announcements only

Administration: listserv@info.cern.ch (robot)

                       www-announce-request@info.cern.ch (human)

Description: Low volume summary announcements of product

                       releases, etc.

Archive: Not currently public.

Foster [Page 196] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Mailinglist-Name: X.500

Address: dssig@ics.uci.edu

Administration: dssig-request@ics.uci.edu

Description: Mail list for OIW DS-SIG group.


Mailinglist-Name: CNI Groups

All of the CNI lists are managed with the Unix-Listprocessor software.

To join any of them mail to:

                       listproc@cni.org
                  sub cni-<groupname> Firstname Lastname

All CNI list archives are available as:

URL:ftp://ftp.cni.org/CNI/forums/cni-<groupname>
URL:gopher//gopher.cni.org 70/CNI Working Group Forums/
    cni-<groupname>
  1. ——————————-

Mailinglist-Name: CNI News and Announcements

Address: cni-announce@cni.org

  1. ——————————-

Mailinglist-Name: Architecture and Standards Working Group

Address: cni-architecture@cni.org

  1. ——————————-

Mailinglist-Name: Copyright and Intellectual Property

                       Forum

Address: cni-copyright@cni.org

  1. ——————————

Foster [Page 197] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Mailinglist-Name: Directories and Information Resource Services

                        Working Group

Address: cni-directories@cni.org

  1. ——————————-

Mailinglist-Name: CNI Legislation, Codes, Policies and

                       Practices Working Group Forum

Address: cni-legislation@cni.org

  1. —————————-

Mailinglist-Name: CNI Management & Professional & User

                       Education Working Group Forum

Address: cni-management@cni.org

  1. ——————————–

Mailinglist-Name: CNI Modernization of Scholarly

                       Publication Working Group Forum

Address: cni-modernization@cni.org

  1. ——————————-

Mailinglist-Name: CNI Access to Public Information

                       Working Group Forum

Address: cni-pubinfo@cni.org

  1. ——————————

Mailinglist-Name: CNI Teaching and Learning Working Group

                       Forum

Address: cni-teaching@cni.org

  1. ——————————

Mailinglist-Name: CNI Transformation of Scholarly

                       Communication Working Group Forum

Address: cni-transformation@cni.org

Foster [Page 198] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

  1. ——————————

Mailinglist-Name: TopNode for Networked Information Resources,

                         Services and Tools

Address: cnidir@cni.org

                       cni-directories@cni.org

Administration: listserv@cni.org

                       SUB cni-directories Lastname Firstname

Archive: ftp.cni.org:/CNI/forums/cni-directories/*


Mailinglist-Name: CNIDR

Address: info@cnidr.org

Administration: none

Description: Email sent to this address will receive an

                       automatic response containing more information
                       about current CNIDR activities.

Archive: none


Mailinglist-Name: zip@cnidr.org

Address: zip@cnidr.org

Administration: zip-request@cnidr.org

                       sub zip Lastname Firstname

Description: Technical discussion of Z39.50-92 application

                       development.  Subscribers receive brief
                       overview of project and information on how to
                       access archives.

Archive:

    ftp://ftp.cnidr.org/NIDR.tools/zip
    gopher://gopher.cnidr.org/NIDR Tools/Discussion/Online Discussion

Mailinglist-Name: IDS: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) WG

Foster [Page 199] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                       on Integrated Directory Services

Address: ietf-ids@merit.edu

Administration: ietf-ids-request@merit.edu

Archive: Anonymous FTP to merit.edu, ids/archive


Mailinglist-Name: IIIR: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) WG

                      on Integration of Internet Information Resources

Address: iiir@merit.edu

Administration: iiir-request@merit.edu

Archive: Anonymous FTP, iiir/archive


Mailinglist-Name: NIR: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) WG

                       on Network Information Retrieval

Address: nir@mailbase.ac.uk

Administration: Auto subscriptions to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk

                       "subscribe nir firstname lastname"
                       Human admin to: nir-request@mailbase.ac.uk

Description: This mailing list is intended to act as a

                       clearing-house for discussions of Networked
                       Information Retrieval and the active research
                       projects in this field (eg WAIS, WWW, Gopher).

