Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!fair
From: fair@Apple.COM (Erik E. Fair)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: DDN Database
Message-ID: <51496@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 13 Apr 91 23:00:20 GMT
References: <00946FB3.AF8A90A0@vms.csd.mu.edu>
Organization: USENET Protocol Police, Western Gateway Division
Lines: 21

In the referenced article, 8156boydk@vms.csd.mu.edu writes:

	Two recent posters have mentioned looking up addresses in an
	NIC(Network Information Center) or DDN(Defense Data Network)
	database...  Can someone explain how this is done?  I assume
	this is something similiar to NIC.DDN.MIL, but I am not aware
	of any "general" Internet NIC database.

If you have a UNIX derived TCP/IP implementation, there might be a
program on your system called "whois". Invoke this with some random
argument and see what you get. This program gets to the NIC WHOIS
database on NIC.DDN.MIL (although many older copies of the program
have "sri-nic.arpa" wired into them).

Alternatively,

	telnet nic.ddn.mil

and at the "@" prompt, type "whois." Hit "?" at any prompt for help.

	Erik E. Fair	apple!fair	fair@apple.com