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RFC 1689

A Status Report on Networked Information Retrieval: Tools and Groups

Pages: 226
FYI 25
Part 3 of 7 – Pages 70 to 99
First   Prev   Next

ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 70   prevText
     AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford and Augart, Steven Seger",
     TITLE       = "Prospero: A Base for Building Information
                    Infrastructure",
     BOOKTITLE   = "Proceedings of INET'93",
     YEAR        = 1993,
     MONTH       = "August"}

  For the readers of this report, this is the first paper you probably
  want to read about Prospero.  This paper describes how Prospero can
  be used to integrate internet information services, including
  Gopher, WAIS, Archie, and World Wide Web.  The paper was
  presented at INET'93 in August.

  Prospero:/papers/subjects/operating-systems/prospero/prospero-oir.ps.Z
  Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-oir.ps.Z
  (POSTSCRIPT)
  @ARTICLE{oir,
  AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
  TITLE       = "Prospero: A Tool for Organizing {I}nternet Resources",
  JOURNAL     = "Electronic Networking: Research, Applications and
                 Policy",
  MONTH       = "Spring",
  YEAR        = 1992,
  VOLUME      = 2,
  NUMBER      = 1}

  This is the first paper we give to more general computer science
  audiences to read.  It's also a good first paper to look at.  It
  gives a good overview of Prospero and what it does.  It also
  describes a bit about the Virtual System model, of which Prospero is
  a prototype implementation.  Describes what Prospero does, not how
  it does it.

  Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-gfsvsm.ps.Z
  (POSTSCRIPT)
     @INPROCEEDINGS{gfsvsm,
     AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
     TITLE       = "The {P}rospero {F}ile {S}ystem: A Global File System
                    based on the {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel",
     BOOKTITLE   = "Proceedings of the Workshop on File Systems",
     YEAR        = 1992,
     MONTH       = "May"}

  This is a good third paper to read about Prospero.  This one is
  targeted more toward system implementors.  It provides more
  implementation details than the paper on organizing Internet
  resources, but less of the vision of how Prospero can be used together
  with other systems.
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 71
  Prospero:
   /papers/subjects/operating-systems/prospero/prospero-smlic.ps.Z
   Anonymous FTP: /pub/papers/prospero/prospero-smlic.ps.Z
   (POSTSCRIPT)
     @INPROCEEDINGS{prosperosmlic,
     AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford and Augart, Steven Seger and
                    Upasani, Shantaprasad",
     TITLE       = "Using Prospero to Support Integrated
                    Location-Independent Computing",
     BOOKTITLE   = "Proceedings of the Usenix Symposium on Mobile and
                    Location-Independent Computing",
     YEAR        = 1993,
     MONTH       = "August"}

  This paper describes how the Prospero Directory Service can be used to
  solve the server selection problem and the user location problem.  The
  paper was presented in August at the Usenix Symposium on Mobile
  and Location-Independent Computing.

  Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/UW-CS-89-01-07.PS.Z
  (POSTSCRIPT)
     @TECHREPORT{vsmldos,
     AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
     TITLE       = "The {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel for Large Distributed
                    Operating Systems",
     INSTITUTION = "Department of Computer Science, University of
                    Washington",
     YEAR        = 1989,
     MONTH       = "April",
     NUMBER      = "89-01-07"}

  This describes the initial vision for the Virtual System
  Model, the model on which Prospero is based.  Much of the material in
  this paper appears in greater detail in other papers.

  Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/UW-CSE-90-05-01.PS.Z
  (POSTSCRIPT)
     @TECHREPORT{vsmtp,
     AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
     TITLE       = "The {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel: A Scalable Approach
                    to Organizing Large Systems (A Thesis Proposal)",
     INSTITUTION = "Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
                    University of Washington",
     YEAR        = 1990,
     MONTH       = "May",
     NUMBER      = "90-05-01"}

  for a long time this was the best description of Prospero, but
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 72
  all the information in this document appears in more recent papers and
  the dissertation itself.

  Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-closure.ps.Z
  (POSTSCRIPT)
     @ARTICLE{nfclosure,
     AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
     TITLE       = "The Need for Closure in Large Distributed Systems",
     JOURNAL     = "Operating Systems Review",
     MONTH       = "October",
     YEAR        = 1989,
     VOLUME      = 23,
     NUMBER      = 4,
     PAGES       = "28--30"}

  This paper describes the reasons that operating systems need to
  support closure, that is they need to make it clear which name space
  is to be used when resolving names.  While closure is one of the
  important features of Prospero, the concept should be applied in other
  operating systems too.


  Prospero:
 /papers/subjects/operating-systems/prospero/prospero-neuman-thesis.ps.Z
  Anonymous FTP: /pub/prospero/papers/prospero-neuman-thesis.ps.Z
  (POSTSCRIPT)
     @PHDTHESIS{phdneuman,
     AUTHOR      = "Neuman, B. Clifford",
     TITLE       = "The {V}irtual {S}ystem {M}odel: A Scalable Approach
                    to Organizing Large Systems",
     SCHOOL      = "University of Washington",
     MONTH       = "June",
     YEAR        = 1992,
     NOTE        = "Department of Computer Science and Engineering
                    Technical Report 92-06-04"}

  This is Clifford Neuman's Ph.D. Dissertation.  It is currently the
  definitive work on Prospero and the Virtual System Model.  Includes
  an obsolete version of the Prospero User's Manual and of the Prospero
  Protocol Specification.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Other Information:

  We provide three documented library interfaces to Prospero in order to
  make client writing easy.
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 73
  The PFS and PCOMPAT libraries are documented in the library reference
  manual.  The PFS library allows one to directly make Prospero requests
  and parse the results and to manipulate Prospero objects as
  abstractions.  The PCOMPAT library is an interface to the PFS library
  which uses the same interface as the UNIX filesystem; one can link
  many existing programs with the PCOMPAT library in order to get it to
  resolve names in the Prospero namespace.  It is not as portable as the
  PFS library and does not provide as much functionality.

  The third library interface is the menu-browser API library.  It is
  documented in the menu-based browser API manual and is used by our
  menu-based browser.

 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 74
 VERONICA

 Date template updated or checked:      28 February, 1994
 By: Name:              Steven Foster
     Email address:     foster@veronica.scs.unr.edu

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 NIR Tool Name:  veronica

 Brief Description of Tool:

   veronica: Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized
             Archives.

   veronica is the comprehensive title-index of the world's gopher
   servers.  Because of veronica, the Gopher web is a search-and-
   retrieval system as well as a browsing system.  veronica is popular
   because the ubiquitous Gopher client can both access the search
   server, and provide immediate access to the discovered resources.
   Taking advantage of Gopher's linked menus, and of the policy of open
   access at most gopher sites, veronica finds and indexes almost all
   items on publicly-accessible gopher servers.

   As of February, 1994, veronica holds indexes to more than 3200 gopher
   servers on approximately 2500 internet hosts.  In February 1994 the
   public-access veronica sites served an estimated 1,200,000 queries.
   Most queries are resolved in less than twenty seconds.  Eight server
   sites offer searches to the internet community, and several other
   institutions run servers for internal access.

   veronica is easily accessed via any Gopher client.  It offers various
   types of searches, ranging from single-keyword searches to boolean
   queries of indefinite complexity.

   A veronica search originates with a user's request for a search,
   submitted from a gopher client.  The searches may include boolean
   operators ( AND, OR, NOT, and parentheses ) and several options to
   control the number of items returned, and to restrict the search to
   certain gopher types.  The result of a veronica search is a set of
   gopher-type data items, which is returned to the gopher client as a
   gopher menu.  Each item on this menu contains the user's desired
   keyword or keywords in the item title.

   The user can access any of the gopher items by selecting from the
   returned menu.  Items on this menu may be drawn from many gopher
   servers.  Because veronica is accessed through gopher clients, it
   provides immediate access to all types of data supported by the
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 75
   gopher protocol and the client implementation.

