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rfc:rfc1739

Network Working Group G. Kessler Request for Comments: 1739 S. Shepard Category: Informational Hill Associates, Inc.

                                                         December 1994
               A Primer On Internet and TCP/IP Tools

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.

Table of Contents

 1. Introduction ..................................................  2
 2. A Beginner's Guide to TCP/IP-based Utilities and Applications .  2
 2.1. NSLOOKUP ....................................................  3
 2.2. PING ........................................................  5
 2.3. FINGER ......................................................  6
 2.4. TRACEROUTE ..................................................  7
 2.5. FTP ......................................................... 10
 2.6. TELNET ...................................................... 14
 2.7. User Database Lookup Tools .................................. 17
 2.7.1. WHOIS/NICNAME ............................................. 17
 2.7.2. KNOWBOT ................................................... 20
 2.7.3. NETFIND ................................................... 21
 2.8. Information Servers ......................................... 24
 2.8.1. ARCHIE .................................................... 24
 2.8.2. GOPHER .................................................... 27
 2.8.3. Other Information Servers ................................. 30
 2.9. Uniform Resource Locator Format ............................. 31
 3. Distribution Lists and Mailing Lists .......................... 32
 3.1. Internet Discussion Lists ................................... 33
 3.2. Usenet ...................................................... 33
 3.3. BITNET/EARN ................................................. 35
 4. Internet Documentation ........................................ 36
 4.1. Request for Comments (RFCs) ................................. 36
 4.2. Internet Standards .......................................... 38
 4.3. For Your Information Documents .............................. 39
 4.4. RARE Technical Reports ...................................... 40
 5. Perusing the Internet ......................................... 40
 6. Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................... 42
 7. Security Considerations ....................................... 43
 8. Acknowledgements .............................................. 43
 9. References .................................................... 43
 10. Authors' Addresses ........................................... 46

Kessler & Shepard [Page 1] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

1. Introduction

 This memo is an introductory guide to some of the TCP/IP and Internet
 tools and utilities that allow users to access the wide variety of
 information on the network, from determining if a particular host is
 up to viewing a multimedia thesis on foreign policy.  It also
 describes discussion lists accessible from the Internet, ways to
 obtain Internet documents, and resources that help users weave their
 way through the Internet.  This memo may be used as a tutorial for
 individual self-learning, a step-by-step laboratory manual for a
 course, or as the basis for a site's users manual.  It is intended as
 a basic guide only and will refer to other sources for more detailed
 information.

2. A Beginner's Guide to TCP/IP-based Utilities and Applications

 This section provides descriptions and detailed examples of several
 TCP/IP utilities and applications, including actual sessions using
 these utilities (with some extraneous information removed).  Each
 section below describes a single TCP/IP-based tool, it's application,
 and, in some cases, how it works.  The text description is followed
 by an actual sample session.
 The sample dialogues shown below were made using the Multinet TCP/IP
 software for VAX/VMS or DOS versions of FTP Software's PC/TCP.  While
 the examples below can be used as a guide to using and learning about
 the capabilities of these tools, the reader should understand that
 not all of these utilities may be found at all TCP/IP hosts nor in
 all commercial software packages.  Furthermore, the user interface
 for different packages will be different and the actual command line
 may appear differently than shown here; this will be particularly
 true for graphical user interfaces running over Windows, X-Windows,
 OS/2, or Macintosh systems.  The Internet has many exciting things to
 offer but standardized interfaces to the protocols is not yet one of
 them!  This guide will not provide any detail or motivation about the
 Internet Protocol Suite; more information about the TCP/IP protocols
 and related issues may be found in RFC 1180 [18], Comer [22], Feit
 [23], and Kessler [30].
 In the commands shown in the descriptions below, any item appearing
 in square brackets ([]) is optional and the vertical-bar (|) means
 "or"; parameters appearing with no brackets or within curly brackets
 ({}) are mandatory.  In the sample dialogues, most user input is in
 capital letters (only where allowed) and lines containing user input
 are designated with a "**" in the far-left margin.
 AUTHOR'S NOTE: The sample dialogues are easier to read in the
 secondary, Postscript version of this RFC.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 2] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

2.1. NSLOOKUP

 NSLOOKUP is the name server lookup program that comes with many
 TCP/IP software packages.  A user can use NSLOOKUP to examine entries
 in the Domain Name System (DNS) database that pertain to a particular
 host or domain; one common use is to determine a host system's IP
 address from its name or the host's name from its IP address.  The
 general form of the command to make a single query is:
      NSLOOKUP  [IP_address | host_name]
 If the program is started without any parameters, the user will be
 prompted for input; the user can enter either an IP address or host
 name at that time, and the program will respond with the name and
 address of the default name sever, the name server actually used to
 resolve each request, and the IP address and host name that was
 queried.  "Exit" is used to quit the NSLOOKUP application.
 Three simple queries are shown in the example below:
1. Requests the address of the host named "emily.uvm.edu", a system at
   the University of Vermont (UVM).  As it turns out, this is not the
   true name of the host, but a shortened version of the name that is
   accepted as an alias by the network.  The full name of the host and
   the IP address are listed by NSLOOKUP.
2. Requests the address of host "emily.emba.uvm.edu", which is the
   same host as in the first query.  Note that NSLOOKUP provides a
   "non-authoritative" answer.  Since NSLOOKUP just queried this same
   address, the information is still in its cache memory.  Rather than
   send additional messages to the name server, the answer is one that
   it remembers from before; the server didn't look up the information
   again, however, so it is not guaranteed to still be accurate
   (because the information might have changed within the last few
   milliseconds!).
3. Requests the name of the host with the given IP address.  The
   result points to the Internet gateway to Australia,
   "munnari.oz.au".
 One additional query is shown in the dialogue below.  NSLOOKUP
 examines information that is stored by the DNS.  The default NSLOOKUP
 queries examine basic address records (called "A records") to
 reconcile the host name and IP address, although other information is
 also available.  In the final query below, for example, the user
 wants to know where electronic mail addressed to the "uvm.edu" domain
 actually gets delivered, since "uvm.edu" is not the name of an actual
 host.  This is accomplished by changing the query type to look for

Kessler & Shepard [Page 3] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 mail exchange (MX) records by issuing a "set type" command (which
 must be in lower case).  The query shows that mail addressed to
 "uvm.edu" is handled though a mail server called "moose.uvm.edu". The
 DNS is beyond the scope of this introduction, although more
 information about the concepts and structure of the DNS can be found
 in STD 13/RFC 1034 [12] and RFC 1591 [13].  The "help" command can be
 issued at the program prompt for information about NSLOOKUP's more
 advanced commands.
 TECHNICAL NOTE: There are other tools that might be available on your
 system or with your software for examining the DNS.  Alternatives to
 NSLOOKUP include HOST and DIG.
    ==================================================================
 ** SMCVAX$ NSLOOKUP
    Default Server:  LOCALHOST
    Address:  127.0.0.1
  • * > EMILY.UVM.EDU

Server: LOCALHOST

    Address:  127.0.0.1
    Name:    emily.emba.uvm.edu
    Address:  132.198.1.7
    Aliases:  emily.uvm.edu
  • * > EMILY.EMBA.UVM.EDU

Server: LOCALHOST

    Address:  127.0.0.1
    Non-authoritative answer:
    Name:    emily.emba.uvm.edu
    Address:  132.198.1.7
  • * > 128.250.1.21

Server: LOCALHOST

    Address:  127.0.0.1
    Name:    munnari.OZ.AU
    Address:  128.250.1.21
  • * > set type=MX
  • * > UVM.EDU

Server: LOCALHOST

    Address:  127.0.0.1
    uvm.edu preference = 10, mail exchanger = moose.uvm.edu

Kessler & Shepard [Page 4] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

    moose.uvm.edu   internet address = 132.198.101.60
  • * > EXIT
    SMCVAX$
    ==================================================================

2.2. PING

 Ping is one of the most widely available tools bundled with TCP/IP
 software packages.  Ping uses a series of Internet Control Message
 Protocol (ICMP) Echo messages to determine if a remote host is active
 or inactive, and to determine the round-trip delay in communicating
 with it.  The Ping command, referred to as the Packet Internetwork
 Groper in some references, has the following general format:
      PING [-s] {IP_address | host_name} [size] [quantity]
 In the first test below, we ping the host "thumper.bellcore.com" to
 determine whether it is up and running.  This simple use of the
 command contains no optional parameters.
 In the second test, the "-s" parameter tells the system to send an
 ICMP Echo message every second.  The optional "size" parameter
 specifies that each message should be 64 bytes in length (which is
 the default size); the optional "quantity" parameter indicates that
 this test will only send 12 messages (the default is to run the test
 continuously until interrupted).  The results of the second test
 displays the round-trip delay of each Echo message that is returned
 to the sending host; at the end of the test, summary statistics are
 displayed.
    ==================================================================
 ** SMCVAX$ PING THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM
    thumper.bellcore.com is alive
  • * SMCVAX$ PING -S THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM 64 12

PING THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM (128.96.41.1): 56 data bytes

    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=0 time=150 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=1 time=110 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=2 time=130 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=3 time=130 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=4 time=320 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=5 time=110 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=6 time=440 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=7 time=90 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=9 time=100 ms
    64 bytes from 128.96.41.1: icmp_seq=10 time=110 ms

Kessler & Shepard [Page 5] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

  1. —THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM PING Statistics—-

12 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 16% packet loss

    round-trip (ms)  min/avg/max = 90/169/440
    SMCVAX$
    ==================================================================

2.3. FINGER

 The Finger program may be used to find out who is logged in on
 another system or to find out detailed information about a specific
 user.  This command has also introduced a brand new verb; "fingering"
 someone on the Internet is not necessarily a rude thing to do!  The
 Finger User Information Protocol is described in RFC 1288 [20].  The
 most general format of the Finger command is:
      FINGER [username]@host_name
 The first example below shows the result of fingering an individual
 user at a remote system.  The first line of the response shows the
 username, the user's real name, their process identifier,
 application, and terminal port number.  Additional information may be
 supplied at the option of the user in "plan" and/or "project" files
 that they supply; these files are often named PLAN.TXT or
 PROJECT.TXT, respectively, and reside in a user's root directory (or
 somewhere in an appropriate search path).
 The second example shows the result of fingering a remote system.
 This lists all of the processes currently running at the fingered
 system or other information, depending upon how the remote system's
 administrator set up the system to respond to the Finger command.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 6] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

    ==================================================================
 ** C:\> FINGER KUMQUAT@SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU
    [smcvax.smcvt.edu]
    KUMQUAT  Gary Kessler            20A02991 MAIL           TXA3
    Last login Fri 15-Jul-1994 2:59 PM-EDT
    Plan:
  1. —————————————————————-

