       ********    **************************************************
             *    *                                                  *
            *     *                 The independent guide to BITNET  *
           *      *                                                  *
          *       *                                    August, 1988  *
         *        *                                                  *
        *         *                              Volume 3, Number 2  *
       ********   *                                                  *
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            *     *              *     *                   *
            **    *         *    **   **       *       *   *
            * *   *  ***  *****  * * * *  ***  ****  ***** ****
            *  *  * *   *   *    *  *  * *   * *   *   *   *   *
            *   * * *****   *    *     * *   * *   *   *   *   *
            *    ** *       *    *     * *   * *   *   *   *   *
            *     *  ****   *    *     *  ***  *   *   *   *   *
       *****                                                    ******


       Christopher Condon    Editor                  CONDON @ YALEVM
       Timothy Stephen       Associate Editor       STEPHEN @ RPICICGE
       Craig White           Associate Editor        CWHITE @ UA1VM
       Wendel Bordelon       Contributing Editor    TACVRWB @ TCSVM
       June Genis            Contributing Editor     GA.JRG @ STANFORD
       David Hibler          Contributing Editor   ENGL0333 @ UNLVM
       Henry Mensch          Contributing Editor      HENRY @ MITVMA
       Deba Patnaik          Contributing Editor       DEBA @ UMDC
       Gerry Santoro         Contributing Editor        GMS @ PSUVM
       Marc Shannon          Helpdesk Editor       HELPDESK @ DRYCAS
       Glen Overby           Technical Assistant   NU070156 @ NDSUVM1
       Gary Moss             Price of Victory          MOSS @ YALEVM


       ********************  Contents - Issue 24 ********************


       EDITORIAL PAGE_________________________________________________

       Bitnotes .................................................... 1
       The Human Factor ............................................ 4

       FEATURES_______________________________________________________

       Announcing NAMESERV@DREW .................................... 8
       The BITNET Board Report .................................... 10

       DEPARTMENTS____________________________________________________

       Headlines .................................................. 13
       Helpdesk ................................................... 15
       New Mailing Lists .......................................... 17
       Feedback ................................................... 20
       Policies ................................................... 22


       *  For information on  subscribing to  NetMonth,  submitting  *
       *  articles, sending  letters, and  printing this  file, see  *
       *  the "Policies" section on the last pages of this issue.    *


       -----------------------------------------
1

                                                                Page 1


        *********
       *         *  Bitnotes
       *         *
       *         *  by Christopher Condon
       *         *
       *         *  Yale University
       *         *
       *         *  BITLIB@YALEVM
        *********


                      "Fuzzyness is next to cleanliness."


       August 13th, 1988....

       I finally ventured forth to a BITNET Technical Meeting.   These
       are  usually held  in odd  places on  the west  coast or  odder
       places in middle  America,  depending on where SHARE  is at the
       time.  Luckily, this one was held in that giant among metropoli
       (metropolises?),  New York  City,  a spot easily  accessable to
       poor Connecticut residents like myself.

       I started  off the day with  a Typical Stupid Move.    My train
       arrived at Grand Central and I had 45 minutes to spare before I
       had to get to Hunter College.    This,  I found,  was *only* 24
       blocks away.  With plenty of time on a hot, muggy, day (and the
       ozone level at  record levels)  I decided  to walk.   Somewhere
       around Bloomingdales I  came to my senses and took  the rest of
       the trip on the subway.   By now, some of you are asking, "What
       senses?"

       Highlights of the day...

       My first surprise of the  Technical Meeting was finally meeting
       Judy  Molka.    Since  she  is leaving  the  BITNIC  to  attend
       University of Pittsburgh, I didn't expect to see her there.   I
       had time to think up several witty lines for the occasion:

       1.  "You're much shorter in person."

       2.  "So you are the infamous Judy Molka."

       3.  "There is a multilegged creature on your shoulder."

       I decided on Option 2,  a  simple and not *too* strange choice.
       When I finally made my identity  clear,  I received the obvious
       reaction:

       "I expected you to have a beard."
1

                                                                Page 2


       I suppose I should be pleased with reactions like that.   After
       all, it is better than, "Eeeeeww! Yuck!", right?

       Scott Earley (rhymes with "curly", as in his new hairstyle) was
       supposed to  open the meeting but  missed his bus.    Les Lloyd
       (who doesn't look anything like a Trustee)  and Judy filled in.
       Les managed to supply us with a few new jokes:

       *Q* How many programmers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

       *A* None, it's a hardware problem.

       *Q* How  many polite  New Yorkers does  it take  to screw  in a
       light bulb?

       *A* Both of them.

       We eventually  broke up  into our  various working  groups.   I
       decided to attend  the  Inforep  session,  which  Scott  Earley
       chaired.    Luckily,  he  recently  posted  a summary  of  that
       meeting:

        I. Create an INFOREP Packet
          A. Suggested contents
            1. LISTSERV related
              a) command summary
                i) what is it?  how to get off?  who has control over?
              b) auto-SUB INFOREPs to certain lists
                i) BITNEWS, NETMONTH, CCNEWS, LIAISON, etc.
              c) 10 most informative files at BITNIC's LISTSERV
            2. Postmaster Canon
              a) current action item of Board NETUSE-C committee
                i) urge POSTMAST userid at new nodes
            3. online HELP files/tools
              a) for CMS shops from BITLIB@YALEVM
              b) for VMS shops from VMSSERV@UBVMSD
            4. Internet
              a) tools, mailers
              b) Domain registration procedure
              c) manners, etiquette
          B. Distribution
            1. over BITNET to new INFOREP
            2. cc: over BITNET to INFOREP at 'via'
              a) in case of non-delivery to new
              b) strengthen bond between neighbors
            3. send by US mail also?
        II. Guidelines for network use
          A. by Servers
            1. file size restrictions
              a) individual
1

