Xref: utzoo bionet.molbio.genbank:71 news.software.nntp:455
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!uvm-gen!cavrak
From: cavrak@uvm-gen.UUCP (Steve Cavrak,Waterman 113,656-1483,)
Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.genbank,news.software.nntp
Subject: Re: Distributing GenBank over the Internet
Message-ID: <1364@uvm-gen.UUCP>
Date: 10 Dec 89 16:47:44 GMT
References: <1989Dec7.213027.8591@phri.nyu.edu>
Sender: nobody@uvm-gen.UUCP
Organization: EMBA Computer Facility, Univ. of Vermont, Burlington.
Lines: 51

From article <1989Dec7.213027.8591@phri.nyu.edu>, by roy@phri.nyu.edu
(Roy Smith, of the Public Health Research Institute):

> 	Would it be possible to get rid of all this magtape and distribute
> GenBank over the Internet?  One possibility is being able to ftp the tar
> files.  Another more interesting possibility is using NNTP, or something
> like it.  Make each locus into a netnews article.  Multiple links would
> ensure connectivity in the case of some machine being down and NNTP's
> IHAVE/SENDME processing would eliminate duplicates.  People could even
> subscribe to just those parts of the database they are interested in by
> just getting, for example, bionet.database.gb.bacterial.staph, or whatever.
> Keep in mind that usenet has progressed from magtape to NNTP for data
> transport, why shouldn't the genetic databases follow suit?
> -- 

Generally this is a good idea and makes a lot of sense --- especially
if the database could be broken up to small pieces.  The thought of
redistributing ALL of the database 4 times a year to ALL of the
subscribers should cause someones teeth to grind, however.  

The suggestion to distribute information per demand makes more sense
interms of lowering the network traffic, but then how would the
individual user know her copy of a database were "up to date"?  The
"news" model would almost be essential to this point.

Taking the sugestion one step further, why "distribute" the database at
all ?  Why not pursue a "server" model where queries against the
database could be directed to one (or several) "database servers".  

The other alternative is to just publish the database on CD-ROM and
distribute it that way.  

Dave Hill, the instructor of a networking course I took a few years
back, pointed out that the bandwidth of a 747 loaded with floppy disks,
was nothing to yawn at. Somewhere along the line, the 747 may be more
economical than a network; and that in our environment these costs
may change daily.  

Just where the crossover point is today might be very interesting to
calculate.   Just how many installations out there receive copies of
the data ?

Steve

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 |*     |                                       CSNET :  cavrak@uvm
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