Gary C. Kessler

    Adjunct Faculty Member, Graduate College
    Senior Member of Technical Staff
    Hill Associates               +1 802-655-8633 or 655-0940 (office)
    17 Roosevelt Highway          +1 802-655-7974 (fax)
    Colchester, VT  05446         +1 802-879-5242 (home)
    INTERNET:  kumquat@smcvax.smcvt.edu or kumquat@hill.com
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
  • * C:\> FINGER @SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU

[smcvax.smcvt.edu]

    Friday, July 15, 1994 4:00PM-EDT   Up 21 03:41:31
    7+0 Jobs on SMCVAX  Load ave  0.24 0.31 0.25
     User    Personal Name       Subsys
    DENIS    Denis Stratford     MAIL
    GOODWIN  Dave Goodwin        RTPAD
    JAT      John Trono          EDT
    KUMQUAT  Gary Kessler        MAIL
    INFO     SMC Info Service    TELNET
    SYSTEM   System Manager      *DCL*
    SMITH    Jim Smith           LYNX
    C:\>
    ================================================================

2.4. TRACEROUTE

 Traceroute is another common TCP/IP tool, this one allowing users to
 learn about the route that packets take from their local host to a
 remote host.  Although used often by network and system managers as a
 simple, yet powerful, debugging aid, traceroute can be used by end
 users to learn something about the structure of the Internet.
 The Traceroute command has the following general format (where "#"
 represents a positive integer value associated with the qualifier):
    TRACEROUTE [-m #] [-q #] [-w #] [-p #] {IP_address | host_name}

Kessler & Shepard [Page 7] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 where  -m   is the maximum allowable TTL value, measured as the
              number of hops allowed before the program terminates
             (default = 30)
        -q   is the number of UDP packets that will be sent with each
             time-to-live setting (default = 3)
        -w   is the amount of time, in seconds, to wait for an answer
             from a particular router before giving up (default = 5)
        -p   is the invalid port address at the remote host (default =
             33434)
 The Traceroute example below shows the route between a host at St.
 Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont (smcvax.smcvt.edu) and a
 host at Bellcore in Red Bank, New Jersey (thumper.bellcore.com).  The
 output has some interesting points:
 1. NEARnet, the New England Academic and Research Network, is a
    regional network serving the northeastern U.S.  The packets' route
    runs from St. Mike's NEARnet gateway (smc-gw) to the University of
    Vermont (uvm-gw), etc.  Note that some intermediate systems (see
    lines 4 and 16) do not have names associated with them.
 2. From NEARnet (lines 1-6), the packets travel on the National
    Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) T3 backbone (lines 7-11).  The
    NSFNET backbone nodes are identified as "ans.net" since the NSFNET
    is operated by Advanced Networks and Services, Inc. (ANS).  The
    packets travel within ANS' network on their core nodal switching
    subsystems ("cnss") until ready to jump off the backbone; line 11
    indicates an ANS exterior nodal switching subsystem ("enss").  The
    datagrams are then carried on the JvNCnet (lines 12-16), a regional
    network in New Jersey (note the use of SMDS!).  Finally, the
    datagrams are placed on Bellcore's internal network (lines 17 and
    18) for final delivery.
 3. Note that not all of the datagrams take the same route.  In
    particular, only two of the datagrams go through the ANS gateway
    referred to at line 10.  Note also line 17; here, the first two
    datagrams go through one router at Bellcore, while the third
    datagram goes through a companion router.
 TECHNICAL NOTE: Traceroute works by sending a sequence of User
 Datagram Protocol (UDP) datagrams to an invalid port address at the
 remote host.  Using the default settings, three datagrams are sent,
 each with a Time-To-Live (TTL) field value set to one.  The TTL value
 of 1 causes the datagram to "timeout" as soon as it hits the first
 router in the path; this router will then respond with an ICMP Time
 Exceeded Message (TEM) indicating that the datagram has expired.
 Another three UDP messages are now sent, each with the TTL value set
 to 2, which causes the second router to return ICMP TEMs.  This

Kessler & Shepard [Page 8] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 process continues until the packets actually reach the other
 destination.  Since these datagrams are trying to access an invalid
 port at the destination host, ICMP Destination Unreachable Messages
 are returned indicating an unreachable port; this event signals the
 Traceroute program that it is finished!  The Traceroute program
 displays the round-trip delay associated with each of the attempts.
 As an interesting aside, Traceroute did not begin life as a general-
 purpose utility, but as a quick-and-dirty debugging aid used to find
 a routing problem.  The code (complete with comments!) is available
 by anonymous FTP in the file "traceroute.tar.Z" from the host
 "ftp.ee.lbl.gov".  (See Section 2.5 for a discussion of anonymous
 FTP.)
 ==================================================================

SMCVAX$ TRACEROUTE THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM traceroute to THUMPER.BELLCORE.COM (128.96.41.1), 30 hops max, 38 byte packets 1 smc-gw.near.net (192.80.64.5) 50 ms 20 ms 10 ms 2 uvm-gw.near.net (131.192.152.1) 160 ms 50 ms 30 ms 3 harvard-gw.near.net (131.192.65.1) 470 ms 60 ms 60 ms 4 131.192.32.3 (131.192.32.3) 50 ms 50 ms 40 ms 5 mit2-gw.near.net (131.192.7.1) 50 ms 40 ms 40 ms 6 enss.near.net (192.54.222.6) 60 ms 90 ms 40 ms 7 t3-2.Hartford-cnss49.t3.ans.net (140.222.49.3) 70 ms 100 ms 60 ms 8 t3-3.Hartford-cnss48.t3.ans.net (140.222.48.4) 70 ms 40 ms 40 ms 9 t3-2.New-York-cnss32.t3.ans.net (140.222.32.3) 50 ms 60 ms 70 ms 10 * t3-0.New-York-cnss33.t3.ans.net (140.222.33.1) 340 ms 110 ms 11 t3-0.enss137.t3.ans.net (140.222.137.1) 90 ms 420 ms 190 ms 12 zaphod-gateway.jvnc.net (192.12.211.65) 70 ms 50 ms 70 ms 13 airport1-gateway.jvnc.net (130.94.6.250) 390 ms 110 ms 60 ms 14 airport4-gateway.jvnc.net (130.94.7.4) 70 ms 50 ms 60 ms 15 coreSMDS-gateway.jvnc.net (130.94.7.106) 80 ms 130 ms 100 ms 16 128.96.58.2 (128.96.58.2) 80 ms 70 ms 100 ms 17 lab214b-cisco.cc.bellcore.com (128.96.34.40) 120 ms 120 ms lab214-cisco.cc.bellcore.com (128.96.34.101) 130 ms 18 thumper.bellcore.com (128.96.41.1) 130 ms 430 ms 80 ms SMCVAX$ ================================================================== Kessler & Shepard [Page 9] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994 2.5. FTP The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) [16] is one of the most useful and powerful TCP/IP utilities for the general user. FTP allows users to upload and download files between local and remote hosts. Anonymous FTP, in particular, is commonly available at file archive sites to allow users to access files without having to pre-establish an account at the remote host. The general form of the FTP command is: FTP [IP_address | host_name] As shown, FTP can be initiated in several ways. In the example shown below, an FTP control connection is initiated to a host by supplying a host name with the FTP command; optionally, the host's IP address in dotted decimal form could be used. If neither host name nor IP address are supplied in the command line, a connection to a host can be initiated by typing "OPEN host_name" or "OPEN IP_address" once the FTP application has been started. The remote host will now ask for a username and password. If a legitimate, registered user of this host supplies a valid username and password, then the user will have access to any files and directories to which this username has privilege. For anonymous FTP access, the username "anonymous" is used and the password (not shown in actual use) is "guest" (although an increasing number of systems ask that anonymous FTP users supply their Internet address as the password). The first command issued in the example below is "help ?", used to obtain a list of available FTP commands and help topics. Although not always shown, nearly all TCP/IP applications have a help command. An example of the help for FTP's "type" command is shown in the sample dialogue. This command is very important one, by the way; if transferring a binary or executable file, be sure to set the type to "image" (or "binary" on some systems). The "dir" command provides a directory listing of the files in the current directory at the remote host; the UNIX "ls" command may also usually be used. Note that an FTP data transfer connection is established for the transfer of the directory information to the local host. The output from the "dir" command will show a file listing that is consistent with the native operating system of the remote host. Although the TCP/IP suite is often associated with UNIX, it can (and does) run with nearly all common operating systems. The directory information shown in the sample dialogue happens to be in UNIX format and includes the following information: Kessler & Shepard [Page 10] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994 o File attributes. The first character identifies this as a directory (d), link (l), or individual file (-). The next nine characters list the access permissions for three groups, namely, the owner, the owner's group, and all other users. Three access privileges may be assigned to each file for each of these groups: read ®, write (w), execute (x), and/or search (s). o File owner and owner's group. o File size, in bytes. o Date of last modification. If the date is followed by a timestamp, then the date is from the current year. o File name. After the directory information has been transferred, FTP closes the data transfer connection. The command "cd" is used to change to another directory, in this case the "Gov" directory (note that file and directory names may be case- sensitive). As in DOS, "cd .." will change to the parent of the current directory. The "CWD command successful" is the only indication that the user's "cd" command was correctly executed; the "show-directory" (may be truncated to fewer characters, as shown) command, if available, may be used to see which directory you are in. Another "dir" command is used to find all files ending with the characters ".act"; note the use of the "*" wildcard character. We can now copy (download) the file of choice (The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 1992) by using the "get" (or "receive") command, which has the following general format: GET remote_file_name local_file_name FTP opens another data transfer connection for this file transfer purpose; note that the effective data transfer rate is 39.98 kbps. FTP's "put" (or "send") command allows uploading from the local host to the remote. "Put" is often not available when using anonymous FTP. Finally, we terminate the FTP connection by using the "close" command. The user can initiate another FTP connection using the "open" command or can leave FTP by issuing a "quit" command. "Quit" can also be used to close a connection and terminate a session. Kessler & Shepard [Page 11] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994 TECHNICAL NOTE: It is important to note that different FTP packages have different commands available and even those with similar names may act differently. In the example shown here (using MultiNet for VMS), the "show" command will display the current directory; in another package (e.g., FTP Software's PC/TCP), "show" will display a file from the remote host at the local host. Some packages have nothing equivalent to either of these commands! ================================================================== SMCVAX$ FTP FTP.SPIES.COM

    SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU MultiNet FTP user process 3.2(106)
    Connection opened (Assuming 8-bit connections)
 ** Username: ANONYMOUS
 ** Password: GUEST
  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> HELP ?

