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- ==Phrack Inc.==
-
- Volume Two, Issue 24, File 4 of 13
-
- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
- <> <>
- <> Frontiers <>
- <> ~~~~~~~~~ <>
- <> Chapter Four of The Future Transcendent Saga <>
- <> <>
- <> Beyond Bitnet Lies Infinity <>
- <> <>
- <> Presented by Knight Lightning <>
- <> February 12, 1989 <>
- <> <>
- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
-
-
- Welcome to the final chapter of The Future Transcendent Saga... or is it? Can
- there ever really be a final chapter to the future? In any case, I have
- collected information on some of the various other networks that you may comes
- across through your use of Bitnet. These listings are more of a summary than a
- detail guide (like Utopia was for Bitnet). However, I think you'll make good
- use of the information presented here. Much of the information in this file is
- based on examination of research conducted in July, 1987. Any errors due to
- the advancement in technology and the difference in time are apologized for.
-
- The networks indexed in this file include the government agency networks
- ARPANET, MILNET, MFENET, and NSFnet; and the user-formed networks CSNET,
- HEANET, SPAN, TEXNET, UUCP, and USENET.
-
- This file is not intended to be a hackers guide, but merely a directory of some
- of the networks.
-
- One last thing to mention... the major top level domains on the Internet are:
-
- .EDU Educational Institutions
- .COM Commercial
- .GOV Government
- .MIL Military
- .ORG Miscellaneous Orgainizations (that don't fit elsewhere)
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- GOVERNMENT AGENCY NETWORKS
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- ARPANET and MILNET
-
- In 1969 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began a research
- program to advance computer networking. The experimental packet-switched
- network that emerged was called ARPANET, and it allowed computers of different
- types to communicate efficiently. Using ARPANET technology, the Defense Data
- Network (DDN) was created in 1982 to encompass the existing ARPANET and other
- Department of Defense (DoD) computer networks. The DDN uses the DoD Internet
- Protocol Suite, including TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
- Protocol) and associated application protocols.
-
- A splitting of the ARPANET was begun in 1983 and completed in 1984. The result
- was two networks, an experimental research and development network called
- ARPANET, and a non-classified operational military network called MILNET.
- Gateways interconnect the two networks. The backbones of each of the networks
- consist of Packet Switched Nodes (PSNs), most of which are connected with 56 Kb
- terrestrial lines. As of January 1987, the ARPANET had 46 PSNs, and MILNET had
- 117 PSNs in the U.S. and 33 in Europe and the Pacific.
-
- While ARPANET and MILNET make up part of the DDN, the DDN and other networks
- works which share the same protocols make up the ARPA Internet. CSNET X25net,
- which uses the TCP/IP protocols interfaced to the public X.25 network, is an
- example of a network which is part of the ARPA Internet and is not a part of
- the DDN.
- ________________________________________
- | +--------------+ |
- | | CSNET X25net | |
- | +--------------+ |
- | +---------------+ |
- | | DDN | |
- | | +---------+ | |
- | | | Arpanet | | |
- | | +---------+ | |
- | | | |
- | | +---------+ | |
- | | | Milnet | | |
- | | +---------+ | |
- | +---------------+ ARPA Internet |
- |________________________________________|
-
- Policy, access control and funding for the ARPANET are provided by DARPA's
- Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO). ARPANET and MILNET operation
- and management are provided by the Defense Communications Agency's DDN Program
- Management Office (DDN PMO).
-
- Use of the ARPANET is limited to users engaged in experimental research for the
- U.S. government, or government-sponsored research at universities. Because it
- is not meant to compete with commercial networks, it is not intended for
- operational communication needs or use by the general public.
-
- Services available on ARPANET and MILNET include remote login, file transfer,
- mail, time, and date. Mail addressing on both of the networks is of the form
- user@domain, where domain refers to a full qualified domain name composed of a
- string of one or more subdomains separated by a period, ending with a top-level
- domain. Examples of top-level domains: edu, com, gov, mil, net, org, jp, au,
- uk. Examples of fully qualified domain names: kentarus.cc.utexas.edu,
- relay.cs.net, icot.jp.
