Working Paper GUIDE TO THE TYMNET/TELENET COMPUTER NETWORK FOR IIASA USERS I. Sebestyen May 1980 WP-80-78 International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis A-2361 Laxenburg,Austria NOT FOR QUOTATION WITHOUT PZR?IISSION OF THE AUTHOR GUIDE TO THE TYMNET/TELENET COMPUTER NETWORK FOR IIASA USERS I. Sebestyen May 1980 WP-80-78 Workir.g Fc~ersare interim reports on work of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and have received only limited review. Views or opinions expressed herein do not necessarily repre- sent those of the Institute or of its National Member Organizations. INTERNATIOSAL INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED SYSTEYS ANALYSIS A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria SUMMARY IIASA's computing power is basically built upon two main sources. The first, and obviously most important, of these sources for all IIASA users is the internal computer resource of the Institute based mainly on the PDP 11/70, which is run on the UNIX operating system of Bell Labs. The second major source of satisfying IIASA's user demand is based on external computer resources, such as the large IBM computers at CNUCE in Pisa, the CDC-CYBER 74 of the Technical University, Vienna, and the IBM computers with INIS/AGRIS data bases at the IAEA. At present, perhaps as the most frequently used external com- puter power, the TYMNET/TELENET network can be regarded as an external source of utmost importance. The purpose of this "TYMNET/TELENET Computer Network User Guide for IIASA Users" is to introduce the TYMNET/TELENET network to the users, to list those hosts (computers) which can provide services to IIASA users, and to give an overview of the databases and application programs accessible through the network. A short chapter of a more technical nature will explain to IIASA users how to work on the TYMNET/TELENET network. Chapter 2 of the "User Guide" provides information on the necessary adminis- trative steps to be taken in order to utilize TYMNET/TELENET services. The main purpose of this paper is to provide IIASA users with as much useful information on the TYMNET/TELENET networks and their services as possible. The most up-to-date information from various sources with a slightly different style and format has been compiled in this booklet. To save time and labor, many pages of this guide have simply been copied from their original source with few changes. For this reason, this guide should be regarded only as an internal Working Paper. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 What are TYMNET and TELENET 1 1.2 Introduction to the Austrian TYMNET/TELENET node "Radio Austria" 3 2. HOW TO USE TYMNET/TELENET 6 2.1 Organizational and legal arrangements to be made 6 2.2 How to build up a connection with the TYMNXT/ TELENET network 7 2.2.1 Connection through the IIASA-Radio Austria leased line 10 2.2.2 Connection through dial-up lines 11 2.2.3 Connection through Radio Austria's telex port 11 2.3 TYMNET sign-on procedure and network messages 12 2.4 TELENET sign-on procedure and network messages 17 3. PUBLICLY AVAILABLE COMPUTER CENTERS (HOSTS) ON TYMNET/TELENET 24 3.1 Abbreviations of TELENET host names 24 3.2 Abbreviations of TYMNET host names 26 3.3 List of TYMNET hosts publicly available 27 3.4 List of TELENET hosts publicly available 37 4. LIST OF USER SERVICE ACTIVITIES ON TYMNET/TELENET 57 4.1 List of databases on TYMNET/TELENET 57 4.2 List of application-oriented services available through TYMNET 87 4.3 List of application-oriented services available through TELENET 93 5. TYMNET/TELENET COMMUNICATION CHARGES FOR INFORMATION ON TYMNET/TELENET INTERNATIONAL ACCESS POINTS 96 REFERENCES 117 GUIDE TO THE TYXNET/TELENET COMPUTER NETWORK FOR IIASA USERS I. Sebestyen INTRODUCTION 1.1 What are TYMNET and TELENET [l] The mid-seventies spawned a new type of data communications service based on technological concepts that are called packet- switching. While there has often been debate over exactly what does or does not meet the purist's definition of packet-switching, the message transmission technologies developed by the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) and by TYMSHARE, Inc., a remote-computing services company, are concep- tually similar in design and serve the same basic communications need. They both package data picked up from transmitting terminal devices into synchronous packets which are then moved to their destination through a network of communications circuits and minicomputer nodes. These nodes provide the intelligence to ensure, among other things, virtually error-free transmission, alternate routing around facility outages, and transparency between sending and receiving devices. The technical details of how this is accomplished differ between the ARPA and TYMSPARE sources of technology, and the respective merits of each are often debated. Two significant public networks have evolved. One is oper- ated by TYMNET