Commands may be one of the following:

    ACCOUNT                       AGET
    APPEND                        APUT
    ASCII                         ATTACH
    BELL                          BINARY
    BYE                           BYTE
    CD                            CDUP
    CLOSE                         CONFIRM
    CPATH                         CREATE-DIRECTORY
    CWD                           DELETE
    DIRECTORY                     DISCONNECT
    EXIT                          EXIT-ON-ERROR
    GET                           HASH
    HELP                          LCD
    LDIR                          LOCAL-CD
    LOCAL-DIRECTORY               LOCAL-PWD
    LOGIN                         LPWD
    LS                            MDELETE
    MGET                          MKDIR
    MODE                          MPUT
    MULTIPLE                      PASSWORD
    PORT                          PROMPT-FOR-MISSING-ARGUMENTS
    PROMPT-ON-CONNECT             PUSH
    PUT                           PWD
    QUIT                          QUOTE
    RECEIVE                       REMOTE-HELP
    REMOVE-DIRECTORY              RENAME
    RETAIN                        RM
    RMDIR                         SEND
    SHOW-DIRECTORY                SITE
    SPAWN                         STATISTICS
    STATUS                        STREAM

Kessler & Shepard [Page 12] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

    STRUCTURE                     TAKE
    TENEX                         TYPE
    USER                          VERBOSE
    VERSION
  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> HELP TYPE

The TYPE command changes the FTP transfer type. The possible

    arguments to the TYPE command are ASCII, IMAGE, BACKUP, and
    LOGICAL-BYTE ASCII type is used for transferring ASCII text files.
    IMAGE type is used for transferring binary files.  BACKUP type is
    used for transferring VAX/VMS backup savesets with 2048 byte block
    size.
  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> DIR

<Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.

    total 25
    drwxr-xr-x  2 9013     daemon      512 Jul  1  1993 .cap
    drwxr-xr-x  4 9013     daemon      512 Jul  1  1993 About
    -rw-r--r--  1 9013     daemon      791 Apr  6  1993 About_Gopher
    drwxr-xr-x  3 9013     daemon      512 Jul 12  1993 Books
    drwxr-xr-x 13 9013     daemon      512 Jul  1  1993 Clinton
    lrwxrwxrwx  1 root     daemon       12 Feb 26 07:02 Economic_Plan
    -> Gov/Economic
    drwxr-xr-x  4 9013     daemon      512 Jul  1  1993 Etext
    lrwxrwxrwx  1 root     daemon       13 Feb 26 07:01 GAO_Reports ->
    Gov/GAO-Trans
    drwxr-xr-x 29 9013     daemon     1024 Feb  3 00:15 Gov
    drwxr-xr-x 16 9013     daemon      512 Jul  1  1993 Library
    lrwxrwxrwx  1 root     daemon        9 Feb 26 06:56 NAFTA ->
    Gov/NAFTA
    drwxr-xr-x  2 9013     daemon      512 Jul  1  1993 Other
    drwxr-xr-x  3 9013     daemon     3072 Apr  7 20:59 alt.etext
    drwxr-xr-x  8 root     42          512 Jul  1  1993 ba.internet
    dr-xr-xr-x  2 bin      wheel       512 Jul  1  1993 bin
    drwxr-xr-x  2 root     daemon      512 Feb 15 06:14 dev
    drwxr-xr-x  3 root     wheel       512 Jul  1  1993 etc
    drwxr-xr-x 11 9038     daemon      512 Dec 17 05:37 game_archive
    drwx-wx-wx  3 root     daemon     1024 Apr 18 02:09 incoming
    drwxr-xr-x  3 root     ftp         512 Oct 29 02:35 pub
    drwxr-xr-x  2 root     daemon      512 Jul  1  1992 tmp
    drwxr-xr-x  3 root     daemon      512 Jul  1  1993 usr
    drwxr-xr-x  3 9013     42         1024 Jul  1  1993 waffle
    <Transfer complete.
    1490 bytes transferred at 4966 bps.
    Run time = 10. ms, Elapsed time = 2400. ms.
  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> CD Gov

<CWD command successful.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 13] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> SHOW

<"/Gov" is current directory.

  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> DIR *.act

<Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.

  1. rw-r–r– 1 9013 42 32695 Dec 10 21:37 brady.act
  2. r–r–r– 1 9013 42 168649 Mar 26 1993 disable.act
  3. r–r–r– 1 9013 42 62602 Mar 30 1993 ecpa.act
  4. r–r–r– 1 9013 42 29519 Mar 30 1993 faircredit.act
  5. r–r–r– 1 9013 42 57206 Mar 30 1993 privacy.act
  6. r–r–r– 1 9013 42 16261 Mar 26 1993 warpower.act

<Transfer complete.

    401 bytes transferred at 7638 bps.
    Run time = 0. ms, Elapsed time = 420. ms.
  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> GET faircredit.act FAIRCRDT.TXT

<Opening ASCII mode data connection for faircredit.act (29519

    bytes).
    <Transfer complete.
    30132 bytes transferred at 39976 bps.
    Run time = 40. ms, Elapsed time = 6030. ms.
  • * WIRETAP.SPIES.COM> QUIT

<Goodbye.

    SMCVAX$
    ================================================================

2.6. TELNET

 TELNET [17] is TCP/IP's virtual terminal protocol.  Using TELNET, a
 user connected to one host can login to another host, appearing like
 a directly-attached terminal at the remote system; this is TCP/IP's
 definition of a "virtual terminal."  The general form of the TELNET
 command is:
      TELNET  [IP_address | host_name]  [port]
 As shown, a TELNET connection is initiated when the user enters the
 "TELNET" command and supplies either a "host_name" or "IP_address";
 if neither are given, TELNET will ask for one once the application
 begins.
 In the example below, a user logged onto a PC on a LAN will use
 TELNET to attach to the remote host "smcvax.smcvt.edu".   Once logged
 in via TELNET, the user can do anything on the remote host that they
 could do if they were on a directly-connected terminal or had dialed-
 up by modem.  The commands that are used are those available on the
 remote system to which the user is attached.  In the sample dialogue

Kessler & Shepard [Page 14] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 below, the user attached to SMCVAX will use basic VAX/VMS commands:
 o  The "dir" command lists the files having a "COM" file extension.
 o  The "mail" command enters the MAIL system (there are no messages).
 o  "Pinging" the home host shows that it is alive!
 When finished, "logout" logs the user off the remote host; TELNET
 automatically closes the connection to the remote host and returns
 control to the local system.
 It is important to note that TELNET is a very powerful tool, one that
 may provide users with access to many Internet utilities and services
 that might not be otherwise available.  Many of these features are
 accessed by specifying a port number with the TELNET command, in
 addition to a host's address, and knowledge of port numbers provides
 another mechanism for users to access information with Telnet.
 This guide discusses several TCP/IP and Internet utilities that
 require local client software, such as Finger, Whois, Archie, and
 Gopher.  But what if your software does not include a needed client?
 In some cases, Telnet may be used to access a remote client and
 provide the same functionality.
 This is done by specifying a port number with the TELNET command.
 Just as TCP/IP hosts have a unique IP address, applications on the
 host are associated with an address, called a "port".  Finger, for
 example, is associated with the well-known port number 79.  In the
 absence of a Finger client, TELNETing to port 79 at a remote host may
 provide the same information.  You can "finger" another host with
 TELNET by using a command like:
                            TELNET host_name 79
 Other well-known TCP/IP port numbers include 20 (FTP data transfer),
 21 (FTP control), 25 (SMTP), 43 (whois), 70 (Gopher), and 185
 (KNOWBOT).
 Some services are available on the Internet using TELNET and special
 port numbers.  A geographical information database, for example, may
 be accessed by TELNETing to port 3000 at host
 "martini.eecs.umich.edu"; current weather information is available at
 port 3000 at hosts "downwind.sprl.umich.edu" and
 "wind.atmos.uah.edu".

Kessler & Shepard [Page 15] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 ==================================================================

C:\> TELNET SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU FTP Software PC/TCP tn 2.31 01/07/94 12:38 Copyright © 1986-1993 by FTP Software, Inc. All rights reserved - Connected to St. Michael's College - Username: KUMQUAT Password: St. Michael's College VAX/VMS System. Node SMCVAX. Last interactive login on Thursday, 9-JUN-1994 11:55 Last non-interactive login on Thursday, 9-JUN-1994 08:20 Good Afternoon User KUMQUAT. Logged in on 12-JUN-1994 at 3:27 PM. User [GUEST,KUMQUAT] has 4292 blocks used, 5708 available, of 10000 authorized and permitted overdraft of 100 blocks on $1$DIA2 SMCVAX$ DIR *.COM

 Directory $1$DIA2:[GUEST.KUMQUAT]
 BACKUP.COM;24         24  16-JUL-1990 16:22:46.68  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 DELTREE.COM;17         3  16-JUL-1990 16:22:47.58  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 EXPANDZ.COM;7          2  22-FEB-1993 10:00:04.35  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 FTSLOGBLD.COM;3        1  16-JUL-1990 16:22:48.57  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 FTSRRR.COM;2           1  16-JUL-1990 16:22:48.73  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 LOGIN.COM;116          5   1-DEC-1993 09:33:21.61  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 SNOOPY.COM;6           1  16-JUL-1990 16:22:52.06  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 SYLOGIN.COM;83         8  16-JUL-1990 16:22:52.88  (RWED,RWED,RE,RE)
 SYSHUTDWN.COM;1        0  16-JUL-1990 16:22:53.04  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 SYSTARTUP.COM;88      15  16-JUL-1990 16:22:53.21  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 WATCH_MAIL.COM;1     173  10-MAY-1994 09:59:52.65  (RWED,RWED,RE,)
 Total of 11 files, 233 blocks.

