A Resource Guide to Listservers, BITNET, Internet, and Usenet Dennis W. Viehland University of Arizona September 1991 This Resource Guide started as a presentation to the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) 1991 Forum ("The Effective Use of Listserv Software to Enhance Professional Electronic Communication"). After my presentation obligations were fulfilled I realized there were a lot of important topics that I had not covered. Several individuals at AIR gave me encouragement to pursue this subject further and I also found that there is an emerging need for some guidance in this area at the University of Arizona. Thus I embarked on this task of consolidating a number of papers, email messages, listserver notices, etc. into this Resource Guide. This Guide is principally about listservers. However, one cannot talk about listservers without some discussion about the highways that move listserver messages (BITNET and Internet) or the complementary Internet service called Usenet. The Resource Guide is placed on-line on the listserver at the University of Arizona. To obtain a copy send the command GET LISTSERV GUIDE to LISTSERV@ARIZVM1 (see Appendix G for instructions to retrieve this file). Comments about this Guide and its contents are welcome, please forward to d.viehland@massey.ac.nz (effective Oct 15, 1991). Acknowledgements: Thanks to Tom Field (Univ of New Mexico) for his advice as co-presenter at the AIR Forum. Other specific acknowledgements are noted throughout the Guide. Thanks most of all to my colleagues--especially Ernest Payne--at the University of Arizona for granting me the opportunity to compile this Resource Guide. - - - - -Table of Contents- - - - - Introduction to Lists/Listservers --What is a listserver? --What is a list? --What is Usenet? --Features of lists: --one-to-many electronic mail --search archives of previous discussions --fileserver for archives, list files, and help files --Tips to using lists --learn to use campus email first --save your subscription letter --requesting information from the list --providing feedback to the list --automatic mail reply programs --set nomail --use "reply" with caution --List "Netiquette" --keep messages relevant to list topic --one subject per message --avoid ALL CAPS --attach reference message --avoid flaming --include a meaningful subject line --avoid mailbox overload Advantages of Electronic Mail/Lists --marginal costs are near zero --mail can be read when it is convenient --email is faster than postal mail --telephone tag is avoided --messages are usually better thought out --barriers of race, sex, and first impressions are minimized --enhances information sharing and one-to-many communication --its fun! Disadvantages of Electronic Mail/Lists --hidden costs can be high --false sense of expertise --it can become addictive (its fun!) --it is never confidential --written words are more easily misunderstood --mistakes can be amplified --list mail can fill disks and clog the network Types of Lists --Membership --open --closed --Editing control --newsletters --digests --edited forums --unedited forums --Peered lists Appendix A: List Topics --What lists are available? --obtaining a "list of lists" --obtaining an annotated list of lists --Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters --Directories of Academic E-Mail Conferences --List topics --computer lists --personal interest lists --local lists --academic lists --professional lists --Lists of interest --institutional research/administration lists --administrative computing lists --library systems lists --administrative systems lists --academic computing, computing admin, other computing lists --Descriptions of selected lists Appendix B: Glossary --BITNET --NERN --BITNIC --NETNORTH --CREN --NSFNET --EARN --TCP/IP --.EDU --USENET --INTERNET --INTERNET/BITNET Appendix C: Other Listserver, BITNET, and Internet Resources --BITNIC Documentation --list global --bitnet servers --listserv groups --bitnet overview --using servers --bitnet userhelp --articles index --netinfo index --User Guide for Institutional Researchers --Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet --Library Databases --Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases --UNT's Accessing On-line Bibliographic Databases --User's Directory of Computer Networks --Internet Resource Guide --Inter-network mail guide --Internet databases --geographic name server --NBS time --Bulletin boards --US Naval observatory --National weather service --Institute of Computer Science and Technology Appendix D: Listservers as File Servers --Listserv filelist --File update information --Automatic file distribution Appendix E: Searching Listserver Archives Appendix F: Usenet --What is Usenet? --Newsgroup hierarchy --Listserver vs Usenet Appendix G: Listserver Help Manual --Definitions --Listserver commands in this Manual --Receiving and sending mail messages on lists --Send a mail message to a list --Send a mail message to a list member --Listserver commands --Join a list --Resign from a list --List information and a current membership list --Set nomail --Obtain a list of list files --Obtain a file from a list --Obtain a record of previous messages on a list --What other lists are available at a specific node --What other lists are available on all other listservers --Getting help --Request listserver on-line help --Request a list of information guides - - - - -Introduction to Lists/Listserver- - - - - Listserver technology can be considered an extension of electronic mail. Whereas email is one-to-one communication, listservers allow one-to-many communication. Simply put, mail sent to a list sends an electronic message to many persons instead of just one. Listservers are used for discussion and information sharing. Typically a person faces a problem that needs solving or has a question that needs a answer. The problem or question is sent to the list (i.e., to ten's or hundred's of individuals who have expressed an interest in the subject of the list). Recipients of the message who can give advice or answers will respond back to the user who send the message or to the list--in which case the response is recirculated for potentially more replies and responses. --What is a listserver? a listserver is a special kind of user account; instead of a person at the end of an electronic address there is software that maintains mailing lists, stores files, and responds to your commands. The principal purpose of listserver software is to facilitate one-to-many communication for network users. A listserver can also be used as a file server. ASCII files can be posted on the listserver and list members (or nonmembers in some lists) can request copies of the files, receive automatic notification that a file was updated, or request that new or updated files be sent (these fileserver features are discussed in Appendix D). Other names and concepts used to describe a listserver and its function are inter-institutional conferencing, mail explorer program, distribution list, email conferences, or inter- institutional campus-wide information system. The best known listserver is LISTSERV@BITNIC. BITNIC (BITNET Network Information Center) contains a large amount of listserver information (see Appendix C) and performs a coordinating function for other listservers. Similarly, there are regionally-located "backbone listservers" that contain an variety of frequently- accessed information (e.g., an inventory of all lists on all listservers). Backbone listservers allow efficient distribution of network information. The electronic address for a listserver is LISTSERV@node. --What is a list? a list of persons used by the listserver to distribute mail. The best way to think of a list is as an "electronic mailing list." When mail is sent to the list it is automatically forwarded to all addresses contained within the list. The electronic address for a list is list@node. **KEY POINT**: Note the difference between LISTSERV@node and list@node. A mail message to be distributed to the list members is sent to list@node; commands such as SUBSCRIBE, GET FILE, INDEX, and REVIEW are sent to LISTSERV@node. Be careful not to confuse these two; occasionally a user sends a command to list@node and everyone on the list receives this command as a mail message. --What is Usenet? Usenet is an Internet-based distributed bulletin board system that resembles conferencing systems available on PC-based bulletin board services. Usenet subscribers post messages to subject-related "newsgroups" on a local server. These messages are routed to Usenet servers at thousands of locations around the world. Other subscribers access these servers to read the messages and, if desired, post a reply which is redistributed to all servers. Like listservers, Usenet is one-to-many communication, but its underlying metaphor is a bulletin board, not electronic mail. Despite similar purposes, the technology, users, discussions, and services on Usenet are considerably different from that found in listservers . For more information on Usenet see Appendix F. Features of Lists/Listservers: --one-to-many electronic mail communication: mail messages sent to list@node are distributed to list members, as are replies to these messages --archives of previous list discussions: log files of previously sent mail messages are maintained on most listservers, allowing list members to access previous discussions for review or search purposes --fileserver: in addition to log files, listowners may use the list to post files that would be useful for list members; list members can then download copies of these files. Finally, listservers maintain a number of listservers help files for users to access. Tips to Using Lists: --learn to use your campus mail system first; learn about sending mail to colleagues across campus, learn to use your email editor, develop a habit of accessing email regularly--then join lists. --save the letter that you receive confirming your subscription to the list; it contains important information about the distinction between the listserver address and the list address, how to resign from the list, etc. --when requesting information from list members you may want to ask that they send their responses to you directly; generally the response rate will be higher because people are more willing to share information privately than publicly. --provide feedback to the group. After you have the information you requested, write up a summary and send it to the list so others will benefit from what you have learned (but avoid names and institutional identifications unless the information-sharing requires it). --do not use automatic mail reply programs (i.e., programs that reply to incoming mail with a message such as "I'm out of the office now, I will be back in two weeks."). These programs unnecessarily increase network traffic and clutter list members' mailboxes. --if you are going on vacation or want to "stop out" of a list for a while, use the SET NOMAIL command (see Appendix G for instructions). --be careful when using the REPLY command; mail intended for an individual will be received by everyone on the list if you reply to a list message. At best, this creates confusion and increases network traffic needlessly. At worst, it can be personally embarrassing. **KEY POINT** Messages intended for individual members of a list must be re-addressed using that person's userid@node address. Because list mail originates from the list, if you read a message and use the REPLY command your