   The veronica service comprises two functions:

   1) Harvesting menu data from gopher servers, and preparing it for
      use;
   2) Offering searches of that database to gopher clients.

   These two functions are not necessarily provided by the same host
   computer.  Currently collection and preparation of data are done at
   University of Nevada, and datasets are distributed to the other
   veronica servers.

   The veronica service infrastructure has been fairly stable since
   July, 1993, with eight server sites offering searches for the
   internet community (March 1994).  These servers are supported by the
   participating institutions: NYSERNET, PSI, SERRA, CNIDR, University
   of Koeln, SUNET, University of Bergen and the University of Nevada
   System Computing Services.  Several additional servers offer searches
   with access limited to internal users; in this class are servers at
   MSU, SUNET, and the Australian University system.

   An auxiliary tool to build a locally held menu of Public available
   has been created.  Called "maltshop", it has been distributed since
   January, 1994.  It appears that maltshop is rapidly being accepted,
   but its long-term effect on loading of the servers may be
   problematic.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Primary Contact(s):

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

  Name:                 Fred Barrie
  Email address:        barrie@cs.unr.edu
  Postal Address:       SCS Computer Center Building  mailstop 270
                        University of Nevada, Reno
                        Reno,
                        NV  89557-0023
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 76
  Telephone:            +1-702-784-4292  or +1-702-784-6557
  Fax:                  +1-702-784-1108

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

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Help Line:

  Name:                 veronica development team

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

  Telephone:            no telephone support available

  Level of support offered:  all users

  Hours available:      irregular response latencies to email queries,
                        based on schedule of developers.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Related Working Groups:        GOPHER, FACETS

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source:

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

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Mailing Lists:

  Address:              gopher-news@boombox.micro.umn.edu
  Address:              veronica-news@veronica.scs.unr.edu
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 77
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 News groups:

  Name:         veronica discussion happens on comp.infosystems.gopher

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Protocols:

  What is supported:    Gopher protocol, Gopher+ protocol

  What it runs over:    TCP

  Other NIR tools this interworks with:  Gopher, WAIS, ftp

  Future plans:         Implement extensions with Gopher+.
                        Support for URN/URL standards.
                        Per-site updates of indexes.
                        Subject-area-specific indexes.
                        Indexes for USENET news and LISTSERV articles.
                        Automated server load-levelling.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Servers:

  Date completed or updated:    February 28, 1994
  By: Name:                     Steven Foster
      Email address:            foster@nevada.edu

  Platform:                     UNIX

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         veronica development team
  Email address:                veronica@veronica.scs.unr.edu
  Telephone:                    +1-702-784-4292 or +1-702-784-6557

  Server software available from:

        Via ftp:                veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                  veronica-code/
                                  veronica-data/
                                  veronica-data.tar.Z

  Location of more information:
        Via Gopher:             veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                  veronica/
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 78
                                    veronica-faq
                                    how-to-compose-veronica-queries


        Via Gopher:             gopher.cnidr.org
                                   veronica
                                     veronica-faq
                                     how-to-compose-veronica-queries

        Via ftp:                veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                  veronica-code/
                                  veronica-docs/

  Latest version number:        0.6.5
  Next planned version:         0.7b   (March 1994)


  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

   Two modules:    a data-collection module and a data-server module.

   1.      Data-collector runs on any Unix computer that does TCP
           and compiles perl.  This has not been distributed yet.
           Data collection, data preparation, and indexing are being
           done at veronica.scs.unr.edu.  The harvester "walks" all
           advertised gopher servers, and any newly-discovered servers.
           Almost all redundant links are removed, leaving the
           ( hopefully ) canonical reference for each item.
           Indexes are built at Nevada, and the indexed dataset is
           distributed to server sites.

   2.      Server module.
           Servers run on unix computers and answer to gopher-type-7
           requests.  Boolean keyword logic is implemented.  See file
           "how-to-compose-veronica-queries".  Several options allow
           retrieval of items with specified gopher-types, retrieval
           of a file of links containing the search results, and
           override for the default limit on number of results returned,
           which is 200 items.