SMCVAX$ MAIL MAIL> EXIT

SMCVAX$ PING HILL.COM /N=5 PING HILL.COM (199.182.20.4): 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=0 time=290 ms 64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=1 time=260 ms 64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=2 time=260 ms 64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=3 time=260 ms 64 bytes from 199.182.20.4: icmp_seq=4 time=260 ms Kessler & Shepard [Page 16] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994 —-HILL.COM PING Statistics—- 5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0% packet loss round-trip (ms) min/avg/max = 260/266/290 SMCVAX$ LOGOUT

   KUMQUAT      logged out at 12-JUN-1994 15:37:04.29
 Connection #0 closed
 C:\>
 ==================================================================

2.7. User Database Lookup Tools

2.7.1. WHOIS/NICNAME

 WHOIS and NICNAME are TCP/IP applications that search databases to
 find the name of network and system administrators, RFC authors,
 system and network points-of-contact, and other individuals who are
 registered in appropriate databases.  The original NICNAME/WHOIS
 protocol is described in RFC 954 [4].
 WHOIS may be accessed by TELNETing to an appropriate WHOIS server and
 logging in as "WHOIS" (no password is required); the most common
 Internet name server is located at the Internet Network Information
 Center (InterNIC) at "rs.internic.net".  This specific database, in
 particular, only contains INTERNET domains, IP network numbers, and
 points of contact; policies governing the InterNIC database are
 described in RFC 1400 [19].  The MILNET database resides at
 "nic.ddn.mil" and PSI's White Pages pilot service is located at
 "psi.com".
 Many software packages contain a WHOIS/NICNAME client that
 automatically establishes the TELNET connection to a default name
 server database, although users can usually specify any name server
 database that they want.
 The accompanying dialogues shows several types of WHOIS/NICNAME
 information queries.  In the session below, we request information
 about an individual (Denis Stratford) by using WHOIS locally, a
 specific domain (hill.com) by using NICNAME locally, and a high-level
 domain (edu) using TELNET to a WHOIS server.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 17] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

    ==================================================================
 ** SMCVAX$ WHOIS STRATFORD, DENIS
    Stratford, Denis (DS378)      denis@@SMCVAX.SMCVT.EDU
       St. Michael's College
       Jemery Hall, Room 274
       Winooski Park
       Colchester, VT 05439
       (802) 654-2384
       Record last updated on 02-Nov-92.
    SMCVAX$
  • * C:\> NICNAME HILL.COM

Hill Associates (HILL-DOM)

       17 Roosevelt Highway
       Colchester, VT 05446
       Domain Name: HILL.COM
       Administrative Contact:
          Kessler, Gary C.  (GK34)  kumquat@HILL.COM
          (802) 655-8633
       Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
          Monaghan, Carol A.  (CAM4)  cam@HILL.COM
          (802) 655-8630
       Record last updated on 15-Jun-94.
       Domain servers in listed order:
       NETCOMSV.NETCOM.COM   192.100.81.101
       NS.NETCOM.COM              192.100.81.105
 ** C:\> TELNET RS.INTERNIC.NET
    Connected to RS.INTERNIC.NET, a SUN 670 running SUNOS-4.1.3
  • *
  • – InterNIC Registration Services Center –
  • *
    Cmdinter Ver 1.3 Mon Mar 21 13:42:27 1994 EST
 ** [dec-vt220] InterNIC> WHOIS
    Connected to the rs Database
    InterNIC WHOIS Version: 1.0 Mon, 21 Mar 94 13:42:32
  • * Whois: DOMAIN EDU

Education top-level domain (EDU-DOM)

       Network Solutions, Inc.
       505 Huntmar park Dr.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 18] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

       Herndon, VA 22070
       Domain Name: EDU
       Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
        Network Solutions, Inc.  (HOSTMASTER)  HOSTMASTER@INTERNIC.NET
        (703) 742-4777 (FAX) (703) 742-4811
       Record last updated on 16-May-94.
       Domain servers in listed order:
       NS.INTERNIC.NET              198.41.0.4
       AOS.ARL.ARMY.MIL             128.63.4.82, 192.5.25.82
       NS1.ISI.EDU                  128.9.0.107
       C.NYSER.NET                  192.33.4.12
       TERP.UMD.EDU                 128.8.10.90
       NS.NASA.GOV                  128.102.16.10, 192.52.195.10
       NIC.NORDU.NET                192.36.148.17
       NS.NIC.DDN.MIL               192.112.36.4
  Would you like to see the known domains under this top-level domain?
 ** Y
       There are 1504 known sub-domains:
       0.EDU            Reserved Domain
       1.EDU            Reserved Domain
       2.EDU            Reserved Domain
       22CF.EDU         22nd Century Foundation
       3.EDU            Reserved Domain
 ** There are 1499 more matches.  Show them? N
  • * Whois: EXIT
  • * [dec-vt220] InterNIC> QUIT
    Connection #0 closed
    C:\>
    ==================================================================

Kessler & Shepard [Page 19] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

2.7.2. KNOWBOT

 KNOWBOT is an automated username database search tool that is related
 to WHOIS.  The Knowbot Information Service (KIS) provides a simple
 WHOIS-like interface that allows users to query several Internet user
 databases (White Pages services) all at one time.  A single KIS query
 will automatically search the InterNIC, MILNET, MCImail, and PSI
 White Pages Pilot Project; other databases may also be included.
 KNOWBOT may be accessed by TELNETing to port 185 at host
 "info.cnri.reston.va.us" or "sol.bucknell.edu".  The "help" command
 will supply sufficient information to get started.  The sample
 dialogue below shows use of the "query" command to locate a user
 named "Gary Kessler"; this command automatically starts a search
 through the default set of Internet databases.
    ==================================================================
 ** C:\> TELNET INFO.CNRI.RESTON.VA.US 185
                    Knowbot Information Service
    KIS Client (V2.0).    Copyright CNRI 1990.    All Rights Reserved.
    Please enter your email address in our guest book...
 ** (Your email address?) > KUMQUAT@HILL.COM
  • * > QUERY KESSLER, GARY
    Trying whois at ds.internic.net...
    The ds.internic.net whois server is being queried:
    No match for "KESSLER and GARY"
    The rs.internic.net whois server is being queried:
    Kessler, Gary C. (GK34)         kumquat@HILL.COM
       Hill Associates
       17 Roosevelt Highway
       Colchester, VT 05446
       (802) 655-8633
    The nic.ddn.mil whois server is being queried:
    Kessler, Gary P. (GK15)         sa75@TECNET1.JCTE.JCS.MIL
       NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER-AD PAX
       Simulation & Control Technology Dept
       SATD
       Patuxent River, MD 20670
       301-826-3192 (DSN) 326-3192 (FAX) 301-826-4555
       MILNET TAC user (Issued: 11-jul-1994)

Kessler & Shepard [Page 20] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

       TAC authorizing host: TECNET1.JCTE.JCS.MIL (NATC-3COM)
    Trying mcimail at cnri.reston.va.us...
    Trying ripe at whois.ripe.net...
    Trying whois at whois.lac.net...
    No match found for .KESSLER,GARY
  • * > QUIT

KIS exiting

    Connection #0 closed
    C:\>
    ==================================================================

2.7.3. NETFIND

 NETFIND is another tool that may be used to locate people on the
 network.  NETFIND's advantage is that it searches for users by
 utilizing extant tools such as Finger and SMTP, thus providing the
 potential to find any user on any host without relying on databases.
 For NETFIND to be successful, however, the system manager of existing
 systems must set up Finger and SMTP to respond correctly to NETFIND's
 queries.  NETFIND is still relatively new and use will grow over
 time.
 NETFIND is a menu-driven, text-based system.  Users need to TELNET to
 an available NETFIND server.  Once connected, login as "netfind"
 (must be lower-case; no password required) and follow the menu
 prompts.  The sample dialogue below shows the search for "Tom
 Maufer", who is known to work at Goddard Space Flight Center ("gsfc")
 at NASA ("nasa.gov").
 The primary NETFIND server is located at the University of Colorado
 in Boulder (bruno.cs.colorado.edu); alternate servers include:
    archie.au (AARNet, Melbourne, Australia)
    dino.conicit.ve (Nat. Council for Tech. & Sci. Res., Venezuela)
    ds.internic.net (InterNIC Directory & DB Svcs., S. Plainfield, NJ)
    eis.calstate.edu (California State University, Fullerton, CA)
    krnic.net (Korea Network Information Center, Taejon, Korea)
    lincoln.technet.sg (Technet Unit, Singapore)
    malloco.ing.puc.cl (Catholic University of Chile, Santiago)
    monolith.cc.ic.ac.uk (Imperial College, London, England)
    mudhoney.micro.umn.edu (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis)
    netfind.anu.edu.au (Australian National University, Canberra)
    netfind.ee.mcgill.ca (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
    netfind.fnet.fr (Association FNET, Le Kremlin-Bicetre, France)
    netfind.icm.edu.pl (Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland)
    netfind.if.usp.br (University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Kessler & Shepard [Page 21] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

    netfind.oc.com (OpenConnect Systems, Dallas, Texas)
    netfind.sjsu.edu (San Jose State University, San Jose, California)
    netfind.vslib.cz (Liberec Univ. of Technology, Czech Republic)
    nic.uakom.sk (Academy of Sciences, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia)
    redmont.cis.uab.edu (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
    ==================================================================
 ** C:\> TELNET DS.INTERNIC.NET
    SunOS UNIX (ds)
  • * login: netfind
    ===================================================
    Welcome to the InterNIC Directory & Database Server
    ===================================================
    Top level choices:
            1. Help
            2. Search
            3. Seed database lookup
            4. Options
            5. Quit (exit server)
 ** --> 2
  • * Enter person and keys (blank to exit) –> MAUFER GSFC NASA GOV
    Please select at most 3 of the following domains to search:
           0. gsfc.nasa.gov (goddard space flight center, united states
    national aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt, maryland)
           1. antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov (compton gamma ray observatory
    science support center, goddard space flight center, united states
    national aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt, maryland)
           2. enemy.gsfc.nasa.gov (compton gamma ray observatory science
    support center, goddard space flight center, united states national
    aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt, maryland)
           3. upolu.gsfc.nasa.gov (goddard space flight center, united
    states national aeronautics and space administration, greenbelt,
    maryland)
  • * Enter selection (e.g., 2 0 1) –> 0

( 1) SMTP_Finger_Search: checking domain gsfc.nasa.gov

    Mail is forwarded to tom@stimpy.gsfc.nasa.gov
    NOTE: this is a domain mail forwarding arrangement - mail intended
          for "maufer" should be addressed to "tom@gsfc.nasa.gov"
          rather than "tom@stimpy.gsfc.nasa.gov".