response will be delivered to everyone on the list. List "Netiquette" --keep messages relevant to the topic of the list. --cover only one subject per message. --do not type messages in all caps, WHICH HAS THE EFFECT OF SHOUTING. They should be used for effect, not for regular communication. --when responding to a message, either "attach" the original message (if it is short) or lead your response with a clear reference to the original message (e.g., Regarding John Smith's September 5 message requesting recommendations for EIS software, our experience is that....). This maintains a clear connection between the original message and responses to it. A common network convention is to use the > character in the left margin to indicate text from a previously posted message. --avoid flaming: beware of making strong, emotional, or angry statements, which is called flaming. It is easier for written messages to be misunderstood than spoken words. Never write a message in anger and if you have any doubt about how a message will be received delay it for a day ("sleep on it"), share it with a friend for an opinion, and/or print it out and read aloud. Sarcastic comments should be identified with the "sideways smile" :-). If you feel compelled to flame, warn the readers so their response will be appropriate. --include a meaningful subject for the message. Including a subject in list messages helps recipients preview and organize list messages. Additionally, the subject is the only words that appear in the archives. --once you join a list, make sure you check your mailbox frequently and regularly to avoid mailbox overload. A list may send a couple of messages a year, or 30 or more messages a day; and an inactive list may suddenly come to life and become very active. **KEY POINT** An obligation of list membership is that you regularly check your mailbox and delete messages you don't want to save. This keeps your institution's disk space available for others. - - - - -Advantages and Disadvantages of Email/Lists- - - - - Because listserver technology is an extension of electronic mail, many of the advantages and disadvantages of electronic mail also apply to lists. Accordingly, most of the arguments cited below are equally applicable to email and listservers, exceptions are noted. Advantages of electronic mail/lists: --marginal costs are near zero. Email isn't free, but the resources have been paid by the colleges and universities who belong to the network; the user's time is the only true cost --mail can be read when it is convenient --email is faster than postal mail --telephone tag is avoided because the recipient doesn't have to be on-line when you send your message --messages communicated in writing are usually better thought out than phone call messages --barriers of race, sex, and general first impressions are minimized; these barriers shouldn't affect face-to-face conservations, but they often do --participation in lists enhances information sharing and one-to- many communication --its fun; using email has some of the same excitement that ham radio operators experience Disadvantages of electronic mail/lists: --although direct costs are zero, hidden costs are frequently overlooked; communication by email usually takes longer than communication by phone and phone call savings can be eliminated by the extra time spent in composing and responding to issues that could be resolved in a short phone conversation. --false sense of expertise; the recipient of information from a list may be unable to objectively compare the credibility of information provided by members of the list --it can become addictive (see "its fun" above); some who would not think about reading personal books or magazines at their desk can become involved in lists relating to personal interests and spend an extraordinary amount of time in reading and responding to these lists --it is never confidential (this applies to lists, of course, but also to so-called "private" electronic mail) --written words are much more easily misunderstood than spoken words; because voice inflections and body language are missing users must choose words much more carefully than in conversation; words written in anger cannot be recalled --mistakes can be amplified--a few wrong keystrokes and a message intended for one person is seen by several hundred (applies to lists) --list mail can fill disks and clog the network (e.g., 25 identical mail messages sent to 25 individuals on the same campus uses up 25 times the disk space one mail message would) SOURCES: William (Joe) Moore "Inter-Campus Electronic Mail -- Tool or Toy?" CUMREC '90 Proceedings (author: CC19@SDSUMUS) Winicur, Daniel H. "Bitnet, Internet, and Electronic Mail Lists: What Are They and How Do I Get Started?" AACRAO conference, 1990 (author: WINICUR@IRISHMVS) - - - - -Types of Lists- - - - - Membership --Open lists: open to all who wish to participate. When one sends a request to subscribe one is joined to the list automatically and the listowner is notified of the new member. Most lists have open membership. --Closed lists: membership is controlled by the listowner. When one sends a request to subscribe he/she is notified that their request has been forwarded to the listowner. Usually the listowner will respond by promptly honoring the request and subscribing the person to the list. Occasionally the listowner will respond with a questionnaire asking for some information about the prospective member, why he/she wants to join the list, etc. Only rarely is membership denied. Editing Control --Newsletters: Newsletters represent the highest level of list editorial control. Communications to the list are forwarded to the listowner who assembles them into a newsletter format for circulation as a single message to the list members. This is the most "user friendly" format for list subscribers because no error messages reach the subscriber, a table of contents is provided, messages are assembled in a meaningful order (e.g., all job postings are grouped together) and the messages are uniform in format. This is the most difficult for listowners because editing the newsletter can require considerable time and effort. There are a number of such newsletters of interest to institutional researchers including the AIR BITNET Newsletter, SCUP BITNET News, and the NACUBO Forum. --Digests: Frequently used in lists with heavy volume, messages are forwarded to the listowner who assembles all messages from a day into a single message, removes all junk mail and error messages, and sends out the messages collectively as a digest. Newsletter features such as a table of contents, uniform margins, and editor's comments are not included. --Edited Forums: In edited forums messages are captured by the listowner who usually passes them on without comment or significant delay. As in digests the listowner exercises some editorial control (i.e., only meaningful messages reach list subscribers), but list traffic arrives as individual messages. --Unedited Forums: This is the "default" value for list editing. Any message sent to list@node is immediately sent to all list members. Unedited lists require no effort from the listowner, but such lists may receive error messages, junk mail, and other mail not useful to the list member. Peered Lists A peered list is distributed to several listservers; this distribution reduces traffic network in high volume lists. For example, instead of sending 2,000 individual messages to servers throughout the country, maybe 25 messages will be sent to 25 regional servers, who will forward the messages to the 2,000 users in their respective regions. For popular lists with high volume, this can lead to a significant savings in network traffic. - - - - -Appendix A: List Topics- - - - - What lists are available? --A "list of lists" is maintained at the BITNIC listserver and on all backbone listservers. To receive this list of lists send the LIST GLOBAL command (see Appendix G for specific instructions) to LISTSERV@BITNIC. You will receive a file (not a mail message) that contains the network ID (listname), full address (list@node), and list title of all available lists. On May 14, 1991 there were 2,529 lists available through BITNET. --An annotated list (listname, listowner, and brief description) of some of these lists is available by sending the GET LISTSERV GROUPS command to LISTSERV@BITNIC. --Directory of Electronic Journals and Newsletters: published by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in July 1991, the Directory lists title, description, and other information (e.g., how to subscribe, how to submit material) for 26 electronic journals and 63 newsletters. The editor is Michael Strangelove, Network Research Facilitator, University of Ottawa (441495@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA). The Directory is available in printed copy from Office of Scientific & Academic Publishing, Association of Research Libraries, 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA Cost for ARL member libraries is $10 and for non-members for $20 (add $5 postage per directory for foreign addresses). Contact Ann Okerson (ARLHQ@UMDC.Bitnet; 202-232-2466) for more information. The Directory is available in electronic format by sending the GET EJOURNL1 DIRECTRY and GET EJOURNL2 DIRECTRY commands to LISTSERV@UOTTAWA. --Directories of Academic E-Mail Conferences: a companion to the Electronic Journals and Newsletters Directory noted above, this publication is a collection of several hundred academic lists. The editor is Diane Kovacs, Reference Librarian for the Humanities, Kent State Univ Libraries (DKOVACS@KENTVM.KENT.EDU). Contact ARL (address above) for order information. The Directories are available in electronic format from the listserver at Kent State University. To obtain one of the following files send a GET FILENAME FILETYPE command or mail message to LISTSERV@KENTVM. Filename Filetype Comment -------- -------- ------- ACADLIST FILE1 Humanities and Social Sciences (A - Lib) ACADLIST FILE2 Humanities and Social Sciences (Lin - Z) ACADLIST FILE3 Agriculture, Biology, Environmental and Medical Sciences ACADLIST FILE4 Physical Sciences (Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics) ACADLIST FILE5 Academia General Interest (including academic freedom), Administration, Business, Grants (NOTE: a FILE6, tentatively titled Computing and Information Technology, is being prepared by Dennis Viehland, University of Arizona) No summary of lists can do express the diversity of lists that are out there. From the May 14 lists of lists, here is a sampler of list topics: --Computer Topics Topics that discuss computers, networks, or systems dominate the list, easily over half of all list topics. Dominant computer topics: Commercial product information and user groups: Amiga, FOCUS, Hewlett-Packard, hypercard, IBM-PC, Information Associates, Kermit, Macintosh, VAX, DB2, Ingres, Oracle, Novell, PageMaker, Quattro, SQL, TeX, WordPerfect, etc. Commercial companies are allowed access to the Internet (they carry the .com extension) and bug fixes, troubleshooting, etc. can be announced and distributed through these lists. Computer issues and applications: ethics, computer games, help desk managers, listowners, computer newsletter editors, supercomputers, public domain software, risks in use of computers, virus alert, etc. --Personal Interest Perhaps the most controversial lists are those that discuss topics of personal interest. These tend to be controversial because: a) some of them discuss