__________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ ---------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE EDITOR by Hope Glass, Information & Education Services _________________________________________________________________ >From the Editor Network Solutions, Inc. made its first public appearance in 1997 at Spring Internet World last month in sunny southern California. Internet World, the premier tradeshow for Internet professionals, was held in Los Angeles, California, on March 12-14, 1997. During the show, Network Solutions announced its new Premier Partners program. This program facilitates domain name registrations for those Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who regularly register and maintain large numbers of domain names. For more information about the Premier Program see this month's cover article "Partners in Progress: Network Solutions' Premier Domain Registration Service Program." How would you like to create your own mailing list about hiking? Or maybe golf? This month, outside contributor, Sylvia Caras explains to you the essentials of creating an Internet discussion network in "Starting and Owning a Mailing List." The Domain Name System is a collection of databases that contain information about domain names and their corresponding IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. You won't want to miss our third article of the domain name registration process series, From "Names to Numbers: A Brief Overview of the Domain Name System." Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) gives users the ability to interact with 3-D worlds from their Web browsers. What can VRML do for your organization? Read "Moving Virtual Worlds: The Future of the Internet" to find out. InterNIC News is happy to bring you a special news update from Network Solutions' InterNIC Registration Services. Read about Network Solutions' new invoicing procedures and new customer service enhancements in this month's InterNIC Registration Services Update. Warm regards, InterNIC News _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: (copy) Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ INTERNIC NEWS _________________________________________________________________ April 1997 - Volume 2, Issue 4 FEATURE ARTICLES: Partners in Progress: NSI's Premier Domain Registration Service InterNIC Registration Services Update From Names to Numbers: a brief overview of the Domain Name System Starting and Owning a Mailing List Moving Virtual Worlds: The future of the Internet REGULAR ARTICLES: [Calendar of Events] What's in a Name? A Graphical Look at Registration Information End User's Corner - Finding a Person in a Haystack - A Selective Guide to Finding an Email Address Performance Measures: Stats for the most recent month EDITORIAL SECTIONS: User Feedback - Tell us what you'd like to see in the InterNIC News Letters to the Editor Meet the News Staff InterNIC News Awards and Recognition Using this material Other ways to receive the InterNIC News _________________________________________________________________ . __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ ----------------------FEATURE ARTICLE--------------------- PARTNERS IN PROGRESS: NETWORK SOLUTIONS' PREMIER DOMAIN REGISTRATION SERVICE PROGRAM by Rich Landers, Information & Education Services _________________________________________________________________ Network Solutions, Inc., the company that provides InterNIC Registration Services for the .com, .org, .net, .gov, and .edu top level domains on the Internet, recently launched its Premier Domain Registration Service Program in an effort to facilitate domain name registrations for select Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The Premier program will greatly speed the registration process for participating ISPs and will also offer some technological benefits that will make registering domains easier, faster, and more efficient than ever before. Network Solutions specifically designed the Premier program so that ISPs could update existing domain names' records and register large numbers of new domain names with ease. Participating ISPs, or Premier "partners," will have the ability to effortlessly register or modify as many as a thousand domain names at one time. Network Solution's Premier program is the only domain registration service guaranteeing all new registrations and modification updates within one business day, global updates within two business days, and around-the-clock account services. Partner ISPs will also be provided with a RWhois (Referral Whois) server for use in domain name registration and IP address mapping and management services. RWhois accurately and quickly gives ISPs a virtually real-time domain name registration process. ISPs also will have a direct connection to the InterNIC that will provide for the ISPs' exclusive registration in .com, .org, and .net domains. As of this writing, CompuServe, Earthlink, iServer, MCI, MindSpring, and a number of others have already enrolled in Network Solutions' Premier program. Network Solutions' Premier partners will receive guaranteed response times, customized billing options, and personalized customer service. Tom Heatherington, President of NETCOM Interactive and now a Premier partner, said that the demand for new domains and web hosting space was growing at such a dramatic rate that "teaming up with Network Solutions just made good, practical business sense for both of us, in terms of customer service and flexibility. We are most honored to have the opportunity to work directly with Network Solutions and its highly professional staff that have met the challenge resulting from the phenomenal growth of the Internet." Heatherington's praise for the Premier program highlighted the practical benefits for NETCOM Interactive and its customers: "This allows small or new businesses to be able to add their Web addresses and e-mail addresses to their business cards and stationery without waiting several days to know whether their desired Internet addresses have been confirmed." Another recent Premier program enlistee, Hiway Technologies, Inc., also underscored the benefits that its customers will derive from the Premier program. "We've always been concerned with providing our customers with three things for their Web sites; convenience, peformance, and reliability," commented Scott Adams, President of Hiway Technologies, Inc. "The Premier Domain Registration Service complements our current offerings and strengthens our advantage over the competition." The ultimate benefit will be to the Internet end-user, who will enjoy faster and more efficient domain name registration and maintenance. The introduction of Network Solutions' new Premier program comes shortly after the arrival of its new CEO, Gabe Battista. "We are delighted with the leading ISPs that have become part of the Premier Domain Registration Service Program and look forward to working with them and other ISPs and carriers to provide additional customer services to enhance the domain registration process," said Battista at a recent news conference. "For end-users this will now mean they have the potential for 'one-stop shopping' in registration and Internet access that will be quicker through our Premier ISPs than through any other channel." ISPs interested in participating in Network Solution's Premier Domain Registration Service program should contact Butch Corson, Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships (butchc@netsol.com) for details and information regarding eligibility. _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: © Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ ----------------------FEATURE ARTICLE--------------------- INTERNIC REGISTRATION SERVICES UPDATE _________________________________________________________________ * NEW INVOICING PROCEDURE, EFFECTIVE APRIL 14th, STREAMLINES PROCESSES On April 14th, 1997, Network Solutions, the administrator of InterNIC Registration Services, will be changing its invoicing procedures for domain names. For new domain name registrations, an initial invoice will be sent within 7 days of the name activation - to the Billing Contact only - via both postal mail and electronic mail. For renewal registrations, an initial invoice will be sent approximately 30 days prior to the anniversary date - to the Billing Contact only - via both postal mail and electronic mail. In both cases, payment is due within 30 days. After 30 days unpaid names will be subject to deactivation and deletion. PLEASE NOTE TWO MAJOR CHANGES FROM PRIOR PROCEDURES: 1. Administrative and Technical Contacts will no longer receive any billing related correspondence. 2. All customers will receive both postal and electronic mail invoices, regardless of the option selected on the registration template. * SPEEDIER INVOICE DELIVERY AND PROCESSING In addition to the above changes in invoicing procedures, Network Solutions is also working with industry specialists to speed the invoice delivery process. Mail is bar-coded to speed delivery, and addresses are validated against a postal database to screen out bad addresses. We are also providing a tear-off payment stub that can be electronically scanned, and have taken actions to expedite mail services to customers outside the United States. * AUTOMATED VOICE RESPONSE SYSTEM FOR CREDIT CARD PAYMENT Now customers can call the InterNIC - anytime day or night - to make credit card payments or to obtain payment status on their accounts. A new interactive voice response system is available to accept telephone credit card payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all customers. The voice response system can be accessed via a toll-free number (1-888-771-3000) within the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (for other areas call 402-496-9798). Customers should have their invoice and credit card information at hand when they call. * CHECK SCANNING SPEEDS PAYMENT PROCESSING The majority of check payments are now handled electronically using the bar-coded payment stubs. The bar-codes enable the check payments to be scanned, thereby reducing both the time required to record a payment and the possibility of human error. * FIRST VIRTUAL PAYMENT OPTION NOW AVAILABLE The option to pay on-line via First Virtual's credit card payment system has also been added. For more information go to the InterNIC web site at http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/fv/payment. * INCREASED TELEPHONE SUPPORT The addition of telephone lines and customer service staff should help ease you through to the Call Center. The number of telephone trunks for InterNIC Call Center support has been quadrupled, Call Center staff has increased by six times, and Call Center workstations, facilities and equipment have been expanded to accommodate the increased customer support levels. * FURTHER ENHANCEMENTS PLANNED FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE Work has also begun on the following near-term initiatives to provide you with continually better customer service: * new, additional options for online credit card payments; * an advanced, state-of-the-art telephone switch for expanded Call Center support; * development of the latest technology for interactive, web-based, customer support Questions about the InterNIC's new invoicing procedures should