Kessler & Shepard [Page 22] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

    ( 1) SMTP_Finger_Search: checking host stimpy.gsfc.nasa.gov
    ------
    Domain search completed.  Proceeding to host search.
    ------
    SYSTEM: kong.gsfc.nasa.gov
            Login name: maufer         In real life: Tom Maufer - CBSI
            Directory: /vault/maufer   Shell: /bin/csh
            Last login Fri Sep 24, 1993 on ttypc from rocinante.gsfc.n
            No unread mail
            No Plan.
    FINGER SUMMARY:
    - The most promising email address for "maufer"
      based on the above finger search is
      tom@gsfc.nasa.gov.
  • * Continue the search ([n]/y) ? –> N
  • * Enter person and keys (blank to exit) –>
    Top level choices:
            1. Help
            2. Search
            3. Seed database lookup
            4. Options
            5. Quit (exit server)
 ** --> 5
    Exiting Netfind server...
    Connection #0 closed
    C:\>
    ==================================================================

Kessler & Shepard [Page 23] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

2.8. Information Servers

2.8.1. ARCHIE

 Archie is a tool for locating files on the Internet, originally
 developed at the Computer Science Department at McGill University in
 Montreal.  Archie allows users to find software, data, and other
 information files that reside at anonymous FTP archive sites across
 the Internet; the name of the program, reportedly, is derived from
 the word "archive" and not from the comic book character.  Archie
 tracks the contents of over 1,000 anonymous FTP archive sites
 containing over 2 million files.  The Archie server automatically
 updates the information from each registered site about once a month,
 providing relatively up-to-date information without unduly stressing
 the network.
 Before using Archie, you must identify a server address.  The sites
 below all support Archie; most (but not all) Archie sites support the
 "servers" command which lists all known Archie servers.  Due to the
 popularity of Archie and its high processing demands, many sites
 limit access to non-peak hours and/or limit the number of
 simultaneous Archie users.  Available Archie sites include:
    archie.au                   139.130.4.6     Australia
    archie.edvz.uni-linz.ac.at  140.78.3.8      Austria
    archie.univie.ac.at         131.130.1.23    Austria
    archie.uqam.ca              132.208.250.10  Canada
    archie.funet.fi             128.214.6.100   Finland
    archie.th-darmstadt.de      130.83.22.60    Germany
    archie.ac.il                132.65.6.15     Israel
    archie.unipi.it             131.114.21.10   Italy
    archie.wide.ad.jp           133.4.3.6       Japan
    archie.hana.nm.kr           128.134.1.1     Korea
    archie.sogang.ac.kr         163.239.1.11    Korea
    archie.uninett.no           128.39.2.20     Norway
    archie.rediris.es           130.206.1.2     Spain
    archie.luth.se              130.240.18.4    Sweden
    archie.switch.ch            130.59.1.40     Switzerland
    archie.ncu.edu.tw           140.115.19.24   Taiwan
    archie.doc.ic.ac.uk         146.169.11.3    United Kingdom
    archie.unl.edu              129.93.1.14     USA (NE)
    archie.internic.net         198.48.45.10    USA (NJ)
    archie.rutgers.edu          128.6.18.15     USA (NJ)
    archie.ans.net              147.225.1.10    USA (NY)
    archie.sura.net             128.167.254.179 USA (MD)

Kessler & Shepard [Page 24] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 Archie servers may be accessed using TELNET.  When TELNETing to an
 Archie site, login as "archie" (you MUST use lower case); just hit
 <ENTER> if a password is requested.
 Once connected, the "help" command assists users in obtaining more
 information about using Archie.  Two more useful Archie commands are
 "prog", used to search for files in the database, and "whatis", which
 searches for keywords in the program descriptions.
 In the accompanying dialogue, the "set maxhits" command is used to
 limit the number of responses to any following "prog" commands; if
 this is not done, the user may get an enormous amount of information!
 In this example, the user issues a request to find entries related to
 "mpeg", ISO's Moving Pictures Experts Group video compression
 standard.  Armed with this information, a user can use anonymous FTP
 to examine these directories and files.
 The next request is for files with "security" as a keyword
 descriptor.  These responses can be used for subsequent "prog"
 commands.
 Exit archie using the "exit" command.  At this point, TELNET closes
 the connection and control returns to the local host.
 Additional information about Archie can be obtained by sending e-mail
 to Bunyip Information Systems (archie-info@bunyip.com).  Client
 software is not required to use Archie, but can make life a little
 easier; some such software can be downloaded using anonymous FTP from
 the "/pub/archie/" directory at host "ftp.cs.widener.edu" or in
 "/pub/archie/clients/" at "ftp.sura.net".  Most shareware and
 commercial Archie clients hide the complexity described in this
 section; users usually connect to a pre-configured Archie server
 merely by typing an "ARCHIE" command line.
 ==================================================================

C:\> TELNET 129.93.1.14 SunOS UNIX (crcnis2) login: archie Password: Welcome to the ARCHIE server at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln # Bunyip Information Systems, 1993 unl-archie> HELP

 These are the commands you can use in help:

Kessler & Shepard [Page 25] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

           .    go up one level in the hierarchy
           ?    display a list of valid subtopics at the current level
 <newline>
 done, ^D, ^C  quit from help entirely
      <string>  help on a topic or subtopic
 Eg.
       "help show"
 will give you the help screen for the "show" command
       "help set search"
 Will give you the help information for the "search" variable.
 The command "manpage" will give you a complete copy of the archie
 manual page.

help> DONE unl-archie> SET MAXHITS 5 unl-archie> PROG MPEG # Search type: sub. # Your queue position: 1 # Estimated time for completion: 02:18 Host ftp.germany.eu.net (192.76.144.75) Location: /pub/applications/graphics DIRECTORY drwxrwxr-x 512 bytes 00:00 7 Jul 1993 mpeg Location: /pub/comp/amiga/gfx DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 bytes 00:00 7 Sep 1993 mpeg Host stsci.edu (130.167.1.2) Location: /stsci/epa DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 bytes 12:55 21 Jun 1994 mpeg Host ftp.nau.edu (134.114.64.70) Location: /graphics DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 bytes 04:51 3 Apr 1994 mpeg Host gum.isi.edu (128.9.32.31) Location: /share/in-notes/media-types/video FILE -rw-r–r– 15 bytes 18:45 11 Jan 1994 mpeg unl-archie> WHATIS SECURITY

 RFC 1037          Greenberg, B.; Keene, S. NFILE - a file access
                    protocol. 1987 December; 86 p.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 26] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 RFC 1038          St. Johns, M. Draft revised IP security option.
                    1988 January; 7 p.
 cops              System Security analysis tool
 forktest          Find security holes in shell-escapes
 kerberos          Host security package
 safe-mkdir        mkdir() and security hole *****FIX****

unl-archie> EXIT # Bye. Connection #0 closed C:\> ================================================================== 2.8.2. GOPHER The Internet Gopher protocol was developed at the University of Minnesota's Microcomputer Center in 1991, as a distributed information search and retrieval tool for the Internet. Gopher is described in RFC 1436 [1]; the name derives from the University's mascot. Gopher provides a tool so that publicly available information at a host can be organized in a hierarchical fashion, allowing it to be perused using a simple menu system. Gopher allows a user to view a file on demand without requiring additional file transfer protocols. Gopher also has the capability to "link" gophers on the Internet, so that each Gopher site can be used as a stepping stone to access other sites and reducing the amount of duplicate information and effort on the network. In many cases, users can access Gopher by TELNETing to a valid Gopher location; if the site provides a remote Gopher client, the user will see a text-based, menu interface. The number of Gopher sites is growing rapidly; as the dialogue below shows, most Gopher sites have a menu item that will allow you to identify other Gopher sites. If using TELNET, login with the username "gopher" (this MUST be in lowercase); no password is required. Note that not all Gopher sites provide a remote Gopher client; users may need local Gopher client software on their system. The Gopher server at "ds.internic.net" has a tremendous amount of information for the new user, including lists of frequently asked questions and pointers to various Internet discussion lists. In the sample dialogue below, the remote Gopher client is accessed by TELNETing to the host. With the menu interface shown here, the user merely follows the prompts. Initially, the main menu will appear; selecting item 2 causes Gopher to seize and display the "InterNIC Information Services" menu. Move to the desired menu item by typing Kessler & Shepard [Page 27] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994 the item number or by moving the "pointer" (–>) down to the desired entry using the <DOWN-ARROW> key on the keyboard, and then hitting <ENTER>. To quit the program at any time, press "q" (quit); "?" and "u" will provide help or go back up to the previous menu, respectively. Users may also search for strings within files using the "/" command or download the file being interrogated using the "D" command. Menu item 7 (selected in the dialogue shown here) is titled "Beginners: Start Here", an excellent place for new users to obtain information about the Internet, available tools, terms and concepts, and, perhaps most importantly, some of the cultural aspects of the Internet community. Further information about Gopher can be obtained by contacting the Internet Gopher Team at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis (gopher@boombox.micro.umn.edu). This is also the site of the first Gopher server (consultant.micro.umn.edu). A Gopher-related discussion list is maintained at gopher-news@boombox.micro.umn.edu (see Section 3.1 for information on subscribing to Internet discussion lists). More information on Gopher clients can be found in the Gopher Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file, which can be downloaded using anonymous FTP in file "/pub/usenet/news.answers/gopher-faq" at the host "rtfm.mit.edu"; this FAQ also lists sources for a number of Gopher clients for a wide range of hardware/software platforms. ================================================================== SMCVAX$ TELNET DS.INTERNIC.NET

 SunOS UNIX (ds)

login: gopher SunOS Release 4.1.3 (DS) #3: Tue Feb 8 10:52:45 EST 1994

          Welcome to the InterNIC Directory and Database Server.
 ******************************************************************
 Internet Gopher Information Client v1.11
 Root gopher server: ds0.internic.net
  1. → 1. Information About the InterNIC/

2. InterNIC Information Services (General Atomics)/

     3.  InterNIC Registration Services (NSI)/
     4.  InterNIC Directory and Database Services (AT&T)/
 Press ? for Help, q to Quit                               Page: 1/1

Kessler & Shepard [Page 28] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

View item number: 2 Internet Gopher Information Client v1.11 InterNIC Information Services (General Atomics) –> 1. README. 2. About the InfoGuide/ 3. About InterNIC Information Services/ 4. About the Internet/ 5. Getting Connected to the Internet/ 6. Beginners: Start Here/ 7. Using the Internet/ 8. Internet Resources/ 9. Advanced Users: NIC Staff, System Administrators, Programmer 10. Frequently Asked Questions at InterNIC IS/ 11. Scout Report/ 12. WAIS search InfoGuide (and elsewhere) by keyword/ 13. InfoGuide INDEX. Press ? for Help, q to Quit Page: 1/1 View item number: 6

 Internet Gopher Information Client v1.11
 Beginners: Start Here
  1. → 1. About This Directory.