sex, politics, religion, and other subjects that are, well, controversial b) some institutions have raised concerns about "clogging the net" with such topics when network bandwidth and institutional resources are needed for work-related projects and communication c) similarly, what is the impact on work productivity as staff read and response to topics that are not relevant for work. A sampler of personal interest topics: bee biology, bisexuality, desert storm, horses, birding, cats, rare books, films, firearms, fly fishing, Judiasm, juggling, mountaineering, pets, nutworks (jokes), real Coke users, science fiction, scuba diving, Star Trek, and vegetarianism. --Local Lists Many institutions use listservers as an internal conferencing system or a campus-wide information system. Almost all messages in these lists are intra-campus users communicating with each other, but they are included in the national lists of lists as well. The University of Kansas, for example has no fewer than twenty such lists including KU Students Records Information System, KU Library Bibliographers, and so on. Other examples include Portland Community College IBM Lab news, McGill power outages distribution list, Univ of Arizona on-line consulting, and local weather report lists. --Academic Lists Faculty are discovering electronic communication in increasing numbers and the growing number of academic-oriented lists reflect this emerging interest. There are a number of general interest lists (e.g., history, geography, humanists, literature, philosophy, physics, political science) as well as lists with very specific academic interests (e.g., readers of Jane Austen, gene mapping, Benjamin Franklin scholars). --Professional Lists Many of these lists are of interest to institutional researchers (e.g., AIR-L, SCUPNews, ASSESS). Other examples of professional lists include academic computing center directors forum, student government global mail network, academic advising, AIDS/HIV News, and an amazing number of lists for librarians. A review of the global lists of lists in September 1991 identified the following lists to be of interest to institutional researchers and computing professionals. This is a selected list, there are hundreds of lists that could have been included but, because of space limitations, only the following lists are noted. Instructions for joining these lists are included in Appendix G. Selected Lists of Interest to Institutional Researchers and Computing Professionals Institutional Research/Higher Education Admin Lists --------------------------------------------------- AAUA-L@UBVM American Association of Univ Administrators AAUREG@PUCC AAU Registrars List* AIR-L@UNMVM AIR BITNET Newsletter - University Institutional Researchers/Planners ASHE-L@UMCVMB Association for the Study of Higher Education ASSESS@UKCC Assessment in Higher Education* CAIRNET California Assoc for Institutional Research* COMMCOLL@UKCC Community College Discussion List* EDAD-L@WVNVM Educational Administration Discussion List EDI-L@UCCVMA Electronic Data Interchange Issues EDPOLYAN@ASUACAD Professionals and Students Discussing Educational Planning* ERL-L@TCSVM Educational Research List (TCSVM) HEDS Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium* IAN Intercollegiate Athletics Newsletter* NACUBO@BITNIC NACUBO College and Univ Business Officers* SCUPMA-L@AUVM Mid-Altantic SCUP Newsletter SCUPNEWS@UCBCMSA SCUP BITNET NEWS - Society for College & University Planning* SPEEDE-L@VTVM1 AACRAO electronic transcript discussion STLHE-L@UNBVM1 Forum for Teaching & Learning in Higher Educ Administrative Computing Lists ------------------------------ CAUSEASM@VTVM1 Constituent Group for Administrative Systems* CNIDIR-L@UNMVM CNIDIR-L - Coalition for Networked Informatio CUMREC-L@NDSUVM1 CUMREC-L Administrative Computer Users Group DASIG@SUVM Data Administration Special Interest Group* EISSIG@ASUACAD Executive Information Systems Special Interest Group* SERVERS@BNANDP11 Servers Machine Discussion List SQL-L@DB0FUB11 (Peered) SQL Discussion List SQL-L@FINHUTC (Peered) SQL discussion List SQL-L@MITVMA SQL Info Exchange SQLINFO@UICVM Forum for SQL/DS and Related Topics UNINFSEC@CUVMC Univ Administrative Information Security* Library Systems Lists --------------------- CARLS@UMAB COLORADO ALLIANCE OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES CWIS-L@WUVMD Campus-Wide Information Systems PACS-L@UHUPVM1 Public-Access Computer Systems Forum Administrative Systems Lists (Vendors) -------------------------------------- CUFS-L@MIAMIU (Peered) A discussion of the CUFS system DARS-L@MIAMIU Degree Audit Reporting System Discussion FAMSTECH@ASUACAD Financial Aid Systems - Technical Discussion AMSSIS-L@UAFSYSB AMS/SIS Discussion BANNER-L@WVNVM Student Information System Discussions FOCUS-L@ASUACAD FOCUS-L IA-ADS@MARIST IA's ADS Discussion IA-FRS@MARIST IA's FRS Discussion IA-HRS@MARIST IA's HRS Discussion IA-SIS@MARIST IA's SIS Discussion IAIMU-L@ULKYVM IDMS-based I/A software discussion list IDMS-L@UGA Cullinet IDMS Discussion INFOHRIS@TTUVM1 HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM (HRIS) OHEUG-L@UMDD ORACLE Higher Education Users Group QM-L@YALEVM QuickMail (CE Software) Users SCT-L@LLUVM Banner System Implementation Academic Computing, Computing Admin, Other Computing Lists ---------------------------------------------------------- ACADDR-L@MCGILL1 Academic Computing Centre Directors Forum ACSOFT-L@WUVMD Academic Software Development MD4F@CMUCCVMA (Peered) User Services List (ADVISE-L) BILLING@HDETUD1 Chargeback of (computer) resources C+HEALTH@IUBVM Computing and Health CW-EMAIL@TECMTYVM Campus-Wide Electronic Mail Systems discussio EDUCOM-W@BITNIC EDUCOM-W - EDUCOM Women and Information Techn HD-MGRS@MITVMA IS Help Desk Managers HDESK-L@WVNVM Help Desk Discussions INTECH-L@ULKYVM Instructional Technology Discussion *for more information about these lists see the description of lists below; descriptions are listed alphabetically, not necessarily in the order in which they are listed in this table SOURCE: List of all LISTSERV lists known to LISTSERV@BITNIC on 21 Sep 1991 Descriptions of Lists --------------------- Many lists seek additional members by advertising their existence in electronic newsletters, journals, and professional conferences. The following list descriptions have been compiled from these sources, and others, to describe the list and provide membership information. --AAUREG: AAUREG is a LISTSERV file of registrars from the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 58 large research Universities in the United States and Canada. The main purpose of AAUREG is to facilitate communication among the registrars of member institutions. Consequently, the LISTSERV file, designated AAUREG@PUCC, allows users on the list to send and receive E-mail messages to each other. AAUREG is maintained by C. Anthony Broh, Registrar at Princeton University. Messages to AAU Registrars can be forwarded to AAUREG by sending E-mail to BROH@PUCC. --AIR-L: AIR BITNET Newsletter for institutional researchers and college and university planners. Circulated biweekly (nominal schedule). To subscribe send a sub air-l name and institution command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. To submit material, send to tfield@unmb or tfield@unmvm or air-l@unmvm. Listowner is Tom Field, (505) 277- 7656; 306 Scholes Hall, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 --ASSESS: The Assessment in Higher Education discussion list (ASSESS@UKCC.UKY.EDU) has been established to provide for informal dialog on assessment issues and policies as well as information on current practices in higher education. The purpose is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, models, resources, and practical strategies on student assessment of learning and institutional effectiveness. Assessment practitioners, policy makers, and others interested in assessment are invited to join. To subscribe to the assessment discussion list, send electronic mail to LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY.EDU with the following as the first line of text in the message body: SUBSCRIBE ASSESS Your Name and Institution You will receive notification from the listserv that you have subscribed to the list. If you do not receive notification, please let us know! If you want to send a message to everyone subscribed to the ASSESS list, send your message via electronic mail to ASSESS@UKCC.UKY.EDU Note: Listserv commands such as SUBSCRIBE and UNSUBSCRIBE should be sent only to the listserv address LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY.EDU. If you send commands to ASSESS@UKCC.UKY.EDU, your text will be sent to all subscribers of the list and will not be executed. Listowner is: Thomas E. Kunselman, Information Specialist Office of the Assistant Chancellor #7 Administration Building University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0032 Telephone: (606) 257-1633 Bitnet: VAATEK@UKCC Internet: VAATEK@UKCC.UKY.EDU --CAIRNet: CAIRNet is an electronic broadcasting and messaging network sponsored by the California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR). A monthly CAIRNet newsletter is published over CAIRNet. CAIRNet is being hosted by the University of California, Irvine (UCI). To receive CAIRnet messages and the newsletter, it is necessary to join CAIRnet. CAIRNet is available to anyone, and membership in CAIR is not required (although the current President of CAIR encourages you to join). If you wish to be added to CAIRNet, please send an e-mail note to Bob Daly, CAIRnet administrator, via BITNET at bobdaly@uci. --CAUSEASM: Sponsored by the CAUSE Administrative Systems Management Constituent Group. The Group is organized to focus on problems encountered in planning, developing/purchasing, implementing, operating, and managing administrative systems. The group meetings annually at CAUSE conferences. Listowner is A. Wayne Donald, Virginia Tech University (awdcms@vtvm1); (703) 231- 7694. To subscribe send a subscribe CAUSEASM command to LISTSERV@VTVM1. --COMMCOLL: is an electronic discussion group for faculty, staff, and administration at two-year institutions. Access to COMMCOLL is available internationally thus forming a global network of two-year college educators who recognize the importance of teaching in communicating knowledge to the next generation. The use of COMMCOLL is a a major breakthrough in facilitating instant communication among faculty, administrators, and staff at two-year institutions. Appropriate messages for COMMCOLL include: polls; information- gathering questions; feedback on one's research; program proposals and development; calls for papers; meetings, media, and job announcements; consultation with other faculties discussing problems and solutions facing campuses around the world; as well as any other issues pertinent to creating and enhancing teaching effectiveness in two-year institutions. While messages sent to COMMCOLL are received by all subscribers, users may then contact specific individuals via BITNET to pursue particular projects, issues, and interests. Since computer systems differ, please be sure to include your userid and node at the end of each posting. To subscribe to the COMMCOLL list send e-mail to LISTSERV@UKCC (on BITNET) or LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY.EDU with the following command in the text (or body) of the mail: SUBSCRIBE COMMCOLL yourfirstname yourlastname If you have any questions or comments, please contact Anne Kearney, Assistant Professor