           Server software runs on most flavors of unix, requires dbm
           and perl, and requires about 1.4 GB of data on disk, with
           considerable /tmp space available.

           Server software is available to any site which wants to run
           a server.  Server sites are encouraged to offer the service
           to the net at large.
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 79
  Approximate number of such servers in use:  twelve.


  Auxiliary tool:  Maltshop v. 0.2d
  Maltshop builds a menu of Public Gopher Servers for the local
  gopher menu.

   Maltshop software available from:

        Via ftp:                veronica.scs.unr.edu
                                  veronica-code/
                                  menu-builder-0.2d

        Via Gopher:             veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70
                                11/Search ALL of Gopherspace
                                  12/Script to automate your local
                                     Veronica menu

  General comments:

   Basic veronica service has been fairly stable since July 1993.
   Indexing is quite efficient, and most queries are resolved in ten
   seconds or quicker.  More than 1,000,000 queries were resolved in
   February, 1994.

   Though veronica is well-accepted at this level of service, we are
   undertaking significant upgrade efforts during Winter 93-94.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Clients:

  Date completed or updated:    October 19, 1993
  By: Name:                     Steven Foster
      Email address:            foster@nevada.edu

  Platform:                     veronica is accessed through any of the
                                gopher clients.

  Primary Contact:              As for gopher clients.

  Client software available from:       As for gopher clients.

  Location of more information:
  Via Gopher:                   gopher.tc.umn.edu, port 70
                                1/Information About Gopher

  Future plans:                 veronica will interoperate with Gopher+
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 80
                                clients, allowing queries to be
                                composed by ASK blocks.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Demonstration sites:

  Site name:            UCCSN veronica server
  Access details:       gopher to veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                        Open "veronica" folder; choose one of
                        the search types available.

  Site name:            University of Minnesota Gopher server
  Access details:       gopher to gopher.tc.umn.edu, port 70.
                        Other Gopher and Information Servers
                        Search Gopherspace with veronica.
                        choose one of the search types available.

  Site name:            NYSERNET veronica server
  Access details:       gopher to nysernet.org, port 70.
                        Open "Search the Internet" folder;
                                choose one of veronica searches.

  Site name:            SERRA veronica server
  Access details:       gopher to gopher.unipi.it, port 70.
                        Open "University of Pisa - Services"  folder;
                                choose the veronica search.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Documentation:

  Document Title:       veronica FAQ:  Common Questions and answers
                        about veronica, a title search and retrieval
                        system for use with the internet gopher.

  Location details:
        Via Gopher:
        Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                          veronica
                             veronica FAQ
                        Full file name: veronica-faq

        Site:           gopher.micro.umn.edu, port 70.
                          Other Gopher and Information services
                            Search Gopherspace with veronica
                              veronica FAQ
                        Full file name: veronica-faq
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 81
        Site:           gopher.cnidr.org, port 70.
                          veronica
                            veronica FAQ
                        Full file name: veronica-faq

        Via anonymous ftp:
        Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu
                        veronica-docs/veronica-faq

  Document Title:       How to Compose veronica Search Queries.

  Location details:
        Via Gopher:
        Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                          veronica
                             How to Compose veronica Search Queries.
                        Full file name:  how-to-query-veronica

        Site:           gopher.cnidr.org, port 70.
                          veronica
                             How to Compose veronica Search Queries.
                        Full file name:  how-to-query-veronica

        Via anonymous ftp:
        Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu
                        veronica-docs/how-to-query-veronica


  Document Title:       About veronica.

  Location details:
        Via Gopher:
        Site:           veronica.scs.unr.edu, port 70.
                          veronica
                            About veronica
                        Full file name: veronica-about

        Site:           gopher.micro.umn.edu, port 70.
                          Other Gopher and Information services
                            Search Gopherspace with veronica
                              About veronica
                        Full file name: veronica-about

        Site:           gopher.cnidr.org, port 70.
                          veronica
                            About veronica
                        Full file name: veronica-about
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 82
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Bibliography: none

 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 83
 WAIS (WAIS, Inc.)