Keywords: IETF, URIs, UDIs, URLs, UDLs, resource

                       discovery, Internet, Gopher, WAIS, WWW, X.500,
                       archie

Archive: ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/files/nir/*

                       or via gopher to mailbase.ac.uk

Mailinglist-Name: NISI: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) WG

                       on Network Information Services Infrastructure

Address: nisi@merit.edu

Foster [Page 200] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Administration: nisi-request@merit.edu


Mailinglist-Name: OSI-DS: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

                       WG on OSI Directory Services

Address: ietf-osi-ds@cs.ucl.ac.uk

Administration: ietf-osi-ds-request@cs.ucl.ac.uk

Archive: Anonymous FTP, bells.cs.ucl.ac.uk


Mailinglist-Name: URI: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) WG

                       on Uniform Resource Identifiers

Address: uri@bunyip.com

Administration: uri-request@bunyip.com

Archive: archives.cc.mcgill.ca:~/pub/uri-archive


Mailinglist-Name: WNILS: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

                       Whois and Network Information Lookup Service

Address: ietf-wnils@ucdavis.edu

Administration: ietf-wnils-request@ucdavis.edu

                       subscribe ietf-wnils Firstname Lastname

Description: This mailing list is used by the IETF Whois and

                       Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS)
                       working group which is defining enhancements to
                       whois.

Archive: ucdavis.edu:/pub/archive


Mailinglist-Name: Z39.50 Implementors Group (ZIG)

Address: Z3940IW@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (Internet)

                       Z3950IW@NERVM (Bitnet)

Foster [Page 201] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Administration/ listserv@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (Internet) Subscriptions: LISTSERV@NERVM (Bitnet)

Archive: Anonymous FTP and/or Gopher: sally.fcla.ufl.edu


Mailinglist-Name: RARE Information Services and User Support WG

Address: wg-isus@rare.nl

Administration: Auto subscriptions to: mailserver@rare.nl

                       "subscribe wg-isus <firstname> <lastname>
                       Human admin to: wg-isus-request@rare.nl

Description: General purpose mailing list for whole ISUS WG.

Document Archive: Site: raredoc.rare.nl

                       Directory: /rare
  1. —————————–

Mailinglist-Name: MMIS: RARE Multimedia Information Services

                       Task Force

Address: mmis@mailbase.ac.uk

Administration: Autosubscriptions to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk

                       "subscribe mmis firstname lastname
                       Human admin to: mmis-request@mailbase.ac.uk

Archive: ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/files/mmis/*

                       or via gopher to mailbase.ac.uk
  1. —————————–

Mailinglist-Name: UNITE: RARE Task Force on "User Network

                       Interface To Everything"

Address: unite@mailbase.ac.uk

Administration: Autosubscriptions to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk

                       "subscribe unite firstname lastname
                       Human admin to: unite-request@mailbase.ac.uk

Archive: ftp://mailbase.ac.uk/pub/lists/files/unite/*

                       or via gopher to mailbase.ac.uk

Foster [Page 202] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Mailinglist-Name: Hyper-G

Address: uniinfo@mlist.tu-graz.ac.at


Mailinglist-Name: Soft Pages

Address: spp@aic.co.jp

Administration: spp-request@aic.co.jp

Description: Technical discussion related to representation

                       of network information in the directory and its
                       usage is carried out in this group.

Archive: Not (yet) available via anonymous FTP.


Mailinglist-Name: WHOIS++

Address: ietf-wnils@ucdavis.edu

Administration: ietf-wnils-request@ucdavis.edu

Archive: pub/archive/wnils@ucdavis.edu


Mailinglist-Name: IAFA: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

                       Internet Anonymous FTP Archive working group

Address: iafa@bunyip.com

Administration: iafa-request@bunyip.com

Description: This mailing list is for people who are

                       involved in the Internet Anonymous FTP Archives
                       Working Group of the IETF.  This group was
                       involved in standardizing the encoding of
                       information at anonymous FTP archives and thus
                       is of interest to operators and users of the
                       archie system.  It came to completion in
                       November, 1992 and produced two documents which
                       have been presented to the IETF as informational

Foster [Page 203] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                       RFCs.

Archive: archives.cc.mcgill.ca:/pub/mailing-lists/iafa


/* The following Usenet newsgroups discuss various issues in */ /* resource discovery or specific NIR projects. */

Newsgroup-Name: comp.archives.admin

Mailinglist-Gate: <unknown>

Description: This group discusses problems in administering

                       Internet archives. It has also been used as an
                       informal source of announcements for project
                       releases, a place for new-comers to ask
                       questions, etc.