Inc., a common-carrier subsidiary of TYMSHARE, created in 1976 after four years of operating the TYXNET network on a joint-use basis. The second network is operated by TELENET, a company founded by the principal AXPA packet-switching researchers and recently acquired by General Telephone and Electronics. The TELENET network operated nearly four years as an independent companv. TYMNET today provides local access to terminals in some 175 US metropolitan areas and TELENET to approximately 100. Together they carry data traffic to and from over 400 computers belonging to their subscribers, and tens of thousands of terminals belonging to the users of those computers. TYMNET carries more than a half-billion characters daily through more than 450 network nodes and nearly 125,000 miles of leased communications circuits. At peak loads, TYMNET has approxi- mately 5,000 active circuit terminations. The success of these networks and their basic technologies has spread around the world. Telephone administrations in several countries have or are constructing their own networks. In addition, the US International Record Carriers (IRCs), ITT Worldcom, Western Union International, RCA Globcom and TRT Communications, have. spread the technology to over twenty foreign nations. The IRCs have installed the technology in US gateways and, working together with foreign Postal Telephone and Telegraph (FTT) administrations, have installed packet- switching gateway nodes in the respective foreign countries. The IRCs have accomplished this by purchasing the technology and equipment for the US gateways from TYMNET and TELENET and, under joint arrangements with the PTTs, nodes have been placed in countries outside the US. The international traffic carried today on these networks originates predominantly from terminals located in foreign countries, and this traffic is destined for US computers con- nected to TYMNET and TELENET. The foreign terminal user con- tacts the PTT node which, in turn, establishes contact through the IRC gateways to the TYMNET or TELENET network. These net- works complete the access to the US computer as prescribed by the originating terminal user. The communications facilities provide terminal access for users of US data-base and infor- mation-services companies and also for the foreign-based oper- ations of companies with central computer operations in the US. Recently, the reverse process has begun with US terminals con- tacting foreign computers. ESA/IRS in Frascati, for example, recently became a host on TYMNET/TELENET serving non-European users. The international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna established the first Austrian host connection in late 1979 and IIASA's host connection to TYMNET/TELENET is also in the process of implementation; The countries currently operating TYMNET technology nodes and providing these services are as follows: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spaln, Sweden, and Switzerland, plus the non-continental US states of Alaska and Hawaii. Access from England originates similarly on TELENET equipment installed by the British Post Office. Prices are set by the PTT of each respective country. With few exceptions, all terminals operate at 300 baud or less. A typical application, using a 300-baud terminal, will result in charges from as low as $25 per terminal hour to as much as $65 or $70 per hour, depending on the country. Arrangements for foreign access are made by the foreign user with the PTT in his country. Of course, arrangements for access to a specific computer must be made independently with the operator of this computer. International installations of these gateway services began in early 1977 with the installation of standard TYMNET nodal tech- nology. This is still continuing in some European countries, in South America and in some Asian countries. Until a few years ago, these packet-switching networks were unknown technological curiosities, even in the most developed countries. Today TYMNET and TELENET are commonplace in the US data communications environment and they have catalyzed the development of facilities around the world which rapidly shrink the time and cost of sharing and disseminating information. Nor are TYMNET and TELENET the only computer networks in existence. In Western Europe, both national and international computer net- works such as TRANSPACK and EURONET have been developed. Computer networks are also being developed in the East European countries. 1.2 Introduction to the Austrian TYMNET/TELENET node "Radio Austria" Radio Austria A.G., a company owned by the State of Austria, working in close cooperation with and having the approval of the Austrian Post- and Telegraph Administration, started a data trans- mission service to the USA in 1978 by providing access to the data networks of TYMNET and TELENET. This service is offered not only to Austrian customers but also to all interested parties in other countries.