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RFC 421 UNKNOWN META · SUPPORT

Software Consulting Service for Network Users

A help desk for people learning to use the early network

On rfc-editor.org ↗
PUBLISHED
November 1972
AUTHORS
A.M. McKenzie
STREAM
Legacy
NCC PHONE NUMBER
(617) 611-0100
AVAILABLE HOURS
9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time, weekdays
DOI
10.17487/RFC0421

RFC text

Original text · RFC Editor View on rfc-editor.org ↗ 
NETWORK WORKING GROUP                           Alexander McKenzie(BBN)
Request For Comments #421                       27-NOV-72
NIC #12897

            A SOFTWARE CONSULTING SERVICE FOR NETWORK USERS

     As actual or attempted Network use has grown, it has become
increasingly apparent that users with real problems to solve are not
afforded the kinds of software assistance and consulting services
normally provided by computer service facilities. Two mechanisms which
were designed to help fill the void in the past are the Resources
Notebook and the designation of Techincal Liaisons. Unfortunately, the
Resources Notebook tends to have a long undate cycle, and Technical
Liaisons are frequently systems programmers who may work at odd hours
and are sometimes impatient with the questions of naive users.

     In an attempt to deal with this problem in a more satisfactory way,
BBN recently aided a "software consultant", Nancy Neigus, to the
Networtk Control Center staff. Nancy has extensive software experience
on a number of systems, and has spent the last few months familiarizing
with server systems and subsystems via the network.

     This consulting service is experimental in nature, and as such its
limits, even its continued existance, will be influenced by the
expressed needs of the user community. Altough the primary goal is for
Nancy to provide assistan ce in using existing resources, we do not
(currently) exclude the possibility of her participation in such
projects as the checkout of protocol implementations and resolution of
any discovered conflicts. In some cases, it may turn out that successful
network operation of a subsystem requires changes to Host software; we
will attempt to act as a repository and dispatch point of reported
difficulties of its kind.

        Nancy can be contacted via the Network Control Center
telephone:
        (617) 611-0100
Collect calls will be accepted. She will normally be available between
9am and 5pm (Eastern Time) weekdays, but the NCC has round-the-clock
operator coverage and the operators will take messages for her at
other times. Online messages may also be left at the NIC for "NJN",
or, for TIP users, vis the "Gripe" service (see TIP news).

        Please inform users at your site of the this software
consulting service, and encourage them to try it.

       [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
       [ into the online RFC archives by Chakravarthy Paila 4/97]

AI ELI5

On this page
PROBLEMUsers with real problems to solve lacked good software support; the Resources Notebook updated too slowly, and Technical Liaisons were often busy systems programmers working odd hours.
MECHANISMBBN hired Nancy Neigus as a software consultant with expertise in network systems and subsystems. She would be available weekdays 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time to help users with their network problems.
FIRST NETWORK HELP DESKThe software consulting service became a channel for users to get patient help with network issues, and it also could help debug protocol implementations and dispatch problems to relevant systems.

§1The Problem

As network use grew, it became clear that users with real problems needed software assistance and consulting services. Two existing mechanisms had fallen short: the Resources Notebook was too slow to update, and Technical Liaisons were usually systems programmers who worked odd hours and were impatient with naive users' questions.

When people wanted help using the network, the documentation was out of date and the expert programmers were too busy or grumpy.

§2The Software Consultant

To solve this problem, BBN hired Nancy Neigus as a software consultant for the Network Control Center. Nancy had extensive experience with network systems and subsystems, having spent months learning about them over the network. This consulting service was experimental in nature, meaning its scope and continued existence would depend on how useful it proved to the user community.

BBN hired Nancy, a friendly person who knows how networks work, to help users figure out their problems.

§3What Nancy Could Help With

The primary goal was for Nancy to provide assistance in using existing network resources. The service also could help with checkout of protocol implementations and resolution of conflicts between systems. In some cases, if network operation required changes to host software, Nancy and BBN could act as a repository and dispatch point for reported problems.

Nancy can help you use the network, test new protocols, and report bugs to the right place.

§4How to Reach Nancy

Nancy was available on weekdays between 9 AM and 5 PM Eastern Time. Users could reach her by phone through the Network Control Center at (617) 611-0100 (collect calls accepted) or leave messages online at the NIC for 'NJN'. TIP users could also use the Gripe service. The NCC had round-the-clock operator coverage and would take messages for Nancy at other times.

You can call or leave a message to reach Nancy during business hours, and other times someone will take a message for her.