Keywords: anonymous FTP, archives, Internet, archie

Archive: <unknown>


Newsgroup-Name: comp.infosystems.wais

Mailinglist-Gate: <unknown>

Description: This group was created to host discussions

                       about the Wide Area Information Server
                       Also included are information and help with the
                       public domain release available from Thinking
                       Machine Corp. and setting up your own WAIS
                       server.

Keywords: WAIS, resource discovery, indexing, Internet

Archive: <unknown>


Newsgroup-Name: alt.wais

Mailinglist-Gate: <unknown>

Description: This alt. group was created to host discussions

                       about the Wide Area Information Service. It has

Foster [Page 204] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

                       been superceeded by the group
                       "comp.infosystems.wais" and its use is
                       discouraged.

Keywords: WAIS, resource discovery, indexing, Internet

Archive: <unknown>


Newsgroup-Name: comp.infosystems.www

Mailinglist-Gate: <unknown>

Description: This group was created to host discussions

                       about the World Wide Web distributed hypertext
                       information services project based at CERN in
                       Switzerland, including discussion of the many
                       public domain implementations of WWW clients
                       and servers available.

Keywords: World Wide Web, campus-wide information

                       systems, resource discovery, indexing, Internet

Archive: <unknown>


Newsgroup-Name: alt.gopher

Mailinglist-Gate: <unknown>

Description: This group was created to host discussions

                       about the Gopher distributed information
                       project, based at University of Minnesota,
                       including discussion of the many public domain
                       implementations of Gopher clients and servers
                       available. It has been superceeded by the
                       group "comp.infosystems.gopher" and its use is
                       discouraged.

Keywords: Gopher, campus-wide information systems,

                       resource discovery, indexing, Internet

Archive: <unknown>


Foster [Page 205] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Newsgroup-Name: alt.internet.services

Description: This newsgroup is for people interested in

                       Internet-related services, with a focus at the
                       user level.  Announcements and discussions of
                       issues related to archie are presented here, as
                       well as discussions of more general issues
                       relating to Internet services.

Archive: not known


Newsgroup-Name: bit.listserv.hytel-l

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 206] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

APPENDIX D

COMING ATTRACTIONS

This section will be used to keep a note of NIR Tools which are
considered by the NIR Group to be sufficiently well developed to
include here, but that are not yet in widespread use.
Items currently included here are:
      Hyper-G
      Soft Pages
      Whois++

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

HYPER-G

Date template updated or checked: 19th October, 1993
By: Name:   Frank Kappe
    Email address:fkappe@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at

NIR Tool Name: Hyper-G

Brief Description of Tool:

Hyper-G is the name of an ambitious hypermedia project currently being
developed as a joint effort by a number of institutes of the IIG
(Institutes for Information-Processing Graz) and the Computing and
Information Services Center of the Graz University of Technology and
the Austrian Computer Society.
Hyper-G is designed as a general-purpose, large-scale, multi-user,
distributed hypermedia information system.  As such, it combines
concepts of hypermedia, information retrieval systems, documentation
systems with aspects of communication and collaboration, and computer
supported teaching and learning.  It also provides seamless
integration of other systems (e.g., World-Wide Web, Gopher, WAIS) that
also operate under the client/server paradigm and allows remote logins
to interactive services.
In addition to hypertext links, Hyper-G allows navigation through
hierarchies, queries (including full text), guided tours, and is
multilingual.

Foster [Page 207] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Hyper-G is currently operated at some 10 locations throughout the
world, including a University Information System at the Graz Technical
University.  Clients and the server are available without fee for
educational institutions, and are distributed as binaries for a number
of platforms.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Frank Kappe
Email address:        fkappe@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
Postal Address:       Schieszstattg. 4a, A-8010 Graz, AUSTRIA
Telephone:            +43-316-832551-22
Fax:                  +43-316-824394

Help Line:

Sorry no help line

Related Working Groups:


Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

Austrian Ministry of Science
European Space Agency

Mailing Lists:

uniinfo@mlist.tu-graz.ac.at

News groups:

None

Foster [Page 208] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Protocols:

What is supported:   RPC
What it runs over:   TCP/IP
Other NIR tools this interworks with: gopher, WAIS, World Wide Web
Future plans: Too numerous to mention.