 Date template updated or checked: 1 March 1994
 By: Name: Nathaniel Lee
     Email address: than@wais.com

 freeWAIS (CNIDR)

 Date template updated or checked: 1 March 1994
 By: Name: Jane Smith and Jim Fullton
     Email address: Jane.Smith@CNIDR.org and Jim.Fullton@CNIDR.org

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 NIR Tool Name:   WAIS

 Brief Description of Tool:

   WAIS - The Wide Area Information Servers system - is an electronic
   publishing software set which allows you to search out and retrieve
   multimedia information from databases anywhere in the world.  WAIS
   databases may be accessed by WAIS, gopher, and WWW clients (such as
   Mosaic), and via online services such as Delphi and America OnLine.
   WAIS software includes user interfaces for most platforms, and server
   software that provides automatic indexing of databases.

   WAIS was developed by Thinking Machines Corporation of Cambridge,
   Massachusetts in collaboration with Apple Computer, Inc., Dow Jones &
   Company, and KPMG Peat Marwick.  With over 100 databases and 5,000
   users worldwide, WAIS is rapidly becoming a standard for information
   distribution within the Internet environment.

   WAIS is a client-server application.  Most of the clients remain
   freely available with a few exceptions.  WAIS, Inc.  develops and
   sells commercial versions of WAIS and the Clearinghouse for Networked
   Information Discovery and Retrieval (CNIDR) develops freeWAIS, a
   version free for distribution and use.  A few freely distributable
   versions remain available from Thinking Machines, Inc.  and other
   organizations.

   What does WAIS do?

      WAIS allows multimedia information to be stored anywhere on any
      platform.  Using your interface of choice, WAIS enables you to
      find personal, corporate and public information.  The information
      is accessible regardless of format: text, formatted documents,
      pictures, spreadsheets, graphics, sound, or video.
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 84
      WAIS recognizes natural language queries. The search and retrieval
      of relevant information is made using your native language.  To
      date, we have used English, French, Italian, and Latin!  The most
      relevant documents, regardless of size, can be sent back to the
      server in their entirety to further refine your search (telling
      the server, "Find me more like this document.") Proven searches
      can be automatically repeated, monitoring and alerting you to new
      information as it becomes available.

   How does WAIS work?

      WAIS uses a single computer-to-computer protocol (NISO Z39.50-
      1988).  Each WAIS server reads your question and based on its
      words, searches the full text of the database for the most
      relevant documents, and ranks them using automatic word weighting.
      Servers need not fully understand your query; the retrieval
      process is based on a search method called relevance feedback.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

  Name:                 Than Lee

  Email address:        info@wais.com

  Postal Address:       1040 Noel Drive, Suite 102, Menlo Park CA 94025
                        (USA)

  Telephone:            +1-415-617-0444

  Fax:                  +1-415-327-6513

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Primary Contact(s) (CNIDR):

  Name:                 George Brett

  Email address:        George.Brett@CNIDR.org

  Postal Address:       3021 Cornwallis Rd., Research Triangle Park
                        NC 27709 (USA)

  Telephone:            +1-919-248-1499

  Fax:                  +1-919-248-1101
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 85
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Help Line (WAIS, Inc.):

  Name:

  Email address:        support@wais.com

  Telephone:

  Level of support offered:      commercial customers only

  Hours available:      anytime

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Help Line (CNIDR):

  Name:                 Kevin Gamiel

  Email address:        Kevin.Gamiel@CNIDR.org

  Telephone:            +1-919-248-1499

  Level of support offered:  developers only

  Hours available:      9-5 EST

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Related Working Groups (WAIS, Inc.):

  Z39.50 protocol group

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Related Working Groups (CNIDR):

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

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

  WAIS, Inc.
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 86
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Sponsoring Organisation / Funding source (CNIDR):

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

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Mailing Lists (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

  Address:              wais-discussion@wais.com

  Administration:       wais-discussion-request@wais.com

  Description:          Moderated, digested biweekly posting about WAIS
                        and Electronic publishing subjects.  Please
                        submit interesting material.

