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+
+Network Working Group R. Watson
+Request for Comments: 115 J. North
+NIC 5822 Stanford Research Institute (ARC)
+ 16 April 1971
+
+ SOME NETWORK INFORMATION CENTER POLICIES ON HANDLING DOCUMENTS
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+ The Network Information Center (NIC) seeks to facilitate the flow of
+ information between sites on the Network and to and from other
+ stations whose work makes them valuable as participants in the
+ Network dialog. The NIC is concerned both with the techniques for
+ the flow and with optimizing the content of the information itself.
+ Some aspects of the work of the NIC in support of information flow
+ are described here, and some suggestions made to Network participants
+ of ways they can help this work.
+
+ All information handled by the NIC is available to any Network
+ participant. All information generated by the NIC is unclassified
+ and is without distribution limitation except as dictated by staff
+ and budget size. Any information sent by an originating party to the
+ NIC for recording or distribution is presumed to be unclassified and
+ without distribution limitations as well. Any statement carried by a
+ document thus submitted which seems to imply a limitation on
+ distribution, quotation, or citation is presumed not to apply to its
+ handling by the Network Information Center.
+
+NIC NUMBER
+
+ One important function of the Network Information Center is to make
+ records of the existence of RFC's, formal NIC-related manuals and
+ reports, Network memos, other Network informational items, and other
+ informational items of interest to Network participants, and to index
+ these records so that such items can be recalled when needed.
+
+ To tag the informational items a serial number is assigned by NIC.
+ The serial number has no intrinsic meaning, not even necessarily an
+ indication of sequence of issue. It is a unique identifier and can
+ be used to refer to the item in further communications, to facilitate
+ indexing, and to allow numeric filing of documents.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 1]
+
+RFC 115 Policies on Handling Documents 16 April 1971
+
+
+ Use of the NIC number has advantages in online dialog which are not
+ yet demonstrable around the Network, but the cooperation of Network
+ participants in applying one when a document is originated is
+ important.
+
+THE NIC CATALOG
+
+ Items of information relevant to the Network appear in many forms,
+ including technical reports, RFC's, brief network memos, journal
+ articles, and letters. Reference to these is simplified by
+ assignment of a NIC number to each. To record the item to which the
+ NIC number refers, a description of each item, using a set of
+ standard data elements, i.e, author, title, etc., is coded and
+ entered as an online system (NLS) statement into a machine file.
+
+ An example of a statement with typical coded data elements:
+
+ (A5480) *a1 James E. White #2 org *b2 University of California
+ at Santa Barbara #3 Computer Research Laboratory #5 Santa
+ Barbara, California *c1 An NCP for the ARPA Network #6 142p.
+ *d1 21 December 1970 *f1 r *f2 o *rl UCSB CRL 12 *31 ARPA #6 AF
+ 19628-70-0-0314 *w2 3-11-71 *y1 Describes program designed and
+ implemented at Santa Barbara node of ARPA Network, written in
+ assembly language and implemented on 360/75. Discusses
+ interface with hardware, software, and operator. *y3 Host-
+ Interface protocol; Host-IMP protocol; User-NCP protocol;
+ Host-Host protocol; Host-IMP messages, IMP-Host messages *z1
+ all *z2 NIC *z3 new *
+
+ The group of files at ARC containing these statements of data about
+ NIC items and other informational items is the Master Catalog. The
+ term NIC Catalog refers to the machine file created by collecting the
+ statements coded *z2 NIC in the Master Catalog.
+
+ The data element *z1 indicates which Stations hold a copy of an item;
+ not all items related to NIC are sent to Stations, and in the future
+ it is expected that Stations will submit many documents to NIC for
+ cataloging which are not held by other Stations.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 2]
+
+RFC 115 Policies on Handling Documents 16 April 1971
+
+
+NIC CATALOG LISTINGS AND INDEXES
+
+ Programs have been written at ARC to collect, sort, analyze and
+ format the statements and the data elements in the statements to
+ produce catalogs and indexes such as those in the Current Catalog of
+ the NIC Collection, NIC (5145,).