                                                                Page 3


              b) cumulative bytes over 24 hours
              c) delegating authority
            2. subscription
              a) duration of
              b) deletion from
                i) 'SIGNOFF * (NETWIDE'
               ii) after some elapsed time
          B. by General users
            1. file size
            2. unprofessional personals
            3. job soliciting
            4. software distribution
          C. enforcement
            1. limitations
            2. procedures
        III. User Directory ("white pages")
          A. invite participation by INFOREPs
            1. define known servers around network
            2. solicit comments on design and use
            3. professional purposes only
        IV. Weird Gateways
          A. make an effort to inform users
            1. heed to responsible limitations

       (End of summary)

       One  of  the more  interesting  points  that  came up  was  the
       development  of  the  new  name  server  at  DREW  (highlighted
       somewhere in  this issue).   This is  an attempt at  building a
       real,  central name  server for the network.    The problem (as
       always)  is getting people registered in its database.   People
       in our session were invited to  try out other name name servers
       and compare features and make suggestions.

       The  best point  to come  out of  the Inforep  session was  the
       recommendation to  create "new user  packets" for  new Inforeps
       and new BITNET users.   There  were plenty of suggestions about
       the content,  but there is some confusion as to who will do the
       job and  when.   Most  of the Inforeps  seemed willing  to make
       contributions, but someone/something is needed to tie the whole
       thing together.

       Other interesting events...

       Apparently I am even more infamous than Judy Molka.  I heard no
       end to questions  and comments about what  I could/should/would
       write about  the events  of the day.    This was  very helpful,
       although I  am aghast that everyone  thought I  was there  in a
       "journalistic" capacity.
1

                                                                Page 4


       During  the long  lunch  hour some  of us  took  a walk  around
       Central Park.   It seems that we went in the wrong direction in
       the search  for an entrance,  hence  the walk *around*  and not
       within.   Later in the day I met Randi Robinson,  who gave me a
       mini-tour of City University of New York.   She is one of those
       people on the network that has been on the network so long that
       I should have met her a long  time ago,  but never did.   Randi
       lives in Connecticut so I had someone to bore...  er,  gab with
       on the train ride home.

       When the reports  from the other working groups come  in I will
       put them in NetMonth.  The exiting Autumn awaits.

                      Virtually,

                             - Chris


        *********
       *         *  The Human Factor
       *         *
       *         *  by Timothy Stephen
       *         *
       *         *  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
       *         *
       *         *  STEPHEN@RPICICGE
        *********


       The Fall semester is here and like  the dawn of any day,  there
       are those who have waited for  it with excitement and there are
       those who are indifferent to its arrival.   For some, the start
       of the 88-89  academic year signals new  opportunities to learn
       and explore, new possibilities for achievement, new challenges,
       new avenues for creative enterprise, new prospects for refining
       or developing social relationships.   For others, however,  the
       coming year  seems simply  routine,  just  another turn  of the
       wheel.

       I  confess a  little  schizophrenia  in this  department.    My
       feelings  about fall  semesters  have run  both  ways over  the
       school years,   this being  the 32nd new  one that  I've faced.
       However,   I  think  I've  discovered   that  my  feelings  are
       influenced by my sense of whether  the coming year will provide
       opportunities to  build upon  the previous  one (to  learn more
       about an exciting subject that I've been studying, to extend my
       research another step,  to refine  a course I've been teaching,
       to renew  or extend  rewarding professional  relationships)  or
       whether it seems that the new year  will only offer more of the
       same old crap-ola.    I think that I feel  most optimistic when
1

                                                                Page 5


       the prospects  for a new  year are  for controlled change  in a
       constructive direction.   For me,  no  growth means boredom and
       anxiety.

       BITNET,  of course,  has almost become synonymous with the idea
       of  growth.   The  dream  of  a comprehensive  inter-university
       electronic communication  network is virtually  fulfilled.   By
       last spring, in fact,  it had become evident that as the number
       of connected schools  is so rapidly increasing,  so  too is the
       need  for basic  technological  enhancements:  wider  bandwidth
       (i.e.,  the ability to pass  more information between computers
       at the  same time),   dynamic routing  (raising the  IQ of  the
       network software  so that it  can automatically  route messages
       around machines that are temporarily broken) and greater speed.
       These are challenges for the future,   the sort that make a new
       year interesting and exciting to participate in and I hope that
       they'll bait  the interest  of enough  technologically oriented
       people that  solutions will  be identified  and adopted  before
       gridlock brings BITNET to a standstill.

       The real challenge  for the coming year,  however,   is to find
       ways to  sensibly manage BITNET's  environment and  channel its
       growth.   What has been created is far from a finished product.
       It remains a system, as the real estate agents would say, "with
       lots of potential"  rather than a system whose  value to higher
       education has been established unassailablly.   The coming year
       and  those  that  follow  soon  after   are  going  to  play  a
       determining role in the  future of inter-university networking.
       If  much is  accomplished during  this period,   the future  of
       networking in higher education will  be assured.   However,  if
       BITNET's  most important  problems remain  unresolved,  it  may
       actually begin  to hinder networking's  future,  serving  as an
       easy negative  example.   The  days of  innocent,  unquestioned
       faith in academic  computing are over -- no  one still believes
       that computers are going to magically transform the business of
       education.  These days one must deliver or decamp.