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

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Mailing Lists (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

  Address:              wais-talk@wais.com

  Administration:       wais-talk-request@wais.com

  Description:          Implementors forum on WAIS/freeWAIS.  This is
                        for talking about nitty gritty details of
                        protocols and implementations.

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

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 News groups (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

  Name:                 comp.infosystems.wais

  Description:          Variable quality information on WAIS/freeWAIS.

  Archive:              wais-talk-archive WAIS server

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 87
 Protocols (WAIS, Inc. and CNIDR):

  What is supported:    z39.50-1988

  What it runs over:
   The freeware runs over tcp/ip.  Production versions have worked
   over x.25 and modems as well.

  Other NIR tools this interworks with:
   Gopher and WWW have been used as front ends to WAIS.

  Future plans:
   freeWAIS: Z39.50-1992 compliance, search engine independence

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

  Date completed or updated:     13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                      Brewster Kahle
      Email address:             Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                      Connection Machine Model 2

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                          Ottavia Bassetti
  Email address:                 ottavia@wais.com
  Telephone:                     +1-617-234-1000

  Server software available from: Thinking Machines Corp.
                                  245 First Street
                                  Cambridge, MA  02145 Location of more
                                  information:

  Latest version number:

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:
   Software that runs on CM2 Connection Machines to make them into WAIS
   servers.

  Approximate number of such servers in use:
   10

  General comments:     Requires CM2 super computer.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Servers (CNIDR):               freeware for most UNIX platforms
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 88
  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Jane Smith
      Email address:            Jane.Smith@CNIDR.org

  Platform:                     Most Unix variations

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         George Brett
  Email address:                George.Brett@CNIDR.org
  Telephone:                    +1-919-248-1499

  Server software available from:
        ftp://pub/NIDR.tools/freewais @ftp.cnidr.org
        gopher://gopher.cnidr.org
        http://cnidr.org

  Location of more information: info@CNIDR.org

  Latest version number:        freeWAIS 0.202

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:
   server and client code for freeWAIS.

  Approximate number of such servers in use:
   Unknown. ~568 databases are registered and freely accessible.

  General comments:
   Source code freely available for use and modification.  Internet
   community contributes to the software development, CNIDR incorporates
   these developments into the freeWAIS releases.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Clients (CNIDR):               many varied for most platforms

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Jane Smith
      Email address:            Jane.Smith@CNIDR.org

  Platform:                     varied

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Kevin Gamiel
  Email address:                Kevin.Gamiel@CNIDR.org
  Telephone:                    +1-919-248-1499

  Client software available from:
        URL:ftp://pub/NIDR.tools/freewais @ftp.cnidr.org
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 89
  Location of more information:
       phone or e-mail CNIDR

  Latest version number:         N/A

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:
   Many clients of varying capability available for most popular
   computing platforms

  General comments:
   Clients developed and updated regularly; check mailing lists or ftp
   sites for latest information

  Future plans:
   New clients when freeWAIS 1.0 (Z39.50-1992 version) is released

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Clients:

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     NeXT

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Paul Burchard
  Email address:                burchard@math.utah.edu
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
         /pub/freeware/next@wais.com via anonymous FTP

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:        WAIStation-NeXT-1.9.6

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:             NeXT client and server

  Future plans:

                          ------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 90
      Email address:            brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     EIWAIS 1.55

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Kevin Gourley
  Email address:                pc-shareware@einet.net
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
         /pub/freeware/windows@wais.com via anonymous FTP
         /einet/pc@ftp.einet.net via anonymous FTP

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:        Version 1.55

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:
         WAIS client for Windows and Windows Sockets

  General comments:  Windows WAIS Client for Windows Sockets
                     - supporting multiple source queries
                     - advanced program/viewer launching
                     - embedded (any file size) text viewer
                     - auto-keyword highlighting
                     - graphics viewers included
                     - auto-browse mode for redirected source queries
                     - auto-parsing of WAIS catalogs returned by servers
                     - runs on wide range of winsock TCP/IP stacks

  Future plans:

                       --------------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     telnet access (vt100)

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         John Curran
  Email address:                jcurran@nnsc.nsf.net
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
       /pub/freeware/unix-src/wais-8-b5.1-swais-patches @wais.com
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 91
  Location of more information:
       telnet to quake.think.com log in as wais.