-
- The DDN funds a Network Information Center (NIC), located at SRI International
- in Menlo Park, California, which provides user services to DDN users via
- electronic mail (NIC@SRI-NIC.ARPA), telephone (800-235-3155) and U.S. mail:
- DDN Network Information Center, SRI International, Room EJ291, 333 Ravenswood
- Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025. The telephone service is available Monday through
- Friday, 7a.m to 4p.m., Pacific time.
-
- Much information is also available on-line on SRI-NIC.ARPA, via telnet or
- anonymous ftp (login "anonymous", password "guest"). The file
- NETINFO:NETINFO-INDEX.TXT contains an index of these on-line files.
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- MFENET
-
- MFEnet is the Department of Energy's (DOE) magnetic fusion energy research
- network. It was established in the mid-1970's to support access to the MFE
- Cray 1 supercomputer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The
- network uses 56-kbs satellite links, and is designed to provide terminal access
- to the Cray time-sharing system (CTSS), also developed at the Lawrence
- Livermore Laboratory. The network currently supports access to Cray 1, Cray
- X-MP/2, Cray 2, and Cyber 205 supercomputers. The network uses special-purpose
- networking software developed at Livermore, and, in addition to terminal
- access, provides file transfer, remote output queuing, and electronic mail, and
- includes some specialized application procedures supporting interactive
- graphics terminals and local personal computer (PC)-based editing. Access to
- the network is in general restricted to DOE-funded researchers. A couple of
- years ago, the network was expanded to include the DOE-funded supercomputer at
- Florida State University. MFEnet is funded by DOE and managed by Livermore.
-
- MFEnet has been successful in supporting DOE supercomputer users. However,
- the specialized nature of the communications protocols is now creating
- difficulties for researchers who need advanced graphics workstations that use
- the UNIX BSD 4.2 operating system and the TCP-IP protocols on LAN's. For these
- and other reasons, DOE is examining how best to migrate MFEnet to the TCP-IP,
- and later to the OSI, protocols.
-
- The combination of the CTSS operating system and the MFEnet protocols creates
- an effective interactive computing environment for researchers using Cray
- supercomputers. For this reason, two of the new NSF national supercomputer
- centers -- San Diego (SDSC) and Illinois -- have chosen the CTSS operating
- system. In SDSC's case, the MFENET protocols have also been chosen to support
- the SDSC Consortium network. In Illinois case, a project to implement the
- TCP-IP protocols for the CTSS operating system has been funded by the NSFnet
- program, and these developments will be shared with SDSC (and with DOE) to
- provide a migration path for the SDSC Consortium network.
-
- Mail can be sent to people on MFEnet by using this format;
-
- user%site.MFENET@NMFEDD.ARPA
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- NSFNET
-
- NSFnet began in 1986 as a communications network to facilitate access to
- NSF-funded national supercomputer centers. It is evolving into a general
- purpose internet for research and scientific information exchange. The network
- has a three-level component structure comprised of a backbone, several
- autonomously administered wide-area networks, and campus networks. The
- backbone includes the following supercomputer centers:
-
- - National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois,
- Urbana (UIUC)
- - Cornell National Supercomputer Facility, Cornell University (Cornell)
- - John von Neumann National Supercomputer Center, Princeton, New Jersey
- (JVNC)
- - San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego
- (SDSC)
- - Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center (Westinghouse Electric Corp,
- Carnegie-Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh)
- - Scientific Computing Division of the National Center for Atmospheric
- Research, Boulder, Colorado (NCAR)
-
- Upper layer protocols in use on the NSFnet backbone are the TCP/IP protocols.
- The backbone became operational in July of 1986. It was composed of seven 56
- kps links between six IP gateways. These gateways are LSI 11/73 systems. An
- upgrade to T1 links (1.544 Mps) was established in the latter part of 1987.