Servers:

Date completed or updated:     12th October, 1993
By: Name:                      Gerald Pani
    Email address:             gpani@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
Platform: UNIX
Primary Contact:
    Name:           Gerald Pani
    Email address:  gpani@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
    Telephone:      +43-316-832551-34
Server software available from:  anon-ftp from iicm.tu-graz.ac.at,
                                 in directory pub/Hyper-G/Server
Location of more information:    see README in above directory
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
Approximate number of such servers in use: 13
General comments:
 Currently available as binary distribution for SUN, DEC, HP,
 and SGI workstations.

Clients:

UNIX curses client (a.k.a. VT100 Client)
Date completed or updated:    19th October, 1993

Foster [Page 209] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

By: Name:                     Frank Kappe
    Email address:            fkappe@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
Platform:  UNIX
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Frank Kappe
Email address:                fkappe@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
Telephone:                    +43-316-832551-22
Client software available from:
    anonymous ftp:  iicm.tu-graz.ac.at:/pub/Hyper-G/UnixClient
Location of more information:
Latest version number: 1.41
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
 Fairly sophisticated terminal viewer with ~50 commands, multi-
 language user interface, history, authoring capabilities (text
 documents and links) and the ability to speak to gopher,
 World-Wide-Web, WAIS and to start telnet sessions.
General comments:
Future plans:
 The terminal viewer will probably remain rather stable in the future.
 Our main effort now goes into the development of clients for
 X-Windows and MS-Windows.

MS-Windows Client

Date completed or updated:    10th October, 1993
By: Name:                     Thomas Dietinger
    Email address:
Platform:  UNIX
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Thomas Dietinger, Frank Kappe
Email address:                tdieting@iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
Telephone:                    +43-316-832551-22

Foster [Page 210] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Client software available from:
    anonymous ftp:  iicm.tu-graz.ac.at:/pub/Hyper-G/pc-client
Location of more information:
Latest version number: 1.37
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
Preliminary version of a Hyper-G client for MS-Windows 3.1 and Windows
NT.  Currently mostly identical to the UNIX curses client.  An
exception is its ability to elegantly import and export RTF text files
to/from Hyper-G, and its multimedia capabilities.
General comments:
Future plans:
Will become more fancy (menus, icons, buttons...) in the near future.

Demonstration sites:

List of sites which are willing to act as demonstration
sites for this application.
     Site name: hyperg.tu-graz.ac.at
     Access details: 'rlogin hyperg.tu-graz.ac.at' or
                     'telnet hyperg.tu-graz.ac.at', login 'info'
                     (rlogin has the advantage that the terminal size
                     of xterms is handled correctly (can even be
                     changed in the middle of a session)
Note: The same information is available through Gopher and WWW
      gateways.
      Gopher: host gopher.tu-graz.ac.at, port 70
      WWW:    URL=http://www.tu-graz.ac.at:80/ROOT

Documentation:

Document Title: Most of the documentation is available on-line in the

               Graz server. The server distribution include man-pages

Foster [Page 211] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

               of the additional authoring tools and utilities that
               are supplied with the server. The ideas behind Hyper-G
               are described in a number of research papers (see
               Bibliography).

Location details:

               Site:      iicm.tu-graz.ac.at
               Full file name: look in directory /pub/Hyper-G/doc

Bibliography:

Kappe F.: Aspects of a Modern Multi-Media Information System.  IIG
Report 308, IIG, Graz University of Technology, Austria, June 1991.
Available by anonymous ftp from
iicm.tu-graz.ac.at:/pub/Hyper-G/doc/report308.ps.Z
Kappe F., Maurer H., Sherbakov N.: Hyper-G - A Universal Hypermedia
System. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, Vol. 2,
No. 1, pp. 39-66 (1993). Also available by anonymous ftp from
iicm.tu-graz.ac.at:/pub/Hyper-G/doc/report333.txt.Z
Kappe F., Pani G., Schnabel F.: The Architecture of a Massively
Distributed Hypermedia System. Internet Research: Electronic
Networking Applications and Policy, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 10-24; Meckler
(Spring 1993)
Kappe F., Maurer H.: Hyper-G: A Large Universal Hypermedia System and
Some Spin-Offs; ACM Computer Graphics, experimental special online
issue; available by anonymous ftp from siggraph.org in directory
publications/May_93_online/Kappe.Maurer (May 1993)
Kappe F.: Hyper-G: A Distributed Hypermedia System; Proc. INET '93,
San Francisco, California, pp. DCC-1 - DCC-9 (Aug. 1993).