  Latest version number:

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:

  Future plans:

                          ------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     MacWAIS 1.28

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         John Hardin
  Email address:                mac-shareware@einet.net
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
       /pub/freeware/mac@wais.com via anonymous FTP

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:        1.28

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:

  Future plans:

                          ------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     Mac Hypercard

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Francois Schiettecatte
  Email address:                francois@wais.com
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 92
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
       /pub/freeware/mac/HyperWais* @wais.com

  Location of more information: contact author

  Latest version number: 1.9

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:
        HyperWais is a hypercard implementation of a WAIS client.
        Its main characteristic is that it allows the user to remodel
        the interface completely to their liking.

  General comments:             Requires approximately 1.7Mb to run
                                (including Hypercard).
                                Requires system 7.0 or greater.
                                Requires Hypercard 2.1
                                Requires Mac TCP

  Future plans:                 None at present

                          ------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     VMS

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Jim Fullton
  Email address:                Jim.Fullton@cnidr.org
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:

  Future plans:

                          ------------------
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 93
  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     DOS

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Jim Fullton
  Email address:                Jim.Fullton@cnidr.org
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:  /pub/freeware/dos/pc.wais @wais.com

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:

  Future plans:

                          ------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     DOS
       (Clarkson packet driver and Erick Englke's WATT/TCP)

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Faeiz Hindi
  Email address:                hindi@eniac.seas.upenn.edu
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
       /pub/tcpip/pcwais.zip@hilbert.wharton.upenn.edu

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 94
  Future plans:

                          ------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     AVS

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Steve Thorpe
  Email address:                thorpe@ncsc.org
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
       avs_modules/data_input/awais/* @avs.ncsc.org

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:

  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:

  Future plans:

                          ------------------

  Date completed or updated:    13th December, 1993
  By: Name:                     Brewster Kahle
      Email address:            Brewster@wais.com

  Platform:                     RS6000

  Primary Contact:
  Name:                         Dennis Shiao
  Email address:                shiao@ans.net
  Telephone:

  Client software available from:
       /pub/freeware/rs6000/wais-8-b3-dist.tar.Z@wais.com

  Location of more information:

  Latest version number:
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 95
  Brief Scope and Characteristics:

  General comments:             client and server

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

  Future plans:

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Demonstration sites:

  List of sites which are willing to act as demonstration sites for this
  application.

      Site name:                  quake.think.com
      Access details:           telnet quake.think.com
                                        login as wais.
      Site name:                cnidr.org
      Access details:           telnet cnidr.org
                                     login as demo
                                     select #2 (Demos of NIDR software)
                                     select #2 (WAIS)

       (this is the worst of all possible interfaces since it is just a
       dumb terminal interface)

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Documentation:

  o   current overview

  - "WAIS Server, WAIS Workstation, and WAIS Forwarder for UNIX
     Technical Description", Release 1.1, December, 1993.

  Available via anonymous ftp:
    /pub/wais-inc-doc/msWord/Tech-description -1.1.sit.hqx @ftp.wais.com

  - "Interfaces for Distributed Systems of Information Servers",
     Brewster Kahle, Harry Morris, Jonathan Goldman (Thinking Machines
     Corporation), Thomas Erickson (Apple Computer), John Curran (NSF
     Network Service Center), March, 1992.  (formally named "Interfaces
     for Wide Area Information Servers")
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 96
  Available via anonymous ftp:
       /pub/wais-inc-doc/txt/Interfaces.txt@ftp.wais.com
       or WAIS server wais-discussion-archives.src

  o   instructions to information providers

  See the documentation in the release:
       /pub/freeware/unix-src/wais-8-b5.1.tar.z@wais.com
       or the wais-docs.src WAIS server.

  o   user manuals

  The Mac interface WAIStation has a user manual.  The unix
  commands have man pages.

  o   training materials
       - tutorials
       - canned demos

  - Macintosh demostration screen-movie: Steve Cisler of Apple put
    together a short screen-recorder movie for seeing some of what
    WAIStation does.
    Available via anonymous FTP:
    /pub/wais-doc/WAIStation-Canned-Demo.sit.hqx@wais.com
               - sample session (screen dumps)
  - "WAIStation, A User Interface for WAIS", February 1991, Thinking
    Machines technical report TMC-203.
    User interface documentation with screen shots.