2. Introductions to the Internet/

     3.  Glossaries And Definitions/
     4.  Network Tools/
     5.  Further Reading/
     6.  Collection of Usenet FAQs/
     7.  Internet Culture and Netiquette/
 Press ? for Help, q to Quit                               Page: 1/1

q Really quit (y/n) ? y

 Connection closed by Foreign Host
 SMCVAX$
 ==================================================================

Kessler & Shepard [Page 29] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

2.8.3. Other Information Servers

 There are a number of other information servers that are growing in
 popularity and use.  The problem with being blessed with so much
 information from Archie, Gopher, and other sources is exactly that -
 too much information.  To make it easier for users to locate the
 system on which their desired information resides, a number of other
 tools have been created.
 Veronica (Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized
 Archives) was developed at the University of Nevada in Reno as an
 adjunct to Gopher.  As the number of Gopher sites continues to grow,
 it has become increasingly harder to find information in
 "Gopherspace" since Gopher is designed to search a single database at
 a time.  Veronica maintains an index of titles of Gopher items and
 performs a keyword search on all of the Gopher sites that it has
 knowledge of and access to, obviating the need for the user to
 perform a menu-by-menu, site-by-site search for information.  When a
 user selects an item from the menu of a Veronica search, "sessions"
 are automatically established with the appropriate Gopher servers,
 and a list of data items is returned to the originating Gopher client
 in the form of a Gopher menu so that the user can access the files.
 Veronica is available as an option on many Gopher servers, including
 "internic.net".
 Another Gopher-adjunct is Jughead (Jonzy's Universal Gopher Hierarchy
 Excavation And Display).  Jughead supports key word searches and the
 use of logical operators (AND, OR, and NOT).  The result of a Jughead
 search is a display of all menu items which match the search string
 which are located in the University of Manchester and UMIST
 Information Server, working from a static database that is re-created
 every day.  Jughead is available from many Gopher sites (including
 "internic.net"), although Veronica may be a better tool for global
 searches.
 Archie and Gopher are primarily used for the indexing of text-based
 files.  The World Wide Web (WWW or W3) Project, initiated by the CERN
 Institute for Particle Physics in Geneva, Switzerland, is designed to
 combine aspects of information retrieval with multimedia
 communications.  The WWW Project is intended to allow users to access
 information in many different types of formats, including text,
 sound, image, and video.  WWW treats all searchable Internet files as
 hypertext documents.  "Hypertext" is a new term which merely refers
 to text that contains pointers to other text, allowing a user reading
 one document to jump to another document for more information on a
 given topic, and then return to the same location in the original
 document.  The original WWW site is at CERN and may be accessed via

Kessler & Shepard [Page 30] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 Telnet at "nxoc01.cern.ch".  The user will be automatically logged in
 and a help menu can be displayed by entering the "h" command.
 To generally access WWW servers, users must run client software
 called a "browser".  The browser reads documents from WWW servers and
 can access files by FTP, gopher, and other methods.  WWW can also
 handle hypermedia documents; "hypermedia" is another new term,
 referring to a file using any medium that contains pointers to
 another medium.  WWW browsers, then, are able to display images,
 sound, or animations in addition to text.  WWW sources and additional
 information may be accessed via anonymous FTP from the "/pub/WWW"
 directory at "info.cern.ch" or the "/Web" directory at
 "ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu".
 The most commonly used WWW browser is Mosaic, developed at the
 National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA) at the
 University of Illinois.  Mosaic provides a uniform mechanism for
 finding the location of information, as well as determining the data
 type, presentation method, and linkages to other information.  A
 large number of shareware Mosaic clients are available at
 "ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu".  It should be noted that commercial versions of
 Mosaic will also become available for a variety of platforms after
 the summer of 1994.
 The Wide Area Information Server (WAIS, pronounced "ways") was
 initiated jointly by Apple Computer, Dow Jones, KMPG Peat Marwick,
 and Thinking Machines Corp.  It is a set of free-ware, share-ware,
 and commercial software products for a wide variety of
 hardware/software platforms, which work together to help users find
 information on the Internet.  WAIS provides a single interface
 through which a user can access many different information databases.
 The user interface allow a query to be formulated in English and the
 WAIS server will automatically choose the appropriate databases to
 search.  Further information about WAIS can be obtained by reading
 the WAIS FAQ, from host "rtfm.mit.edu" in file
 "/pub/usenet/news.answers/wais-faq".

2.9. Uniform Resource Locator Format

 As more and more protocols have become available to identify files,
 archive and server sites, news lists, and other information resources
 on the Internet, it was inevitable that some shorthand would arise to
 make it a little easier to designate these sources.  The common
 shorthand that is employed is called the Uniform Resource Locator
 (URL) format.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 31] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 The list below provides information on how the URL format should be
 interpreted for the protocols and resources that have been discussed
 in this document.  A complete description of the URL format may be
 found in [2].
 file://"host"/"directory"/"file-name"
   Used to identify a specific file.  E.g., the file "htmlasst" in the
   "edu" directory at host "ftp.cs.da" would be denoted with URL as:
   <URL:file://ftp.cs.da/edu/htmlasst>
 ftp://"user":"password"@"host":"port"/"directory"/"file-name"
   Used to identify an FTP site.  E.g.:
   <URL:ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/Crypto/*>
 gopher://"host":"port"/"gopher-path"
   Used to identify a Gopher site and menu path.  E.g.:
   <URL:gopher://info.umd.edu:901/info/Government/Factbook92>
 http://"host":"port"/"directory"/"file-name"?"searchpart"
   Used to identify a WWW server location.  "http" refers to the
   HyperText Transport Protocol; file names commonly use the ".html"
   extension, indicating use of the HyperText Markup Language.  E.g.:
   <URL:http://info.isoc.org/home.html>
 mailto:"e-mail address"
   Identifies an individual Internet mail address.  E.g.:
   <URL:mailto:sds@hill.com>
 telnet://"user":"password"@"host":"port"/
   Identifies a TELNET site (the trailing "/" is optional).  E.g.:
   <URL:telnet//envnet:henniker@envnet.gsfc.nasa.gov>

3. Discussion Lists

 Among the most useful features of the Internet are the discussion
 lists that have become available to allow individuals to discuss
 topics of mutual concern.  Discussion list topics range from SCUBA
 diving and home brewing of beer to AIDS research and foreign policy.
 Several, naturally, deal specifically with the Internet, TCP/IP
 protocols, and the impact of new technologies.
 Most of the discussion lists accessible from the Internet are
 "unmoderated", meaning that anyone can send a message to the list's
 central repository and the message will then be automatically
 forwarded to all subscribers of the list.  These lists provide very
 fast turn-around between submission of a message and delivery, but
 often result in a lot of messages (including inappropriate "junk
 mail").  A "moderated" list has an extra step; a human list moderator

Kessler & Shepard [Page 32] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 examines all messages before they are forwarded to ensure that the
 messages are appropriate to the list and not needlessly inflammatory!
 Users should be warned that some lists generate a significant amount
 of messages each day.  Before subscribing to too many lists, be sure
 that you are aware of local policies and/or charges governing access
 to discussion lists and e-mail storage.

3.1. Internet Discussion Lists

 A list of the known interest groups may be found by Gophering to
 "ds.internic.net".  Follow the menu path "InterNIC Information
 Services" | "Using the Internet" | "Basic Internet Services" |
 "Electronic Mail" | "Mailing Lists" to find the 8-part list of lists.
 Be careful if you download these files; the list is nearly 1.5 MB in
 size, listing over 800 lists!  Along the way, you will find a wealth
 of other information.
 Mail can be sent to an Internet list at an address with the following
 form:
      list_name@host_name
 The common convention when users want to subscribe, unsubscribe, or
 handle any other administrative matter is to send a message to the
 list administrator; do NOT send administrivia to the main list
 address!  The list administrator can usually be found at:
      list_name-REQUEST@host_name
 To subscribe to a list, it is often enough to place the word
 "subscribe" in the main body of the message, although a line with the
 format:
      SUBSCRIBE  list_name  your_full_name
 will satisfy most mail servers.  A similar message may be used to get
 off a list; just use the word "unsubscribe".
 Not every list follows this convention, but it is a safe bet if you
 don't have better information!

3.2. Usenet

 Usenet, also known as NETNEWS or Usenet news, is another information
 source with its own set of special interest mailing lists organized
 into "newsgroups".  Usenet originated on UNIX systems but has

Kessler & Shepard [Page 33] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 migrated to many other types of hosts, although most Usenet servers
 are still UNIX-based.  Usenet clients, called "newsreaders", are
 available for virtually any operating system.
 While Usenet newsgroups are usually accessible at Internet sites, a
 prospective Usenet client host must have appropriate newsreader
 software to be able to read news.  Users will have to check with
 their local host or network administrator to find out what Usenet
 newsgroups are locally available, as well as the local policies for
 using them.
 Usenet newsgroup names are hierarchical in nature.  The first part of
 the name, called the "hierarchy", provides an indication about the
 general subject area.  There are two types of hierarchies, called
 "mainstream" and "alternative"; the total number of newsgroups is in
 the thousands.  The "news.announce.newusers" newsgroup is a good
 place for new Usenet users to find a detailed introduction to the use
 of Usenet, as well as an introduction to its culture.
 Usenet mainstream hierarchies are established by a process that
 requires the approval of a majority of Usenet members.  Most sites
 that receive a NETNEWS feed receive all of these hierarchies, which
 include:
      comp      Computers
      misc      Miscellaneous
      news      Network news
      rec       Recreation
      sci       Science
      soc       Social issues
      talk      Various discussion lists
 The alternative hierarchies include lists that may be set up at any
 site that has the server software and disk space.  These lists are
 not formally part of Usenet and, therefore, may not be received by
 all sites getting NETNEWS.  The alternative hierarchies include:
      alt       Alternate miscellaneous discussion lists
      bionet    Biology, medicine, and life sciences
      bit       BITNET discussion lists
      biz       Various business-related discussion lists
      ddn       Defense Data Network
      gnu       GNU lists
      ieee      IEEE information
      info      Various Internet and other networking information
      k12       K-12 education
      u3b       AT&T 3B computers
      vmsnet    Digital's VMS operating system

Kessler & Shepard [Page 34] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 A list of newsgroups may be found at host "rtfm.mit.edu" in the path
 "/pub/usenet/news.answers"; see the "/active-newsgroups" and "/alt-
 hierarchies" subdirectories.
 There is often some overlap between Usenet newsgroups and Internet
 discussion lists.  Some individuals join both lists in these
 circumstances or, often, there is cross-posting of messages.  Some
 Usenet newsgroup discussions are forwarded onto an Internet mailing
 list by an individual site to provide access to those users who do
 not have Usenet available.
 Users not connected to Usenet may post messages to a Usenet newsgroup
 using Internet e-mail.  First, replace the periods in the Usenet
 discussion list name with hyphens (e.g., the folk music discussion
 list, "rec.music.folk", would become "rec-music-folk").  Then, send
 an e-mail message to:
      newsgroup_name@CS.UTEXAS.EDU
 Usenet news may be read using Gopher.  Connect to the host
 "gopher.msu.edu" using the path "News & Weather" | "USENET News" or
 host "gopher.bham.ac.uk" using the path "Usenet News Reader".