Other Information:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 212] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

SOFT PAGES

Date template updated or checked: 4th November, 1993 By: Name: Glenn Mansfield

   Email address: glenn@aic.co.jp

NIR Tool Name: SoftPages

Brief Description of Tool:

A tool to aid users in the efficient retrieval of documents, s/w, and
the like from servers ( anonymous FTP, FTAM, ..  ) connected to the
network.  In principle, it uses the X.500 Directory framework to store
information about the network.  This includes the network
configuration, the properties of the links that connect the network
elements, location of servers and their contents.  When a user looks
for a particular document or s/w the above information is used to
search for the object starting from the server that is
"nearest" (cheapest) to the user.
The X.500 directory services is used in several stages
     get list of file-servers
     get path to file servers
     get attributes for computing cost of paths
     search for file that is being sought
However, under present circumstances, due to lack of deployment of
network information in the directory, when information is unavailable
from X.500, alternate sources/methods are used.  [Static-lists of
file-servers, or lists of file servers from other clients (e.g.,
archie); Paths and/or costs are obtained from static lists or derived
by other direct means (e.g., ping, traceroute); file information is
sought from other servers (e.g., archie).]
User's View:
A "single window" view of the public archives connected to the
network.  It locates the server that contains the sought object and is
near(/cheap/fast) server.
Query of files based on incomplete name is supported.  The system also
supports queries based on keywords.
Information Provider's View:
The information about the server contents have to be updated

Foster [Page 213] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

at a single place- namely, the local Directory Service Agent.
The Directory Service Agent makes the information globally
accessible.
It is not necessary to carry out periodic updates on one or
more information servers.
  1. information types supported (e.g., text, sound, etc.)
Since the system supports query on name and keywords (not on
contents) all kinds of information may be supported.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:            Manager, SoftPages Project
Email address:   spp-manager@aic.co.jp
Postal Address:  AIC Sytsems Lab.
                 Minami Yoshinari 6-6-3
                 Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi 989-32, Japan
Telephone:       +81-22-279-3310
Fax:             +81-22-279-3640

Help Line:

Name:            SoftPages Project Support Group
Email address:   spp-support@aic.co.jp
Telephone:       +81-22-279-3310
Level of support offered:
     o volunteer
     o all users             yes
Hours available: Regular working hours

Related Working Groups:

The SoftPages Project Working Group

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

The project is supported by:
    AIC Systems Lab., Sendai, Japan
    Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

Foster [Page 214] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

    The WIDE Project, Japan

Mailing Lists:

Address:              spp@aic.co.jp
Administration:       spp-request@aic.co.jp
Description:          Technical discussion related to representation
                      of network information in the directory and its
                      usage is carried out in this group.
Archive:              Not (yet) available via anonymous FTP.

News groups:

None

Protocols:

What is supported:   X.500 DAP
What it runs over:   LDAP over IP
Other NIR tools this interworks with:
Future plans:

Servers:

Date completed or updated:    4th November, 1993
By: Name:                     Glenn Mansfield
    Email address:            glenn@aic.co.jp
Platform:                     Unix
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Manager, SoftPages Project
Email address:                spp-manager@aic.co.jp
Telephone:                    +81-22-279-3310
Server software available from:
      Any standard X.500 package will do.
      We are using the QUIPU package that is included

Foster [Page 215] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

      in the ISODE system
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
Approximate number of such servers in use:
General comments:
        some new oids need to be assigned for
        SoftPages related objects.

Clients:

Date completed or updated:    4th November, 1993
By: Name:                     Glenn Mansfield
    Email address:            glenn@aic.co.jp
Platform:                     Unix.
Primary Contact:
Name:                         Manager, SoftPages Project
Email address:                spp-manager@aic.co.jp
Telephone:                    +81-22-279-3310
Client software available from:
             will be announced on the mailing list in the
             near future
Location of more information:
Latest version number:
Brief Scope and Characteristics:
General comments:
             The Prototype is under development and testing.
             It is not (yet) available for public use.
Future plans:

Demonstration sites:

Foster [Page 216] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Documentation:

 Document Title: README
 Location details:
      Site: ftp.tohoku.ac.jp
      Full file name:pub/spp/README

Bibliography:

"The Soft Pages Project", Th. Johannsen, G.Mansfield,
OSI-DS-39, February 1993.
Location details:
     Site: cs.ucl.ac.uk
     Full file name:osi-ds/osi-ds-39-00.{txt, ps}