       With the exceptions already  mentioned,  the important problems
       in BITNET's future are  less technological than organizational.
       For example,  though it is clear that a faster network would be
       better,  increases in speed will be of little consequence in an
       environment where  nodes stay off-line for  hours or days  at a
       stretch due to poor or irresponsible management.  When I called
       one central  site to ask about  the prognosis for  their downed
       BITNET connection I was told, "Sorry,  BITNET is Joe's baby and
       Joe is  on vacation." I recently  called another school  to ask
       why they were disconnected from the next site up-stream.  I was
       told that although it was known that the problem was at the up-
       stream school,  staff had been instructed that they were not to
       use  the phone  to report  problems to  neighboring nodes.    I
1

                                                                Page 6


       called the  up-stream school  (where the  problem had  not been
       noticed)   and  the  situation was  quickly  straightened  out.
       Dynamic  routing  would  help  the rest  of  us  to  avoid  the
       inconvenience created by irresponsible schools, but it is small
       consolation for  users at those  schools to know  that everyone
       else's mail is successfully avoiding their node.

       One of  the greatest problems continues  to be the lack  of any
       mechanism for enforcing needed standards.   In what seems to be
       an effort to connect as many schools to BITNET as possible, the
       BITNET  Board  of  Trustees  has  apparently  chosen  to  admit
       virtually  anyone and  standards  have  been almost  completely
       neglected.   Schools are allowed to  connect that don't provide
       local support or documentation for BITNET,  subjecting the rest
       of BITNET's user community to the otherwise avoidable errors of
       underinformed  users.   Schools  are allowed  to connect  using
       software that returns  mail to the sender  when the recipient's
       mail box space is full or too  small (think about it:  you send
       someone mail  and it  comes back because  too little  space has
       been  allotted for  the receiver's  mailbox.   What  do you  do
       next?)   Schools  are  allowed to  connect  that  assign  users
       needlessly complex userids (1Xl1CJOZ@SOMENODE), contributing to
       a constant  stream of returned  mail.   Schools are  allowed to
       connect using clustered  computer systems that assign  a user a
       node name  that may  change from  one terminal  session to  the
       next.   This creates chaos for servers that keep track of usage
       statistics and  automatically deliver  start-up information  to
       new users.   Schools are allowed  to connect that issue userids
       that are longer  than eight characters.   This  wouldn't matter
       except that other  schools are allowed to  connect which,  even
       after persistent urging from faculty,   still refuse to install
       and maintain public-domain mailer programs.  Other schools that
       have been allowed to connect do have mailer programs,  but ones
       which issue error  messages encrypted in some  kind of computer
       gobbledegook.   And even at this late date, schools are allowed
       to connect that deny students access to the net.

       Many of these problems could  be solved without much difficulty
       if people were  interested in taking them on.    But since they
       have persisted so long,  it seems  doubtful that they are going
       to go away without organized  intervention and that should come
       from the Board  of Trustees.   Will 88-89 be the  year that the
       Trustees begin to play a more  visibly active role in smoothing
       out  BITNET's  wrinkles?   Will   we  see  standards  proposed,
       discussed,  adopted,  and finally enforced?  The alternative is
       that  the   net  will  continue   as  an  anarchy   where  site
       administrators enact policy  as if it affected  their own users
       only and  as though they have  obligations to no one  else.   I
       hope that the  Board is looking with excitement at  88-89 as an
       opportunity to lead BITNET up the next rung of its evolutionary
1

                                                                Page 7


       ladder.   Leadership  is needed  indeed as  the challenges  and
       problems of human organization are  often as complex and subtle
       as any in the area of technological development, sometimes more
       so.

       I hope too  that others in BITNET's user  community are looking
       at the  year ahead  as one rich  in possibilities  for creative
       involvement and activity -- not content to be passive consumers
       of the  net,  but aware of  the important role that  users have
       played in BITNET's evolution.   If  BITNET was merely comprised
       of a set of technical specifications, communications protocols,
       and software  systems,  the role of  the user would  be sharply
       reduced.   In fact,   however,  if BITNET's success  were to be
       computed, it would have to be as a function of its relevance to
       the  everyday  activities  of higher  education.    Every  such
       activity that  has occurred  on BITNET to  date has  come about
       through the  unsponsored and spontaneous efforts  of individual
       users.

       As we move into the first days of the 6th year of BITNET, it is
       increasingly  difficult  to  characterize  BITNET  as  a  "new"
       network.  It is now in place and it is now time for it to begin
       to demonstrate  its potential to  higher education as  a whole.
       To paraphrase Francis Bacon,  potential is a good breakfast but
       a bad supper.
1

                                                                Page 8


        *********
       *         *  Announcing NAMESERV@DREW
       *         *
       *         *  by Les Lloyd
       *         *
       *         *  Drew University
       *         *
       *         *  LLLOYD@DREW
        *********


       If  you  have  ever  searched  aimlessly  for  that  friend  or
       colleague that you knew existed  somewhere on BITNET but didn't
       know  where,  you  will be  very  excited about  at new  BITNET
       feature created at Drew University.   Titled NAMESERV, this VMS
       based program allows people anywhere in the BITNET, NetNorth or
       Earn  communities to  register not  only  names and  electronic
       addresses, but also some keywords about themselves.   Anyone on
       the system  can then  search for  a user  by looking  for first
       and/or last name,  node name or any of the up to 5 keywords the
       person may have entered.   NAMESERV will accommodate any of the
       approximately 500,000 people throughout  the world connected to
       BITNET or its affiliated networks.

       The information  provided below will give  you an idea  of what
       NAMESERV  can do.    Of course,   at  any time,   you can  SEND
       NAMESERV@DREW HELP and  receive up to date  HELP information on
       using the system.   To receive the entire help file,  just send
       the command HELP FILE to NAMESERV@DREW via mail or message.

