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RFC 352 UNKNOWN ADMINISTRATION · NETWORK MANAGEMENT

TIP Survey: TIP Site Information Form

A form to collect information about terminal access points on the ARPANET.

On rfc-editor.org ↗
PUBLISHED
June 1972
AUTHORS
D. Crocker
STREAM
Legacy
PUBLICATION
June 1972
DOI
10.17487/RFC0352

RFC text

Original text · RFC Editor View on rfc-editor.org ↗ 
NWG/RFC #352                                      David H. Crocker
NIC 10594                                         UCLA
                                                  5 June 1972

                       TIP SITE INFORMATION FORM



(tips) Information form about ARPANET TIPS:


   We are attempting to provide additional information for TIP
   users of the NET.  The availability of such information should
   allow more flexibility to TIP users and thereby make NET use
   easier.

   Please complete the form and return it as soon as possible,
   preferably as a NIC Journal entry (making it easier for us to
   manipulate the information) to Dave Crocker (Nic ident: DHC).
   Mailing address:

      David Crocker
      c/o Jon Postel
      Computer Science Department
      School of Engineering and Applied Science
      3804 Boelter Hall
      University of California
      Los Angeles, California 90024









    [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
    [ into the online RFC archives by BBN Corp. under the   ]
    [ direction of Alex McKenzie.                      1/97 ]

NWG/RFC# 352                            DHC 5-JUN-72 16:11  10594
TIP site information form

   Name of organization & pseudo-host number:


   Regular Host computer(s) associated with the same
   organization:


   Mailing address of organization:


   Local person responsible for TIP operations:

      Name:


      Telephone:


      Alternate person(s):


   Operator (if any)

      Name(s):


      Hours of operator coverage:


      Telephone:


      Thru the NET:


   TIP options & special features:

      Mag tape / /      Printer / /       Card reader / /


      other: -------------------------------------------


   Scheduled down-time:

NWG/RFC# 352                            DHC 5-JUN-72 16:11  10594
TIP site information form



   Additional comments:






   Ports:


      TIP address       Terminal-type or dial-up phone number:
      (port num.)

AI ELI5

On this page
PROBLEMTIP users on the early ARPANET needed more information about how to access and use each terminal access point, but that information was scattered and incomplete.
MECHANISMDavid Crocker at UCLA created a standard form to ask each site to document their TIP setup, staffing, features and local contact information.
IMPROVING USER ACCESSThe collected responses would let users find the right TIP for their needs and contact local operators for help.

§1Introduction

In the early 1970s, the ARPANET was growing and users needed ways to access it from remote locations. TIPs (Terminal Interface Message Processors) were hardware devices that let dial-up users connect to the network. RFC 352 is a request for information: a form David Crocker designed to let TIP sites tell the network community about their setup and services.

TIPs were boxes you could call up to join the network. This is a form asking the people running them to describe what they have.

§2The Information Form

The form asks TIP sites to provide: the organization name and pseudo-host number; the regular host computer used by the organization; a mailing address; and the name and contact details of the local person responsible for TIP operations and the TIP operator, if any.

It also requests information about TIP options and special features such as magnetic tape, printers and card readers; scheduled downtime; and port-level details including terminal types or dial-up phone numbers.

The form asks who runs the TIP, where they are, who can help, what features it has, when it shuts down, and what phone numbers or terminals connect to it.

§3Making the Network Easier to Use

The RFC explains the goal plainly: to provide additional information for TIP users so they can gain more flexibility in how they use the network. Crocker asked sites to send responses back to him, preferably as a NIC Journal entry to make the information easier to organize and store.

When sites fill out the form and send it back, all users can then look up how to reach any TIP and find the right one for what they need.