Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!novavax!twwells!comparc
From: comparc@twwells.uucp (comp.archives)
Newsgroups: comp.archives
Subject: Accessing the comp.archives database
Message-ID: <819@twwells.uucp>
Date: 5 Apr 89 09:23:58 GMT
Reply-To: comparc@twwells.UUCP (comp.archives)
Organization: None, Ft. Lauderdale
Lines: 108
Approved: bill@twwells.uucp (T. William Wells)

The comp.archives database server is a rather stupid set of shell
scripts to let you use e-mail to get information from the
comp.archive database. At this time, all that is available are the
archive site database, some informational messages, and some of the
software I use for comp.archives.

What you do is to send a message to

	comp-archives-server@twwells.uucp

The subject of the message is ignored; all commands go in the body of
the message.  The commands it recognizes are:

path path-to-you

	You *must* include a path line somewhere in the message
	because the shell script will e-mail the response to that
	address.  I run a smart mailer here with a complete set of
	maps, so if you are in the maps and trust the route from here
	to there, you can just put user@site for the path.

	For example, if you want the server response to go to user foo
	at address baz, and if baz is in the mail maps, your path line
	would look like:

		path foo@baz

	If baz isn't in the maps, or if you know that mail to you that
	relies on the maps is unreliable, you can make it something
	like:

		path well-known-site!site2!...!baz!foo

	I am directly connected to uunet, so that is a good site to
	start from. If you know a reliable route from my site, you can
	include the whole path (excluding twwells) and the server will
	follow that.

	Avoid using paths that contain a percent sign (%); these tend
	to be misinterpreted by many mailers.

send help

	Send the latest version of this message.

send sitereg

	Send a form you can fill out to register your archive.  You
	fill out the form and send it to

		comp-archives-request@twwells.uucp

send format

	Send a description of the comp.archives database entry format.
	Warning, it's about 13K.

send index

	Send an index of the comp.archives database.  The index has
	entries of the form:

		<site name> -- <access> -- <title>
		<keywords>
		...

	When requesting information about a site, use <site name> in
	a "send site" command.

send db.perl.shar

	There is a perl script to automatically extract the archive
	info from the DB: postings. This will get you that perl
	script.

send db.serv.shar

	The server is a set of very simple shell scripts. If you are
	curious, you can get them with this command. Warning: they
	have no documentation; you get to figure them out yourself.
	On the other hand, it's only about a hundred lines.

send site site-name

	Send information about a specific site. You will receive both
	the database entry and the informational posting that went
	with it, if there was one.

quit

	Cause any data after this line to be ignored.  Useful if your
	mailer appends a signature to your message.

This server is entirely automatic and does not try to resend failed
mail, nor do I pay any attention to failed mail.  If you don't get a
reply after a reasonable time, or get a bad reply, send mail to

	comp-archives-request@twwells.uucp

and tell me what the problem is. Server requests to this address will
be summarily ignored.

---
Bill
{ uunet | novavax } !twwells!bill

send comp.archives postings to twwells!comp-archives
send comp.archives related mail to twwells!comp-archives-request