RCONN@SIMTEL20.ARPA (Rick Conn) (09/04/86)
Mail-From: RCONN created at 3-Sep-86 23:31:45 Date: Wed 3 Sep 86 23:31:45-MDT From: Rick Conn <RCONN@SIMTEL20.ARPA> Subject: Access to the ASR by EVERYONE To: ada-sw@SIMTEL20.ARPA Message-ID: <12236155880.6.RCONN@SIMTEL20.ARPA> The Archive Server We are about to enter gamma (3rd stage) testing of the Archive Server tool on SIMTEL20. Thanks to an outstanding effort by Frank Wancho and others in making this significant tool a reality. Prior to the existence of Archive Server, there were only two ways to obtain software from teh Ada Software Repository: by FTP and by the tape distribution from White Sands. FTP is available only to those users directly on the DDN. Tape distribution is a good service, but it creates a significant load on the people at White Sands and is not necessarily timely (the masters are made every few months). Archive Server is an email-based tool. Using the mailer you are using now, you send a message to a special address at SIMTEL20, and Archive Server receives this message and processes commands from it. The commands you include in this message can be things like: SEND DIR filespec SEND FILE filespec SEND INFO SEND HELP and other forms. Without human intervention, Archive Server processes those commands and mails the requested files or information back to the sender. If the files are large, they are broken into several parts and sent as separate messages. File can be sent in text form or in one of several compressed forms. As a bottom line, Archive Server opens up the ASR and the other repositories on SIMTEL20 to all ASR users. I will post a notice to ADA-SW when Archive Server is ready for your use. If you do not yet subscribe to ADA-SW, you may do so by sending email to ADA-SW-REQUEST@SIMTEL20. Rick Conn ------- -------