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[ NETINFO:WHAT-THE-NIC-DOES.TXT ]			   [ ND, 8/86 ]


		 THE DDN NETWORK INFORMATION CENTER (NIC)

The DDN Network Information Center (NIC) is located at SRI
International, Menlo Park, CA, and is funded by the Defense Data
Network (DDN) Defense Communications System (DCS) to provide general
user services to DDN users via telephone, electronic mail, and U.S.
postal mail.

The NIC works closely with the network Host Administrators, Node Site
Coordinators, Responsible Persons, network protocol groups, vendors,
contractors, government agencies, and military sponsors to assist new
users and potential subscribers in obtaining pertinent network
information.

Databases and information servers of interest to network users are
provided, including the WHOIS registry of network users, the NIC/Query
browsing system, TACNEWS, and the official DoD Host Name Service.  The
NIC also serves as the DDN Protocol Repository, and will soon be
providing a BIBLIO server for identifying network documents.  The NIC
is the source for official DDN protocol documents (other than the
MIL-STDs), as well as other DDN documents, and maintains the RFC
(Request for Comments) collection.  The NIC also registers network
users and issues MILNET TAC access cards.


I.   USER ASSISTANCE SERVICE

Toll-free telephone service is available Monday through Friday, 7 am
to 5 pm, Pacific time.  Users who experience problems with using the
network in general, and with terminal-to-TAC use, in particular, are
encouraged to make use of this service.

     Toll-free:               (800) 235-3155

     International:           +1 415 859-3695


II.  NIC ONLINE MAILBOXES

To contact the NIC via electronic mail 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, use these mailboxes:

     NIC@SRI-NIC.ARPA             General user assistance, document requests
     REGISTRAR@SRI-NIC.ARPA       User registration and WHOIS updates
     HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA      Hostname and domain changes and updates
     ACTION@SRI-NIC.ARPA          SRI-NIC computer operations    
     SUGGESTIONS@SRI-NIC.ARPA     Comments on NIC publications and services
     FEINLER@SRI-NIC.ARPA         Manager, NIC           


III. NIC U.S. POSTAL ADDRESS

Send U.S. postal mail correspondence to:

     DDN Network Information Center
     SRI International, Room EJ291
     333 Ravenswood Avenue
     Menlo Park, CA 94025
 

IV.  NIC COMPUTER SERVICES

The NIC host computer is a DEC-2065, running the TOPS20 operating
system, and its hostname is SRI-NIC.  It has two network addresses,
and so is accessible from either the MILNET or the ARPANET.  The
network addresses are:

			    26.0.0.73 (MILNET)
                            10.0.0.51 (ARPANET)

NIC online services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Operations personnel are in attendance from 4 am - 11 pm weekdays, and
8 am - midnight weekends, Pacific time.  NIC operators are available
at (415) 859-5921.


V.   DOCUMENTS DISTRIBUTED BY THE NIC

The NIC publishes and distributes the following documents, all of
which are available in hardcopy and some of which are available
online.  Many of these documents are deposited at the Defense
Technical Information Center (DTIC).  An annotated list of NIC
publications is found in the file NETINFO:NIC-PUBS.TXT on SRI-NIC.

Title	 			                          Online Filename

 ARPANET Information Brochure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NETINFO:AIB.DOC
 DDN Defense Data Network Brochure
 DDN Directory
 DDN New User Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NETINFO:NUG.DOC
 DDN Newsletters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DDN-NEWS:DDN-NEWS-nn.TXT
 DDN Management Bulletins . . . . . . . .DDN-NEWS:DDN-MGT-BULLETIN-nn.TXT
 DDN Protocol Implementations and Vendors Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NETINFO:VENDORS-GUIDE.DOC
 DDN Protocol Handbook
 DDN Subscriber Interface Guide
 DDN Subscriber Security Guide
 DDN X.25 Host Interface Specification. . . . . . . . . . NETINFO:X25.DOC
 Interface Message Processor
 Logical and Geographic Maps of MILNET and ARPANET
 RFCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RFC:RFCnnn.TXT
 RFC Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RFC:RFC-INDEX.TXT
 TAC Users' Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NETINFO:TAC-USER.DOC

   
 NOTE: In the filenames, the "nn" or the "nnn" should be replaced by the
       number of the newsletter, bulletin or RFC.