Other Information:

"Optimized Document Retrieval - Soft Pages Project", Th. Johannsen,
G.Mansfield, S.Noguchi, Booklet of Abstracts,
The Network Services Conference '92, Pisa, November 1992.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 217] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

WHOIS++

Date template updated or checked: 21 October, 1993 By: Name: Chris Weider

   Email address: clw@bunyip.com

NIR Tool Name: whois++ and the whois++ index service

Brief Description of Tool:

whois++ and the whois++ index service are extensions of the WHOIS
protocol.  They are designed to a) subsume in a standardized fashion
the many enhancements which have been added to individual WHOIS
servers; b) extend the flexibility of WHOIS by enriching the query
syntax, and c) provide a distributed indexing system to tie the
various whois++ servers into a distributed information lookup service.
The protocols describe two logically distinct types of servers that an
information provider can set up.  The first type is the base-level
whois++ server.  This contains primary information, such as entries
for individual people or entries describing resources available
locally.  For example, if one wished to provide a campus directory
through whois++, one would set up a base-level whois++ server that
contained entries for each student.  In addition, this base-level
server must be able to generate 'forward knowledge' for the
information it contains.  The second type of server collects the
'forward knowledge' generated by a number of base-level servers, and
can take a query sent to it and determine which of the base-level
servers it indexes might contain information relevant for the query.
A single physical server may contain both primary information and
'forward knowledge' for a number of other servers, and an index server
can also index 'forward knowledge' for a number of other index
servers, allowing a hierarchical mesh of index servers to be built.
For more details on the information provider's point of view, see the
'Documentation' section of this template.
The basic information model is centered on the concept of 'templates'.
A template is a collection of attribute:value pairs, where the
allowable attributes are specified by the template type.  The whois++
templates are based on the templates defined by the IAFA working group
of the IETF.  The values associated with given attributes are not
necessarily limited to text, they can be digitized sound clips, etc.
Depending on the client she uses, the user will see a connection to
the local whois++ base-level server.  The user can ask the server for
a list of templates supported by that server, and can then call up a

Foster [Page 218] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

blank version of the template so that she can fill in values for the
attributes she knows.  Once she has filled in the template as much as
she wants, she issues a query to the server to find all the entries
which have these attribute:value pairs.  If she is not satisfied with
the responses, she can then start traversing the index service to
locate a server which can adequately answer her query.  In addition,
if a user makes frequent use of the index service, she can set
'bookmarks' which can be used later to directly contact servers she's
found useful in the past, without having to traverse the index service
again.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Chris Weider
Email address:        clw@bunyip.com
Postal Address:       2001 South Huron Parkway 12
                      Ann Arbor
                      Michigan
                      48104, USA
Telephone:                    +1-313-971-2223
Fax:                          +1-313-971-2223
                    ----------------------------
Name:                 Peter Deutsch
Email address:        peterd@bunyip.com
Postal Address:       Bunyip Information Systems, Inc.
                      266 Blvd. Neptune
                      Dorval QUEBEC H9S 2L4
                      CANADA
Telephone:            +1-514-875-8611

Help Line:

Not yet deployed.

Related Working Groups:

Foster [Page 219] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Whois Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS) Working Group of the
Internet Engineering Task Forces (IETF)

Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

  None

Mailing Lists:

Address:              ietf-wnils@ucdavis.edu
Administration:       ietf-wnils-request@ucdavis.edu
Archive:              pub/archive/wnils@ucdavis.edu

News groups:

 NONE

Protocols:

What is supported:    WHOIS, whois++
What it runs over:    TCP/IP
Other NIR tools this interworks with: None yet.
Future plans: Providing resource location services and URN/URL
 mappings for GOPHER, ARCHIE, WAIS, and WWW.

Servers:

 Only beta versions available at this time (21 October, 1993). Please
 contact clw@bunyip.com (Chris Weider) for more information.

Clients:

Foster [Page 220] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

 Only beta versions available at this time (21 October, 1993). Please
 contact clw@bunyip.com (Chris Weider) for more information.