- There are plans to adopt the OSI networking protocols as the software becomes
- available.
-
- NSF-funded component networks include:
-
- BARRNET - California's Bay Area Regional Research Network
- MERIT - Michigan Educational Research Network
- MIDNET - Midwest Network
- NORTHWESTNET - Northwestern states
- NYSERNET - New York State Educational and Research Network
- SESQUINET - Texas Sesquicentennial Network
- SURANET - Southeastern Universities Research Association Network
- WESTNET - Southwestern states
- JVNCNET - consortium network of JVNC
- SDSCNET - consortium network of SDSC
- PSCAAnet - consortium network of the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center
-
- Some of the component networks preceded NSFnet, and some of them have just
- recently been established. Each of the component networks is connected to the
- backbone. Information about the status of any NSFnet component network is
- available from the NSFnet Network Service Center (NNSC). Monthly reports on
- the status of the backbone and component networks are also available on-line
- through the CSNET Info-Server. Send a message to info-server@sh.cs.net with
- the following message body:
-
- REQUEST: NSFNET
- TOPIC: NSFNET-HELP
- REQUEST:END
-
- These reports may also be retrieved by anonymous ftp (login "anonymous",
- password "guest") from sh.cs.net, in the directory "nsfnet." [FTP stands for
- File Transfer Protocol]
-
- Other autonomous networks connected to the NSFnet backbone include ARPANET,
- BITNET, CSNET, and USAN (the University Satellite Network of the National
- Center for Atmospheric Research).
-
- Interesting projects associated with NSFnet include implementation of the gated
- routing daemon which handles the RIP, EGP and HELLO routing protocols and runs
- on 4.3BSD, Ultrix TM, GOULD UTX/32 TM, SunOS and VMS TM (Cornell University
- Theory Center); implementation of TCP/IP for the CTSS operating system
- supporting TELNET and FTP (University of Illinois); and a satellite experiment
- providing 56 kps links between distant ethernets using Vitalink technology
- (NCAR).
-
- Management of the NSFnet is in an interim form with duties shared among The
- University of Illinois, Cornell University, the University of Southern
- California Information Sciences Institute, and University Corporation for
- Atmospheric Research. The NSFnet project is administered by the Division of
- Network and Communications Research and Infrastructure, which is part of the
- Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate at NSF.
-
- Further information is available from the NSFnet Network Service Center (NNSC),
- BBN Laboratories Inc., 10 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02238. Assistance can
- also be obtained by electronic mail to nnsc@nnsc.nsf.net, or by calling
- 617-497-3400. The NNSC is run by Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and is an
- NSF-funded project of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- USER-FORMED NETWORKS
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- CSNET
-
- In 1980 a proposal was presented to the National Science Foundation to fund a
- computer science research network to link any university, commercial or
- government organizations involved in research or advanced development in
- computer science and computer engineering. NSF provided funding for the period
- for 1981 to 1985, and CSNET was established. This single logical network today
- connects approximately 200 computers on three physical networks. These
- component physical networks are Phonenet, X25net and a subset of the ARPANET.
- Phonenet is a store-and-forward network using MMDF software over public
- telephone lines to provide electronic mail service. X25net utilizes the public
- X.25 packet switched network Telenet, interfaced with TCP/IP, to provide
- electronic mail, file transfer and remote login. Some ARPANET hosts are also
- members of CSNET. The computers linked by CSNET are in the U.S., Europe,
- Canada, Israel, Korea and Japan. Addressing in CSNET is in the ARPA Internet
- domain style.
-
- In 1981 a contract was arranged with Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc. to provide
- information, user and technical services for CSNET, and the CSNET Coordination
- and Information Center (CIC) was established. The CIC handles the daily
- management of the network, and oversight is provided by the CSNET Executive
- Committee. The network is supported by membership fees.
