MaasInfo.Archie = How to use the 'Archie' service to find out where files are available on the InterNet. Version of 1993.Apr.02 Although the information hererin is mostly public domain, this particular organization of the information is Copyright 1991 by Robert Elton Maas, all rights reserved. This file is posted as trivial shareware. If it is worth more than a dollar to you, contact the author to arrange payment by giving the author some other information of comparable value the author wants and/or get the file MaasInfo.SQWA which is a listing of Specific Questions Waiting for Answers which the author has already decided are acceptable for your trivial-shareware "fee", or even better help the author find employment (now 1.5 years unemployed, deep in debt, and going $700 deeper into debt each month I remain unemployed). The author can be contacted via e-mail: rem@BTR.Com VoicePhone: 415-969-2958 %% ARCHIE, DIRECT ONLINE ACCESS It is assumed you have an account on an InterNet computer with direct TCP/IP access, and that said computer has a TELNET user program that lets you connect to other TCP/IP hosts. To obtain archie service is very simple. From North America, use TELNET to connect to any of the following hosts (preferably the closest): archie.ans.net (147.225.1.2) ANS, New York, USA (completely broken) archie.unl.edu (129.93.1.14) Lincoln, Nebraska, USA (slow search) archie.rutgers.edu (128.6.18.15) Piscataway, New Jersey, USA (weird) or from other places in the world, whichever of theses hosts is nearby: archie.funet.fi (128.214.6.100) FUnet, Helsinki, Finland (fast search) archie.au (139.130.4.6) Deakin University, Geelong, Australia (OK) archie.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.11.3) Imperial College, London, UK (OK) archie.sogang.ac.kr (163.239.1.11) (Korean server) (OK) archie.kuis.kyoto-u.ac.jp (130.54.20.1) (JAPAN) (OK) archie.nz (130.195.9.4) (New Zealand) (OK) archie.th-darmstadt.de (130.83.128.111) (GER.) (OK) raquel.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.11.3) (OK) Then log in as archie (lower case, no password). Once you get connected you can type HELP to get detailed online documentation, but mostly you need only a few commands to get started: set maxhits 20 (This causes any search that results in more than 20 matches to stop at 20. This prevents the search program from running for a very long time finding thousands of matches but with no output, then suddenly being done with the search and sending you the matches for the next hour. Better to have it abort after just the first 20 matches and show them to you, then you can see why it's getting so many matches and perhaps give a more precise query next time that doesn't result in so many matches.) set search sub (This causes any search to be done in case-insensitive mode. The default, if this command isn't given first, is to be case-sensitive like Unix.) prog (Search for a file (called 'program' here) by name. If you see a program announced by name, but the host where it was announced is unavailable, you can see what other hosts have that program. This is also good for browsing. You pick one program that you think is likely to be copied to many places, and you find where it is located. Then you connect to each of those places and browse around to see what else of a similar nature is there.) (The expression is a 'regular expresion' from Unix infamity. It's case-sensitive, so if you want any case of "dog" you must say [Dd][Oo][Gg].) whatis (Search for a file by keywords in its description. I hardly ever use this command, and when I tried it it didn't work for me, so I won't say much further, but you might want to try it sometime.) Here is a sample session: telnet 132.206.2.3 VM TCP/IP Telnet R1.2.1 Connecting to 132.206.2.3, port TELNET (23) Using Line Mode... Notes on using Telnet when in Line Mode: - To hide Password, Hit PF3 or PF15 - To enter Telnet Command, Hit PF4-12, or PF16-24 MORE... SUWATSON SunOS UNIX (quiche.CS.McGill.CA) login: archie ARCHIE: The McGill School of Computer Science Archive Server ?30 May 1991? The email interface now supports the 'whatis' and 'list' commands. For more info send the word 'help' as the subject or in the body of a message to archie@cs.mcgill.ca We encourage the use of archie during off-peak hours for better response times. This would be between the hours of 21:00 and 9:00 EDT (GMT -04) Note that archie updates sites on a monthly basis (round-robin). If you find a site listed in the database which is no longer available for anonymous ftp, please let us know. ** corrections/additions to archie-admin@cs.mcgill.ca ** 'help' for help ** bug reports, comments etc. to archie-l@cs.mcgill.ca archie> prog miniWRITER # matches / % database searched: 0 / 0% 0 / 4% 0 / 8% 0 / 12% 0 / 16% 0 / 20% 0 / 24% 0 / 28% 0 / 32% 0 / 36% 0 / 40% 1 2 2 / 2 / 43% 2 / 44% 2 / 48% 2 / 52% 2 / 56% 3 4 5 5 / 5 / 59% 6 7 8 9 10 10 / 10 / 59% 11 12 13 1 4 15 15 / 15 / 59% 16 17 18 1 8 / 18 / 59% 18 / 60% 18 / 64% 1 8 / 68% 18 / 72% 18 / 76% 19 19 / 19 / 77% 19 / 80% 19 / 84% 19 / 88% 20 21 21 / 21 / 90% 21 / 92% 21 / 96% Host rascal.ics.utexas.edu (128.83.138.20) Last updated 05:02 18 May 1991 Location: /misc/mac/text-utilities FILE rw-r--r-- 905 Apr 7 1990 miniWRITER_1.6_intro Location: /misc/mac/system-related FILE rw-r--r-- 905 Apr 7 1990 miniWRITER_1.6_intro Host vega.hut.fi (130.233.200.42) Last updated 05:10 25 May 1991 Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/.resource