NICNAME/WHOIS
A simple query-and-reply service for looking up ARPANET users
Harrenstien, K. and V. White, "NICNAME/WHOIS", RFC 812, DOI 10.17487/RFC0812, March 1982, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc812>.
@misc{rfc812,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 812,
howpublished = {RFC 812},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC0812},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc812},
author = {K. Harrenstien and V. White},
title = {{NICNAME/WHOIS}},
pagetotal = 2,
year = 1982,
month = mar,
} RFC text
Contents
Ken Harrenstien RFC-812
Vic White 1 March 1982
Network Information Center
SRI International
NICNAME/WHOIS
INTRODUCTION
The NICNAME/WHOIS Server is an NCP/TCP transaction based
query/response server, running on the SRI-NIC machine, that
provides netwide directory service to ARPANET users. It is
one of a series of ARPANET/Internet name services maintained
by the Network Information Center (NIC) at SRI International
on behalf of the Defense Communications Agency (DCA). The
server is accessible across the ARPANET from user programs
running on local hosts, and it delivers the full name, U.S.
mailing address, telephone number, and network mailbox for
ARPANET users.
This server, together with the corresponding Identification
Data Base provides online directory look-up equivalent to the
ARPANET Directory. DCA strongly encourages network hosts to
provide their users with access to this network service.
WHO SHOULD BE IN THE DATA BASE
DCA requests that each individual with a directory on an
ARPANET host, who is capable of passing traffic across the
ARPANET, be registered in the NIC Identification Data Base.
To register, send full name, middle initial, U.S. mailing
address (including mail stop and full explanation of
abbreviations and acronyms), ZIP code, telephone (including
Autovon and FTS, if available), and one network mailbox, via
electronic mail to NIC@SRI-NIC.
PROTOCOL
The NICNAME protocol is similar to the NAME/FINGER protocol
(RFC 742). To access the server:
Connect to the service host (SRI-NIC)
TCP: service port 43 decimal
NCP: ICP to socket 43 decimal, establishing two 8-bit
connections
Send a single "command line", ending with <CRLF>.
Receive information in response to the command line. The
server closes its connections as soon as the output is
finished.
NICNAME/WHOIS
EXISTING USER PROGRAMS
NICNAME has been chosen as the global name for the user
program, although some sites may choose to use the more
familiar name of "WHOIS". There are versions of NICNAME for
Tenex, Tops-20, and Unix. The Tenex and Tops-20 programs are
written in assembly language (FAIL/MACRO), and the Unix
version is written in C. They are easy to invoke, taking one
argument which is passed directly to the NICNAME server at
SRI-NIC. Normally it is best to use the NIC-supplied
programs, if possible, since the protocol will continue to
evolve. Contact NIC@SRI-NIC for copies.
COMMAND LINES AND REPLIES
A command line is normally a single name specification. The
easiest way to obtain the most recent documentation on name
specifications is to give the server a command line consisting
of "?<CRLF>" (that is, a question-mark alone as the name
specification). The response from the NICNAME server will
list all possible formats that can be used.
The responses are not currently intended to be
machine-readable; the information is meant to be passed back
directly to a human user. The following three examples will
illustrate the use of NICNAME.
Command line: ?
Response:
Please enter a name or a handle ("ident"), such as "Smith"
or "SRI-NIC". Starting with a period forces a name-only
search;
starting with exclamation point forces handle-only. Examples:
Smith [looks for name or handle SMITH ]
!SRI-NIC [looks for handle SRI-NIC only ]
.Smith, John [looks for name JOHN SMITH only ]
Adding "..." to the argument will match anything from that
point,
e.g. "ZU..." will match ZUL, ZUM, etc.
To have the ENTIRE membership list of a group or
organization,
if you are asking about a group or org, shown with the record,
use
an asterisk character "*" directly preceding the given
argument.
[CAUTION: If there are a lot of members this will take a long
time!]
You may of course use exclamation point and asterisk, or a
period
and asterisk together.
NICNAME/WHOIS
Command line: dyer
Response:
Dyer, David A. (DAD2) DDYER@USC-ISIB (213) 822-1511
Dyer, Fred S. (FSD) Dyer@RADC-MULTICS (315) 330-7275
Dyer, Mary K. (MARY) DYER@SRI-NIC (415) 859-4775
Dyer, William R. (WRD) WRDyer@RADC-MULTICS (315) 330-7791
Command line: mary
Response:
Dyer, Mary K. (MARY) DYER@SRI-NIC
SRI International
Network Information Center
Telecommunications Sciences Center
333 Ravenswood Avenue
Menlo Park, California 94025
Phone: (415) 859-4775
ISO Plain Language
On this page
§1The Network Directory
The NICNAME/WHOIS server runs on SRI-NIC and provides directory lookups to ARPANET users. Together with the Identification Data Base, it provides an online lookup equivalent to the ARPANET Directory.
The server returns a user's full name, U.S. mailing address, telephone number and network mailbox. The RFC says the Defense Communications Agency strongly encourages hosts to make the service available to users.
The service answers requests for a person's name and contact details. Its records are intended to help ARPANET users find one another.
§2Sending a Lookup
A client connects to SRI-NIC using TCP service port 43, or uses the NCP connection procedure described in the RFC. It sends one command line ending with carriage return and line feed, then receives the response. The server closes the connection when it has finished sending output.
The command is normally one name specification. A single question mark asks the server to list the accepted formats. A leading period requests a name-only search, a leading exclamation point requests a handle-only search, and an asterisk before a group argument requests its full membership list.
Send one search line to the server and wait for its reply. You can add a starting mark to search only names or only handles, and the server closes the connection after answering.
§3Replies for Human Readers
The RFC says replies are not intended to be machine-readable. A client passes the server's text directly to a human user. The examples show a broad search returning several people with the same surname and a more specific search returning a full record.
The document names NICNAME as the global name for the user program, while noting that some sites use the familiar name WHOIS. It recommends NIC-supplied programs because the protocol is expected to evolve.
The answer is ordinary text for a person to read, not a structured result for another program. A search can return several matching names or a fuller directory entry.