of History, Jefferson Community College - University of Kentucky, 109 East Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202; BITNET: JCCANNEK@UKCC; INTERNET: JCCANNEK@UKCC.UKY.EDU --CUMREC: a list for the discussion of administrative computer use; geared to help managers of information systems share information to help make decisions about hardware/software purchase, resource management, etc. Non-technical administrators are encouraged to participate. Listowner is Joe Moore (CC19@SDSUMUS). --CWIS: this list is for discussing the creating and implementation of campus-wide information systems. The term CWIS includes systems that take information and services available to the public on campus via kiosks, interactive computing, and/or campus networks. Services routinely include directory information, calendars, bulletin boards, databases, and library information. To subscribe send an interactive command or e-mail message to LISTSERV@WUVMD: SUB CWIS-L FirstName LastName. The CWIS-L listowner is Steve Middlebrook (C94882SM@WUVMD). --DASIG: DASIG's purpose is to provide those interested in data administration policies, procedures, and organizational structure an opportunity to exchange views about that environment, and share solutions about ensuring clear and consistent definition, accuracy, completeness, accessibility, and security of computerized administrative data. Listowner is Richard D. Sheeder: RDS1@PSUADMIN.BITNET --EDPOLYAN: "Education Policy Analysis" is designed to foster the discussion of topics related to education policy in both K-12 and higher education. It is intended that papers on education policy will be distributed through the list for comment and reaction. Recent journal articles on education policy will also be reviewed and discussed. General discussion of education policy issues will be encouraged. As of August 1990, discussions on EDPOLYAN have been active and lively, centering on such topics as site-based management, second- career teachers, large-scale assessment, curriculum reform, school finance, and many others. An average of three communiques are posted to the list each day, the average length of these compositions being over 200 lines. From every indication, items posted to the list stimulate a great deal of private communication between list subscribers. Listowners are Gene Glass (ATGVG@ASUACAD) and Dewayne Matthews (AGD2M@ASUACAD), College of Education, Arizona State University. --EISSIG: Executive Information Systems Special Interest Group (EISSIG) is a network that can be used to ask questions, discuss current issues, and share experiences about the application of information technology for decision support in colleges and universities. Although the title emphasizes executive information systems, EISSIG is intended to facilitate communication about any component of decision support, including EIS, executive support systems (ESS), decision support systems (DSS), and information centers (IC). To join EISSIG send a subscribe EISSIG Name - Institution command to LISTSERV@ASUACAD. Listowner is Hans Ladanyi, University of Maine-Presque Isle, 181 Main Street, Preble Hall, Presque Isle, ME 04769; (207) 764-0311 ext 235; LADANYI@MAINE.MAINE.EDU --HEDS: A discussion list to facilitate communication among members of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium. Contact: Dunn@TUFTS or JMAULDIN@TUFTS --Intercollegiate Athletics Newsletter (IAN): Purposes: 1) to provide current information on the expanding world of research on student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics 2) to network IR personnel involved in NCAA/NAIA reports, internal athletics research, reports for governing boards, Federal requirements, etc. 3) to provide a means to exchange ideas, opinions, and seek assistance in related matters. Sponsor: AIR Intercollegiate Athletics SIG Published: no set schedule (there have been 16 issues in 2 years); Editor: Bruce Ingram Mallette, Assistant Director of Institutional Research, North Carolina State University To subscribe: send Name, Title, School, Email address to, N741364@NCSUADM --NACUBO: The NACUBO E-MAIL FORUM (National Association of College and University Business Officers) is an edited discussion group list open to all higher education business officers and to those with an interest in business and financial management in colleges and universities. All topics dealt with by large and small, public and private college and university business, finance and administrative professionals are welcome. It is designed to foster the exchange information - questions and answers - in order to be most useful to participants. Sample topics include: investments and endowments, retirement plans, tuition financing, account coding, budgeting, funding formulas, inflation indicators, computing in physical plant operations and management, software for business and administrative functions, fixed asset systems, personnel policies, payroll systems, IRS regulations, financial analysis, and grant and student loan accounting. Issues of the NACUBO E- MAIL FORUM are distributed weekly and rely upon subscriber submissions. To subscribe send electronic mail or interactive message to LISTSERV@BITNIC.BITNET (the exact syntax may vary depending on your local system) with the following message: subscribe NACUBO Firstname Lastname - Institution (abbreviated); For example: subscribe NACUBO Joy Doe - Utopia St U, St.Croix. All contributions to NACUBO@BITNIC are forwarded to the Editor, who compiles a weekly newsletter sent to all subscribers. New subscribers can obtain past issues directly from LISTSERV@BITNIC; for an index, send this command to LISTSERV@BITNIC via e-mail or interactive message: index nacubo.. NACUBO listowner is Janet Chayes, Connecticut State University A special goal is bringing more chief business and finance officers and their staffs into the wonderful world of electronic mail, both at their own institutions and across the country through BITNET and the INTERNET. All readers can help achieve this goal by sharing it with your colleagues and encouraging their submissions. If you are not your institution's business or finance officer, you can help significantly by showing them how to join. Thanks !! --SCUPNEWS: "SCUP Bitnet News" is a service of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) designed to promote the mission of the society and support its activities. "SCUP Bitnet News" provides frequent and timely exchange of information among its members as well as non-member interested in higher education planning through the use of BITNET, an electronic communication medium. Contents of the newsletter are selected on the basis of interest and value to the membership, particularly those which advance the state of the art in planning; improve the understanding and application of the tools, techniques, processes and strategies of planning; advance the professional development of the membership; and widen the base of support for planning in higher education. The biweekly electronic newsletter includes notices of national and regional SCUP meetings and other relevant meetings; pertinent news items; identification of useful articles, books, or other materials; requests from the members for information on current issues or concerns; job postings of interest to the members; and other time-sensitive information of membership relevance. To subscribe to "SCUP Bitnet News," send an electronic mail note to the editor (Joanne Cate: budlao@uccvma; 415-987-0963) or the associate editor (Betsey Creekmore: pa94858@utkvm1) with your name, your e-mail address, institution, address, city/state/zip and telephone. Upon receipt of your request, notification will follow that your name has been added to the subscription list. You will also receive via electronic mail the two most recent issues of the newsletter. --UNINFSEC: "University Administrative Information Security" is for college and university administrative people interested in discussing issues in and around information security. The list is unmoderated and has a closed membership. To qualify for membership requires the completion of a short application. Applicants should be currently employed in the information security field or a field that is very closely related (e.g., academic information security, risk assessment, contingency planning, etc.). We hope that those who wish to join will want to actively participate. Here is a sampling of the issues the group hopes to discuss: -what information security policies are in place at your university? -what is your university doing about security awareness? -what is your university doing about network security? -what is your university doing about virus education? -what anti-virus software are you using? do you like it? -how do you personally keep up-to-date with the information explosion in information security? -how do you secure source code and what is the mechanism for change control? -what controls are in place (or missing) for privileged account access/monitoring? -what are your major security concerns at the present time? -what are your security plans with regard to disaster recovery? -are you using or planning to use a "hot" or "cold" site? -have you done a risk assessment? how detailed? -have you had a recent security audit? what were the results? The list is endless, but you get the idea of the sorts of things we are interested in. Please have the appropriate person(s) at your institution contact either Bill Bauriedel (gb.sec@forsythe.stanford.edu) or Drita Ivanaj (adpdi@cuvmc.bitnet) for a copy of the application. Qualified individuals will then be given instructions for accessing and using the Listserv. - - - - -Appendix B: GLOSSARY- - - - - NOTE: see the Definitions section of the Listserver Help Manual (Appendix G) for more definitions of listserver terms. BITNET: (Because It's Time NETwork) is a general purpose academic network chartered to facilitate noncommercial information exchange among its members. Founded in 1981 to link CUNY with Yale there was concern at first as to whether there would be enough interested universities to form a critical mass of users. The fears were unfounded as BITNET has grown to over 500 American college and universities plus colleges and universities in Canada (where it is known as NetNorth), Europe (where it is known as EARN), Latin America, Australia, Africa, and the Far East. To receive an electronic users guide to BITNET send a GET BITNET USERHELP message or command to NETSERV@BITNIC. (See also INTERNET/BITNET definition below.) BITNIC: (BITNET Network Information Center) was organized in 1984 to provide BITNET users with technical and policy guidelines, management, and administrative procedures, information compilation and dissemination services, and technical development and support services. CREN: (Corporation for Research and Education Networking): The managing agency for BITNET formed by the merger of BITNET and CSNet (Computer Science NETwork) in late 1989. The merger represents a consolidation of network management and provides easier access to CSNET colleagues--BITNET users are unaffected. EARN: the European Academic and Research Network, BITNET's counterpart in Europe, is a computer network for academic and research institutions located in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Founded in 1984, EARN is linked to BITNET (USA) and NetNorth (Canada), forming one topologically interconnected network. .EDU: an educational institution on the Internet. All countries (except the US) end with