       * REGISTERING:   Registering on NAMESERV is easy.   Just send a
       command in the following format:

            REGISTER first last Ã•keyword1...keyword5Ã¥

       For example:

            REGISTER John Doe physics modula_2 engineering

       How  you send  this command  to NAMESERV@DREW  depends on  your
       system.   If you are using a VAX/VMS/JNET system, you would use
       the SEND command.  People on VM/CMS systems should use the TELL
       command.   Of course,  you can always send commands to NAMESERV
       as  the only  text  of a  mail  message.    Consult your  local
       documentation for more information.

       The system  does not  care about upper  or lower  case entries,
       they are shown above for clarity.   NAMESERV will keep track of
       the date  you registered and each  year on that date  will send
       you a re-registration reminder.  If you don't re-register, your
1

                                                                Page 9


       name will be  automatically dropped from the list  (you will be
       sent another message  when you are dropped).    This will allow
       the system to maintain an up to  date list.   If you re-do your
       registration at any  time during  the year,   the date  you re-
       register  will  be  the  new  date  upon  which  the  one  year
       expiration period will be based.

       The  system was  created  for  academic and  professional  use.
       Registrations are screened by the name server for keywords that
       might be inappropriate or might encourage inappropriate uses of
       this feature.  We are very excited about providing this service
       to users of  the network,  but are committed  to BITNET's usage
       guidelines and principles  and will make sure our  service does
       not allow for violation of those policies.

       * SHOWING  YOUR REGISTRATION  INFORMATION:   To  see what  your
       entry looks like,  send the  command SHOW and your registration
       information will appear.   If you want  to change it,  just re-
       register as shown above.

       * SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER USER:   There  are a variety of options
       that  allow you  to  search  for different  information.    The
       general format of the command is:

            SEARCH/Ã•qualifierÃ¥ search_pattern

       The qualifiers are as follows:

       NAME: Looks for first and last name, i.e.   JOHN DOE.   This is
       the default if no qualifier is present.

       FIRST: Searches for first name only

       LAST: Searches for last name only

       USER: Looks for  the username.   You may enter the full address
       (USERNAME@NODE) or just the username.

       NODE: Will locate all users at a specific location

       FIELD: Searches the keyword fields for matches

       Examples:

            SEARCH/NAME John Doe SEARCH/NODE Drew
            SEARCH/FIELD physics
            SEARCH/USER JDOE

       * REMOVING  YOURSELF FROM  THE SYSTEM:  If  you want  to remove
       yourself from the NAMESERV database, simply send the server the
       REMOVE command.
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                                                               Page 10


       This program was written by Drew  junior Jac Fried.   Jac spent
       several  weeks  this  summer  designing  and  programming  this
       innovative feature.   If  you have any suggestions  or comments
       for Jac, please send him mail, his address is JFRIED@DREW.


        *********
       *         *  The BITNET Board Report
       *         *
       *         *  by the BITNET Board of Trustees
       *         *
       *         *  from BITNET Board Newsletter
       *         *
       *         *  Send your comments to BOARD-L@BITNIC
        *********


       * BITNET/CSNET MERGER STUDY:  Gillespie, Folkner and Associates
       have been hired to identify the potential costs and benefits of
       a BITNET/CSNET merger.  They have been engaged in this work and
       are expected to  produce their report in August.    A review of
       the report is  scheduled for August 24 and will  be reported on
       separately.

       * MEMBERSHIP IN BITNET  VERSES   OTHER  NETWORKS:    The  Board
       discussed briefly the possibility  that some prospective BITNET
       members may  not join BITNET since  they may be able  to obtain
       many of its benefits via gateways to other networks.  The Board
       feels  very strongly  that membership  in  BITNET conveys  real
       advantages,  and  also notes that  the BITNET  advantages could
       disappear if  many institutions  chose not  to join  (!).  This
       issue is  one of  the primary reasons  for studying  a possible
       merger with  CSNET.   The Board has  resolved to draft  a paper
       outlining  the  advantages  of   BITNET  membership  to  inform
       prospective members and to focus  its thinking on the strategic
       issues which BITNET must preserve.

       * NETNORTH, EARN AND OTHER COOPERATING NETWORKS:  Many sites in
       foreign countries have  connected to BITNET over  the last year
       and more continue  to apply.   The Board has  concluded that it
       does not  make sense for BITNET  to accept membership  by sites
       from foreign countries, except as an interim step.   Instead we
       wish to  encourage a model  of regional  "cooperating networks"
       with membership  rules conformable to  BITNET such as  EARN and
       NetNorth.    Among the  issues motivating  this conclusion  are
       minimizing communications   costs    and   encouraging    self-
       sufficiency in  the regional  networks for  management of  node
       tables and other NIC support.
1

                                                               Page 11


       To  this  end the  Board  has  drafted a  "Cooperating  Network
       Agreement."  A number of Persian  Gulf institutions had applied
       to BITNET for membership; assuming their membership rules prove
       to be conformable to BITNET's,   our expectation is that rather
       than membership in BITNET per se, we will execute a Cooperating
       Network Agreement  with "GULFNET."  The number  of institutions
       already  connected,  or  expressing interest  in connecting  to
       BITNET in  Japan,  and  in various  Central and  South American
       countries  suggests that  both  of these  regions  may also  be
       maturing  toward  eventual  status   as  cooperating  networks,
       assuming those foreign institutions agree.

       * "BITNET II" PROJECT  / BITNET DISCOUNT AGREEMENTS:  Ira Fuchs
       reported  to  the  Board  on the  progress  of  the  BITNET  II
       research.  An overview of the BITNET II project and its current
       status has been  prepared as a separate paper  and is available
       from LISTSERV as BIT_II INFO.

