HAZLEDINE@EMBL.BITNET (06/01/88)
From: <HAZLEDINE%EMBL.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
EMBL Network File Server
------------------------
We are pleased to be able to announce a major upgrade to the EMBL file server.
The server now accepts STANDARD ELECTRONIC MAIL, sent either over BITNET/EARN
or FROM ANY OTHER NETWORK WHICH HAS A GATEWAY INTO BITNET/EARN. This means, to
take just two examples, that users in the UK connected to JANET and users in
the USA connected to ARPANET can now use the file server.
You should send mail to the BITNET/EARN address NETSERV@EMBL; it should be
formatted with one file server command per line. The most important command,
to get you started, is HELP. If the file server receives this command, it will
return a help file to you, explaining in some detail what you can do with the
server and how to use it.
Please note that the operating system command you use to send mail to a
BITNET/EARN address, and the way in which you format the address NETSERV@EMBL,
will depend both on the computer you are using and on the network to which it
is connected. If you don't already know how to send mail to a BITNET/EARN
address, we suggest that you contact your local computer service; if all else
fails, contact the Data Library and we will do our best to help.
For example, suppose you are using a VAX/VMS system which is a BITNET/EARN node
running JNET software. In this case you would use the VMS MAIL command to send
mail to the server. If you wanted to send a HELP command, your session on the
VAX would look like this (user input in lowercase):
$ MAIL
MAIL> send
To: jnet%"netserv@embl"
Subj:
help
<ctrl/z>
If the command you use to send mail allows you to specify a "subject", as in
the above example, then please note that anything you specify as the "subject"
will be treated as a file server command.
Those of you who have already used the server, by sending interactive messages
over BITNET/EARN, should note that this access method is still available.
However, it offers no advantages over standard electronic mail and we would
recommend that you switch to the latter.
We would like to emphasise that you can use the file server to download
sequences added to the EMBL database since the current release was distributed,
in addition to the sequences in the current release itself.
We are well aware that the file server is not (yet!) perfect, and are planning
several enhancements. The most important ones are to give users direct access
to sequences by accession number as well as by entry name, and to make index
files available which cover just those sequences added to the database since
the current release was distributed. (Such index files would be much smaller
than the current ones, which cover all sequences in the database, and would
thus be sent much more quickly over computer networks.)
We hope to make progress on the question of direct access by accession number
in the not too distant future, and would like to draw your attention to the
fact that one of the index files (the catalogue of one-line entry descriptions)
is already available for new sequences only. The file DATALIB:NEWENTS.TXT
contains brief descriptions, entry names and sequence lengths for all those
sequences added to the database since the current release was distributed. Like
all of the other index files, it is updated daily to include all sequences
newly added to the database.
If you have any technical problems in accessing the file server then please
mail to POSTMASTER@EMBL.EARN. If you have any general comments about the file
server (or any other aspect of our services) then please send them to us; we
want to tailor our services to meet your requirements, and the more feedback we
get the better. We cannot undertake to respond personally to all comments,
but you can be sure that we want to know what you think!
EMBL Data Library
Postfach 10.2209
D-6900 Heidelberg
West Germany
Telephone : +49-6221-387258
Email (general enquiries): DATALIB@EMBL.EARN
Email (data submissions) : DATASUBS@EMBL.EARN