  - videos

  Available in special circumstances. Contact info@wais.com.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Bibliography:

  - "WAIS Bibliography", WAIS Inc, (last update) September 1993.

  Available via anonymous ftp:
  /pub/wais-inc-doc/txt/WAIS-bibliography.txt @wais.com or WAIS server
  wais-discussion-archive.src
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 97
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Other Information:

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

 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 98
 WHOIS

 Date template updated or checked:       17 March, 1994
 By: Name:       Joan Gargano
     Email address:  jcgargano@ucdavis.edu

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 NIR Tool Name: Whois

 Brief Description of Tool:

   As currently defined, NICNAME/WHOIS services is a TCP transaction
   based query/response server, running on a few specific central
   machines, that provides netwide directory service to internet users.
   Since the WHOIS service was defined in 1985, it has evolved into a
   distributed service.

   The InterNIC Registration Services is located at Network Solutions,
   Inc., Herndon, VA, and is funded by a cooperative agreement from the
   National Science Foundations to provide assistance in registering
   networks, domains, asn's, and other entities to the Internet
   community via telephone, electronic mail, and U.S. postal mail.

   Databases and information servers of interest to network users are
   provided, including the WHOIS registry of domains, networks, asn's
   and their associated poc's.  Gopher and Wais interfaces are also
   available for retrieving information and accessing whois.  Online
   documents maintained at registration services include registration
   related rfc's, registration templates, and various netinfo files.
   Many of the online files are available through our automatic mail
   service, MAILSERV@RS.INTERNIC.NET.  Whois queries can also be
   directed to rs.internic.net.  From a host, use the TELNET program to
   connect to host RS.INTERNIC.NET.  When greeted by the Registration
   host, type "WHOIS" and press RETURN.

   MAILSERV@RS.INTERNIC.NET is an automated service provided by InterNIC
   Registration Services.  It allows access to documents and information
   via ordinary electronic mail.  This is especially useful for users
   who do not have access to the NIC via a direct Internet link, such as
   users of BITNET, CSNET and UUCP sites.

   To use the mail service, send a mail message to
   MAILSERV@RS.INTERNIC.NET.  In the SUBJECT field, request the type of
   service you wish followed by any needed arguments.  The message body
   is normally ignored.  Large files will be broken into smaller
   separate messages.  The information you request will be sent back to
   you as soon as possible.
ToP   noToC   RFC1689 - Page 99
   WHOIS xxx       Returns information about xxx from the WHOIS service.
                   Use "WHOIS HELP" for information on how to use WHOIS.

   The MILNET Network Information Center, maintains the central NICNAME
   database and server, providing online look-up of individuals, network
   organizations, MILNET nodes, and other information of interest to
   those involved in management of the Internet.  Whois queries can be
   sent to nic.ddn.mil.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Primary Contact(s):    Network Solutions, Inc.

  Name:                 Hostmaster

  Email address:        hostmaster@rs.internic.net

  Postal Address:       Network Solutions
                        AttN: InterNIC Registration Services
                        505 Huntmar Park Drive
                        Herndon, VA 22070

  Telephone:            +1-703-742-4777

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

  Name:                 Hostmaster
                        Help information available via gopher,
                        gopher.internic.net

  Email address:        hostmaster@rs.internic.net

  Telephone:            +1-703-742-4777

  Level of support offered:
        o funded
        o all users

  Hours available:      24 hours/day, 7 days per week.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Related Working Groups:

  Whois and Network Information Lookup Service (WNILS)


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