3.3. BITNET/EARN

 Another important set of discussion groups is maintained using a
 program called LISTSERV.  LISTSERV is a service provided widely on
 BITNET and EARN (European Academic and Research Network), although it
 is also available to Internet users.
 LISTSERV commands are placed in the main body of e-mail messages sent
 to an appropriate list server location.  To find out what lists are
 available, send a message to "listserv@bitnic.educom.edu" with the
 command "list global" in the main body of the message; whatever you
 place in the "Subject:" field will be ignored.
 Once you have found a list of interest, you can send a message to the
 appropriate address with any appropriate command, including:
   HELP                                 Get help & a list of commands
   SUBSCRIBE list_name your_full_name   Subscribe to a list
   UNSUBSCRIBE list_name                Unsubscribe from a list
   INDEX                                Get a list of LISTSERV files
   GET file_name                        Obtain a file from the server

Kessler & Shepard [Page 35] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

4. Internet Documentation

 To fully appreciate and understand what is going on within the
 Internet community, users might wish to obtain the occasional
 Internet specification.  The main body of Internet documents are
 Request for Comments (RFCs), although a variety of RFC subsets have
 been defined for various specific purposes.  The sections below will
 describe the RFCs and other documentation, and how to get these
 documents.
 NOTE: For complete, up-to-date information on obtaining Internet
 documentation, users should Gopher to "ds.internic.net" and follow
 the path "InterNIC Information Services" | "About the Internet" |
 "Internet Documentation", and then select the desired set of
 documents.  This Gopher path is referred to as the "documentation
 root path" in the remainder of this section.

4.1. Request for Comments (RFCs)

 RFCs are the body of literature comprising Internet protocols,
 standards, research questions, hot topics, humor (especially those
 dated 1 April), and general information.  Each RFC is uniquely issued
 a number which is never reused or reissued; if a document is revised,
 it is given a new RFC number and the old RFC is said to be
 "obsoleted."  Announcements are sent to the RFC-DIST mailing list
 whenever a new RFC is issued; anyone may join this list by sending e-
 mail to "rfc-request@nic.ddn.mil".
 RFCs may be obtained through the mail (i.e., postal service), but it
 is easier and faster to get them on-line.  One easy way to obtain
 RFCs on-line is to use RFC-INFO, an e-mail-based service to help
 users locate and retrieve RFCs and other Internet documents.  To use
 the service, send e-mail to "rfc-info@isi.edu" and leave the
 "Subject:" field blank; commands that may go in the main body of the
 message include:
   HELP                       (Help file)
   HELP: ways_to_get_rfcs     (Help file on how to get RFCs)
   RETRIEVE: RFC
      Doc-ID: RFCxxxx         (Retrieve RFC xxxx; use all 4 digits)
   LIST: RFC                  (List all RFCs...)
     [options]                   (...[matching the following options])
     KEYWORDS: xxx             (Title contains string "xxx")
     AUTHOR: xxx               (Written by "xxx")
     ORGANIZATION:             (Issued by company "xxx")

Kessler & Shepard [Page 36] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

     DATED-AFTER: mmm-dd-yyyy
     DATED-BEFORE: mmm-dd-yyyy
     OBSOLETES: RFCxxxx        (List RFCs obsoleting RFC xxxx)
 An alternative way to obtain RFCs by e-mail is to send an e-mail
 message to "service@nic.ddn.mil", leaving the "Subject:" field blank.
 In the main body of the message, use one or more of the following
 commands.  The RFC index, or a specific reference to an RFC, will
 indicate whether the RFC is available in ASCII text or PostScript
 format.  By convention, all RFCs are available in ASCII while some
 are also available in PostScript where use of graphics and/or
 different fonts adds more information or clarity.  The instructions
 below show how to get the index; be aware that this file is very
 large, containing the citing for over 1,700 documents.  Note that not
 all RFCs numbered below 698 (July 1975) are available on-line:
    SEND HELP                  (Help file)
    SEND RFC/RFC-INDEX         (RFC Index)
    SEND RFC/RFCxxxx.TXT       (ASCII version of RFC xxxx)
    SEND RFC/RFCxxxx.PS        (PostScript version of RFC xxxx)
  1. ——————————————

TABLE 1. Some of the RFC Repositories.

      REGION    HOST ADDRESS          DIRECTORY
      U.S.      nic.ddn.mil           rfc
      U.S.      nisc.jvnc.net         rfc
      U.S.      ftp.isi.edu           in-notes
      U.S.      wuarchive.wustl.edu   info/rfc
      U.K.      src.doc.ic.ac.uk      rfc
      Europe    funet.fi              rfc
      Pacific   munnari.oz.au         rfc
      -------------------------------------------
 To obtain an RFC via anonymous FTP, connect to one of the RFC
 repositories listed in Table 1 using FTP.  After connecting, change
 to the appropriate RFC directory (as shown in Table 1) using the "cd"
 command.  To obtain a particular file, use the "get" command:
    GET RFC-INDEX.TXT local_name    (RFC Index)
    GET RFCxxxx.TXT   local_name    (ASCII version of RFC XXXX)
    GET RFCxxxx.PS    local_name    (PostScript version of RFC XXXX)
 Finally, check out the path "RFC's (Request for Comments)" under the
 documentation root path for the RFC index, complete instructions on
 obtaining RFCs, and a complete set of RFCs.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 37] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 The sample dialogue below, although highly abbreviated, shows a user
 obtaining RFC 1594 (Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User"
 Questions) using the first three methods described above.
 ==================================================================

SMCVAX$ MAIL MAIL> SEND To: IN%"SERVICE@NIC.DDN.MIL" Subject:

 Enter your message below. Press CTRL/Z when complete, CTRL/C to quit

SEND RFC/RFC1594.TXT ^Z MAIL> EXIT SMCVAX$ MAIL MAIL> SEND To: IN%"RFC-INFO@ISI.EDU" Subject: Enter your message below. Press CTRL/Z when complete, CTRL/C to quit RETRIEVE: RFC Doc-ID: RFC1594 ^Z MAIL> EXIT SMCVAX$ FTP NIC.DDN.MIL Username: ANONYMOUS Password: NIC.DDN.MIL> CD rfc NIC.DDN.MIL> GET rfc1594.txt RFC-1594.TXT ** NIC.DDN.MIL> EXIT

 SMCVAX$
 ==================================================================

4.2. Internet Standards

 RFCs describe many aspects of the Internet.  By the early 1990s,
 however, so many specifications of various protocols had been written
 that it was not always clear as to which documents represented
 standards for the Internet.  For that reason, a subset of RFCs have
 been designated as STDs to identify them as Internet standards.
 Unlike RFC numbers that are never reused, STD numbers always refer to
 the latest version of the standard.  UDP, for example, would be
 completely identified as "STD-6/RFC-768."  Note that STD numbers
 refer to a standard, which is not necessarily a single document; an
 STD, therefore, might refer to several RFCs.  STD 19, for example, is
 the NetBIOS Service Protocols standard and comprises RFCs 1001 and
 1002; a complete citation for this standard would be "STD-19/RFC-

Kessler & Shepard [Page 38] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 1001/RFC-1002."
 The availability of new STDs is announced on the RFC-DIST mailing
 list.  STD-1 [14] always refers to the latest list of "Internet
 Official Protocol Standards".  The Internet standards process is
 described in RFC 1602 [6] and STD notes are explained in RFC 1311
 [15].
 STDs can be obtained as RFCs via anonymous FTP from any RFC
 repository.  In addition, some RFC sites (such as "nic.ddn.mil")
 provide an STD directory so that STD documents can be found in the
 path "/STD/xx.TXT", where "xx" refers to the STD number.
 STD documents may be obtained as RFCs using the methods described in
 Section 4.1.  STDs may also be obtained via the RFC-INFO server using
 the "RETRIEVE: STD" and "Doc-ID: STDxxxx" commands.  Also, check out
 the path "STD's (Standard RFC's)" under the documentation root path
 for the STD index, complete instructions on obtaining STDs, and a
 complete set of STDs.

4.3. For Your Information Documents

 The For Your Information (FYI) series of RFCs provides Internet users
 with information about many topics related to the Internet.  FYI
 topics range from historical to explanatory to tutorial, and are
 aimed at the wide spectrum of people that use the Internet.  The FYI
 series includes answers to frequently asked questions by both
 beginning and seasoned users of the Internet, an annotated
 bibliography of Internet books, and an explanation of the domain name
 system.
 Like the STDs, an FYI number always refers to the latest version of
 an FYI.  FYI 4, for example, refers to the answers to commonly asked
 questions by new Internet users; its complete citation would be "FYI-
 4/RFC-1594."  The FYI notes are explained in FYI 1 [9].
 FYIs can be obtained as RFCs via anonymous FTP from any RFC
 repository.  In addition, some RFC sites (such as "nic.ddn.mil")
 provide an FYI directory so that FYI documents can be found in the
 path "/FYI/xx.TXT", where "xx" refers to the FYI number.
 FYI documents may be obtained as RFCs using the methods described in
 Section 4.1.  FYIs may also be obtained via the RFC-INFO server using
 the "RETRIEVE: FYI" and "Doc-ID: FYIxxxx" commands.  Also, check out
 the path "FYI's (For Your Information RFC's)" under the documentation
 root path for the FYI index, complete instructions on obtaining FYIs,
 and a complete set of FYIs.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 39] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

4.4. RARE Technical Reports

 The Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne (RARE) is the
 Association of European Research Networks and their users.  RARE's
 charter is to promote and participate in the creation of a high-
 quality European computer communications infrastructure for the
 support of research endeavors.  RARE member networks use Open Systems
 Interconnection (OSI) protocols and TCP/IP.  Since the summer of
 1993, to promote a closer relationship between RARE and the IETF,
 RARE Technical Reports (RTRs) are also published as RFCs.
 RTR documents may be obtained as RFCs using the methods described in
 Section 4.1.  RTRs may also be obtained via the RFC-INFO server using
 the "RETRIEVE: RTR" and "Doc-ID: RTRxxxx" commands.  Also, check out
 the path "RTR's (RARE Technical Report RFC's)" under the
 documentation root path for the RTR index, complete instructions on
 obtaining RTRs, and a complete set of RTRs.  They may also be
 obtained via anonymous FTP from "ftp.rare.nl".
 NOTE: As of December 1994, RARE and EARN have merged to form TERENA
 (Trans-European Research and Education Network Association).