FILE rwxrwxr-x 0 May 30 1989 miniWRITER 1.4.sit Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/.finderinfo FILE rwxrwxr-x 286 May 30 1989 miniWRITER 1.4.sit Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS FILE rwxrwxr-x 3456 May 30 1989 miniWRITER 1.4.sit Host earth.rs.itd.umich.edu (141.211.165.34) Last updated 01:05 11 Jun 1991 Location: /mac.bin/system.extensions/da/MiniWriter 1.6 :c4/.AppleDouble FILE rw------- 1279 Apr 3 23:32 miniWRITER.appendix Location: /mac.bin/system.extensions/da/MiniWriter 1.6 :c4 FILE rw------- 20442 Apr 3 23:32 miniWRITER.appendix Host vega.hut.fi (130.233.200.42) Last updated 05:10 25 May 1991 Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter/.resource FILE rwxrwxr-x 690 May 30 1989 miniWRITER.appendix Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter/.finderinfo FILE rwxrwxr-x 286 May 30 1989 miniWRITER.appendix Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter FILE rwxrwxr-x 20442 May 30 1989 miniWRITER.appendix Host earth.rs.itd.umich.edu (141.211.165.34) Last updated 01:05 11 Jun 1991 Location: /mac.bin/system.extensions/da/MiniWriter 1.6 :c4/.AppleDouble FILE rw------- 1319 Apr 3 23:32 miniWRITER.doc Location: /mac.bin/system.extensions/da/MiniWriter 1.6 :c4 FILE rw------- 49966 Apr 3 23:32 miniWRITER.doc Host vega.hut.fi (130.233.200.42) Last updated 05:10 25 May 1991 Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter/.resource FILE rwxrwxr-x 690 May 30 1989 miniWRITER.doc Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter/.finderinfo FILE rwxrwxr-x 286 May 30 1989 miniWRITER.doc Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter FILE rwxrwxr-x 50876 May 30 1989 miniWRITER.doc Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter/.resource FILE rwxrwxr-x 28432 May 30 1989 miniWRITER:aa 1.39 Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter/.finderinfo FILE rwxrwxr-x 286 May 30 1989 miniWRITER:aa 1.39 Location: /appleshare/PublicDomain/DAS/MiniWriter FILE rwxrwxr-x 0 May 30 1989 miniWRITER:aa 1.39 Host watserv1.waterloo.edu (129.97.129.140) Last updated 05:21 25 May 1991 Location: /freeware/mac/Desk_Accessories/Miscellaneous_DAs FILE rw-r--r-- 106295 Feb 25 15:52 miniWRITER_DA.sit.hqx Host earth.rs.itd.umich.edu (141.211.165.34) Last updated 01:05 11 Jun 1991 Location: /mac.bin/system.extensions/da/MiniWriter 1.6 :c4/.AppleDouble FILE rw------- 37133 Apr 3 23:32 miniWRITER 1.6 Location: /mac.bin/system.extensions/da/MiniWriter 1.6 :c4 FILE rw------- 0 Apr 3 23:31 miniWRITER 1.6 archie> quit Session ended. to return to CMS. Telnet terminated -- Connection closed Ready; T=0.46/1.12 01:23:30 %% ARCHIE, INDIRECT ACCESS VIA EXCHANGES OF ELECTRONIC MAIL Send electronic mail to 'archie@quiche.cs.mcgill.ca'. The text of the message should be a single line with just 'HELP'. You'll get back instructions for using the above commands via email, but basically you simply send the normal commands such as PROG ... to that email address. %% ARCHIE, Related topics: - How to find where files are located on BitNet and email servers? There is at present no general index or finder-service of such files. The best I can suggest is look at the indexes of interest groups and see if any of them are on a relevant topic, then ask the fileserver or mailing-list maintainer where the files are. (Send HELP to the fileserver for a list of commands.) See MaasInfo.TopIndex for a list of those indexes and how to get them. - How to find general information about how to use servers, e-mail etc.? Usually sending HELP to a fileserver or listserver or ftpmail server etc. will cause a starting document and list of commands to be sent back to you via email. There are also some tutorials on use of these facilities. See MaasInfo.TopIndex for a list of indexes of servers. See MaasInfo.DocIndex for a list of tutorials. %% ARCHIE, Out of service. The following hosts may have provided archie TELNET service at some time in the past, but didn't recently (1993.Feb.27 or Mar.20) when I tried them: archie.mcgill.ca (Out of service indefinitely due to major crash.) archie.sura.net (SURAnet, College Park, Maryland, USA) (Too many users) cs.huji.ac.il (Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel) Trying 132.65.16.10 ... (by name) telnet: connect: Host is unreachable Trying 132.65.6.5 ... (by number) telnet: connect: Host is unreachable archie.cs.huji.ac.il (Israel server) (Taking very long time to connect ... I gave up and aborted) archie.wide.ad.jp (Japanese server) (Discontinued, only prospero mode available, on another host) archie.ncu.edu.tw (Taiwanese server) (Database crashed, don't try again until 1993/2/27 2:00pm) archie1.unl.edu (too many archie users... try again later) dorm.Rutgers.EDU (system down while service being upgraded) nic.funet.fi (no, refers users to: archie.funet.fi) nic.sura.net (there are too many people already logged on) puffin.doc.ic.ac.uk (You must be running old nameserver software) rana.cc.deakin.OZ.AU (Login incorrect) nis.ans.net (no, refers users to: archie.ans.net) %% Urgent appeal from the author: I've been unemployed since 1991.Sep.01, except for 2.5 weeks 1992.Sep, and have gotten deep in debt keeping my family of four in an apartment, but soon my credit may run out and we'll lose the apartment and be forced to live in the streets, which would be a terrible hardship on my children (ages 3.0 and 1.2). If you can, please help me find some employment or some other source of income before it's too late. %% ARCHIE, End.