-
- The CIC maintains a User Name Server database, which is accessible through the
- ns command on CSNET hosts running appropriate software, or by telnet to the
- CSNET service host, sh.cs.net (login "ns", no password required). There is
- also much information available via anonymous ftp to sh.cs.net (login
- "anonymous", password "guest"), particularly in the directory "info." The Info
- Server also provides a means for retrieving this information. To utilize the
- Info Server, send mail to infoserver@sh.cs.net with the following lines in the
- message body:
-
- REQUEST: INFO
- TOPIC: HELP
- REQUEST: END
-
- The on-line information includes software, policy documents, information on
- other networks, site lists and mailing list archives.
-
- CSNET Foreign Affiliates and their gateways are:
-
- CDNNET -- Canadian Academic Network, University of British Columbia.
-
- SDN -- System Development Network (SDN) is an R&D computer network,
- consisting of computers of R&D communities in Republic of Korea,
- with a gateway at KAIST, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
- Technology, Seoul. It has mail connection to CSNET/Internet,
- USENET/EUNET/UUCP Net and Pacific countries like Australia,
- Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.
-
- SUNET -- Swedish University Network, Chambers University of Technology,
- Gothenburg.
-
- CHUNET -- Swiss University Network, ETH-Zentrum, Zurich.
-
- Inria -- French University Network, Institute National de Recherce en
- Informatique, Rocquencourt.
-
- DFN -- Deutches Forschungsnetz, GWD-Gesellschaft fuer Mathematick und
- Datenvararbiten, Schloss Birlinghoven, St. Augustin.
-
- JUNET -- Japanese University Network, University of Tokyo.
-
- Finnish University Network, Helsinki University, Helsinki.
-
- AC.UK -- Academic Community, United Kingdom, University College, London.
-
- ACSNET -- A UUCP-based academic network in Australia, University of
- Melbourne.
-
- New Zealand Academic Network, Waikato University, Hamilton.
-
- Israeli Academic Network, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
-
- For more information contact CSNET CIC, BBN Laboratories Inc., 10 Moulton
- Street, Cambridge, MA 02238, or send electronic mail to cic@sh.cs.net
- (cic@csnet-sh.arpa). A 24-hour hotline is also available, (617) 497-2777.
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- HEANET
-
- HEAnet is a network linking the Universities and National Institutes for Higher
- Education in the Republic of Ireland. The following institutions belong to
- HEANET:
-
- NIHED: National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin
- NIHEL: National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick
- MAY: St. Patrick's College, Maynooth
- TCD: Trinity College, Dublin
- UCC: University College, Cork
- UCD: University College, Dublin
- UCG: University College, Galway
-
- The abbreviations on the left are used to form the network addresses for the
- hosts belonging to each institution. Addresses use the form:
-
- host.institution.IE (for example VAX2.NIHED.IE)
-
- HEANET is connected to EARN/Bitnet/Netnorth by a gateway at University College,
- Dublin. Mail for HEANET should be sent as a BSMTP "job" to MAILER at IRLEARN.
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- SPANet
-
- The Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN) became operational in 1981, and was
- the result of a pilot project at Marshall Space Flight Center funded by NASA
- (Space Plasma Physics Branch, Office of Space Science). The network is a
- mission-independent data system testbed, intended to address problems of
- exchanging data (raw and processed), analysis software, graphic images and
- correspondence between researchers in several disciplines, including
- Solar-Terrestrial, Interplanetary and Planetary Physics, Astrophysics,
- Atmospherics, Oceans, Climate and Earth Science. A perception that
- multidisciplinary correlative research in solar-terrestrial physics would
- increase in the 1980's, that standards were lacking in scientific databases,
- and that support was required for the display of device independent graphic
- images, all motivated the establishment of SPAN. SPAN has therefore developed
- to facilitate space data analysis and address significant unresolved problems
- of scientific data exchange and correlation.
-
- The Data Systems Users Working Group, formed in 1980, provides guidance and
- policy recommendations to SPAN. Daily operation of the network is performed by
- a network and project manager, a project scientist, routing center managers,
- and managers at the local nodes.
