Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!ron@brl-vgr From: ron%brl-vgr@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: What is BITNET? Message-ID: <17471@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Mon, 12-Mar-84 13:27:58 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.17471 Posted: Mon Mar 12 13:27:58 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 14-Mar-84 09:20:19 EST Lines: 21 From: Ron NatalieBITNET is the "Because it's there" network. It is to the IBM world what UUCP is to the UNIX world. BITNET is a little better because it has a little more coordinated standards group. Membership is currently limitted to non-commercial sites. Mostly, it's universities. You don't have to be an IBM. Penn State has done an implementation for VAX UNIX The network protocol is RSCS (which is an IBM file spooling protocol) over synchronous modems. To join you just grab a couple of phone lines and some modems and hook up to the nearest site. Network facilities include mail (RFC822 and a batch version of SMTP), file transfer, and some remote execution of certain commands. Currently there is one ad hoc gateway into the net. To send mail to a Bitnet host address it to: USER%BITNET-HOST@BERKELEY The official gateway will be at the University of Wisconsin but I don't think it is up yet. -Ron