be sent to hostmaster@internic.net. _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: (copy) Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ ----------------------FEATURE ARTICLE--------------------- FROM NAMES TO NUMBERS: A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM by Robin Murphy, Information & Education Services _________________________________________________________________ DNS Tree Graphic You're filling out the registration template. You reach the section that asks for information on your primary and secondary servers. You have no idea what to enter. What is a primary server? Why do you need one to register a domain name? Domain names represent places to go on the Internet. In the same way that a street address represents a business in the physical world, a domain name can be used to represent a business on the Internet. In the physical world, we rely on both street addresses and the postal system to send information back and forth between individuals and organizations. On the Internet, we rely on domain names and the Domain Name System (DNS). The Domain Name System plays a critical role in the process that computers and people use to communicate on the Internet. Consequently, a smoothly functioning DNS is extremely important to those registering domain names. It is not necessary to understand the technical intricacies of the DNS, but we hope this overview offers both an understanding of this very important element of Internet communication and an explanation of why the DNS is important to domain name registrants. WHAT IS THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM Internet-connected computers use a numeric addressing system to locate other computers on the network. This numeric addressing system requires that each computer connected to the Internet have its own, unique numeric address - an Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are 32 bit addresses that are represented by a string of numbers separated by periods, for example 198.41.0.108. Machines, of course, have no problem remembering and using these numerical addresses. People, on the other hand, generally find it easier to remember addresses if they are familiar, relational, or hierarchical. If you want to remember the Internet address of a company that sells raincoats, it will be easier to remember "raincoats.com" than it will be to remember a string of numbers. The network, however, must use the numeric address. Therefore, when an Internet user types in the domain name raincoats.com an intermediary system is needed to "translate" the domain name to the corresponding IP address. The Domain Name System is the system that enables this translation to occur. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM The Domain Name Sytem has several key characteristics: it is hierarchical, distributed, interdependent, and requires unique addresses. Let's take a look at each of these characteristics. Hierarchical The Domain Name System uses a hierarchical structure. At the very top of the hierarchy is the "root" which is also technically called the "." (dot). Beneath the root level of the hierarchy are the top level domains, for example .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .gov. Other examples of top level domains include those for countries, which use the International Standards Organization's ISO 3166 standard - for example .us for the United States of America, .fr for France, and .de for Germany. Beneath each of these top level domains are subdomains that are commonly referred to as "second-level domains." To return to our example, raincoats.com, "raincoats" represents a second-level domain within the top level domain of .com. Beneath the second-level domains are subdomains, the next level of the hierarchy - for example an organization using the domain name raincoats.com might create a subdomain called southern.raincoats.com to represent the southern division of the organization. The domain name system has been compared to an inverted tree, with the root ("dot") at the top, branches (the top level domains) stemming from the root , and the second-level domains beneath each branch representing "nodes" on the branches. A domain name represents a specific and unique portion of the "domain name space" which is the total number of computers and resources that can be described and located via the Domain Name System. A domain name appears as a string of alphanumeric characters separated into segments by periods. Each segment of the name represents a different level of the hierarchy. When reading a domain name, the rightmost segment of the domain name will represent the highest level of the hierarchy; as you move left each segment will represent increasingly lower levels of the hierarchy. Distributed The Domain Name System is actually a distributed database containing information about domains and the hosts, or computers, within those domains. What do we mean by distributed? The database is actually split- up among multiple computers which are scattered across the Internet. Each of these computers is running a program called a "name server." Each of the name server computers controls, or has authority over, the particular portion of the database that it contains. The portion of the database that a name server has authority over is called a "zone." However, the entire Internet can access the the information held by each of the name servers. This ability to exchange information is essential to the functioning of the Domain Name System. This distributed framework takes the burden of maintaining such a massive collection of information - all of the data on all of the domains in the world - off of a central authority. The control over a specific portion of the database will rest with those closest to the information contained in that portion of the database. Imagine for a moment that you have to tackle a large project. One way to handle the situation would be to split the project into a group of smaller tasks, and then distribute the tasks to various people. Then you can delegate the control, or authority, over each task to the person you assigned to the task. Each person working on the project will hold information essential to the project's completion. By exchanging their information, the people involved will be able to work together to complete the project. In this analogy, the project would be the database, the tasks represent the portions of the database, the people that you delegate the tasks to would be the computers running the name server programs, and the tasks over which one person has authority would represent a zone. Everyone working together and exchanging information to complete the project would represent the DNS at work. Interdependent The information used by the DNS - and the control over this information - is distributed among name servers. Therefore, it is extremely important that these name servers run smoothly and maintain current information in their areas of authority. The actual data that represents a name server's area of authority are also known as "zone files." If one of the name servers experiences a problem, it is very likely that the rest of the network will also encounter problems with the portion of the database, or zone, controlled by that name server. At first glance, it seems as though a simple problem with one name server could pose significant problems of global porportions for communicating on the Internet. If the name server that contains the authoritative information - that is, the information needed to translate raincoats.com to its corresponding IP addresses - failed to operate or contained incorrect information, it would be impossible to reach any people or information in raincoats.com. For all intents and purposes, everything within the domain raincoats.com would be unreachable. The DNS uses several techniques to protect against such possibilities, but the interdependent nature of the system still demands the smooth operation and careful management of the machines, software, and data that comprise the DNS. (This is one of the reasons why a secondary name server is highly recommended!) Uniqueness of addresses As with most addressing systems, it is necessary for each domain name to be unique. Just as postal addresses describe specific and unique locations in the physical world, domain names describe specific and unique locations within the "domain name space." Think for a moment about the postal address "123 Main Street, Canton, New York" (we'll ignore the zip code for the purposes of the example). This is also a hierarchical address. It is easy to see how duplication at any level of the address - e.g. more than one New York; more than one Canton in New York; more than one Main Street in Canton, New York; more than one 123 Main Street, etc. - would pose problems. A unique address leaves no doubt where a letter is supposed to be delivered. If, however, duplication exists at any level of the address ( two New Yorks, two Cantons, etc.) confusion will result. How is the postal system to decide which "Canton, New York" is the right one? The Domain Name System is no different. At each level in the DNS hierarchy, a domain name must be unique. For example, at the top of the hierarchy, there can be only one root; among top level domains, there can be only one .com; within .com there can only be one raincoats.com. Of course, in the physical world, it is possible to come across two towns in New York named Canton. The postal system is able to rely on humans to sort out the confusion and come up with the correct destination. The DNS, however, relies on automation and cannot use human intervention to resolve confusion. Consequently, it is even more critical that domain names remain unique. HOW DOES IT WORK Have you ever wondered what really happens when you type in a URL or an email address? How does the Domain Name System figure out where the machine www.example.com is located? Click on the miniature graphic at right to get a graphical look at the example outlined below. When you type in a URL or an email address, a series of queries takes place between your computer and name server computers. Say that you wanted to locate the computer at www.example.com. The first query would be sent to your local name server. Your local name server most likely has information about your domain, as well as information about any other domains within its area of authority. Chances are, however, that the domain name you entered is not within your local name server's zone of authority. So the response is: "I don't know, so I'll ask the root server." Your local name server will then send a query to the root server. The root server will not have the specific information needed to translate www.example.com to the proper IP address, but the root server knows where to find the name server that contains authoritative information for the .com zone. The root server will provide your local name server with the information it needs to contact the name server for the .com top level domain. The next step is to send a query to the name server for the .com top level domain. The .com name server will not have specific information about the IP address of the machine www.example.com, but the .com name server will know where to find the local name server for example.com and will send this information to your local name