       Related to  the BITNET II  research is  an effort by  BITNET to
       make  the  equipment  required for  a  BITNET  II  installation
       affordable.   Early  this year,  BITNET announced  an agreement
       with cisco  Systems offering a  substantial discount  (30%)  on
       cisco products used to enhance  BITNET connectivity.   In July,
       BITNET announced  a second vendor  discount agreement  with Bus
       Tech  Inc.  for  an IBM  channel/ethernet interface  at a  very
       attractive price ($5,900).   BITNET BIRs should have received a
       mailing on this offer directly from BTI.

       These  two  agreements help  to  make  the  IP router  and  the
       ethernet  interface required  for implementation  of BITNET  II
       affordable.   We are now actively  negotiating for an excellent
       price  on a  high performance  modem to  complete the  required
       equipment.

       * NETWORK USAGE ISSUES:  Over the last  year a number  of usage
       issues have  come up which  suggest BITNET needs  to re-examine
       its usage  rules.   For  example,  current  rules prohibit  the
       shipping of "proprietary software," yet copyrighted software is
       shipped over BITNET regularly; rules prohibit commercial use of
       the  network,   but some  members  would  like to  see  limited
       software  support   available  over  BITNET;    rules  prohibit
       commercial use  of the network  but,  at members  request,  the
       Board has  agreed to a trial  allowing a commercial  service to
       forward mail into  and out of BITNET.   CSNET allows commercial
       membership - any merger would require BITNET to understand well
       the basis for its current rules, that is,  which rules might be
       usefully relaxed and which maintained.   To this end, the Usage
       Committee has been charged with  drafting a discussion paper on
       usage issues.   As soon as a draft has been reported out of the
       Usage Committee, it will be posted to the NIC with notification
       to BITNEWS to solicit membership as well as Board comment.
1

                                                               Page 12


       * BITNET FINANCIAL STATUS:  Due to rapid membership  growth and
       the  open NIC  manager's position,   BITNET has  a surplus  for
       FY87/88.    This  surplus  will  grow  slightly  as  delinquent
       membership   fees   are   collected   (there   are   not   many
       delinquencies, but there should be none!).

       * THE NETWORK INFORMATION CENTER: In April, the BITNET Board of
       Trustees  sent   out  a   User  Survey   to  over   300  BITNET
       Institutional   Representatives.    While   participation   was
       disappointing  (only 49  BIRs  responded),   the survey  proved
       useful in several respects.

       The Board  is working on a  new service agreement and  will use
       the  feedback from  the  user survey  to  ensure  that the  NIC
       service priorities are consistent with the views of the users.

       Specifically,  the responses indicated a need for more detailed
       "new  user" documentation,   better  communication between  the
       Board and members,  and more  technical expertise at the BITNET
       Network Information Center.   Also listed  as priorities were a
       directory of users,   LISTSERV expansion,  domains,  a  move to
       TCP/IP, and consolidation of networks.

       The Board discussed  the open NIC Director  position and agreed
       that, in the face of the continued growth of BITNET membership,
       this position should be full-time.  The Board then approved the
       current  level of  NIC service  for  the coming  year (and  the
       corresponding budget),   but charged the Services  Committee to
       examine  whether additional  services may  not  be required  as
       well.   The  Services Committee  is also  to recommend  how any
       additional services might be provided;  for example,  it may be
       appropriate to sub-contract "one-time"  or short lived services
       rather than budget permanent staff for them at the NIC.
1

                                                               Page 13


        *********
       *         *  Headlines - smaller pieces of news
       *         *
       *         *  by Christopher Condon
       *         *
       *         *  Yale University
       *         *
       *         *  Send them to BITLIB@YALEVM
        *********


       * Good Reading:    The  University  of Texas  System Office  of
       Telecommunication Services'  July 1988  edition of  the "Users'
       Directory of Computer  Networks Accessible to the  Texas Higher
       Education Network Member Institutions" is now available.   This
       directory  contains   general,   host,    domain  and   contact
       information,   maps,   an  electronic   mail  tutorial  and  an
       organization index for networks such as ARPANET/MILNET, BITNET,
       SPAN, CSNET,  ESnet,  HEPnet,  MFENET,  NSFNET,  SPAN,  THEnet,
       USENET/UUCP and Internet Domains.  The purpose of the directory
       is to ease the difficulties of working with various networks by
       providing complete host and domain lists.

       In addition  to the  hard copy  version,  there  is an  on-line
       version  available  to  Internet users  via  anonymous  FTP  to
       EMX.UTEXAS.EDU.   The printed version  of the directory differs
       from the  ftp version  primarily in the  inclusion of  maps and
       fancier formatting  of the tables  and host  information.   The
       printed  version can  be ordered  for  $15 (please  add $2  for
       postage and handling) from:

            The University of Texas System
            Office of Telecommunication Services
            Balcones Research Center
            10100 Burnet Road
            Austin, Texas  78758-4497

       Thanks to Tracy LaQuey for this information.

       * LISTSERV  news:   Two  new  LISTSERVs  are  up  and  running:
       LISTSERV@ALBNYVM1 and LISTSERV@UWAVM.  Thanks to Jim Derost and
       Ben Chi for this update.

       * New name servers:   Two new  name servers are up and running,
       but we  were unable to acquire documentation  in time  for this
       NetMonth.  Dare we say it?  The links were down.   They will be
       covered in  detail in the next  issue.   In the  meantime,  the
       servers are:

           WHOIS @ ALBNYVM1  - State University of New York at Albany
           INFO  @ IRUCCIBM  - Cork University
1

                                                               Page 14


       Both  of these  servers accept  commands via  mail or  message.
       Thanks to Terry Sommer and Ben Chi for the information.

       * EDUCOM  to  Move Offices  and Explore  Mergers:   EDUCOM,   a
       consortium of more than 500  colleges and universities involved
       in computing, will move its headquarters from Princeton,  N.J.,
       to Washington  this fall.    The move  is designed  to make  it
       easier for EDUCOM to work  with federal government agencies and
       other higher-education  organizations,  said Kenneth  M.  King,
       president of the consortium.