-
- SPAN nodes communicate using a variety of transmission media (fiber optics,
- coax, leased telephone lines) and lower layer protocols (ethernet, X.25,
- DDCMP), and nearly all SPAN hosts use the DECnetTM upper layer protocols. There
- are plans to migrate to the emerging OSI protocols as software becomes
- available.
-
- Currently SPAN connects over 1200 computers throughout the United States,
- Europe, Canada, and Japan (leading to all of the hacker related trouble on the
- network, such as the Mathias Speer incident). The network backbone in the
- United States consists of redundant 56 kps links between 5 DECnet routing
- centers:
-
- 1. NASA's Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas)
- 2. NASA and Cal Tech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, California)
- 3. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, Alabama)
- 4. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, Maryland)
- 5. NASA's Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, California)
-
- Tail circuits connect SPAN member institutions to the closest routing center,
- in most cases with leased lines at a minimum of 9.6 kps.
-
- SPAN is gatewayed to CSNET, ARPANET, BITNET, GTE Telenet, JANET and the NASA
- Packet Switched System (NPSS). SPAN is joined to TEXNET, HEPnet and other
- DECnetTM wide area networks. Services available to SPAN nodes include
- electronic mail, remote file transfer and remote login.
-
- Additional information is available from the SPAN Network Information Center
- (SPAN-NIC) located at the National Space Science Data Center, NASA Goddard
- Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771. Assistance is also available
- by electronic mail at NSSDCA::SPAN_NIC_MGR.
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- TEXNET
-
- Most of TEXNET became operational in 1986, although pieces of this network
- existed earlier. The purpose of the network is to link computers at Texas
- universities which run the DECnetTM upper layer protocols. Lower layer
- protocols in use on the network are ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and DDCMP (Digital
- Data Communication Message Protocol). TEXNET currently connects over 450
- machines in 14 cities. The network backbone consists of DECnetTM routers, and
- some synchronous links, connected via leased lines. 9600 bps and 56 Kbps lines
- are used.
-
- Gateways exist from TEXNET to SPAN, BITNET and the ARPA Internet. Services
- provided include electronic mail, file transfer and remote login.
-
- Operational and policy management of the network is by consensus of an informal
- management group composed of managers from each member institution.
-
- The following institutions are TEXNET members:
-
- Baylor University
- Houston Area Research Center
- Pan American University
- Sam Houston State University
- Southwest Texas State University
- Texas A & M University
- University of Houston
- University of Texas at Arlington
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Texas at El Paso
- University of Texas at Dallas
- University of Texas at Permian Basin
- University of Texas at San Antonio
- University of Texas at Tyler
- University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston
- University of Texas System Cancer Center
- University of Texas System Center for High Performance Computing
- University of Texas Office of Land Management
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- UUCP and USEnet
-
- The UUCP network was started in the 1970's to provide electronic mail and file
- transfer between UNIX systems. The network is a host-based store-and-forward
- network using dialup telephone circuits and operates by having each member site
- dialup the next UUCP host computer and send and receive files and electronic
- mail messages. The network uses addresses based on the physical path
- established by this sequence of dialups connections. UUCP is open to any UNIX
- system which chooses to participate. There are "informal" electronic mail
- gateways between UUCP and ARPANET, BITNET, or CSNET, so that users of any of
- these networks can exchange electronic mail.
-
- USENET is a UNIX news facility based on the UUCP network that provides a news
- bulletin board service. USEnet has both academic and commercial members and
- affiliates in Europe, Asia, and South America. Neither UUCP nor USENET has a
- central management; volunteers maintain and distribute the routing tables for
- the network. Each member site pays its own costs and agrees to carry traffic.
- Despite this reliance on mutual cooperation and anarchic management style, the
- network operates and provides a useful, if somewhat unreliable, and low-cost
- service to its members. Over the years the network has grown into a world-wide
- network with thousands of computers participating.
-
- "The Future Is Now"
- ______________________________________________________________________________
-
-