server. In the last step, your local name server sends a query to the local name server for example.com. The local name server for example.com will be able to tell your computer the IP address for www.example.com, your local name server will send the address of www.example.com to your machine, and your computer will make the connection. This entire process normally takes only a few seconds. This example should clearly illustrate the hierarchical, distributed, and interdependent nature of the Domain Name System. Technically, the queries are exchanged not between users and computers but between software programs. We have already mentioned name server programs, which enable a machine to store a part of the DNS data, accept queries about domains and hosts, and send responses. "Resolver" software acts as a "client" of the name server program, asking questions and waiting for the name server to return the authoritative answer. It is the name servers which do most of the work, however, sending the queries, accepting referrals, asking more questions, and interpreting the information returned by other name servers. WHY IS THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM IMPORTANT TO ME The Domain Name System is the way that Internet users locate people, computers, and information on the Internet. Every time you type in the domain name of a computer - for example, www.raincoats.com - you are relying on the Domain Name System to make sense of the information and translate it to the numeric format that is actually used by the network. So even if you haven't registered a domain name, the DNS is crucial to your ability to find networked resources. For people registering domain names, however, the DNS is critically important. For a domain name to work, it must be visible to the rest of the Domain Name System. Somewhere in the DNS a name server must have authoritative information that can be used to resolve the domain name to its corresponding IP addresses. The previous example clearly points this out - if there were no information for example.com in any name server, then example.com would not be visible to the global DNS. Your request for information about www.example.com would still go to your local name server, and would in turn be referred to the root name server and the .com name server. When your query reached the .com name server, however, it would hit a dead end because there would be no name server within the .com zone showing information for example.com. It would be impossible to translate example.com to any corresponding IP addresses. When the domain name registration template asks you for information about the primary and secondary name servers you will be using for the domain name, it is asking you to tell the InterNIC which name servers will have the authoritative information for your domain name. In other words, you need to tell the InterNIC which name servers will act as your "local" name servers and hold the information needed to translate your domain name to its corresponding IP addresses. Why does the InterNIC ask for two name servers? It is in your best interests to arrange for two separate machines to provide you with "name service" for your domain name. Should one of the machines experience operational problems or fail to receive updated information, you will still be visible to the global DNS if the other machine is operational and the information that it contains is current. The benefit in arranging for name service on two machines is that you then have an extra safeguard against the possibility of your domain name (and all of the machines and information within your domain) becoming unreachable. Obviously, arranging for local name servers for your domain name is essential to your ability to use your domain name. But isn't it enough to make arrangements for local name service? Why is it so important for the InterNIC to know if you have name service? THE INTERNIC'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM In our previous example, there were a number of queries needed to locate the local name server for example.com. The first query was directed to the local name server used by the machine making the request. When no information for example.com was available, the query was referred to the root name server. The root name server knew to direct the query to the .com name server, and the .com name server had the information needed to locate the local name server for example.com. But where do the root and top level domain servers get their information? The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is the organization responsible for all Internet identifiers - including domain names and IP addresses. The IANA is the organization that controls the entire domain name space and the root name server at the very top of the domain name system hierarchy, and the top level domains. The IANA has the authority to delegate portions of this responsibility to Internet registries, and has delegated the responsibility for the .com, .org, .net, .gov, and .edu top level domains to Network Solutions, Inc. Network Solutions, Inc., is the company that operates InterNIC Registration Services for the .com, .org, .net, .gov, and .edu top level domains, under the auspices of a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). As the global registrar for these top level domains, Network Solutions is responsible for operating and maintaining name servers for these top level domains. This responsibility involves updating the zone files for those top level domains with information about new domain names and changes to existing domain names. By providing the InterNIC with information about your primary and secondary name servers, you are providing the global Domain Name System with the information it needs to resolve your domain name to the numeric address used by the network. When you register a domain name with the InterNIC, the information about your primary and secondary name servers is pulled from the template and placed in the zone files for the top level domain in which you registered. For example, if you were to register the domain name raincoats.com, then the information about raincoats.com and its name servers would be placed in the zone files for .com. When a query for raincoats.com is referred to the root name server and then to the .com name server, the .com name server will have the information needed to locate the local name servers for raincoats.com in its zone files. The local name server(s) for raincoats.com will have the information needed to resolve the domain name to its IP addresses. There are actually nine root servers scattered throughout the Internet, each containing the zone files for the root, .com, .org, .net, .gov, and .edu, the top level country code domains, and other top level domains such as .arpa and .int. Network Solutions, which operates two of these servers and provides the hardware and software for two others, updates the data in the .com, .org, .net, .gov, and .edu zones daily, Monday through Friday, with information from the registration templates. The data for the root, however, is only edited or changed on a case-by-case basis and each case requires the explicit direction and approval of the IANA. NOTE:There are an additional four root servers that contain data only for the root level; these have been deployed to test the feasibility of maintaining root data separate from data for top level domains. The indication at this time is that this approach is feasible and will likely be pursued in the future. HOW DO I ARRANGE FOR DOMAIN NAME SERVICE? Most individuals and organizations who register domain names with the InterNIC arrange for domain name service through their Internet Service Provider. Why? Most ISPs operate at least one, and often more than one, name server. Also, most people get their IP addresses from their ISPs. Consequently, your ISP most likely already has the hardware, software, and much of the information needed to provide you with name service. Most ISPs allow their customers to use their name servers, however you do need to let your ISP know that you are requesting name service, and you also need to make sure that your ISP agrees to maintain authoritative information for your domain name it its name servers' files. If you opt to use your Internet Service Provider's name servers, you will need to contact your provider, ask its permission to use its name servers, and obtain the IP address and fully qualified domain name of the specific name server (or servers) you will be using. It is extremely important that you consult with your ISP regarding name service before you list its name servers on a domain name registration template. If your ISP is unaware that you have listed one of its name servers on a registration template, or does not have the information needed to include your domain name in its portion of the DNS database, your ISP will be unable to "turn on" your domain name service and, as our examples have illustrated, your domain name will be invisible to the global DNS. The administrative problems that can result from failing to obtain your ISP's permission to use its name servers, or from listing non-operational name servers, can cause headaches for Internet users around the globe. Of course, it is also possible to provide your own name service, but you will need a machine capable of the task, the appropriate software, some technical skill and patience. FROM NAMES TO NUMBERS... Regardless of whether you choose to stake a claim in cyberspace, the DNS is already working for you every time you send email, visit a website, or ftp a file. The Domain Name System accommodates both the networks' need for numbers and the human need for plain language. While the processes underlying the queries and exchanges may be technical, the concepts on which the system relies are simple: the efficiency of a shared workload and the trustworthiness of authority. By mapping names to numbers, the DNS has opened up the Internet to those of us whose interest in technological wonders is unfortunately unmatched by our "random access memories." We hope this overview helps clarify why the DNS is so important to Internet users and, in particular, to domain name registrants. _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: © Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ ----------------------FEATURE ARTICLE--------------------- STARTING AND OWNING A MAILING LIST by Sylvia Caras, Contributor, Information & Education Services _________________________________________________________________ WHAT IS A MAILING LIST? "A mailing list is a list of e-mail addresses kept on one computer. A message directed to the list goes to that computer and this is automatically copied to everyone on the list." (Cherny, Lynn and Elizabeth Reba Weise, editors, wired_women: gender and new realities in cyberspace, Seal Press, 1996, p 116.) According to LISTSERV R promotional material, "Internet electronic mailing lists can be a valuable vehicle for sharing and archiving information online, coordinating and streamlining administrative tasks, making event/product announcements, and delivering e-mail newsletters." Lists may be used to develop affinity community networks, to advocate for social change, to provide health support, or to discuss breaking news. Using lists, which may also be called