       The principal issue that requires the move, Mr.  King said,  is
       "the requirement to  raise on the order of  $100-million a year
       for the  next 10  years" to  establish and  operate a  national
       network for instruction and research.

       EDUCOM's efforts  to improve  integration of  computers in  the
       curriculum   also    requires   working    with   organizations
       representing academic  disciplines as well as  organizations of
       college presidents, he noted.

       EDUCOM is also exploring mergers  with both the Interuniversity
       Consortium for Educational Computing and CAUSE.   The 28-member
       I.C.E.C.   works  with  computer   manufacturers  and  software
       publishers  to  encourage  the   development  of  machines  and
       software appropriate  for higher education,  and  has developed
       software for advanced computing in education.

       CAUSE,  which has about 700 members,   is a consortium based in
       Boulder, Colo.,   that focuses  principally on  administrative-
       computing issues.    EDUCOM  works predominantly  on  academic-
       computing issues.

       "The networks on campuses and  the microcomputer revolution are
       bringing administrative  and academic computing  together," Mr.
       King said.

       "As one organization,"  he added,  "we could  address the whole
       spectrum of university technology issues."

       Ã•from The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 20, 1988Ã¥  Thanks
       to Lee Wolfle.
1

                                                               Page 15


        *********
       *         *  Helpdesk - a Question and Answer Column
       *         *
       *         *  by Marc Shannon
       *         *
       *         *  Carnegie Mellon University
       *         *
       *         *  Send your Questions to HELPDESK@DRYCAS
        *********


       My,  my,   how time flies when  your world is  changing rapidly
       around you.   I've now switched  jobs,  been "awarded" a beeper
       (to make me one of the few local miracle-workers-on-call),  and
       managed to find  myself desperately in need of  a vacation.   I
       think I  may survive  long enough to  finish up  this (belated)
       column...

       First,  to those of you whose mail to HELPDESK was rejected,  I
       have  fixed up  the mail  setup on  DRYCAS.   It  seems that  a
       "feature" of  VMS MAIL  which worked under  VMS V4.x  no longer
       works with V5.0.  These are the trials and errors from which we
       all learn.

       Here are some questions which are on file...

       *Q*  Who maintains the actual physicals network of links?  IBM?

       *A*  As  you may  know,  each  link on  BITNET has  a direction
       toward the hub,   CUNYVM.   Each site which  connects to BITNET
       makes a link to a node which  has a link to another node (which
       has another link to another node...)   which all finally end up
       at CUNYVM.   The site which makes  this new connection will pay
       for  the line  (generally  a leased-line  via  the local  phone
       companies)   and also  the  hardware to  connect  at both  ends
       (usually a pair of high speed modems).

       Each site,  when connecting to  BITNET,  is required to provide
       service  to connect  an additional  node to  that site.    This
       provides  for  continual  expansion of  BITNET  (although  many
       theorize that BITNET is too large already).

       The international link between  CUNYVM (actually CUNYVMV2)  and
       FRMOP22,  in the past,  was paid for by IBM.   Due to budgeting
       restrictions,  IBM discontinued monetary support for this link.
       It is now  being paid for by EARN (the  European counterpart to
       BITNET).
1

                                                               Page 16


       *Q*  When a link goes down, who/what's usually at fault?

       *A*  There  can  be many  reasons why  a link  is not  working.
       First,  let's look at the different "states" of links in an NJE
       network (which BITNET is)...

       CONNECT:  Both sides have negotiated the appropriate networking
       parameters and have  made a successful connection.    (Since no
       communication goes over a link unless  there is data queued for
       that link, it is possible for a link to show up as CONNECT when
       it isn't.  When one side attempts to send data to the other, it
       will then change the link status.)

       ACTIVE:  The  side  of  the link  which is  ACTIVE is  ready to
       connect to the  other side but is  not able to reach  the other
       end of the link.    Often,  one side of a link  will show up as
       ACTIVE and the other as INACTIVE.  (Sometimes both sides of the
       link will show up as ACTIVE and  not be able to connect.   This
       is often due  to a synchronization problem and can  be fixed by
       restarting both sides.)

       INACTIVE:  INACTIVE  links  are  "shutdown".    No  attempt  to
       communicate with the remote computer is made.

       If a  link is INACTIVE  ("FROM WVNVM:  LINK  OHSTVMA INACTIVE")
       then WVNVM, in this example,  is "at fault" and they would need
       to start the OHSTVMA link.

       If a link is ACTIVE ("FROM  PSUVM:  LINK CUNYVM NOT CONNECTED")
       then  it   is  generally  assumed   that  either  there   is  a
       communications problem (the  leased-line or the modems  are out
       of service)  or that the other side of the link (CUNYVM->PSUVM)
       is INACTIVE.

       If the link state is CONNECT but no traffic seems to go through
       properly (it may appear to be a black hole and not respond with
       any error though  you do not get any response  to your commands
       or messages),  there  is most likely some  connectivity problem
       which  the local  system has  not yet  determined or  resolved.
       System programmers and data communications people would need to
       properly identify the problem in such a situation.
1

                                                               Page 17


        *********
       *         *  New Mailing Lists
       *         *
       *         *  by Rich Zellich
       *         *
       *         *  from List of Lists
       *         *
       *         *  ZELLICH@SRI-NIC.ARPA
        *********


       AVIATION

       Aviation  discusses topics  of interest  to pilots,   including
       training systems,  laws affecting availability or usability  of
       airports, planes,  and procedures,  characteristics of aircraft
       and avionic products, comments on commercial aviation,  such as
       safety and  convenience issues,  occasional  advertisements for
       fly-ins or similar private pilot activities,  historical notes,
       whatever else the readership wants.