a two-letter domain evocative of the actual name of the country (e.g., .DE = Deutschland or Germany; .FI = Finland; SU = Soviet Union). Within the US all addresses end in .EDU (education), .COM (commercial research), .ORG (non- profit organization), .GOV (government), .MIL (military), or .NET (self-explanatory?). INTERNET: (1) The Internet is a network of networks, a multi- network system connecting more than 400 networks which link government, corporate, and university research networks using the Internet protocol (IP). Backbone networks include NSFNET (National Science Foundation) and ARPANET (Advanced Research Project Agency Network, a federal defense network). Basic capabilities include: --electronic mail (exchange of text messages), --Telnet (a method of logging on to a remote host and using that computer as if you were connected directly) and --File Transfer Protocol (FTP--a method of transferring data from one computer to another while ensuring the integrity of the data). SOURCE: Valerie Glauser, "Networking for the Neophyte" Penn Printout, November 1989. INTERNET: (2) The Internet is a collection of research, educational, and commercial networks which are tied together by a common networking protocol (TCP/IP). Advantages of Internet over BITNET are: --faster transmission speeds, --more connections (especially to commercial companies, military bases, government agencies, etc.) --capability to make a direction connection between the local mainframe computer and the remote computer (remote log in; "end- to-end" capability, in addition to the "store-and-forward" capability of BITNET); however it assumes all the connecting nodes are up, if not then the interactive session is not possible. INTERNET: (3) "a highway of ideas, a collective brain for the nation's scientists, and perhaps the world's most important computer bulletin board. Connecting all the great research institutions, a large Unix-based network known collectively as the Internet is where scientists, researchers, and thousands of ordinary computer users get their daily fix of news and gossip....really a jumble of networks rooted in academic and research institutions connecting over 400 countries, providing electronic mail, file transfer, remote log in, software archives, and news to users on the 2,000 networks....When one talks of the Internet you have to envision a large number of networks, some of which are major backbones like the NFS Net, other are statewide or regional networks, others are networks within colleges or research labs....all share the same communications protocol--the TCP/IP protocol suite." SOURCE: David Coursey,"Riding the Internet" InfoWorld February 4, 1991, pp. 48, 57. INTERNET/BITNET: The Internet/BITNET connection exists through gateways in many places. Properly addressed mail should have no problem being interchanged between them. (A gateway is a program that passes mail between dissimilar mail systems). Transmission speeds on BITNET are limited to 9600 baud, which is fine for electronic mail and file transfer, but is too slow for the convenient transfer of large amounts of data. Transmission speeds on the Internet are much higher,currently about 1.5 megabits per second, with a planned upgrade to 45Mb per second. NERN: (National Research and Education Network) proposed successor to the Internet, funding is being sought in Congress to spend $2 billion over five years on improving the Internet and bringing it down to the high school level. NETNORTH: BITNET's counterpart in Canada NSFNET: a relatively new, high-speed network created by National Science Foundation to provide remote access to supercomputers and other resources needed for advanced academic and commercial research and development. NSFNET is a three-level network: the backbone (national trunk lines) interconnect 22 mid-level nets, which in turn provide connection points for over 225 campus networks. Collective the NSFNET backbone, mid-level nets, plus other interconnected networks (e.g., ARPANET, CSNET) are referred to as the Internet. TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol: a set of communication protocols that can be used in a multivendor environment for connectivity and communications. Based on Unix, the TCP/IP file transfer program makes vast archives of software available over the Internet. USENET: an Internet-based distributed bulletin board system that resembles conferencing systems available on PC-based bulletin board services. Usenet subscribers post messages to subject- related "newsgroups" on a local server. These messages are routed to Usenet servers at thousands of locations around the world. Other subscribers access these servers to read the messages and, if desired, post a reply which is redistributed to all servers. The Usenet database is distributed to servers at colleges, universities, and private companies. To read the messages on Usenet subscribers use a newsreader. Most newsreaders keep track of what articles (messages) subscribers have seen and which they have not. Newsreaders allow users to be selective about which newsgroups to look at regularly. Newsreaders are available for Unix, VMS, VM/CMS, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and other platforms. (For more information on Usenet see Appendix F.) - -APPENDIX C: OTHER LISTSERVER, BITNET, AND INTERNET RESOURCES- - BITNIC Documentation -------------------- Help Manuals and other documentation available from BITNIC (BITNET Network Information Center). Send the following commands or messages to LISTSERV@BITNIC: LIST GLOBAL : a "list of lists" maintained at the BITNIC listserver and on all backbone listservers You will receive a file (not a mail message) that contains the network ID (listname), full address (list@node), and list title of all available lists. GET BITNET SERVERS : "a list of network servers and services"; includes file servers (e.g., ISACC, INFO@NSF), NETSERV file servers, user directory servers (e.g., FINGER, NAMESERV, WHOIS), LISTSERV file servers, LISTSERVE filelists, RELAY, and selected list of electronic magazines. For general information about servers see the BITNET USERHELP file listed below. GET LISTSERV GROUPS : an annotated list of selected lists (e.g., CUMREC-L is included); includes listname, listowner, and brief description. Also includes a listing of ARPAnet Special Interest Groups with BITNET sub-lists. GET BITNET OVERVIEW : the best short description of BITNET, its services, and membership structure. GET USING SERVERS : the best thing BITNIC has that could be called a listserver user manual. Includes introductory information and commands, description of some lists, a list of listserver sites, and some information on BITNET database. GET BITNET USERHELP : the "official" BITNET user manual, written by Chris Condon, to "familiarize you with the basic concepts behind BITNET and how to communicate with people throughout it." It starts with "BITNET for the Complete Idiot" and offers brief coverage of most BITNET topics including listservers, gateways, interactive communication, etc. GET ARTICLES INDEX : a list of general interest articles available for downloading. You receive filename, filetype, a very short title/subject, date of publication, size (lines), and some introductory discussion. The availability of these articles is announced in CCNEWS (electronic newsletter for computing center newsletter editors). CCNEWS includes citation information as well as an abstract. To subscribe to CCNEWS send the following command or message to LISTSERV@BITNIC: SUBSCRIBE CCNEWS First_Name Last_Name, Institution GET NETINFO INDEX : a list of BITNET-related articles (e.g., help manuals, back issues of BITNEWS and NETMONTH, BITNET corporate information, BITNET site, node, and institutional representative lists, etc) Users Guide for Institutional Researchers ----------------------------------------- "Electronic Mail and Networks: New Tools for University Administrators" by Dan Updegrove, John Muffo, and Jack Dunn The paper discusses topics such as: --What is Electronic Mail? --How Does Electronic Mail Work? --National and International Academic Networks --Institutional Costs for Network Membership --How University Administrators Use E-mail and Networks --How to Get Connected --How to Use These Networks --Additional Resources To receive a copy of the paper, send a GET EMAILNET.UPDEGR_D command to LISTSERV@BITNIC Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet ---------------------------------- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet by E. Krol is available from the Stanford Research Institution Network Information Center (SRI- NIC) as document RFC1118. To obtain a copy of this guide: At the system prompt of your computer enter ftp nic.ddn.mil At this prompt: Enter: NIC.DDN.MIL> user Foreign username: anonymous Password: guest NIC.DDN.MIL> get rfc:rfc1118.txt To local file: what you which to call the file in your directory NIC.DDN.MIL> quit Library Databases ----------------- Many colleges and universities offer Internet access to their on- line catalogs. Two resources for accessing these catalogs: --"Internet-Accessible Library Catalogs and Databases" co-edited by Art St. George (stgoerge@unmb) and Ron Larson contains over 100 on-line library catalogs as well as Internet accessible campus- wide information systems and bulletin boards. To obtain a copy via BITNET, send a mail or a command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. The body of the mail or command should say GET LIBRARY PACKAGE. This command will retrieve four files, sent separately (the ASCII file is too large to send over BITNET as one file). With Internet access you can obtain a copy via FTP; at the system prompt of your computer enter ftp ariel.umn.edu At this promt: Enter: ARIEL.UNM.EDU> user Foreign username: anonymous Password: guest ARIEL.UMN.EDU> cd library ARIEL.UMN.EDU> dir available files are internet.library (ASCII), library.apple (Macintosh), library.ps (postscript) ARIEL.UMN.EDU> get (filename of file you want) To local file: what you which to call the file in your directory ARIEL.UMN.EDU> quit It is possible to automatically receive updated versions of this Guide. For more information, send mail or a command to your nearest Listserv node or, only as a last resort, to Listserv@unmvm. The body of the mail or the command should say INFO AFD. You will be sent a file called Listafd Memo which describes the automatic file distribution feature of the Revised Listserv. --"UNT's Accessing On-line Bibliographic Databases" contains 168 library systems covering 220 sites. It is compiled by Billy Barron (BILLY@UNTVAX) of the University of North Texas. This guide is available by FTP on vaxb.acs.unt.edu. Follow the process outlined above. At the DIR command you will see file formats for ASCII (LIBRARIES.TXT), Postscript (LIBRARIES.PS), WordPerfect 5.1 (LIBRARIES.WP5 - transfer in binary mode), as well as LIBRARIES.ADR (Numeric IP addresses of Internet libraries), and LIBRARIES.CONTACTS (contacts for some of the Internet libraries) For BITNET users, as an absolute last resort, the files may be requested via email (note: some networks such as UUCP may file size limits that may prohibit the transfer of these documents through electronic mail). SOURCES: Billy Barron. "Internet Library Guide" Public-Access Computer Systems Forum message, February 22, 1991. Art St. George. "Announcing New Release of Internet Library Catalog" Public-Access Computer Systems Forum message, February 10, 1991. User's Directory of Computer Networks ------------------------------------- User's Directory of Computer Networks; Tracy L. LaQuey (editor); Digital, 1990; 630p; ISBN 1-55558-047-5; $34.95 "a road atlas of academic and research computer networks....One can use the directory to locate information such as the electronic mail addresses and phone numbers and specialized resources such as online library catalogs and information in databases and configuration files" Reviewed in "Choice", October 1989, p 289. Internet Resource Guide ----------------------- The NSF Network Service Center (NNSC) publishes a guide to resources on the Internet. These resources include facilities such as supercomputers, databases, libraries, or specialized services on the Internet which are available to large numbers of users. Each entry in the guide contains a description of the resource, a description of who may use the resource, the type of access supported (email, ftp, telnet), and contact points for further information such as a phone number, email address, and name of a contact person where appropriate. Each listing is approximately one page of text. The Internet Resource Guide (IRG) may be retrieved via anonymous ftp from nnsc.nsf.net (postscript and ASCII versions are available). The IRG files are stored in the resource-guide directory. The readme file in that directory will give instructions on the IRG file organization, printing postscript files of IRG, using FTP, and uncompressing the IRG compressed files. Use the following instructions to obtain a copy of the README file. At the system prompt of your computer enter ftp nnsc.nsf.net At this prompt: Enter: NNSC.NSF.NET> user Foreign username: anonymous Password: guest NNSC.NSF.NET> cd resource-guide NNSC.NSF.NET> dir see available files including README NNSC.NSF.NET> get README (all upper case) To local file: what you which to call the file in your directory NNSC.NSF.NET> quit Updates to the IRG are distributed via a mailing list, and you can join this list by sending a note to resource-guide- request@nnsc.nsf.net (please specify whether you would like to receive additions in plain-text or postscript form). Note that VM systems have a difficult time handling some of the .tar and .Z Unix files. There are at least two alternative sources for the IRG--institutions that keep a copy locally so users don't have to get and compile the IRG: Anonymous ftp to nic.cis.pitt.edu and get the files in: [.documents.cis_documents] IRG.PS (PostScript Version) [.documents.cis_documents] IRG.DOC (ASCII version) Anonymous ftp to nic.cerf.net and get the files in: [cerfnet/cerfnet_info] internet-accessible-catalog.txt (ASCII) [cerfnet/cerfnet_info] internet-accessible-catalog.ps (PS) SOURCE: "RE: Internet resources" series of messages on CWIS-L list (LISTSERV@WUVMD); July 24-26, 1990 Inter-Network Mail Guide ------------------------ "The Inter-Network Mail" by John Chew "documents methods of sending mail from one network to another. It represents the aggregate knowledge of the readers of comp.mail/misc and many contributors elsewhere." Networks covered in the Guide include applelink, bitnet, compuserve, fidonet, internet, and many others. To obtain a copy of this guide send the command GET NETWORK GUIDE to LISTSERV@UNMVM via mail or interactive message. To learn how to receive revisions to the Guide as they are made available send the command INFO AFD to any LISTSERV. Internet Databases ------------------- In addition to Library databases other databases containing information on a variety of topics are available to Internet users. For example: Geographic Name Server: provides on-line information about known geographic locations including latitude, longitude, zip code, area code, population, and altitude. To access the Geographical Name Server type TELNET MARTINI.EECS.UMICH.EDU/PORT = 3000 on an Internet host. After logging in, just type HELP for instructions. NBS TIME: The National Bureau of Standards offers a high precision time service over the Internet. It is possible to get time accurate to fractions of a second by the following command from an Internet host: TELNET INDIA.COLORADO.EDU/PORT = 13. Other, specialized databases exist as well for genetic information, molecular biology databases, public domain mathematical software, oceanographic information, and astronomical data. See the source listed below. SOURCE: Billy Barron "Internet Databases" Benchmarks (Univ of North Texas Computing Newsletter), April/May 1990. Obtained from articles database of CCNEWS, the Electronic Forum for Campus Computing Newsletter Editors, a BITNET-based service of EDUCOM. Bulletin Boards --------------- Accessible by phone lines rather than the Internet, these federally-sponsored databases allow institutional researchers with modems to "dial for data." US Naval Observatory: time of sunrise, sunset, twilight, moonrise, and satellite transits from a given geographic location; the direction and distance between any two points on earth; the Universal time. Dial (202) 652-1079 with modem settings of 1200, even parity, 7 data bits. Voice assistance is available at (202) 653-1525. National Weather Service: callers can get information on climate conditions around the world, information such as temperature, precipitation, weather indices, heating and cooling days and crop conditions. The information is gathered from over 8,000 stations worldwide. Dial (301) 899-1214 with modem settings of 2400 baud, no parity, 8 data bits. To obtain information about the system type NWS after connection, then enter TEMPPASS at the password prompt. All information must be entered in caps. The Institute of Computer Science and Technology offers a number of BBS lines with computer related topics. For all numbers listed below, use modem settings of 12200 baud, no parity, 8 data bits. Call (301) 975-3587 to receive a packet describing the services offered. --Database Management Information Exchange: (301) 948-2048 or 948-2059 --Open Systems Interconnection BBS (301) 869-8630 --Computer Performance and Evaluation Group (301) 948-5717 --Microcomputer Electronic Information Exchange (301) 948-5718 --National Integrated Service Digital Network (301) 869-7281 SOURCE: Eric Lipscomb and Kurt Grutzmacher. "Dialing for Data" Benchmarks (Univ of North Texas Computing Newsletter), April/May 1990. Obtained from articles database of CCNEWS, the Electronic Forum for Campus Computing Newsletter Editors, a BITNET-based service of EDUCOM. - - - - -APPENDIX D: LISTSERVERS AS FILE SERVERS- - - - - SOURCE: Taken directly from Tom Field's Demo of "Effective use of LISTSERV Software..." at AIR Forum, May 1991; posted as LISTDEMO 32D in TFIELD FILELIST at LISTSERV@UNMVM Listserv can be thought of both as software and as a repository for material that can be distributed by that software. There is a correspondence in the structure of this Listserv repository similar to the hierarchical tree structure of MS-DOS directories, subdirectories and files. The LISTSERV FILELIST is the root directory of this system, and the results of a "directory command" addressed to this root directory will show both the files stored in the LISTSERV root directory and any subdirectories that may exist. Similarly a "directory command" addressed to a subdirectory will show the contents of that subdirectory. Instead of the DOS DIR command, the basic Listserv command to determine the contents of a given (sub)directory is either GET (sub)directory name FILELIST or INDEX (sub)directory name. The archive of list mail traffic is one type of archive. Listserv also supports the placement of material into storage such that any network user can obtain a copy of that material both on an "on- demand" basis, as well as obtain either automatic notice of any update made to that file and/or automatic forwarding of all updates made to the file. To determine the existence of such archives at a given site, send either a GET LISTSERV FILELIST or INDEX LISTSERV command to LISTSERV@SITE. The results of this query can be thought of as a listing of all "subdirectories" in existence at that particular Listsite, as well as a listing of all files in the Listserv directory. Sending either a GET LISTSERV FILELIST or an INDEX LISTSERV command to LISTSERV@UNMVM will show a TFIELD FILELIST among other entries. TFIELD FILELIST is thus a subdirectory of LISTSERV FILELIST at UNMVM. Sending either a GET TFIELD FILELIST or an INDEX TFIELD command to LISTSERV@UNMVM will show the contents of this subdirectory. One of the files in this subdirectory is AIRDIR91 SUB, the directory of subscribers to AIR-L, arranged in a form hopefully more useful than that obtained via the REVIEW AIR-L command. Once the existence of a file in an archive has been determined, you can obtain a copy of that file by sending a GET FILENAME FILETYPE command to LISTSERV@SITE. To obtain a copy of the directory of subscribers to AIR-L, send a GET AIRDIR91 SUB command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. Since this listing is volatile in nature, being updated as the subscriber population changes, any given copy of AIRDIR91 SUB will soon be out of date. FILE UPDATE INFORMATION and AUTOMATIC FILE DISTRIBUTION ------------------------------------------------------- While you can send a GET AIRDIR91 SUB command to LISTSERV@UNMVM whenever you want the latest version of that file, you can use the File Update Information (FUI) command to receive automatic notification that the file was updated in the previous 24 hours, or use the Automatic File Distribution (AFD) command to receive automatically the latest version of the updated file whenever it is updated (potentially more than once every 24 hours). The form of the FUI and AFD commands is basically similar: FUI (or AFD) ADD (or DEL, LIST, or QUERY) FILENAME FILETYPE PW=password. To receive notice of updates in the previous 24 hours, send a FUI ADD AIRDIR91 SUB PW=password command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. You choose the password. Whatever you choose, though, be sure to remember it because without it it will cause problems in the future. Every day AIRDIR91 SUB is updated, you will receive on the next day a somewhat cryptic message from LISTSERV@UNMVM indicating an update has taken place. You can ignore the message or at your discretion send a GET AIRDIR91 SUB message to LISTSERV@UNMVM to get the updated directory. If you want to discontinue these notices, send a FUI DEL AIRDIR91 SUB PW=password command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. If you want to see what files you are FUIed for, send a FUI LIST or FUI QUERY (equivalent commands) to LISTSERV@SITE. Similarly, if you want to receive each and every updated version of a file, send an AFD ADD FILENAME FILETYPE PW=password command to the LISTSERV@SITE: for automatic delivery of all updated versions of the AIR subscriber directory, send an AFD ADD AIRDIR91 SUB command to LISTSERV@UNMVM. Again, take care to remember your password, and if you have set a password with either FUI or PW (see below) you will need to use the same password with AFD. Automatic forwarding of updated versions of files can be both helpful and a nuisance depending on the frequency of updates and the size of the file involved. If you want to discontinue such automatic forwarding, send an AFD DEL FILENAME FILETYPE PW=password command to LISTSERV@SITE. To review those files you have AFD'd, send an AFD LIST or AFD QUERY (equivalent commands) to LISTSERV@SITE. If you want to set your password for use with FUI and/or AFD, you can do so with the PW command. To establish a