e-mail groups, is similar to using broadcast faxes or bulk post office mailings. The software refers to the person responsible as the "owner" and to the recipients of mail sent via the list as "subscribers." There are usually no costs for a participant in joining a list. The costs of operating many lists are absorbed by the universities and Internet service providers (ISPs) who host them. Even when the owner pays for host or administrative services, these costs are rarely passed on to subscribers. Alternatives to lists are Usenet newsgroups, interactive webpages, conferencing software, chat rooms, and Bulletin Boards. Ronald Shlensky, the Moderator of the Forensic Psych list, on LISTSERV@sjuvm.stjohns.edu, wrote me about his list owning experience: "One gets a sense of service to others and is in a position to make even more contacts than merely by being a subscriber. As the moderator, one has a sense of duty and is more likely to log on and to address issues which arise. Sometimes one has to deal with provocateurs or pests but I have found that to be seldom." _________________________________________________________________ WHAT TOOLS WILL I NEED TO START A MAILING LIST? If you are thinking about becoming a mailing list owner, realize that the best tool for you to have is yourself. You do not need to be technologically knowledgeable, though the initial learning curve is more like a step than an incline: total confusion for a while and then sudden illumination. However, technology experts do write the manuals; if you can't understand them, find a better source. Instead of getting stuck in the jargon, use the technology as a gateway. It does help if you are patient -- patient with the hardware, with the software, with your subscribers, and with yourself. You can use any brand of computer and any operating system (Macintosh, DOS, Windows, OS/2, UNIX, ...) to run your mailing list. While 9600 baud is a fast enough modem for text e-mail, though new systems have much faster transfer times. You can use any mail user agent (MUA) or mail reading software, like Eudora, Pine, Pegasus or elm. Eudora Pro and the UNIX Pine or elm programs allow users to sort messages into folders or directories. If you expect many messages to your list, this filter feature allows you to separate the list mail from your personal and other mail. I subscribe to a number of related lists, get an average of 1000 e-mail messages a day, and would find mail management much too cumbersome without this feature. The first thing to do is your homework. See what already is available. Various resources exist for searching through existing list names, existing newsgroup names, and webpage contents. You might decide instead to create a newsgroup; a file exists to point out how. You might decide to merely use the "alias" or "nickname" function of your mail reader. There are software programs you can use to run a list from your desktop computer. If you choose this option for an interactive list, you may want to always leave the machine on so that your list is always available for communication. Software programs also exist that enable your desktop computer to do bulk mailings from your own e-mail addresses database. Host Computers Most lists are run by software on a remote host computer and managed by e-mail commands sent to the software from the owner's personal Internet account. Many ISPs offer their customers the option of running a list. Many universities offer list software tools to students, not-for-profits, and community members. Community networks may also offer list tools. Political jurisdictions may offer list tools. Where you look and what you choose may depend on your theme. If after checking what's available to you and you still don't have a host, there is a list where you can post "host needed" messages. Another option is to purchase list host services and, if you decide not to do it yourself, you can also buy list administration services. When you are checking prices, if you don't know the size of your audience, assume a small number of subscribers and small volume. You can adjust upwards later. Mailing List Management Software You may not have a choice about which list management software program to use. Likely the host you select will offer only one program. Programs include LISTSERV, majordomo, and listproc. Even though lists are often called listservs or listservers (and some software versions use listserv as the command address name instead of listproc or majordomo) LISTSERV is a proprietary name belonging to the L- Soft company. Calling all lists "listservs" is like calling all PC's IBMs. There's plenty of help available. Whichever host offers the software will also likely have some documentation for you and may run a list for all the list owners using that host. In addition, the software programs (LISTSERV, majordomo,listproc) maintain sites with documentation. LISTSERV and majordomo also have lists to discuss features, problems, and other matters related to their products. There are newsgroups whose theme is list management. Set Up Configuration As owner, there are lots of decisions to make that will affect your list. First is choosing a name. Of course, you won't want to duplicate the name of an existing list. Your initial search for what exists will have let you know what names have been used. The software may also impose length and character limitations. I had my own special consideration for my mailing list name; I chose a name that could be easily said and understood in presentations. Generally the host staff, system operator or list administrator, will initialize the list, set up some host aliases, and then let you know when things are ready. Depending on the host and the software, you may be asked in advance about certain configurations, or you may set them yourself after initialization. To make it easier for your subscribers, think about the early obstacles you faced as a subscriber and find ways to make the hurdles lower. Policies The choice of software configurations are really policy choices that will affect the style of your list. You may have the option to limit message length, moderate all messages, edit messages, allow anyone or only subscribers to post, restrict certain people from posting, manually approve new subscribers, electronically confirm subscriber e-mail addresses, provide archives, and provide a daily compilation of all messages (digest) instead of separate messages. (Note: Some ISPs limit message length so digest may not be a workable option. On the other hand, some ISPs limit number of messages per mailbox and with them the digest is preferable.) You may be able to set a filter to refuse postings from certain people or ISPs; this is useful to prevent spamming and off topic material. Internet Culture The Internet generally has a level field, and an open libertarian ambiance where "information wants to be free." U.S. First Amendment principles hold. Information on the Internet is increasingly available in languages other than English, and many lists and newsgroups cater to non-English speakers. Response time on the Internet is measured in seconds; subscribers may query you or the list if they don't see their message sent quickly. Emoticons - smileys :) and abbreviations such as TIA (Thanks in advance) and BTW (By the way) are used. How much you and other subscribers utilize emoticons and how obscure the ones you choose may be either welcoming or off putting to new readers. Generally, the copyright on a mailing list message or posting belongs to the poster; you own your own language. Concerns abound regarding privacy, security, confidentiality, and copyright. How subscribers use signature files varies by list and field; for instance, mental health professionals include M.D. and Ph. D. and even the master's level and licensing acronyms. Some professionals are concerned about owner and even poster liability. This would vary from field to field. One Time Tasks It's useful to write a welcome message that the software will automatically send to all new subscribers. You may want to incorporate a description of some of the configuration decisions you've made. You may also want to have a follow up message to send when subscribers sign off. I've also found it useful to have some standard paragraphs ready that answer the often-asked questions. Mine include notes that subscriptions are free, that lists have different addresses for commands and for messages, explanations of commonly used abbreviations, and how to unsubscribe. The Internet has customs -- netiquette. You may want to develop a specific set of posting customs and rules for your list. Now you are ready to subscribe yourself to your list and test, test, test. The software will not automatically subscribe anyone, not even the owner, without a request. Ask a few friends to subscribe, make sure they are able to post to the list and that they are able to receive the welcome message. One way to control the tone of a list is to start it up in two stages: initially launch a discussion with people you know whom you can trust to stay on the track you want; then expand your audience gradually with announcements. After you've made your decisions and passed the tests, it is time to let others know the list is out there. Prepare an announcement and send a post to NEW-LIST. This will be an abbreviated version of your list welcome. You may also want to send a cross-posted announcement to a few related news groups and lists you found when your were checking to see what lists were available. Your Individual Style As you respond to list administration developments you will find yourself developing a management style. You may or may not be concerned with Internet ecology, signal to noise ratios, and conserving bandwidth. You may manage transparently; you may tell your readers all your tasks and choices. You may contribute actively to your own list, or remain quite silent. You may intervene in "flame wars" on the list, off the list one-to-one, or not at all, letting the flames die from "lack of fuel." Learning when to intervene has been the biggest challenge I've faced as a listowner. It is sweetly humbling to wait just a few more hours, another day, and see other subscribers douse a flame war, offer help when a poster wants it, talk down an upset member. I've learned to trust others more, and have realized that there is a sense of community operating, it's not all up to me. Maintenance Tasks There are continuing technical tasks that need to be done to maintain a list so that it functions smoothly. As your list grows, you may want to consider having a Technical Owner or Co-Owner who will manage this aspect of the list. List management software accepts certain commands only from owners. As owner, you may add or delete subscribers. You may put documents in the list archive area. With some software, you may filter out or review certain posters or messages from certain sites. You will likely have a password to use with these commands. The most time consuming of the maintenance tasks is dealing with the bounces and error messages on the information superhighway. When a subscriber's service isn't working, whether because of a full mail box or provider problems, every message the subscriber posts to the list will bounce to the owner's mail box. It is easiest, but least subscriber-friendly, to