Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!metaphor!xymox!philf
From: philf@xymox.metaphor.com (Phil Fernandez)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Remote database services ???
Message-ID: <801@metaphor.Metaphor.COM>
Date: 25 Sep 89 01:44:40 GMT
References: <8079@oregon.uoregon.edu> <34890@apple.Apple.COM>
Sender: news@metaphor.Metaphor.COM
Reply-To: philf@xymox.metaphor.com (Phil Fernandez)
Organization: Metaphor Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA
Lines: 51

In article <34890@Apple.COM> holleran@Apple.COM (Patrick Holleran) writes:
>In article <8079@oregon.uoregon.edu> dsmith@oregon.uoregon.edu (Dale Smith) writes:
>>...
>>One service I can think of that would generate a lot of interest amoung
>>researchers here at the University of Oregon (and, I suppose, other
>>sites as well) would be access to remote database services.  I am
>>thinking of pay-for data base services such as BRS, DIALOG, and STN that
>>provide access to hundreds of diverse databases, including Chem
>>Abstracts, Nuclear Science Abstracts, Biosis Previews, Medline, Geobase,
>>Socialogical Abstracts, and Water Resources Abstracts to name a few. 
>...

At my previous job, I built just such a facility at Stanford
University.  Specifically, I built a gateway between the Stanford
University Network (SUNet) and BRS.  Since SUNet is a well-connected
part of the Internet, this service is in-theory available to the full
Internet community (e.g., for demo purposes), although Stanford
definitely does not see itself providing this service on a production
basis beyond Stanford.

From a technical point of view, we used a Develcon TCP/IP to X.25/X.29
device to gateway between SUNet and BRS.  The Develcon box accepts
Telnet connections and cross-connects them to its X.25 PAD function.
Stanford then connects directly to BRS via a 3002 leased line using
19.2kbps modems.

From a management point of view, the Stanford Lane Medical Library
purchased a block of 1000 logon id's from BRS, and "resold" these id's
at nominal cost to faculty and researchers at Stanford.

This service has been in operation at Stanford for almost two years,
and has been fairly successful.  When I left Stanford, we were
considering a similar arrangement with Dialog.

Clearly it is 100% feasible to provide such a capability on the
Internet, although I'd question whether it should be an
internet-general function vs. a locally-provided and managed service.

I'd be glad to provide more information if anyone want to contact me.

phil




+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| Phil Fernandez              |             philf@metaphor.com               |
|                             |     ...!{apple|decwrl}!metaphor!philf        |
| Metaphor Computer Systems   |"Does the body rule the mind, or does the mind|
| Mountain View, CA           | rule the body?  I dunno..." - Morrissey      |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------+