VI.  ONLINE INFORMATION SERVERS

     TACNEWS

TACNEWS offers login help for MILNET TAC users, includes the current
list of ARPANET and MILNET TAC dial-up numbers, and provides a
mechanism for reading the DDN Newsletters and Management Bulletins.
Users should read these newsletters and bulletins regularly to stay
current on DDN policies, announcements, and network news items.

     Accessing TACNEWS

From a TAC:   @n <Return>
From TELNET:  connect SRI-NIC
    
At the SRI-NIC system prompt "@":  tacnews <Return>


     WHOIS/NICNAME

WHOIS/NICNAME is a NIC program that provides an electronic "white
pages" of network users.  It lists the name, network mailbox, U.S.
postal address, telephone number, and host for all registered users.

     Accessing WHOIS/NICNAME

From TELNET:  connect SRI-NIC

At the SRI-NIC system prompt "@":  whois help <Return> or
                                   nicname help <Return>

WHOIS/NICNAME may also be run from a local host.  WHOIS/NICNAME user
programs for several operating systems are available from the NIC.
Contact the NIC for copies.


     NIC/QUERY

NIC/QUERY contains host information, protocol and other document
information, and access to WHOIS/NICNAME.  NIC/QUERY is geared toward
novice or casual users.

     Accessing NIC/QUERY

From TELNET:  connect SRI-NIC

At the SRI-NIC system prompt "@":  nic <Return>


     NAMSER

NAMSER is an internet hostname server on SRI-NIC port 101 decimal.
This server delivers machine-translatable hostname/address/attribute
information for networks, gateways, and hosts within the DDN.  The
server can deliver a single response or the entire host table,
depending upon the type of query sent.  The server provides the
information outlined in RFC 952 and is itself described in RFC 953.

     Accessing NAMSER

From TELNET:  connect SRI-NIC 101 <Return>
    	      help <Return>


VII. ONLINE FILES

The NIC maintains a number of online files which are available to
network subscribers via file transfer (FTP).  These files contain
information about protocols, site personnel, hosts and other subjects
relevant to network users.  See the file 00NETINFO:NETINFO-INDEX.TXT for
an index to the files in the NETINFO directory.  See also the DDN New
User Guide, or contact the NIC User Assistance service for more
information.

To retrieve any of the NIC's public files, use your local FTP program,
connect to the SRI-NIC host, and log in as "anonymous" with password
of "guest" (known as the "anonymous login convention").  FTP servers
differ slightly from host to host, so please consult your Host
Administrator for instructions, if needed.


VIII. USER REGISTRATION

Host Administrators have overall responsibility for registering their
users.  When new users come onto a MILNET host, their Host
Administrator must complete a NIC-generated template to register them
in the NIC database.  Registration is voluntary for ARPANET users.
Host Administrator names and addresses are on the SRI-NIC host in the
files NETINFO:MIL-HOST-ADMINISTRATORS.TXT and
NETINFO:ARPA-HOST-ADMINISTRATORS.TXT.

Users who require MILNET TAC dial-up access to reach their host must
have a TAC Access card, which is provided by the NIC.  Approval for
distributing the card is sent to the NIC from the user's Host
Administrator.  Until the user is permanently registered, there are
temporary "Guest" TAC cards available from the Host Administrator for
immediate use.

ARPANET TAC use is authorized by "Responsible Persons" of DARPA
organizations.  A list of DARPA Responsible Persons is in the file
NETINFO:RESPONSIBLE-PERSONS.TXT on the SRI-NIC host.