delete the subscriber at the first bounce. You will develop your own tolerance for how long you wait before deleting a subscriber compared to how many bounces are filling your mailbox. You may want to create a separate folder, or even a separate email account, for the error messages. When your host server goes down -- and it will at least occasionally -- your personal mail will increase as your subscribers want to know what happened to their mail. Most subscribers don't understand the software/hardware process very well and will send you numerous messages of concern. Some owners of small lists keep their own list of the addresses of all subscribers, and in some situations will manually send everyone a message. It is useful for you to subscribe to and read owners' lists and groups. There are also lists for LISTSERV and majordomo owners and news groups dealing with list administration policy and software. Here you will find news of known Internet hardware and communication bugs, problems with a particular provider, hoaxes, viruses, and spams. You will be frequently training your subscribers. You will find yourself answering questions about subscriber commands; explaining the difference between the web and a list; noting that lists have two separate addresses -- one for messages and one for commands; pointing to the software help command; describing how to subscribe and unsubscribe, making readers aware that commands ignore the message subject line; teaching subscribers how to get the addresses of other subscribers by getting the list of subscribers (if you have decided to make it available); instructing about the subscription options your software offers; briefing on how to get archived material and how to search your archives; and continually encouraging your users to quote only enough to provide context and to use their text editors wisely. Some posters can't get to the point -- they can wring three or four screenfuls out of a thought that others might sum up in a sentence or two. A related condition is "excessive quoting." Including an entire message in a reply rather than excising the portions not relevant to whatever point being made. It may be helpful to incorporate some of this guidance in your netiquette documentation and post it to your list periodically. Later, you might want to create and make available a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file. You may also want to regularly announce that your list exists to some other lists and newsgroups. You may create an associated web site and allow search engines to find you and your list. You may decide to "gateway" your list to a newsgroup. You may want to collect numbers of subscribers, sign-off feedback, and other kinds of assessments and statistics. You may choose to steer your list discussions by feeding the list postings that set a tone. And you will eventually be asked to consider content policies, how narrowly or broadly to define scope, and whether to accept job announcements or product advertisements. Whatever you choose personalizes your list and reflects your management choices. Owner Benefits Judith Hopkins, owner of AUTOCAT on LISTSERV@listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu notes, "There is a definite sense of service to others and to one's profession or discipline. And if you want to make yourself known, there are few better ways (though the latter can backfire if people have trouble with your style of running the list). No-one should take on list-ownership as a means of self- aggrandizement, however; there is work involved in running a list, ongoing work." So much, she adds, that you might add it to your resume. For me, growing the MADNESS list has generated challenges and reinforced skills. I expect your desserts will be as sweet. Electronic Resources Available at: GOPHER SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU Select 7. Groups and Organizations then Select 1. Support Groups then Select 1. MADNESS then Select Owning an E Mail Discussion Group Packet Then Select Resources or select the gopher link from the MADNESS web site at http://www.iComm.ca/madness _________________________________________________________________ About the Author In January 1994, Sylvia began the MADNESS list: User Voices in Public Mental Health. Since then she has tracked geographic and affinity community networking, argued that Internet access should be a reimbursable managed care health benefit, and generally used email to be a presence in health and government activities that concern her. She also gets invited to present in person about Internet support and advocacy for marginalized groups, people with disabilities, people who experience mood swings, fear, voices and visions. Sylvia Caras programmed some in the 60's, bought a PC in the 80's, a modem in 1991, found the Internet in the spring of 1993, and grudgingly converted from "command line" to Windows 95 last spring. In the 50's, when she was learning about sets and nulls and programming, her daughter was studying new math in first grade; their homework looked alike. Today, her four year old granddaughter is mouse-literate and understands the language of icons. _________________________________________________________________ Disclosure: This material was first developed for a 90 minute presentation for the Advocacy Training/ Technical Assistance Center of the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (ATTAC of NAPAS) Winter Meeting, Atlanta, GA, January, 1997. The pointers to examples in the electronic resource materials are geared to mental health disability. Permissions: Quotes from list owners are included with permission and came from private email between those owners and me. Appreciations: Bob Zenhausern and St. Johns University; the subscribers of LSTOWN-L, SJUOWNER, MADNESS; and, for draft readings and comments, David McDivitt, Dorothy, Ed Paynter, Judith Hopkins, and those who don't wish to be named. _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: © Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ ----------------------FEATURE ARTICLE--------------------- MOVING VIRTUAL WORLDS: THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET by Peter Crowe, Digital Artist, Information & Education Services _________________________________________________________________ Moving Virtual Worlds Imagine if visiting different sites on the WWW (World Wide Web) meant walking through virtual landscapes and tactically interacting with different objects. Instead of viewing an animated icon of a chair or a 2-dimensional low resolution photo of a chair, imagine being able to view the chair at all angles before deciding on the purchase. This "virtual reality" capability is here now, though on a limited basis, and is on its way to becoming the hottest Internet technology today. In reality if we are interested in purchasing a chair, we examine it from all angles to get a feel for its dimensions and design, and whether or not it fits in with our particular design scheme. Then and only then do we complete the purchase. Examining an object in this way sounds appealing because it is congruent with the way we currently do business. This immersion with physical reality is what makes the idea of VRML so intriguing. VRML(pronounced "vermal") stands for Virtual Reality Modeling Language. While it sounds like a 3-D subset of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) it has few similarities. Whereas HTML is meant to provide webpage creators a 2-dimensional method of laying out and generating a page, VRML is more of a 3-D content scene description language. Where both are similar is in their cross-platform nature and their ability to interactively jump to other sites through links. HTML highlights and underlines these links in a different color to signify a hotspot while VRML offers 3-D objects as the linkage. To an Internet user, grasping a door knob to enter another space or area seems more sensible than selecting a highlighted piece of text. Because of this, and many other reasons, VRML promises to be the future of the Internet. In this series of articles, we will examine the past, present and future of VRML, the basics and advanced attributes of the language and some of its more intriguing possible applications in the future. To aid in this exploration, a list of advanced VRML worlds will be supplied to allow interested users the opportunity to enter this rapidly growing virtual world. To completely participate in this series, browsers need to have a VRML plugin installed. There are several excellent plugins including Cosmo Player from Silicon Graphics Inc. and Live3D from Netscape (both can be downloaded from http://www.netscape. com/comprod/products/navigator/version_2. 0/plugins/3d_and_animation. html). History and Basics of VRML The basics of VRML were laid out as far back as June, 1994 (http://vag.vrml.org/www- vrml/concepts/visions.html) by Mark Pesce. Approximately at the same time, David Raggett of Hewlett Packard Laboratories was envisioning an environment in which users would eventually be wearing head gear to achieve total immersion in the virtual environment. While this has not yet appeared on a mass scale, the intended result of constructing the basis of VRML was achieved through the efforts of both men. The original VRML 1.0 specification sheet was developed by Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) and was based on the Open Inventor ASCII file format (for more on the Open Inventor format, go to http://www.sgi. com/Technology/Inventor/). The Open Inventor ASCII file format supports the creation and depiction of 3-D worlds with assorted attributes including complex lighting, shadows, and texture-generated materials that in essence "paint" 3-D objects with real world textures. The 3-D objects were designed to be of a 3-D CAD mesh oriented type of primitive geometry to harness the existing technology of CAD products. We will first examine some of the basics of VRML 1.0 as a precursor to an introduction to the 2.0 specification. Keep in mind that the language is in a state of great flux as there have been a number of improvements to the language with the new specification. Some of the characteristics of VRML 1.0 have been improved upon and some have completely changed. A simple example is all that is needed to demonstrate the basics of VRML 1.0. Interested readers may want to copy the following syntax into a word processor and save it as an ASCII file with a ".wrl" extension. Try experimenting by changing values, saving the file and refreshing the scene in your browser. Imagine that a simple toy company wanted to create a 3-D site in which a sphere and cube represented their line of toys. The following syntax describes a simple scene with a green sphere and blue cube (including the camera position and lighting). Each section will be explained. (Note: All comments must be preceded by the # character) * #VRML V1.0 ascii Separator { DirectionalLight { direction 0 0 -1 # This is the light that shines from the viewer } PerspectiveCamera { position -8.6 2.1 5.6 orientation -0.1352 -0.9831 -0.1233 1.1417 focalDistance 10.84 } Separator { # The green sphere Material { diffuseColor 0 1 0 # Green } Translation { translation 3 0 1 } Sphere { radius 2.3 } } Separator { # The blue cube Material { diffuseColor 0 0 1 # Blue } Transform { translation -2.4 .2 1 rotation 0 1 1 .9 } Cube {} } } Click here to view this scene using your installed VRML plugin. The initial line defines the file as being a VRML file, with the language version following. The ASCII text tag specifies that the file will conform to the ASCII code character set. This character limitation has since been changed in VRML 2.0 to UTF-8 encoding (ISO 10646 standard) to allow for characters from international sets. The entire coding structure is referred to as a scene graph with each object area being called a node. Each node is hierarchically arranged in the scene graph with initiating nodes creating properties that affect future nodes until they are ended by the use of the Separator node. In the above example, a Separator node would be: Separator { # The green sphere Material { diffuseColor 0 1 0 # Green } Translation { translation 3 0 1 } Sphere { radius 2.3 } As can be seen, the color of the sphere is determined by the RGB values specified under the diffuseColor 0 1 0 label. The first column holds the value for Red, while the second and third hold those for Green and Blue respectively. A value of "1" in the G or Green column creates a green color. Increasing this value will not make the color any greener as the number represents an absolute green without the mixture of a Red or Blue Value. By changing these other values, one can get a wide variety of colors. For instance, a 4 4 2 setting would cause the sphere to become an off-white, wheat color (PC platform). Controlling the size of the sphere is straightforward. By setting the radius to any value (2.3 in the example), the sphere can be enlarged or reduced in size. The translation tag refers simply to the position of the object in 3-D space. Two other nodes that require little explaining are the camera and lighting nodes. Like most 3-D and CAD authoring packages, VRML uses a Cartesian, right-handed, 3-dimensional coordinate system. As can be seen the camera which will be used by the viewer is set by the following: PerspectiveCamera { position -8.6 2.1 5.6 orientation -0.1352 -0.9831 -0.1233 1.1417 focalDistance 10.84 There are attributes for position, orientation and even the focal distance of the view. Similarly, the lighting node-- DirectionalLight { direction 0 0 -1 # This is the light that shines from the viewer } has attributes that control the direction that the light is facing. These are the bare basics of the VRML language. They allow the virtual world builder to create simplistic, static scenes that have a very limited amount of user interaction. The creators of the language intended the VRML 1.0 specification to be a starting point for much more complex behaviors and characteristics in later incarnations. To this point they have largely succeeded. VRML 2.0 has since been released and it represents a major advance in the world of Web-based VR (Vitual Reality). In part 2 of next month's newsletter, we will examine the basics of VRML 2.0 and its exciting foray into moving, interactive worlds. * The above VRML scene was taken and modified from the VRML 1.0c Specification Sheet at the VRML site http://vag.vrml.org/vrml10c.html. _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: © Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________REGULAR ARTICLE______________________ END USER'S CORNER: FINDING A PERSON IN A HAYSTACK: A SELECTIVE GUIDE TO FINDING AN EMAIL ADDRESS by Jack Solock, Special Librarian _________________________________________________________________ If you are trying to find a person's email address by using Internet resources, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the process of searching has become quite a bit easier in the past couple of years. The bad news is that it is still as imprecise and haphazard an endeavor as ever. This article will not attempt to show you how to use every service available to you. That has been done many times, both on the Internet and in print. One of the best places to learn the nuts and bolts of finding an email address is Ed Krol and Paula Ferguson's The Whole Internet For Windows 95: User's Guide and Catalog (see the End User's Corner for December 1996 [ http://rs.internic.net/nic-support/nicnews/dec96/enduser.html]), which has a 30 page chapter devoted to detailed walk-throughs of several of the available services. This article draws heavily on that chapter. Instead, we will attempt to help you think about which service or services to use, and when to use them. In this way, you can save time in the search, and, with luck, find the desired email address. Why is it so hard to find someone's email address? Because there is no central email directory. To use a telephone book analogy, if you know Joe Abercrombie lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you can go to a library and find a Milwaukee phone book, or call long distance information, and look him up. Of course there may be more than one Joe Abercrombie, and then you would have to know more about Joe (such as his address) to find the right one. But if you were looking for Joe and you didn't know what city he lived in, you would have a much more difficult problem. This is the case with the Internet. Some services address this problem more effectively than others. Another problem is accuracy. Finding someone's email address using one of the directory services is no guarantee that the address is correct. The assigning of an email address is often the responsibility of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), and the address can be changed for any number of reasons. Also, there is the problem of multiple listings. The author of this article has seven unique email accounts, each with its own address. Of these, three are redirected to the account he actually reads. He never reads the other three accounts. If you find one of the latter addresses and send him an email message, while it will not bounce back to you, he will never read it. Another problem is privacy. Some Internet domains simply do not provide a list of their users to anyone. In this case, it would be very difficult to find an email address using some of the email directory services. Because of these problems, the first place to go to find an email address is to the person who owns that address. If you know the person's telephone number, or can get it without spending an unreasonable amount of time or money, call the person and ask for their email address. If he or she has one and knows it, you will get the most accurate email listing available. Of course, this is just common sense, but it needs to be restated and underscored in this era when Internet directory technology tends to be the first option used to find Internet information, even though it may not be the easiest or most direct option. These problems and advice out of the way, this article will advise you of which email directory services will be of most use to you, based on what you know about the person you are trying to find. These selected directory services are: 1. Web-based services. There are many of these, but we will concentrate on two because of the size of their databases. Four11 (http://www.four11.com/) contains over 10,000,000 listings, and The Internet Address Finder (http://www.iaf.net/) contains over 5,600,000 listings. Both acquire their listings from a combination of Usenet postings, personal submissions, and ISP submissions. They both have straightforward interfaces and solid search features. However, it is the size of their directories that makes them powerful tools. Accuracy can be a problem though, because it is difficult for them consistently assure that their listings are up-to-date. In spite of that caveat, it is the web-based services that have most improved the state of email lookup in the last two years. 2. Usenet News Addresses (http://usenet-addresses.mit.edu/) and DejaNews (http://www.dejanews.com/). The first is a searchable list of names culled from Usenet news postings from 1991 until February 1996. Even though the list is not kept up to date, it is still useful because of the size of the database (over 4,000,000 names) and the fact that query responses are linked to local directory services to allow verification of the address. The second is a well known Usenet archive that allows the user to compose a simple or power search limited by author field (~a) that will find that author. The advantage of the DejaNews strategy is that its author postings are much more up to date than Usenet News Addresses. The disadvantages of each of these are: 1) the person you are searching for must have posted to Usenet in order to appear in either of these services; and 2) the person's name must appear in the address of their posting (this is not always the case). 3. CSO (Computing Services Office) Directory Servers ( http://www.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/ph/lookup?Query=.). These are directory services mostly for universities, but other organizations are also in the listings. The main problem with these listings is that it is not possible to perform lookups across multiple organizations. However, they can be powerful tools to use if you know the organization of the person you are looking for, and that the organization has a publicly available CSO server. These listings are usually, but not always, accurate and up-to-date. 4. X.500 and Netfind. These can be found at InterNIC Directory Services ( http://ds.internic.net/wp/). They operate on the principle of a brute force, drill-down search technique that proceeds from some known name and organization information to pile drive through a number of directories (sometimes at the user's discretion, sometimes not), until an address can be found. These directories are neither easy to learn nor use, and should be consulted only as a last resort, if other directory searches fail. However, it should be noted that these directories are based on research projects that, although no longer in active development, were at one time the leading edge of network directory service technology. They can still be useful, if you have the time and the patience. 5. WHOIS ( http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/whois) is a specialized directory service used to find point of contact (POC) information about people who have authority over Internet domains or networks, or information about the domains themselves. It is most often used by people wishing to find out if their prospective domain name has already been taken. 