From: IN%"POSTMASTER@EMBL.BITNET" "General PostMaster" 7-FEB-1990 17:25:31.80 To: HARPER@cc.Helsinki.FI CC: Subj: Automatic response to : GET SOFTWARE:BIOBIT.12 Received: from jnet-daemon by cc.Helsinki.FI; Wed, 7 Feb 90 17:24 EET DST Received: From EMBL(NETSERV) by FINUHB with Jnet id 9175 for HARPER@FINUH; Wed, 7 Feb 90 17:24 O Date: Wed, 07 Feb 90 16:07:35 From: EMBL Network File Server Subject: Automatic response to : GET SOFTWARE:BIOBIT.12 To: HARPER@cc.Helsinki.FI Reply-to: General PostMaster Organisation: European Molecular Biology Laboratory Postal-address: Meyerhofstrasse 1, 6900 Heidelberg, W. Germany 1212121212 1212121212 1212121212 1212121212 1212 1212 1212 1212121212 1212 1212 1212 121212121212 12121212 1212121212 12121212 121212121212 12121212 1212 1212 1212 12121212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212121212 1212 1212121212 1212121212 1212 1212 1212121212 1212 1212121212 1212121212 1212 1212 No 12 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% INDEPENDANT NEWSLETTER PRODUCED AT HELSINKI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND << EDITED BY ROBERT HARPER >> %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% LISTSERV at IRLEARN is much more than a programme that distributes mail. It can also function as a file server and a database. This edition of BioBit will look at how you can have an interactive session with LISTSERV to retrieve old messages. The problem that I was faced with was this... I often get requests for back issues of BioBit, and the folks at EMBL decided to make BioBit available on their server. The only trouble was that issues No. 1 and No. 3 were missing... yes things do occasionally disappear over the blue event horizon... so I had to find the old issues from somewhere. I had read about LDBASE on the network but never had the inclination or the opportunity to try it out. So the first thing to do is to get the software that allows me to have an interactive session with LISTSERV. Here is how to get the programmes for CMS and VAX. The database can be accessed either interactively or in "batch" mode. In the former case, you must obtain the LDBASE user interface by sending the following commands to your nearest LISTSERV: o For VM/SP CMS systems: - TELL LISTSERV AT nodeid GET LDBASE EXEC - TELL LISTSERV AT nodeid GET LSVIUCV MODULE The command to start the user interface is simply LDBASE to access your "home" server, or LDBASE nodeid to access the LISTSERV server at nodeid. o For VAX/VMS systems: - SEND LISTSERV@nodeid GET LDBASE COM The command to start the user interface is @LDBASE. This will install the required files in your directory and display more detailed instructions about the program. o Other systems may not presently access the database in interactive mode. I obtained the LDBASE.COM from FINHUTC and executed it to get a small LDB.COM. To create the .EXE files execute the BUILD.COM file (@BUILD). To remove the source files you no longer need use @CLEANUP. Also included are some INFO files. Once you receive the LDBASE on the VAX and run it, it unpacks to give you all the files needed to run the system. For example: $ receive *.* %RECEIVE-S-COPIED, Copied NETDATA file from: LDBASE.COM;1 to: USERDISK1:[HARPER.LDBASE]LDBASE.COM;1 $ dir Directory USERDISK1:[HARPER.LDBASE] LDBASE.COM;1 Total of 1 file. $ @ldbase %TPU-S-FILEIN, 34 lines read from file SYS$INPUT:.; Unpacking BUILD.COM Unpacking CLEANUP.COM Unpacking DBS.FOR Unpacking LDB.COM Unpacking LDB.INFO Unpacking SEND.FOR Unpacking SMG.DEF Unpacking STARTUP.COM Unpacking TRAP.CSTR Unpacking TRAP.FOR Unpacking TRAP.INC Unpacking TRAP.MESS On VMS/VAX you can call up the LDBASE with the command @LDB which then spawns a sub-process. Here is a LDBASE session from the VAX. $ @ldb %DCL-S-SPAWNED, process HARPER_1 spawned ? short help $ to issue dcl commands * for list of databases (LISTSERV 1.5n or later) ^Z to leave and/or switch listservers I was presented with a Server> prompt and asked to fill in the name of the LISTSERV that I wanted to talk to. Since all of the BIOSCI messages are stored at IRLEARN then that is where to look. If you give the "*" command you will be given a list of ALL the databases that can be accessed at IRLEARN. Some of them may be confidential and only open to query by members, and not by the public at large. Server>LISTSERV@irlearn start? [Y]y Once you have answered Y to start the session you can begin to query the database. I knew that some of the BioBit newsletters went into Bionews so lets look there first of all. It is nice that the syntax for search is plain and simple english SEARCH BIOBIT IN $BIONEWS tells LISTSERV to look in the LIST $BIONEWS for the word BIOBIT. (By the way you should note that all the BIOSCI lists have stoped using $ signs and now use + signs...) db>search biobit in $bionews (IRLEARN)LISTSERV Welcome to LISTSERV@IRLEARN - Release 1.5o (FIX15O1), backbone server. CPU model 0580, DASD model 1280. --> Database $BIONEWS, 11 hits. LISTSERV replies by saying telling you its version number (in Europe it is v1.5 while in USA it is v1.6... but that is an entirely different story) and the type of machine it is running on. Within a few seconds it will also report back if there have been any HITS. If you obtain some hits you should then run an INDEX on them to see what they are. It should be noted that even though the hit is recorded in the main body of the text, you are only given the SUBJECT line by LISTSERV. So it is quite important that you give good subject lines that will help others