password, send a PW ADD new-password command to LISTSERV@SITE. To change a password, send a PW CHANGE old-password new-password command, and to delete a password, send a PW DELETE old-password command. For more information on FUI, ADF, and listserver passwords send the GET LISTAFD MEMO command to any listserver. - - - - -APPENDIX E: SEARCHING LISTSERVER ARCHIVES- - - - - This appendix introduces the use of LISTSERV database functions to find and retrieve information from a listserver. A more complete description of these functions can be found in LISTDB MEMO, available by sending the command GET LISTDB MEMO to any listserver. This tutorial assumes a simple search in batch mode. The emphasis will be on instruction by example, in this case trying to find information about Lightship (a software package for executive information systems) in the EISSIG list (Executive Information Systems Special Interest Group). Abbreviations of most commands are available (e.g., s for search), but for clarity all commands will be spelled out here. To identify all databases available on a listserver send a DATABASE LIST command to the listserver. This usually will be all lists on the listservers, especially the archive files of each list. Searching listserver databases requires submission of a "commands- job file" using the LISTSERV Command Job Language Interpreter (similar to JCL on MVS). A sample CJLI job to find all occurrences of the word "Lightship" in the EISSIG list might be as follows (the numbers are extraneous, for reference use only): (1) // (2) database search dd=rules (3) //rules dd * (4) search Lightship in EISSIG (5) index (6) /* Lines 1, 2, 3, and 6 are standard commands used in almost every command-jobs file. Line 4 is the principal search command, asking listserver to find the occurrence of the word Lightship in the archives of EISSIG. Line 5 requested an index of the search output. From the listserver came two things--an e-mail message that reports "the output of your job" (e.g., CPU time, device I/O) and the actual output file called DATABASE OUTPUT, shown below: > > search Lightship in EISSIG > --> Database EISSIG, 5 hits. > > > index > Item # Date Time Recs Subject > ------ ---- ---- ---- ------- > 000093 90/10/02 17:39 69 Lightship by Pilot Executive Syste > 000094 90/10/03 08:18 22 Re: Lightship by Pilot Executive S > 000101 90/11/02 11:13 33 The EIS package Lightship from Pil > 000128 91/07/26 14:56 55 LightShip 3.0 > 000132 91/07/30 15:17 25 Previous news item There are "5 hits" here. The next task would be to download the appropriate log files (e.g., GET EISSIG LOG9010) from the listserver and read the specific messages that discuss Lightship. Again, this has been a simple introduction to the database search functions of listservers. For a BITNET manual on this subject, send the GET LISTDB MEMO command to any listserver. - - - - -APPENDIX F: USENET- - - - - What is Usenet? --------------- Usenet is an Internet-based distributed bulletin board system that resembles conferencing systems available on PC-based bulletin board services. Usenet subscribers post messages to subject- related "newsgroups" on a local server. These messages are routed to Usenet servers at thousands of locations around the world. Other subscribers access these servers to read the messages and, if desired, post a reply which is redistributed to all servers. Like listservers, Usenet is one-to-many communication, but its underlying metaphor is a bulletin board, not electronic mail. Despite similar purposes, the technology, users, discussions, and services on Usenet are considerably different from that found in listservers (see table below). Newsgroups are organized by subject area into a multi-layered hierarchy (see separate section below). Although any user may post to a newsgroup, some require messages to be sent to a group moderator before they are broadcast across the network. Newsgroups are created democratically: someone suggests the formation of a new group, users discuss the option, and then they vote. Currently there are well over 1,000 different newsgroups shared by hundreds of thousands of subscribers world-wide. The Usenet database is distributed to servers at colleges, universities, and private companies. To read the messages on Usenet subscribers use a newsreader. Most newsreaders keep track of what articles (messages) subscribers have seen and which they have not. Newsreaders allow users to be selective about which newsgroups to look at regularly. Newsreaders are available for Unix, VMS, VM/CMS, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and other platforms. The single best source of information for new Usenet users is the newsgroup news.announce.newusers. This newsgroup contains messages such as What is Usenet?, Rules for Posting to Usenet, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. News.announce.newusers also contains a number of files that list and/or describe available newsgroups. Two books for background reading on Usenet (recommended by Mike Baycroft, "Usenet" Message posted to PACS list (LIBPACS@UHUPVM1), Feb 28, 1991): "Life with UNIX" by Don Libes, McGraw-Hill, 1989. Focuses more on Unix as a whole than on how to use Unix programming, administration, or networking tools. On serious or trivial topics, it answers questions that seem to be passed down as Unix folklore or just ignored by other manuals. The "UNIX Underground" chapter describes uucp, Usenet, Internet, newsgroups, mailing lists, FSF, Minix, Xinu, etc. "The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide" by John S. Quarterman, Digital Press, 1990. Probably the best collection of computer networking topics that can be read and understood by non-technical types. Excellent chapters on history of news and mail, Internet, etc. including references to journal articles and conference papers. Latter half of the book is devoted to descriptions of local, national, and worldwide networks. Newsgroup Hierarchy ------------------- The Usenet is structured into a collection of newsgroups that resemble a family tree with "parents" (comp or talk) and children (comp.ai, comp.ai.shells, talk.religion). The seven parent groups with the widest distribution are comp, news, rec, sci, soc, talk, and misc. Other "alternative newsgroups" that nonetheless receive wide circulation are alt, bionet, bit, and biz. A host of other, more specialized lists form a third tier of Usenet distribution (e.g., ieee, vmsnet, k12). Some newsgroups are restricted to local distribution, either to geographic regions (country or state) or Usenet server. Some newsgroups are moderated or monitored mailing lists--postings by mailing submissions to the coordinator only. Most newsgroups are open and unmoderated. A brief description of the most widely distributed parent groups follows: alt: a collection of newsgroups that discuss subjects of a personal or current-issue nature. Some of these groups are not carried by many Usenet sites because of their controversial nature. (e.g., alt.fishing, alt.kids-talk, alt.romance, alt.sex) bionet: a newsgroup hierarchy for topics interesting to biologists, originating from genbank.bio.net and carried on a growing number of machines (e.g., bionet.molbio.genbank, bionet.jobs, bionet.software) bit: a collection of newsgroups which are redistributions of the BITNET LISTSERV mailing lists. (e.g., bit.listserv.cumrec-l, bit.listserv.cwis-l, bit.listserv.edpolyan, bit.listserv.next-l) biz: a distribution of newsgroups that are carried and propagated by sites interested in the world of business products around them -- in particular, computer products and services. This includes product announcements, announcements of fixes and enhancements, product reviews, and postings of demo software (e.g., biz.dec.workstations, biz.comp.software) comp: newsgroups relating to some aspect of computer science, for both computer professionals and hobbyists (e.g., comp.ai, comp.infosystems, comp.music) news: groups relating to the netnews software (e.g., news.software.readers) or of general interest to all new users (e.g., news.announce.newgroups, news.newusers.questions) rec: newsgroups oriented towards hobbies and recreational activities (e.g., rec.arts.tv, rec.arts-dance, rec.travel) sci: groups relating to sciences other than computer science, especially practical knowledge relating to research or application (e.g., sci.chem, sci.med.aids, sci.physics.fusion) soc: groups for social interaction or discussion of social topics (e.g., soc.culture.mexico, soc.singles, soc.feminism) talk: groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature extended discussions without resolution (e.g., talk.religion talk.politics.mideast, talk.religion) misc: groups addressing themes not easily classified under any of the other headings or which incorporate themes from multiple categories (e.g., misc.forsale, misc.kids, misc.wanted) Again, these are descriptions of some of the most widely distributed parent groups. Other, less well-known groups include ieee, vmsnet, k12, gnu, and many more. Sources: List of Active Newsgroups (posted on news.announce.newgroups, September 21, 1991) Alternative Newsgroup Hierarchies (posted on news.announce.newusers, September 21, 1991) Tim O'Reilly and Grace Todino, "Managing UUCP and Usenet" O'Reilly & Associates, Feb 1989. Listservers vs Usenet --------------------- As noted earlier, like listservers, Usenet is one-to-many communication, but despite similar purposes, the technology, users, discussions, and services on Usenet are considerably different from that found in listservers. The following table provides some contrasts between Listserver and Usenet technology. Comparison of Listserver and Usenet Listserver Usenet ---------- ------ Metaphor electronic mail bulletin board Organized by mail messages subject Closed discussions yes no Archives yes (most) no Network BITNET only Internet and BITNET (gateway) Interface electronic mailbox news readers Basic structure RE:in Subject line Tree-like structure NOTE: this table is DRAFT, not for publication. Suggestions for additions or corrections should be sent to the author. Usenet Miscellaneous -------------------- "If you are reading this article from a site not on the Usenet, you may subscribe to Internet lists by writing to the request address. You form such an address by putting "-request" before the "@" symbol, as in "unix-emacs-request@bbn.com". This gets your message directly to the list maintainer instead of broadcasting it to all the readers of the list." NetNews resource: SEND LISTSERV@PSUVM GET NETNEWS PACKAGE to get the Penn State User's Guide, Administrator's Guide, and information on getting the package - - - - -APPENDIX G: LISTSERVER HELP MANUAL- - - - - The Listserver Help Manual is a revised version of "An Amateur's Guide to Using EISSIG and Other Lists" by Dennis W. Viehland, version 2.0, dated Sept 15, 1991, and available as EISSIG GUIDE from LISTSERV@ASUACAD. As such, EISSIG is used to illustrate commands and clarify definitions. The focus of this Help Manual is assisting the beginning list user in accessing and using listservers. The Manual lists frequently- used listserver commands, as well as directions on how to send list mail and commands as well as definitions of frequently-used listserver terms. Definitions - - - - - - "Listserver" or "LISTSERV": a listserver is a special kind of user account; instead of a person at the other end of an electronic address there is software that maintains distribution lists, stores files, and responds to your commands. "Backbone