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From: henry@garp.mit.edu (Henry Mensch)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Can we connect to IBM from this uucp network?
Message-ID: <1362@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Date: Sat, 11-Jul-87 15:55:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-amt.1362
Posted: Sat Jul 11 15:55:49 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Jul-87 16:43:18 EDT
References: <139@turbo.RAY.COM> <170@idacom.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: henry@garp.UUCP (Henry Mensch)
Organization: The Temple of St. Todd the Incontinent
Lines: 21
Keywords: IBM SNA Ugh!

Well, there are a few answers to this question:

IBM has a mail server on CSNET called IBM.COM.  As far as I know, this
is only for those who works in IBM's Research Division.

IBM has several of their internal machines on BITNET.  However, all
the network traffic for those machines passes through their internal
WATSON gateway which protects those nodes from unauthorized traffic.
Again, these nodes are in IBM's Research Division.

Finally, IBM has a gateway from BITNET to its internal VNET (in its
entirety).  Its design is such that you must be directly on BITNET to
use this gateway.   Also note that the IBMer has to begin the process
of setting up a virtual circuit (this gateway requires that "virtual
circuits" be set up in the gateway), and that IBMer has to have
permission from management to use the gateway (usually, they have to
prove a "business need to know," with "I wanna get notes from my
friend at Frobozz, Inc" kinds of reasons not being sufficient.)

# Henry Mensch /  / E40-379 MIT, Cambridge, MA
#      {ames,cca,rochester,harvard,mit-eddie}!garp!henry