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1991-03-10
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WP SERVICES
The following paragraphs describe the White Pages. Not your local
telephone directory, but the packet radio directory known as "White
Pages". You help supply the information for "WP", and you can also
use it to find the HomeBBS, QTH and ZIP Code of your friends on packet.
"White Pages" is a distributed database of packet users showing their
Name, HomeBBS, QTH and ZIP Code. It is queried by means of packet
messages, allowing stations from all over the world to take advantage
of the data it contains. The MailBox program developed and distributed
by Hank Oredson, W0RLI, collects this information and forwards it to
Regional and Global WP servers. As users enter their Name, HomeBBS,
QTH, and ZIP Code into the MailBox user file, each day, the software
automatically assembles a message containing all of the new or changed
user information and sends it to the local Regional WP Server. The Regional
WP Servers in turn send the information to the Global WP Server (presently
located at AD8I in Ohio). Use of Regional Servers allows for faster
responses to local inquiries and minimizes the WP traffic which must
be forwarded to the Global WP Server. You can easily make use of the
packet White Pages information, both at the Global WP Server and at
your local W0RLI Type MailBox.
You may make inquiries of your local server's WP datbase using the
"I" command. Simply enter I followed by the callsign you'd like
information about. If you wanted information on WB9LOZ, for example,
you would enter: I WB9LOZ. You may make this type of inquiry when
logged on to any W0RLI MailBox system. Note that there are several
other "I" commands available to make different kinds of queries of
your local WP database. For example, the "IZ" command allows you to
obtain the callsigns of all stations withing a zip code or zip code
range. Use the Help command at your local MailBox for more details
on the uses of the "I" commands.
Information from the Global WP Server may be obtained remotely
by sending a message to "WP @ AD8I".
Since these messages are read and answered by the WP software, rather
than a person, each line in the message text must have the correct format:
<callsign> ?
The message you send will cause the WP server to return a message to
you giving the home BBS, QTH and zip code of the person with the
given callsign. If the information is not available from the WP
database, the return message will tell you so.
Here is an examples of a message to the Global White Pages Server.
Suppose you are N6CDJ and want to know the HomeBBS's of KF6PU and AA6TN.
You would send a message to WP like this:
(At the prompt, enter:)
SP WP @ AD8I
Enter title of message:
Query (Actual content not critical)
Enter text:
kf6pu ?
aa6tn ?
(Control Z)
All W0RLI Type Servers which handle a WP message will respond to the
sender with any information they have available. As a result, you
may get more than one response to your WP query.
It is important to note here that when you check into a new MailBox,
you should always enter the same information that you have at previous
times. Choose ONE MAILBOX as your HomeBBS, the one where you want all
of your messages delivered, and enter that callsign every time you're
asked. If you enter two or more different MailBox calls at various
times, your mail could end up being sent round and round from station
to station.