6. Finger ( http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/finger/gateway/) assumes you already know the person's email address. Using it will give you more information about where his or her directory resides on the computer system, and what the person's real name is. This is a tool usually used with Unix-based systems. The key to the entire enterprise of attempting to find an email address is assessing what you know about the person you're attempting to find, and using the correct tools accordingly. The rest of this article will attempt to provide you with a "cheat sheet" order of services to use, based on what you know. In the following scenarios, the order of search tools is based not only on what you know about the person, but also ease of use characteristics of the services. There is no guarantee that you will find an address in any of these services, or that you will find the same address in different services, or that any of the addresses you do find will be correct. A. If you know the person's name only, or name plus a general idea of where the person resides, try: 1. Web-based services. They have the largest databases, and allow general geographic, as well as domain searching. Four11 links to a giant phone lookup directory from its home page. 2. Usenet Addresses or DejaNews. Even if you haven't a clue whether the person you're looking for has posted to Usenet, both of the Usenet services provide enough ease of use to try, without wasting a great deal of time. 3. X.500 or Netfind. While these tools are theoretically better choices than Usenet addresses, their battering ram approach and difficult interface guarantee headaches. You might get lucky with Usenet and not have to use them. Do not try: 1. CSO Servers. If you don't know what university or organization the person is with, CSO servers can't help you, as there is no way to search across them. 2. WHOIS. Unless the person you're searching for is a Network Point of Contact, WHOIS can't help you. 3. Finger. This can only be used if you already know the person's email address. B. If you know the person's name and have a strong suspicion they have posted to Usenet, try: 1. Usenet Addresses or DejaNews. Simply cut to the chase. 2. Web-based services. If you cannot find them on Usenet because they don't use their name as a "handle," or they didn't in fact post, follow the order in A. (above) for the rest of the services. C. If you know the person's name and the university or organization they are affiliated with (especially if it's a U.S, university), try: 1. CSO Servers. Check the list to make sure the University or organization offers a publicly available CSO directory, go to it, and then find the person. It is the quickest, most accurate way to find the information. If the organization or university does not offer a publicly available CSO directory, try to locate its web or gopher site. For U.S. universities the best place to start is Mike Conlon's American Universities page at the University of Florida ( http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universities.html). For international universities, Christina DeMello's massive index of international universities at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ( http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/cdemello/univ.html) is the best starting point. If you use gopher services, the "Other gopher servers" menu item on most gopher servers will eventually lead you to all the other gopher servers. Once you have located the organization or university web or gopher site, check to see if there is a public email directory. If there is, use it. 2. Web-based services. If the person, for some reason, is not in the CSO directory, and you cannot find their organization, you are back to square one. When you don't know very much use web-based services. 3. Netfind or X.500. These services allow you to pinpoint an organization. If the organization is slightly different from what you thought it was, these two services might help. 4. Usenet Addresses or DejaNews. If the person has posted to Usenet, you might find them here. Do not use: WHOIS or Finger. D. If you know the person's name and the organization they work for, and the organization is not in the CSO directory try: 1. Locating that organization (see above, under known organizations-CSO Servers). If you can find the organization, there may be a local directory, or at least organizational contact information. 2. Web-based services. If you have some idea of what the domain name of the organization is (microsoft.com, etc.) use the domain name search field of the services. 3. Netfind or X.500. The drill-down nature of both of these services allows you to pinpoint an organization, but, as mentioned above, the search interface is difficult. 4. Usenet Addresses or DejaNews. If the person posted to Usenet, you might find them here. Do not use: CSO Servers, WHOIS or Finger. Specialty Searches E. If you know the person's name and that they are a network point of contact (POC), try: 1. WHOIS. This is the specific tool to use to do this job. If you can't find them here, revert to the order in A. (above). F. If you know the person's address, and want to know more about the Unix machine they're using, try: 1. Finger. Again, it is the specialized tool for the job. Always remember that in order to find a person in a haystack, you will have to be prepared to use any or all of the tools mentioned above. If you find an address through these services, and you want to try it, it is good netiquette to send a short preparatory message telling the person who you are and why you want to contact them. Then ask them if they are the person you think they are. Wait for a reply before you continue the conversation. Judicious use of the finding tools available, based on what you know and what they can find, can help you navigate the often difficult path to finding an email address. However, it cannot either guarantee success or replace the effectiveness of actually contacting the person through another medium. _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________REGULAR ARTICLE______________________ CALENDAR OF EVENTS by Ashleigh Dockery, InterNIC Information and Education Services _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ APRIL, 1997 CALENDAR OF EVENTS _________________________________________________________________ 5th Annual Information Access Conference Sponsored by: University of South Carolina College of Library and Information Science April 3-4, 1997 Columbia, SC http://www.libsci.sc.edu/iac97.htm INFO '97 April 6-10, 1997 Tel-Aviv, Israel http://teldan.com 38th IETF Meeting April 7-11, 1997 Memphis, TN http://www.ietf.org/meetings/Memphis.html 6th International WWW Conference April 7-11, 1997 Santa Clara, CA http://www6conf.slac.stanford.edu/ ACRL Annual Meeting Sponsored by: Association of College and Research Libraries April 11-14, 1997 Nashville, TN http://ala.org/acrl/prendex.html Conference on Electronic Publishing '97 Sponsored by: ICCC/IFIP April 14-16, 1997 University of Kent at Canterbury http://www.ukc.ac.uk/library/ICCC/index.html 8th National Conference on College Teaching & Learning/Teaching, Learning & Technology: Creative Uses for the WWW April 16-19, 1997 Jacksonville, FL http://wwwl.fccj.cc.fl.us DCI Internet Expo April 22-24, 1997 Chicago, IL http://www.dciexpo.com/brochure/intchi/default.htm Electronic Commerce for Content II Sponsored by: Interactive Multimedia Assn/US Copyright Office April 28-29, 1997 Washington, DC http://www.ima.org Connected Classroom Conference April 30 - May 3, 1997 Valley Forge, PA http://www.classroom.net/connected/VALLEYFORGE97/default.html Ongoing Events Classroom Connect Training Seminars Various Locations http://www.classroom.net/classroom/conf.html _________________________________________________________________ MAY, 1997 CALENDAR OF EVENTS _________________________________________________________________ Connected Classroom Conference April 30 - May 3, 1997 Valley Forge, PA http://www.classroom.net/connected/VALLEYFORGE97/default.html Networld+InterOp Las Vegas May 5-9, 1997 Las Vegas, NV http://www.interop.com ELVIRA 4: The 4th UK Digital Libraries Conference Sponsored by: Electronic Library and Visual Information Research May 6-8, 1997 Milton Keynes, , UK http://ford.mk.dmu.ac.uk/ELVIRA/fullprog.html 8th Joint European Networking Conference Sponsored by: JENC8 May 12-14, 1997 Edinburgh, Scotland http://www.terena.nl/jenc8/ I2 - Internet & Intranet Expo May 13-15, 1997 San Francisco, CA http://www.shownet.com 5th Annual Conference on Datafication: Shaping the Internet for Business, Education and Community May 18-20, 1997 Great Valley Campus of Penn State University http://datafication.cic.net/rd5 1997 ASIS Mid-Year Meeting Sponsored by: American Society of Information Sciences May 30 - June 4, 1997 Scottsdale, AZ http://www.asis.org/midyear-97/index.html Human-Computer Interaction Library Sponsored by: Univ. of MD Institute of Advanced Computer Studies May 30, 1997 College Park, MD http://www.cs.umd.edu/projects/hcil/ Ongoing Events Classroom Connect Training Seminars Various Locations http://www.classroom.net/classroom/conf.html _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: © Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________REGULAR ARTICLE______________________ REGISTRATION SERVICES PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR FEBRUARY, 1997 by Rich Landers, InterNIC Information and Education Services _________________________________________________________________ PURPOSE The following performance measures are provided in accordance with the requirements of Amendment 4 to Cooperative Agreement No. NCR-9218742, Network Information Services Manager(s) for NSFNET and the NREN: INTERNIC Registration Services. PERFORMANCE Communication Received by InterNIC Registration Services Type Number of contacts E-mail to hostmaster@internic.net 257,969 Phone 38,318 Information Server Performance Type Connections Retrievals Gopher 6579 20,871 WAIS 27,616 14,222 FTP 90,760 178,580 Telnet 54,174 HTTP n/a WHOIS Queries Client Server 3,329,252 9,819,572 Second-Level Domain Registration Summary These figures are cumulative from August 1993 through February, 1997 Top-level domain Number COM 954,139 EDU 3,482 ORG 63,807 NET 58,099 GOV 578 Other 200 TOTAL 1,080,305 Registration processing time frames As of January 31, 1997, the backlog for manually processed requests was: + Domains - 1 Day + Hostmaster Questions - 5 days + Contact Templates - 2 days + Host Templates - 1 day + Billing email questions - 7 days + Faxes - 1 day + Notify - 3 days + Transfers - 4 days _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: © Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________REGULAR ARTICLE______________________ WHAT'S IN A NAME? by Tom Newell, Manager, InterNIC Information and Education Services _________________________________________________________________ Each month the InterNIC develops this column to share interesting, and hopefully useful, demographic information related to the domain name system and the registration process. We will include here in table and graphic format, indications of the size of the "name space" available for Internet trainers to use in curriculum development. In this month's column, we provide: + Cumulative Registration Numbers + New Registrations by Month + Domain Name Update Requests by Month + Root Name Server Information If a particular demographic would be of interest, let us know and we will work to include the information in future columns. Suggestions for future material may be sent to meter@internic.net. _________________________________________________________________ CUMULATIVE REGISTRATIONS The figures below describe the total second-level names from the Top Level Domains of .COM, .NET, .ORG, .GOV, and .EDU as well as the two-letter country codes. The numbers reflect the total registrations at that point in time. The number of active domains for the TLD's indicated is actually lower accounting for name deletions (non-payment, requested deletions, etc.). Information cut-off date: 2/28/97 Cumulative Registrations (0497) Mar-96 306,347 Apr-96 351,786 May-96 400,903 Jun-96 456,456 Jul-96 