An e-mail directory service (used with Foneserv) Dave Elbon University of Kentucky WHOIS 3 Distribution June 1996 WHOIS is an online directory that allows users to update selected fields and make queries. Unless you have a very small directory or a very big, fast machine, you'll want to use a more efficient search engine for most searching (see our FONESERV server). Note that this WHOIS has no relationship to or compatibility with other Internet services by the same name. This is a new version of WHOIS and there have been many changes in the data and parms files formats. The layout of the data file is now described in the parms file (with some restrictions). A new CREATE command for privileged users is a lower overhead way to make new entries. The philosophy of the directory has changed. It is intended to be used with one entry per person, using some unique id number, with a file built by some central process with only limited updates allowed by the end users. Our earlier scheme had degenerated into chaos. A new REGISTER command lets users update the fields that are defined to be under their control. A service machine runs the WHOSERVE EXEC (see the PROFILE EXEC). It should have a large enough read-write A-disk to hold the directory file and work files. WHOIS needs read access to the EXECs supplied here and the files: WHOIS PARMS (SAMPLE PARMS is included as a skeleton) WHOIS HELPLOC (Help info for local users--those allowed to register) WHOIS HELPREM (Help info for others) NAME SYNONYMS (List of nicknames and alternate spellings) WHOIS requires class B for the MSGNOH command. Since the data file is kept in storage the WHOIS machine needs to be large. Our directory records are 1,024 bytes each and we have about 50,000 entries. Our WHOIS service machine is 96 meg and its A-disk is 175 megabytes. Users should have access to the WHOIS EXEC, but that is optional. If you have Xmenu you can also use WHOSHOW EXEC and MENU. Our directory maintenance procedure automatically sends an initial entry for a new userid to WHOIS. Several other systems on campus are sending updates too. Users can change only a few fields in their entries. We regularly rebuild the file using information from our official University human resources and student databases. The e-mail addresses are kept only by WHOIS. Early each morning another service machine tells WHOIS to clean up its directory and rebuild the index files used by FONESERV. WHOIS responds to requests sent by message or RFC 822-style mail and responds in kind. Note that incoming mail must arrive as simple punch files - NETDATA format isn't supported. You can try our WHOIS if you have access to BITNET or the Internet by sending requests to WHOIS@UKCC or whois@ukcc.uky.edu. We have been experimenting with ways to let users make changes to their entries from a Web browser with forms support. You can see what we've been doing at the URL: http://ukcc.uky.edu/directory.html WHOIS uses our Spelling Checker (supplied separately) for guessing and several of the modules supplied as part of our "CMS Office Utilities" package. Like all good service machines it requires IUCVTRAP (from Arty Ecock at CUNY). Available separately is our FONESERV, which provides read-only access to the WHOIS data using CSO Nameserver (Qi/Ph) protocol with much less overhead. We are currently running WHOIS under VM/ESA 2.2 and CMS 8. There is, of course, no warranty. Dave Elbon University of Kentucky Computing Center 128 McVey Hall Lexington, KY 40506-0045 USA Phone: 606 257.2230 E-mail: sysdave@ukcc.uky.edu