       All  requests  to  be  added to  or  deleted  from  this  list,
       problems, questions,   etc.,   should  be   sent  to  AVIATION-
       REQUEST@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU.

       Coordinator: Oded Feingold 
                    Gaylord Miyata 


       CMSUG-L

       This list unmoderated discussion for topics that relate to CMS;
       any related question is encouraged.    The list is intended for
       the beginner as well as experienced CMS users.  To subscribe to
       the list  send the collowing  command to  LISTSERV@UTARLVM1 via
       mail or message: SUBSCRIBE CMSUG-L your_full_name.

       Coordinator: Gary Samek 


       FACSER-L

       FACilities and SERvices is a LISTSERV for the exchange of ideas
       related  to college  and  university  facilities and  services,
       including:

            Physical plant operations
            Security and public safety
            Transportation and parking
            Telephone
1

                                                               Page 18


            Mail service
            Environmental health and safety
            Capital planning
            Facilities utilization


       To  subscribe  to  the  list  send  the  collowing  command  to
       LISTSERV@WVNVM  via   mail  or  message:    SUBSCRIBE  FACSER-L
       your_full_name.

       Coordinator: Roman Olynyk 


       FIREARMS-POLITICS

       Mailing  list   for  the   purpose  of   political  discussion,
       announcements,   and  coordination  in  the  area  of  firearms
       legislation and  general talk  about 2nd  Amendment rights  and
       current     trends.       Companion     mailing     list     to
       FIREARMS@TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU,    which  is   restricted   to
       technical discussion.

       All  requests  to  be  added to  or  deleted  from  this  list,
       problems, questions, etc., should be sent to FIREARMS-POLITICS-
       REQUEST@TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU.

       Editor: Karl Kleinpaste 


       FRAC-L

       Mailing list  dedicated to the computergraphical  generation of
       fractal images.   In conjunction with  the list,  an archive of
       programs submitted  by users will  be maintained.    Mr.  Homer
       Smith of  "Art Matrix"  in Ithaca,   New York,   has donated  a
       program library,  which will soon be available from LISTSERV at
       GITVM1.

       To  subscribe  to  the  list  send  the  collowing  command  to
       LISTSERV@GITVM1  via   mail  or   message:   SUBSCRIBE   FRAC-L
       your_full_name.

       Coordinator: Michael Burtz 


       HUMANIST

       HUMANIST is  an international  electronic discussion  group for
       computing Humanists and  for those who support  the application
       of computers to  scholarship in the humanities.    It currently
1

                                                               Page 19


       consists  of  nearly  300  members in  13  countries  in  North
       America,  Europe,   and the  Near East.    Relevant topics  are
       technical  questions  about hardware  and  software,   specific
       problems in humanistic scholarship, and both the administrative
       difficulties  and   philosophical  issues   arising  from   the
       application of computing to the  humanities;  calls for papers,
       bibliographies,   and  reports  of lasting  interest  are  also
       welcome.

       Interested individuals should send a note together with a brief
       biography to the Coordinator in the following format:

       Family-name, Given-names 

       Title, mailing address(es), telephone number(s).

       Body of biography.   This should not be a c.v.  and need not be
       very  detailed  but  should  cover   the  full  range  of  your
       professional activities and interests,   both present and past.
       Mention  other things  at your  discretion.   Biographies  vary
       considerably in length,  though few are  less than 100 words or
       more than 500.

       Coordinator: Willard McCarty 


       INFO-FRAME

       Mailing list for System Frameworks.   This group is designed to
       provide  information  for  software tool  developers  that  are
       responsible  for  integrating heterogenous  software  products.
       This can include in-house and  vendor supplied.   Usually,  the
       integration  of  the   products  is  designed  to   provide  an
       environment that makes using the tools easier.  The basic issue
       is to  build a  `framework' around  the tools  that provides  a
       common and consistent view of the system.  The framework is not
       limited  to  homogeneous  environments,    but  also  can  span
       heterogeneous  systems.    Companies like  EDA  and  government
       sponsored projects like EIS are  trying to tackle this problem.
       This group can be viewed as a forum for users and developers to
       voice their opinions on this subject.  Frameworks are common in
       the area of CAD/CAE,  CASE and office automation;  but they are
       not limited to only these areas.

       All  requests  to  be  added to  or  deleted  from  this  list,
       problems, questions,   etc.,   should be  sent  to  INFO-FRAME-
       REQUEST%LOKI.EDSG@HAC2ARPA.HAC.COM.

       Moderator: Louis McDonald 
1

                                                               Page 20


       MEDNEWS

       The MEDNEWS  list is  for distribution  of the  Health Info-Com
       Network  medical newsletter.    It  is  distributed weekly  and
       contains the latest  MMWR from the Center  for Disease Control,
       weekly AIDS Statistics,  FDA bulletins,   medical news from the
       United  Nations,   and  other   assorted  medical  news  items.
       Submissions for the newsletter are welcomed; please contact the
       Editor if you have any questions or newsletter submissions.

       To  subscribe  to  the  list  send  the  collowing  command  to
       LISTSERV@ASUACAD  via  mail  or   message:   SUBSCRIBE  MEDNEWS
       your_full_name.

       Editor: David Dodell 


        *********
       *         *  Feedback
       *         *
       *         *  a Letters column
       *         *
       *         *  Wherein we see the final word on the Soviet Union
       *         *
       *         *  Send your letters to BITLIB@YALEVM
        *********


       From:     Hank Nussbacher 
       Subject:  More on Russia and networking...