when they want to do searches on the database. Item # 000083 does not have a subject so it is difficult to tell what the content of that message might be. As you can see I did not give a very good title, but since I know that BioBit No 3 dealt with the TRICKLE servers it was quite easy to see that Item # 000061 dealt with that subject. LISTSERV also gives you the date and time when the message was entered, and how big the item is. db>index Item # Date Time Recs Subject ------ ---- ---- ---- ------- 000015 88/10/21 11:22 497 BIOBIT No2 000061 89/01/02 15:37 473 TRICKLE (The RED server) 000079 89/01/19 16:40 59 RED-UG (New list for discussing TRICKLE) 000083 89/01/19 17:09 116 000148 89/03/21 15:12 398 BIOBIT No 4 000149 89/03/21 23:19 35 Re: BIOBIT No 4 000150 89/03/22 13:37 35 Re: BIOBIT No 4 000151 89/03/22 16:46 13 Biobit 000329 89/08/23 18:07 179 BIOBIT No 9 000344 89/09/18 12:15 235 BIOBIT No 10 ( staying alive in the network jungle 000379 89/11/06 14:37 352 BioBit No 11 (Your friendly neighbourhood server) But just as a check you can print out the first twenty lines or so to find out if you have got the right article. The PRINT command should only be used to recover short messages. From experiance if the RECS column in the INDEX is 26 then it is possible to retreive the whole of the message interactively. Anyway you can look at the beginning of it by giving the command PRINT ITEM # db>print 000061 >>> Item number 61, dated 89/01/02 15:37:00 -- ALL ========================================================================= Mon, 2 Jan 89 15:37:00 O TRICKLE (The RED server) 3333333333 333 3333333333 3333333333 333 3333333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333 3333333333333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333333333 333 333 333 333333333 333 333 333333333 333 333 333 333333333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 333 3333333333 333 3333333333 3333333333 333 333 3333333333 333 3333333333 3333333333 333 333 No 3 db> Output too long for interactive mode, use the SENDback command. So now I have the proof that item 000061 is the message that I want to retrieve. LISTSERV is not all that happy that I tried to print the item interactively and politely informs me that I should use the SENDBACK command to retrieve item 000061. The RECS in the INDEX for ITME 000061 was 473... so I should have known better not to try and PRINT it. The proper way to retrieve a large item is to simply adding SENDBACK in front of the PRINT command. db>sendback print 000061 * File "DATABASE OUTPUT" has been sent to you in Netdata format. And within a couple of seconds LISTSERV tells you that a file has been sent to you, and depending on the network traffic you can get the file within half an hour or so. I repeated the process and found that BioBit No 1 was entered into the $BIOTECH list... in duplicate... seems we had mailing loops back in 1988, and recovered it by the same procedures. Once the files arrived in Helsinki I then posted them to EMBL so if anybody wants back issues of BioBit they can get them from there by mailing the server at NETSERV@EMBL. While I was writing this edition of BioBit it struck me that you could do literature searches on the BIO+JRNL list, and I had the idea that this database function of LISTSERV could be used to set up a database for "BIONAUTS" (biologists who know their way about the network and who want to share their skills and expertise with others... or for anyone who reads the BIOSCI Bboards). No-one ever uses NAMESERV... so something aimed specifically at bio/computing users might be appropriate and timely. A "BIONAUTS" database would provide a convenient "Who's Who" :-) And it would be a confidential list so only those subscribed to it could get information out of it. People do get paranoid about the information in databases:-) Way back in the days of SEQNET someone from Cambridge began to collect information on scientists who were using the networks. I do not know if this database still exists or if the information in it was ever made public, however the idea was very simple. Namely any scientist could volunteer information about himself, concerning his ID@NODE, NAME and ADDRESS, PHONE, FAX, and TELEX NUMBERS, PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, ADVISE ON, CAREER etc... if I remember correctly there was quite a good response from the SEQNET community. Well lets say a BIONAUTS list existed to which anyone on BITNET/EARN could SUBSCRIBE. The database could then be used as a knowledge pool of information... a SEARCH CALIFORNIA in BIONAUTS would find network contacts in California. This way you could perhaps find someone in your backyard who could help you on some particular matter, rather that E-mailing someone on the other side of the world. Anyway I would like to know if there is any real interest in setting up a BIONAUTS list, and what people would want for the different database fields. If there is sufficient interest I will see what I can do about setting up a list. If you have any opinions on the matter then please feel free to express your ideas here in BIONEWS, and if you want to indicate that you would like to see a BIONAUTS list established then drop me a note to HARPER@FINFUN simply saying YES for BIONAUTS in the subject line. If I get enough votes then I will definately do something about it. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% -=ROB=- %% Robert Harper %% HARPER@FINFUN %% HARPER@CC.HELSINKI.FI %% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%