Demonstration sites:

 NONE at this time (21 October, 1993)

Documentation:

Document Title: Architecture of the Whois++ Index Service
Location details:
     Site: gopher.ucdavis.edu
     Full file name: /pub/IETF/WNILS/Architecture.Index.Service
Document Title: Architecture of the WHOIS++ Service
Location details:
     Site: gopher.ucdavis.edu
     Full file name: /pub/IETF/WNILS/Architecture.Overview
Document Title: Specifications for WHOIS Services
Location details:
     Site: gopher.ucdavis.edu
     Full file name: /pub/IETF/WNILS/Discussion.Paper

Bibliography:

 See the documentation section of this template.

Other Information:

As this is a coming attraction, we encourage people to get in on the
ground floor.  The authors of this protocol see it as potentially
being a key player in any integrated Internet information
architecture, and we can always use more volunteers who want to
beta-test code for us.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 221] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

APPENDIX E

Extinct Critters (Tools)

This section will contain information on Tools moved from the main body of the report as the Tool falls out of common usage.

There are no items currently in this section.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

APPENDIX F

Extinct Critters (Groups)

This section will be used as a historical record of groups which were once in the main body of the report, but which have since been closed.

Items in this section:

      IAFA
      Z39.50  Interoperability Testbed

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

IAFA

Date template updated or checked: 8th July 1993 By: Name: Peter Deutsch

   Email Address:     peterd@bunyip.com

NIR Group Name: Internet Anonymous File Archive Working Group

Sponsoring Organisation: IETF

Working subgroups: none.

Description of main group:

This working group came to completion during the IETF meeting in
November, 1992 and two Internet drafts are are now circulating.  The
archive for this mailing list is currently available on
"archives.cc.mcgill.ca" via anonymous ftp in the file
"pub/mailing-lists/iafa".

Foster [Page 222] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Peter Deutsch
Email address:        peterd@bunyip.com
Postal address:       Bunyip Information Systems
                      266 Blvd Neptune
                      Dorval, Quebec H9S 2L4
                      CANADA
Telephone:            +1-514-398-3709
Fax:                  +1-514-398-6876

Mailing Lists:

Address:              iafa@cc.mcgill.ca
Administration:       iafa-request@cc.mcgill.ca
Description:          Discussion list for the IAFA Working Group
                      concerning the administration of anonymous FTP
                      archive sites.
Keywords:             IETF, IAFA, anonymous, FTP, archive, Internet,
                      archie
Archive:              The archive for this mailing list is currently
                      available on "archives.cc.mcgill.ca" via
                      anonymous FTP in the file
                      "pub/mailing-lists/iafa".

News groups:


Document Archive:

Location details:

    Site:             archives.cc.mcgill.ca
    Directory:        pub/mailing-lists/iafa

Foster [Page 223] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Official Publications:


Bibliography:


Other Information:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 224] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994

Z39.50

Date template updated or checked: 8th July 1993 By: Name: Jane Smith

   Email Address:     Jane.Smith@cnidr.org

NIR Group Name: Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed

Sponsoring Organisation: Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

                             Architectures and Standards Program

Working subgroups:

  Name of subgroup:
  Mailinglist-Address:

Description of main group:

Program priorities are 1) to facilitate a consistent and complete
mechanism for linking bibliographic, abstracting, and indexing files
to files of their associated source materials; 2) a single standard
for the transmission of bitmapped image files; 3) protocols for
handing networked requests for delivery of source materials; 4)
mechanisms for interorganizational authentication, accounting, and
billing; and 5) to integrate lessons drawn from the experience of
pilot projects that exercise networked printing utilities and 6) to
provide an "interoperability workshop" to specify, implement, and test
advanced functions of Z39.50 to accelerate the pace and to ensure the
quality of standardization efforts in this area.

Primary Contact(s):

Name:                 Clifford Lynch
Email address:        Clifford.Lynch@ucop.edu
Postal address:       Off. of the President
                      Unv. of California
                      300 Lakeside Dr.,
                      8th Flr. Oakland, CA 94612-3350 USA
Telephone:            +1-415-987-0522
Fax:                  +1-415-839-3573

Foster [Page 225] RFC 1689 Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups August 1994


Mailing Lists:

Address:              Z3950iw@NERVM.NERDC.UFL.EDU
Administration:       LISTSERV@NERVM.NERDC.UFL.EDU
Description:          Implementors' list for low level discussions
                      of protocol details.
Archive:

News groups: None


Document Archive:

Location details:
     Site:            ftp.cni.org
     Directory:       /CNI/projects/

Official Publications: None


Bibliography: None


Other Information: None

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Foster [Page 226]

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