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From: WGRCU@CUNYVM.BITNET
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Subject: Re: Gateway to VNET wanted
Message-ID: <42WGRCU@CUNYVM>
Date: Wed, 13-Aug-86 13:46:42 EDT
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Posted: Wed Aug 13 13:46:42 1986
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I hope no one minds if I interject a bit of fact into this conversation.
The virtual circuit is *not* obsolete. It may be true that research has
their own gateway into BITNET (via Watson in Yorktown), but that is a
limited gateway with a very limited set of available nodes. The
"official" VNET/BITNET gateway, located here at CUNY (on BITNIC) and at
the IBM Cambridge (Ma) Scientific Center provides for a more complete set
of nodes on the VNET side. While it is true that only a small handful are
available at this moment, plans are being made to open the gateway to
more VNET nodes in the not too distant future. Note also that the
Cambridge gateway supports commands to see if the user is logged on; the
Watson gateway bounces commands from BITNET (although we allow commands
in from VNET).
     
The way the gateway works is as such: the VNET node must be enabled on
the gateway. Then, the IBMer, with proper written approval, opens a
circuit to the BITNET user. The BITNET user is notified via e-mail and
must issue a command to complete it. Each circuit has an expiration date.
The current maximum length of the circuit is 1 year, after which time it
may be extended. The circuit may be limited so only files may be sent,
but not messages, or vice versa, although to the best of my knowledge,
we've never had a circuit opened with either of those options set. The
BITNET user can only further restrict the circuit - he may never make it
less restrictive.
     
As for who can get a circuit, the current rule is that the requestor must
have some real IBM official purpose for it, such as a joint study with a
university or ACIS type work (that's IBM's academic information systems
group). Access to your local IBM rep or the guy at level 2 or your next
door neighbor is not allowed as a result of these restrictions. Some of
this may change when the gateway is opened to more nodes.
     
I was not involved in the gateway when it was first designed, but it is
my understanding that it was the BITNET people who put such major
restrictions on uses of the gateway, because no one wanted it to appear
in any way that BITNET was being used for commercial purposes. Clearly it
was IBM who insisted that the circuits be initiated by the IBMer rather
than the BITNETer. The other restriction is that all mail going thru the
gateway must originate in VNET and terminate in BITNET. This means no
ARPA-VNET connections with BITNET as a go-between. This restriction is
quite permanent, because the gateway was written around the assumption
that the BITNET side would always be a BITNET address.
     
I will be pleased to answer questions anyone may have. Send mail to
me directly on BITNET.
     
Bill Rubin
VNET/BITNET Gateway Adminstrator for the BITNET side (phew!)
City University of New York
BITNET: wgrcu@cunyvm (use your favorite gateway)