5. Perusing the Internet…

 This guide is intended to provide the reader with a rudimentary
 ability to use the utilities that are provided by TCP/IP and the
 Internet.  By now, it is clear that the user's knowledge, ability,
 and willingness to experiment are about the only limits to what can
 be accomplished.
 The next step is to explore the nooks and crannies of the network.
 One software tool that will users in this quest is the Merit Computer
 Center's (Ann Arbor, MI) "Cruise of the Internet", available at no
 cost from the host "nic.merit.edu" using FTP.  For more information,
 read the "readme" files in the directories "internet/resources/
 cruise.mac" and "internet/resources/cruise.dos"  for Mac and PC
 versions, respectively.  For general information about resources at
 this site, see the READ.ME file in the root directory or send e-mail
 to "nic-info@nic.merit.edu".
 Several RFCs provide invaluable information about finding things on
 the Internet.  One of the best such sources is FYI 10/RFC 1402,
 titled "There's Gold in them thar Networks! -or- Searching for
 Treasure in all the Wrong Places" [11], an excellent guide for
 someone who wants to look around the Internet for a wide range of
 material.  Other good sources include the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the
 Internet" (RFC 1118) [7] and the "Guide to Network Resource Tools"
 (FYI 23/RFC 1580) [3].  Answers to frequently asked questions for

Kessler & Shepard [Page 40] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 both new and experienced users of the Internet may be found in FYI
 4/RFC 1594 [10] and FYI 7/RFC 1207 [8], respectively.
 There are many other sources that cite locations from which to access
 specific information about a wide range of subjects using such tools
 as FTP, Telnet, Gopher, and WWW.  These include:
 o The INTERNET SERVICES LIST, maintained by Scott Yanoff of the
   University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and updated at least once a
   month.  This list can be obtained at <URL:ftp://ftp.csd.uwm.edu/
   pub/inet.services.txt> or <URL:gopher://csd4.csd.uwm.edu/Remote
   Information Services/Special Internet Connections>.
 o An excellent starting point for searching the World Wide Web is to
   point your WWW browser at "http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software
   /Mosaic/StartingPoints/NetworkStartingPoints.html".
 o The Scout Report is a weekly service by the InterNIC Information
   Services team.  To subscribe to the Scout Report mailing list, send
   e-mail to "majordomo@is.internic.net" and place the line "subscribe
   scout-report" in the main body of the message.  Optionally, Gopher
   to "ds.internic.net" and follow the path "InterNIC Information
   Services" | "Scout Report" or point your WWW browser at
   "http://www.internic.net/infoguide.html".
 o "The INTERNET Yellow Pages" by Harley Hahn and Rick Stout [28].
 More books and specialized articles came out about the Internet in
 1993 and 1994 than in all previous years (squared!).  Some of them
 are directly related to finding your way around, or finding things
 on, the Internet; a very partial list includes:
 o "The Internet Directory" by Eric Braun [21]
 o "The MAC Internet Tour Guide", "The PC Internet Tour Guide", and
   "The Windows Internet Tour Guide"  by Michael Fraase [24, 25, 26]
 o "The Internet Navigator" by Paul Gilster [27]
 o "Zen and the Art of the Internet" by Brendan Kehoe [29]
 o "The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog" by Ed Krol [31]
 o "INTERNET: Getting Started" by April Marine, Susan Kirkpatrick,
   Vivian Neou, and Carol Ward [33]
 o "Finding it on the Internet: The Next Challenge for Librarianship"
   by Brian Nielsen [34]

Kessler & Shepard [Page 41] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 o "Navigating the Internet" by Richard Smith and Mark Gibbs [35]
 A much more comprehensive list of Internet-related books may be found
 in FYI 19/RFC 1463 [5].
 Finally, Carl Malamud has written a delightful book called "Exploring
 the Internet: A Technical Travelogue" [32], chronicling not the
 Internet as much as the people who built it and use it.  This book
 will not teach you how to perform an anonymous FTP file transfer nor
 how to use Gopher, but provides insights about our network (and
 Carl's gastro-pathology) that no mere statistics can convey.

6. Acronyms and Abbreviations

 ASCII     American Standard Code for Information Interchange
 BITNET    Because It's Time Network
 DDN       Defense Data Network
 DNS       Domain Name System
 EARN      European Academic Research Network
 FAQ       Frequently Asked Questions list
 FTP       File Transfer Protocol
 FYI       For Your Information series of RFCs
 HTML      HyperText Markup Language
 HTTP      HyperText Transport Protocol
 ICMP      Internet Control Message Protocol
 IP        Internet Protocol
 ISO       International Organization for Standardization
 NetBIOS   Network Basic Input/Output System
 NIC       Network Information Center
 NICNAME   Network Information Center name service
 NSF       National Science Foundation
 NSFNET    National Science Foundation Network
 RFC       Request For Comments
 RARE      Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne
 RTR       RARE Technical Reports
 SMDS      Switched Multimegabit Data Service
 SMTP      Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
 STD       Internet Standards series of RFCs
 TCP       Transmission Control Protocol
 TTL       Time-To-Live
 UDP       User Datagram Protocol
 URL       Uniform Resource Locator
 WAIS      Wide Area Information Server
 W3        World Wide Web
 WWW       World Wide Web

Kessler & Shepard [Page 42] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

7. Security Considerations

 Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

8. Acknowledgements

 Our thanks are given to all sites where we FTPed, TELNETed, GOPHERed,
 and otherwise used system resources, particularly St. Michael's
 College in Colchester, Vermont (smcvax.smcvt.edu).  We also
 appreciate the comments and suggestions from our colleagues at Hill
 Associates, our students, and other members of the Internet
 community, particularly Mark Delany and the rest of the gang at the
 Australian Public Access Network Association, Margaret Hall (BBN),
 John Martin (RARE), Tom Maufer (NASA), Michael Patton (BBN), and
 Brian Williams.  Special thanks are due to Joyce Reynolds for her
 continued encouragement and direction.

9. References

 [1] Anklesaria, F., McCahill, M., Lindner, P, Johnson, D., Torrey,
     D., and B. Alberti, "The Internet Gopher Protocol", RFC 1436,
     University of Minnesota, March 1993.
 [2] Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., and M. McCahill, Editors, "Uniform
     Resource Locators (URL)", RFC 1738, CERN, Xerox PARC, University
     of Minnesota, December 1994.
 [3] EARN Staff, "Guide to Network Resource Tools", FYI 23, RFC 1580,
     EARN Association, March 1994.
 [4] Harrenstien, K., Stahl, M., and E. Feinler, "NICNAME/WHOIS", RFC
     954, SRI, October 1985.
 [5] Hoffman, E. and L. Jackson, "FYI on Introducing the Internet-- A
     Short Bibliography of Introductory Internetworking Readings", FYI
     19, RFC 1463, Merit Network, Inc., NASA, May 1993.
 [6] Internet Architecture Board, Internet Engineering Steering Group,
     "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 2", RFC 1602, IAB,
     IESG, March 1994.
 [7] Krol, E., "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet", RFC 1118,
     University of Illinois Urbana, September 1989.
 [8] Malkin, G., Marine, A., and J. Reynolds, "FYI on Questions and
     Answers: Answers to Commonly Asked 'Experienced Internet User'
     Questions", FYI 7, RFC 1207, FTP Software, SRI, USC/Information
     Sciences Institute, February 1991.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 43] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

 [9] Malkin, G., and J. Reynolds, "F.Y.I. on F.Y.I.: Introduction to
     the F.Y.I. Notes", FYI 1, RFC 1150, Proteon, USC/Information
     Sciences Institute, March 1990.
[10] Marine, A., Reynolds, J., and G. Malkin, "FYI on Questions and
     Answers - Answers to Commonly asked 'New Internet User'
     Questions", FYI 4, RFC 1594, NASA Ames Research Center,
     USC/Information Sciences Institute, Xylogics, March 1994.
[11] Martin, J., "There's Gold in them thar Networks! Searching for
     Treasure in all the Wrong Places", FYI 10, RFC 1402, Ohio State
     University, January 1993.
[12] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names - Concepts and Facilities", STD
     13, RFC 1034, USC/Information Sciences Institute, November 1987.
[13] Postel, J., "Domain Name System Structure and Delegation",
     USC/Information Sciences Institute, RFC 1591, March 1994.
[14] Postel, J., Editor, "Internet Official Protocol Standards", STD
     1, RFC 1720, Internet Architecture Board, November 1994.
[15] Postel, J., "Introduction to the STD Notes", RFC 1311,
     USC/Information Sciences Institute, March 1992.
[16] Postel, J., and J. Reynolds, "File Transfer Protocol (FTP), STD
     9, RFC 959, USC/Information Sciences Institute, October 1985.
[17] Postel, J. and J. Reynolds, "TELNET Protocol Specification", STD
     8, RFC 854, USC/Information Sciences Institute, May 1983.
[18] Socolofsky, T., and C. Kale, "TCP/IP Tutorial", RFC 1180, Spider
     Systems Ltd., January 1991.
[19] Williamson, S., "Transition and Modernization of the Internet
     Registration Service", RFC 1400, Network Solutions, Inc., March
     1993.
[20] Zimmerman, D., "The Finger User Information Protocol", RFC 1288,
     Rutgers University, December 1991.
[21] Braun, E., "The Internet Directory", New York: Fawcett Columbine,
     1994.
[22] Comer, D., "Internetworking with TCP/IP, Vol. I: Principles,
     Protocols, and Architecture", 2/e.  Englewood Cliffs (NJ):
     Prentice-Hall, 1991.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 44] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

[23] Feit, S., "TCP/IP", New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993.
[24] Fraase, M., "The MAC Internet Tour Guide", Chapel Hill (NC):
     Ventana Press, 1994.
[25] Fraase, M., "The PC Internet Tour Guide", Chapel Hill (NC):
     Ventana Press, 1994.
[26] Fraase, M., "The Windows Internet Tour Guide", Chapel Hill (NC):
     Ventana Press, 1994.
[27] Gilster, P., "The Internet Navigator", New York: John Wiley &
     Sons, 1993.
[28] Hahn, H., and R. Stout, "The Internet Yellow Pages", Berkeley
     (CA): Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1994.
[29] Kehoe, B., "Zen and the Art of the Internet", Englewood Cliffs
     (NJ): Prentice-Hall, 1993.
[30] Kessler, G., "An Overview of TCP/IP Protocols and the Internet",
     August 1994.  <URL:gopher://ds.internic.net/Information
     Services/Advanced Users/tcp-ip>.
[31] Krol, E., "The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog", Sebastopol
     (CA): O'Reilly & Associates, 1992.
[32] Malamud, C., "Exploring the Internet: A Technical Travelogue",
     Englewood Cliffs (NJ): PTR Prentice Hall, 1992.
[33] Marine, A., Kirkpatrick, S., Neou, V., and C. Ward.  "INTERNET:
     Getting Started", Englewood Cliffs (NJ): PTR Prentice Hall, 1993.
[34] Nielsen, B., "Finding it on the Internet: The Next Challenge for
     Librarianship."  Database, Vol. 13, October 1990, pp. 105-107.
[35] Smith, R., and M. Gibbs, "Navigating the Internet", Carmel (IN):
     SAMS, 1994.

Kessler & Shepard [Page 45] RFC 1739 Primer on Internet & TCP/IP Tools December 1994

10. Authors' Addresses

     Gary C. Kessler
     Hill Associates
     17 Roosevelt Highway
     Colchester, VT  05446
     Phone:  +1 802-655-8633
     Fax:    +1 802-655-7974
     EMail: kumquat@hill.com
     Steven D. Shepard
     Hill Associates
     17 Roosevelt Highway
     Colchester, VT  05446
     Phone:  +1 802-655-8646
     Fax:    +1 802-655-7974
     EMail: sds@hill.com

Kessler & Shepard [Page 46]

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