513,018 Aug-96 579,504 Sep-96 654,790 Oct-96 740,867 Nov-96 825,642 Dec-96 897,662 Jan-97 989,420 Feb-97 1,080,305 _________________________________________________________________ NEW DOMAIN REGISTRATIONS BY MONTH The figures below describe the total second-level names from the Top Level Domains of .COM, .NET, .ORG, .GOV, and .EDU as well as the two-letter country codes. The numbers reflect the total registration actions completed for the given month. Information cut-off date: 2/28/97 New Registrations (by Month) Mar-96 42,587 Apr-96 45,439 May-96 49,117 Jun-96 55,553 Jul-96 56,562 Aug-96 66,486 Sep-96 75,286 Oct-96 86,077 Nov-96 84,725 Dec-96 72,020 Jan-97 91,758 Feb-97 90,885 _________________________________________________________________ DOMAIN NAME UPDATE REQUESTS BY MONTH The figures below describe the monthly request rate for modification of information for the second-level names of the Top Level Domains of .COM, .NET, .ORG, .GOV, and .EDU as well as the two-letter country codes. Information cut-off date: 2/28/97 Update Requests (by Month) Mar-96 17,961 Apr-96 18,222 May-96 19,950 Jun-96 33,005 Jul-96 25,095 Aug-96 35,192 Sep-96 43,624 Oct-96 141,893 Nov-96 128,024 Dec-96 152,816 Jan-97 303,376 Feb-97 103,792 _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: (copy) Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________EDITORIAL SEGMENT____________________ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR by Hope Glass, InterNIC Information and Education Services _________________________________________________________________ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor is intended as a question and answer section for InterNIC-related questions of a general nature. Specific questions related to the status of a registration request should be sent to hostmaster@internic.net. _________________________________________________________________ Following are some of the questions we've received recently about the IAHC's proposed seven new top level domains. * "I heard that there will be seven new top level domain web extensions. Can you tell me if this is true?" * "I wanted to know more about a new extension I heard about. I need any and all information you can give me about registration of the .web domain extension. Who qualifies for that extension and how would I go about registering a domain with that extension? Also, when can I begin registering domains with that extension?" * "Wondering if there will be new extensions soon or if at all like ".firm." Also, when can I begin registering them? Thank You." * "Can my company reserve a domain name with the .store extension? Can the InterNIC do that for us? Please let me know." Response from InterNIC News: The International Ad Hoc Committee (IAHC) has recommended the establishment of seven new top level domains: ".FIRM," ".STORE," ".WEB," ".ARTS," ".REC," ".INFO," and ".NOM." InterNIC Registration Services is not responsible for establishing the new top level domains and is not the domain name registrar for any of the new top level domains. Information about the IAHC recommendations, including the new top level domains, should be addressed to "webmaster@iahc.org." Regards, Hope Glass Editor of the InterNIC News _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: © Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________EDITORIAL SEGMENT____________________ GET THE INTERNIC NEWS by Hope Glass, InterNIC Information and Education Services _________________________________________________________________ The InterNIC News will be published monthly. You may visit the InterNIC Support Services Web Site (http://rs.internic.net/nic-support) to see the latest issue (http://rs.internic.net/nic-support/nicnews/) and to peruse back issues (http://rs.internic.net/nic-support/nicnews/archive/). The newsletter will also be made available in a plain-text version, for access at the InterNIC's FTP site (ftp://rs.internic.net/NIC-support/newsletter/) and for distribution via an electronic mailing list. To subscribe to the newsletter distribution list, you may either use our Web-based interface at http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/lwgate/NEWSLETTER/, or simply send e-mail to listserv@internic.net with the command SUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER [YOUR NAME] in the body of the mail message. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________EDITORIAL SEGMENT____________________ MEET THE STAFF OF THE INTERNIC NEWS by Hope Glass, InterNIC Information and Education Services _________________________________________________________________ WHO'S WHO ON THE INTERNIC NEWS STAFF Hope Glass is the Editor of the InterNIC News. She is in charge of all editorial activities of the publication. _________________________________________________________________ Dan Rinzel is Delivery Manager for the InterNIC News and Webmaster for the InterNIC Information and Education group, with responsibility for maintenance and development of all aspects of the user interface of the InterNIC external and internal Web Sites. _________________________________________________________________ Ashleigh Dockery, as Event Coordinator for NSI, is responsible for coordinating NSI/InterNIC's involvement in industry tradeshows, as well as designing, implementing, and managing NSI conferences and meetings. _________________________________________________________________ Dabe Murphy is a UNIX Systems Administrator and acts as the technical "jack-of-all-trades" for the InterNIC Information and Education group. _________________________________________________________________ Peter Crowe is a digital artist for the InterNIC Information and Education group and functions as a traditional graphic artist. He is also a PC systems specialist with an emphasis in software\hardware troubleshooting, networking and a healthy interest in 3D modeling and animation. _________________________________________________________________ Rich Landers is the Special Projects Coordinator for the InterNIC Information and Education group. He is also a regular contributor to the InterNIC News. _________________________________________________________________ Anna Carts is the Training Materials Specialist for the InterNIC Information and Education group. She supports the development of the 15 Minute Series training modules. _________________________________________________________________ Jack Solock is a Special Librarian with InterNIC Net Scout Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is regularly featured in the End User's Corner of the InterNIC News. _________________________________________________________________ Agnes Tatarka is the new "Lead Webmaster." She and members of the web team will be providing technical and graphic support to the Information and Education Services group. _________________________________________________________________ Robin Murphy serves as the project manager for the 15 Minute Series. She also conducts community outreach and provides project management and product development for a range of InterNIC services aimed at the research and education community. She is a regular contributor to the InterNIC News. _________________________________________________________________ As Manager of the InterNIC Information and Education Services Group, Tom Newell coordinates all customer information and education programs, including Internet-based information services, WWW resources and tools development, research and education liaison activities, community liaison activities, electronic mailing list administration, and tradeshow, conference, and events planning. Tom also serves as the contract liaison for the Net Scout Services project of the InterNIC, hosted at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Finally, Tom coordinates project integration efforts for the InterNIC and NSI which have a WWW component. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________EDITORIAL SEGMENT____________________ AWARDS AND RECOGNITION by Hope Glass, Information & Education Services _________________________________________________________________ The InterNIC News has been the recipient of the following awards and commendations: * A Four-star rating and "Gold Site" award from NetGuide: " [****] " - see http://www.netguide.com/server-java/NGPage/ SearchBrowseResultsDetail?SiteApp.SiteID=84362 * A Looksmart Editor's Choice Award from the Looksmart Search Engine: * A "Way Cool Site" Award from Your Webscout _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: (c) Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. For full copyright notice and disclaimer, please see Copyright notice and disclaimer. _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________EDITORIAL SEGMENT____________________ USER FEEDBACK by Tom Newell, Manager, InterNIC Information and Education Services _________________________________________________________________ WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE INTERNIC NEWS? Our goal is to produce an interesting, informative publication that addresses the needs of the Internet's diverse population, both information providers and information seekers. Tell us what you'd like to see in future issues of the InterNIC News How can we address your information needs? We also welcome any contributions you are willing to make to the InterNIC News. The InterNIC staff looks forward to working closely with you to inform the Internet community about your R&E projects, technological developments, and user services. You may contact the editor of the InterNIC News via e-mail at editor@internic.net. In addition to story ideas or contributions, we sincerely appreciate your comments and suggestions on how we can make this newsletter a publication that satisfies the needs of the Internet community. Please note that we can only respond to questions and comments that are acompanied by a valid e-mail address. Thank you for your input. Tom Newell Manager, Information and Education Services liaison@internic.net _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ / _/__ / /____ ____/ |/ / _/ ___/ / |/ /__ _ _____ _/ // _ \/ __/ -_) __/ // // /__ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< /___/_//_/\__/\__/_/ /_/|_/___/\___/ /_/|_/\__/|__,__/___/ _____________________EDITORIAL SEGMENT____________________ USING MATERIAL FROM THE INTERNIC NEWS _________________________________________________________________ Permission is granted to quote, copy, or otherwise reproduce the materials in the InterNIC News, provided that the following copyright notice is retained on each and every copy: (c) Copyright 1997 Network Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. The InterNIC News and its contents may not be sold for profit or incorporated without the written permission of the copyright holder, Network Solutions, Inc. InterNIC News and its accompanying logos are trademarks of Network Solutions, Inc. This material is based on work sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement #NCR-9218742. The Government has certain rights in this material. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, Network Solutions, Inc., or AT&T. Questions concerning this notice or the material in InterNIC News should be directed to editor@internic.net. _________________________________________________________________