listserver": a backbone listserver contains an inventory of ALL lists on all listservers (see LIST GLOBAL command below). "List" or "Distribution list": a list of electronic addresses used by the listserver to distribute messages (to ask the listserver for current membership of a list use the REVIEW command). A good way to think of a list is as an "electronic mailing list." The Executive Information Systems Special Interest Group (EISSIG) is such a list. "Listname": the 1-8 characters by which a distribution list is identified to the listserver. Originally most listnames ended with -L (e.g., ETHICS-L, AIR-L), but that is less common now. "List title": the "title" of the list (e.g., Ethics in Computing, Executive Information Systems Special Interest Group). "List@node": the electronic address of the list--the address to which mail and files must be sent in order to be distributed to the list. It is the listname plus the listserver node (e.g., EISSIG@ASUACAD). "Listserver@node": the electronic address of the listserver--the address you use to join or resign a list, get help, etc. (e.g., LISTSERV@ASUACAD for all commands relevant for EISSIG). **KEY POINT**: Whereas you send mail to be distributed to list@node, commands are sent to listserver@node. Be careful not to confuse these two; occasionally a user requests help from "list@node" and everyone on the list receives the request. "Listowner": the person who maintains the list and has authority to perform list maintenance functions (as in "Your request has been forwarded to the listowner"). To find the name and electronic address of the listowner of any list use the REVIEW command (explained below). "List editor": the person who reviews material sent by users to the list before allowing the listserver to distribute them (as in "Your mail has been forwarded to the list editor"). Most lists, do not have editors and mail is distributed "as is." Acknowledgement: some of these definitions came from LISTSERV.MEMO by Eric Thomas, copyright 1986. Listserver commands in this Manual - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Listservers can serve many functions including mail, interactive messaging, file servers, and databases. This Manual discusses mail and file server functions. For information on other uses of listservers see previous sections of this Resource Guide. Listserver commands can be sent interactively or by mail. Sending commands interactively (i.e., from the system prompt) gives you almost instant feedback about your request (e.g., "File EISSIG.LIST has been sent to you" or "Your distribution options have been updated"). However, if a node is down between you and the listserver, then your interactive command cannot be delivered. For this reason, mail--with its store-and-forward capacity--is also widely used. Interactive commands differ slightly depending on whether you are using VMS on a VAX computer or VM/CMS on an IBM computer (for those few of you out there using something other than VMS or CMS...consult your help desk). The commands listed below assume you are using VMS. If you are using CMS make the following substitutions: 1. use the command TELL instead of SEND 2. substitute the word AT for @ Some CMS examples are included in the first few commands to give you a pattern to follow. The commands listed below assume you are sending them interactively. Follow these instructions to send the commands by electronic mail: 1. place listserver@node on the TO: line 2. leave the SUBJ: line blank 3. place the command (e.g., INDEX EISSIG) on the first line 4. if sending more than one command, use one command per line 5. include no blank lines (i.e., no double spacing) 6. end each command, including the last one, with a hard return 7. avoid signature files or end your command sequence with QUIT so the signature file is ignored Receiving and sending mail messages on lists - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As noted above, a list can be thought of as an electronic mailing list. It differs from normal electronic mail in that all_messages_sent_to_a_list_are_sent_to_all_members_of_the_list. This works to your advantage when you want to ask a question or share something with the group. This works to your disadvantage when you write a private response to a list message and accidentally send it to everyone on the list. **KEY POINT** Messages intended for individual members of a list must be re-addressed using that person's userid@node address. Because mail originates from the list, if you read a message and use the REPLY command your response will be delivered to everyone on the list. Messages to and from a list will arrive in your electronic mailbox (in contrast to output from most listserver commands, which generally arrive as network files). Send a mail message to a list - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Send mail to all members of a list as you would send mail to another userid. After entering your mail facility, at the TO: prompt enter: TO: list@node (using, of course, the addressing conventions you would use with electronic mail). Send a mail message to a list member - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To respond to a list message and *not* send the message to all list members, use the userid@node address of the individual who sent the message (i.e., regular electronic mail). Listserver commands - - - - - - - - - - As suggested earlier, there is a difference between sending mail to a list and sending commands to a listserver. The commands listed below are listserver commands sent to listserver@node rather than list@node. The command structure given here is for interactive commands (i.e., entered at the system prompt). To send these commands via mail, use listserv@node as the destination and include the command (e.g., in the text of the message (see above for more specific instructions). Join a list - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node SUBSCRIBE listname your_name - institution or on IBM computers running VM/CMS: TELL LISTSERV AT node SUBSCRIBE listname your_name - institution If it is an "open" list you will receive a message that you have been added to the list. If it is a "closed" list you will be notified that your request has been forwarded to the listowner. Of course, you must know the node and listname of the list you wish to join and substitute them in the command given above. Your name and institution help other list members identify who you are. There is no need to include your electronic address in this command, the listserver reads it automatically from the incoming message. Resign from a list - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node SIGNOFF listname or on IBM computers running VM/CMS: TELL LISTSERV AT node SIGNOFF listname This removes your name from the list. Be sure to issue this command from the computer account from which you joined the list, otherwise the listserver will not recognize a different electronic address and will ignore the command. List information and a current membership list - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node REVIEW listname You will receive a file (not mail) that provides directory information about the list (i.e., parameters, listowner) and a list of current members. The file LISTKEYW from LISTSERV@BITNIC provides more information about the output of the REVIEW command. Set nomail - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node SET listname NOMAIL This command is used if you are invoking an automatic mail reply program or, for some other reason, want to terminate mail from a list without resigning. To resume mail service alter this command to say SET listname MAIL. You can "catch up" on list messages sent while your mail option was set to nomail by retrieving log files (see below). Obtain a list of list files - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node INDEX listname You will receive a file (not mail) that lists the files currently stored on the list (e.g., this document--LISTSERV GUIDE--is one such file on ARIZVM1). The most important information is the filename and filetype, which are used to obtain the file. The file server on most lists contains two types of files, "regular" files put there by the listowner and "log" files, which are a record of all messages sent out on the list. A synonym for the INDEX command is GET listname FILELIST. Obtain a file from a list - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node GET filename filetype Once you have a list of what files are available (see above), use the filename and filetype to transfer a file from the listserver to your computer. For example, to obtain a copy of this Resource Guide send the command GET RESOURCE GUIDE to LISTSERV@ARIZVM1. These files will be sent to you as files, not mail, so you will need to "receive" them to read them or post to your directory. Synonyms for the GET command are SEND and SENDME. Obtain a record of previous messages on a list - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node GET listname LOGYrMo As noted above, in addition to regular files placed on a listserver by the listowner, there are also log files that are a transaction record of all messages sent out on a list. Lists will differ slightly as to how often these files are archived. For the EISSIG list, these files have filename = EISSIG and filetype = LOGYrMo where YrMo is the year and month of transaction record (e.g., LOG8909 = Sept 89). New list members can "catch up" by reviewing log files and long-time list members can go back and find old messages with these files. What lists are available at a specific node - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node LIST A list of the lists on LISTSERV@node prints to your screen (or in a message if the LIST command is sent by mail). What lists are available on all other listservers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@BITNIC LIST GLOBAL /string This command works on backbone listservers (see definitions). (Sending this command to a non-backbone listserver returns the message "Only local information is available from this server" and tells you the nearest backbone listserver.) To do selective searches on the listnames and list titles substitute any character string for "string" in this command (e.g., using "executive" in this case will show EISSIG and other lists with this character string in their name or title). Getting help - - - - - - A variety of help manuals and other documentation are discussed in Appendix C above. Here are two commands for getting on-line listserver help. You many ask any listserver for help or information, but unless you accessed the listserver nearest your institution, it is likely you will get a message such as "Note: the nearest LISTSERV host to your node is LISTSERV@node. Please send your INFO commands to this address if at all possible." Using the listserver closest to you, preferably at your own institution, reduces traffic on the network. Request listserver on-line help - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node HELP A list of most commonly used commands prints to your screen. Request a list of information guides - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEND LISTSERV@node INFO ? A list of information guides available from LISTSERV@node prints to your screen. On the latest list, I have found the LISTSERV MEMO file to be most useful for persons new to listservers (to order this file, see following command). - - - - -end of A Resource Guide to Listservers,...- - - - -