EXERCISING THE ARPANET
- Questions
-
- ---------
-
- 1. Can a technically competent person, initially uninformed
-
as to network operation and naive as to the capabilities
of various time-shared terminal systems attached to the
Network, be able to develop problem solving competence
at server sites on the ARPANET?
- 2. What inherent user problems exist that complicate such
-
adaptation?
- 3. Once proficient in the use, what aspects of the various
-
sites limit the usability and what modifications should
be considered at both server and user sites to meet
various needs?
- 4. Should a user select a given site for composing and
-
editing all of his files for subsequent transfer to
other sites for processing or should he learn to compose
and edit at each of the sites doing his processing?
- 5. What are the problems in starting cooperating processes
-
at several sites? How does a user control such
processes?
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Under the direction of UCSB Professor James Howard, a test
- group of 14 graduate students was formed to pursue the questions
-
- above, and any other aspect of ARPANET operation that they might
-
- uncover.
-
The test group has been given access to the 16 console On-Line
- System classroom in the E.E. Department at UCSB. The 16 consoles
-
- produce graphic and alphanumeric displays and are tied into the
-
- UCSB Host 360-75 which gains them access to the network. Old
-
- style Culler-Fried keyboards are being used which provide a
-
- limited key set Jim White has managed to program around most of
-
- the protocol problems brought about by these keyboards, but some
-
- still remain.
-
Seminars were given to the test group to familiarize them
- with software and hardware aspects of the ARPANET, the local NIC
-
- file has been made available to the group, and the group has been
-
- allowed to sign onto the Network to pursue any available system.
-
Following the initial period of two weeks, during which the
- group developed some familiarity with the network, the test group
-
- has been divided into working groups with emphasis as follows:
-
Patric Timlick } BBN-TENEX
Dave Stearns } BBN-TENEX B
John Pickens } SRI-ARC (NIC)
Doug Beaubien }
Dave Whittington }
Richard Haraguchi } MIT-Multics
Maria deGraaf } MIT-DMCG
Richard Melton }
Su Sung Won }
Ronald Varekamp }
Jeoff Benson } UCLA-CCN HARV-10
Hasan A. El. Hasan } UCLA-NMC UTAH-10
George Engelberg } RAND-CSG LL-67
Rodney Skinner }
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The first real encounters with the ARPANET at large produced
- a series of questions and comments. Test group comments are
-
- itemized below with additional comments by the author {In braces}.
-
- We plan subsequent reports on a periodic basis.
-
- 1. We find that we need further information about access
-
to the NCPs at various sites. User manuals from the
sites might provide this. {Site response is solicited}
- 2. We sometimes cannot sign into UCLA-NMC directly from
-
UCSB, but can do so readily by way of BBN. {Protocol?}
- 3. After running a Fortran or PL-1 program at some net
-
location we can only display the results on our consoles
but cannot store them as files. {UCSB programming need?}
- 4. When communications break down how can a user be
-
assured that he is logged out of some remote site?
{Need for automatic Log-out?}
- 5. How do we make contact with programmers at other sites
-
to develop cooperative programs for file transfer, etc?
{Jim White?}
- 6. Is there a best time of day for operation at each site?
-
Should contact be made with the site operator prior to
user sessions? {Server sites please comment}
- 7. UCLA-NMC has assigned a separate user identification
-
for test group use. Would other sites prefer to do
likewise? {Comments?}
- 8. Is there information regarding uses made of the
-
various time shared systems by internal users at each
site? Does a bibliography exist to allow contact
with such users? {Check the Resource Notebook}
- 9. MIT-DMCG and BBN provide very good user service,
-
especially the site survey. Also these sites have
good responses to define events. Can UCSB provide
local users with similar information? {Jim White?}
[ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
[ into the online RFC archives by BBN Corp. under the ]
[ direction of Alex McKenzie. 12/96 ]
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