       Some comments on David Hibler's July editorial:   First, let me
       correct  you on  one point.    The Soviet  Union has  requested
       connection to the  network but not to BITNET -  rather to EARN.
       If you  are in favor of  open communication paths  then perhaps
       the United  States and people  within BITNET should  stop using
       geocentricism when  assuming that  all networks  revolve around
       them.  True, many do, but the fact that Russia (and Hungary and
       Bulgaria)   have  requested  EARN  membership  and  not  BITNET
       membership should say something to you.

       The major problem  of connecting all these  communist countries
       to the network is  not a security fear.   It is  the US Dept of
       Commerce  that  forbids  it.    Whenever  any  country  buys  a
       supercomputer from the United States  (Cray or ETA for example)
       they are required  to sign a very stringent  agreement with the
       US Dept of Commerce that that supercomputer will not be made in
       any way shape or form available  to communist countries - which
       includes  via electronic  methods.   The  US  Dept of  Commerce
       realized that one way around the trade  ban would be for a non-
1

                                                               Page 21


       aligned nation to  order a Cray XMP/48 and install  an M1 (2Mb)
       line to  Moscow.   True,  the computer  never made it  over the
       border,  but its computing power would be sent over the border.
       So, all EARN sites (as well as many Canadian sites) that have a
       super computer  connected directly or  indirectly to  BITNET or
       EARN would  have to  *renegotiate* their  contract with  the US
       Dept of Commerce.    Feelers are being made  in that direction,
       but the game is just in the early innings so it is too early to
       tell  if the  US Dept  of Commerce  will relent  and alter  the
       supercomputer licences already issued.

       EARN has been  working over the past year  on accepting various
       new countries to their network.  Voting was concluded last year
       for  four new  countries and  their  ratification was  formally
       approved:

            Algeria    - University of Annaba
            Cyprus     - University of Cyprus
            Luxembourg - CEPS/INSTEAD
            Yugoslavia - UNESCO International Centre

       Last month  two new countries have  been ratified as  valid for
       EARN and they are:

            Morocco    - EMI
            India      - Tata Institute

       Currently, EARN is discussing requests from 3 eastern countries
       to join EARN, principal among them is the USSR:

            Hungary
            USSR       -  USSR Academy  of Sciences
            Bulgaria

       There are various  legal problems with this and it  may be some
       time before a formal decision is reached.

       Just thought  I'd let  you all  know how  things are  currently
       rather than  the usual speculation  and philosophy  behind this
       topic.


       From:     Alejandro Kurczyn 
       Subject:  Let's Bring BITNET to the Soviet Union

       I wish  to comment  on the  article that  appeared in  the July
       issue,  regarding the inclusion of the USSR in BITNET.  I think
       we must  think seriously  on this  idea,  and  to think  in the
       problems it will carry, some of them might be:
1

                                                               Page 22


       * Language: I doubt the russians will want to learn english, or
       north  americans Russian.   This  will cause  a  great lack  of
       communication on both parts.

       * Net load:  How  many nodes in the USSR are  going to get into
       BITNET?   Considering the size of the USSR,  it's probably they
       have a 'BITNET' on their own.   If a whole USSR net is going to
       get into BITNET,  this can't depend on a single link.  And what
       about protocols?

       *  Education:   Are  we  prepared  to  know  a  "new"  culture?
       Communicating  with the  Soviet people  could get  into a  much
       better  and  truer knowing  of  cultures,   but there  will  be
       troubles,  one  would probably  see a  "we hate  commies" Relay
       channel or something like that.

       If one day we can communicate freely with people of places once
       "forbidden",  and not to provoke  problems,  but rather promote
       mutual help  and understanding,   this world  will be  a better
       place to live.


        *********
       *         *  NetMonth Policies
       *         *
       *         *  Everything you ever wanted to know...
       *         *
       *         *  ...but were afraid to ask.
       *         *
       *         *  BITLIB@YALEVM
        *********


       NetMonth is a  network service publication distributed free  of
       charge to  students  and  professionals  in  BITNET  and  other
       networks. This magazine and its companion file, BITNET SERVERS,
       are the  work  of the  BITNET Services Library (BSL) staff  and
       contributors from around the network.

       BITNET SERVERS is BITNETs list of servers and services.  If you
       know of servers not listed in BITNET SERVERS, or if some listed
       are no longer available, please contact the NetMonth Editor.

       * Subscribing to NetMonth and BITNET SERVERS:

       Send  the  following  command  to  LISTSERV@MARIST  by  mail or
       messgage:

            SUBSCRIBE NETMONTH Your_full_name
1

                                                               Page 23


       A subscriber  can delete  him/herself from  the mailing list by
       sending LISTSERV@MARIST the command:

            UNSUB NETMONTH

       Internet users may use these methods, but must address the mail
       to LISTSERV@MARIST.BITNET

       * Back issues:

       BITNET users  may get NetMonth back issues from the file server
       LISTSERV@CMUCCVMA.  For a list of  files,  send the  server the
       the command:

            INDEX NETMONTH

       * Letters to the Editor:  If  you  have  questions  or comments
       about BITNET or  NetMonth that you would like  to  see  printed
       here, mail  your letter  to BITLIB@YALEVM.  Make  sure that you
       specify in the "Subject:"  header or  somewhere  in  the letter
       that it is for the NetMonth letters column.

       * Article Submissions:  The  only  requirements  for   NetMonth
       articles and columns are that they be informative, interesting,
       and concern some BITNET-related topic.  Send your articles  and
       to BITLIB@YALEVM.

       * Printing this file:  VM  users can print  this file  by using
       the "( CC" option of  the PRINT command.   VAX/VMS users should
       RECEIVE NetMonth  with a  format of  FORTRAN.  This  will allow
       page-breaks to be accepted by your printer.


            _
           __-
          __---    The
         __-----   BITNET
        __-------  Services
       ___________ Library                       "Because We're Here."

       ***************************************************************