+
+ The Current Catalog of the NIC Collection is a functional document,
+ as explained in Branch 3 below. It has as its contents, at any time,
+ the current issue of a bibliography of items from the NIC Catalog,
+ called a NIC Catalog Listing, and author and keyword indexes.
+
+ Examples of entries in the Catalog Listing and in indexes are shown,
+ using the statement above:
+
+ Catalog Listing by Author:
+
+ An NCP for the ARPA Network
+
+ James E. White (University of 5480 White
+ California at Santa Barbara)
+
+ 21 December 1970
+
+ Describes program designed and
+ implemented at node of ARPA Network,
+ written in assembly language and
+ implemented on 360/75.
+ Discusses interface with hardware,
+ software, and operator.
+
+ Catalog Listing by NIC number:
+
+ An NCP for the ARPA Network 5480
+
+ James E. White (University of
+ California at Santa Barbara)
+
+ 21 December 1970
+
+ Describes program designed and implemented
+ at node of ARPA Network, written in
+ assembly language and implemented on
+ 360/75. Discusses interface with
+ hardware, software, and operator.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 3]
+
+RFC 115 Policies on Handling Documents 16 April 1971
+
+
+ Author Index:
+
+ Subject: Education Status, memo to 5456 Westlund
+ An NCP for the ARPA Network 5480 White
+ NWG/RFC 78 (NCP Status Report 5199 White
+
+ Titleworld Index:
+
+ Natural Communication with Computers 5639 Natural
+ An NCP for the ARPA Network 5480 Network
+ Proposal for a Network Interchange 4752 Network
+
+ A NIC Catalog Listing will indicate those items held in the Station
+ Collections either by a separate listing or by a notation with each
+ reference. A number catalog or index serves as a shelf list of
+ documents held by a Station. The indexes are not limited to the
+ Station Collections but lead to the entire Catalog.
+
+DATA ELEMENTS
+
+ The data elements for information items include the author, title,
+ addressee, date, other numbers, keywords, and abstract. When these
+ elements do not exist in the item, they are supplied by a NIC
+ cataloger if possible. In online communication around the Network,
+ "online dialog", several of these elements of data will be recorded
+ automatically. Lacking online recording, it is important that
+ originators of reports, memos, and other such items be diligent in
+ including these data in their transmissions.
+
+ For memos, essential data elements which the originator
+ should supply are:.
+
+ author(s)
+ address(es) of author(s)
+ addressee(s)
+ address(es) of addressee(s)
+ date of origination
+ subject of memo
+
+ A preassigned NIC number is desirable. A number for
+ assignment can presently be obtained by calling NIC, and
+ soon will be obtainable online.
+
+ The addressees of a memo can of course be a group, such
+ as the Network Working Group, or the Glitch Cleaning
+ Committee, in which case the NIC needs a list or
+ reference to a list of the people in the group.
+
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 4]
+
+RFC 115 Policies on Handling Documents 16 April 1971
+
+
+ For reports and other formal documents, essential data
+ elements are:
+
+ author(s)
+ addresses of author(s)
+ title
+ date
+ abstract
+ keywords
+
+ A short abstract, 150 to 200 words, giving some of the
+ substance of the document is of importance in the NIC
+ record and even for the person about to read the
+ document. Obviously, a well-written author abstract is
+ preferable to one produced by the NIC staff.
+
+ Keywords supplied by the author, preferably those from a
+ standard thesaurus, will be used in machine retrieval.
+ When such author-assigned keywords are lacking, the NIC
+ will supply some. Recommended sources for keywords are:
+
+ Categories identified by Peggy Karp, Categorization
+ and Guide to NWG/RFC's. NIC 5819.
+
+ American National Standard Vocabulary for Information
+ Processing, ANSI X3.12-1970. NIC 5827.
+
+ Department of Defense, Thesaurus of Engineering and
+ Scientific Terms, 1967, AD 672 000. NIC 5829.
+
+ NASA Thesaurus, December 1967. NASA SP-7030. NIC
+ 5828.
+
+ When a document being issued supercedes an earlier
+ document, this information is particularly important, and
+ should be supplied by the author.
+
+SUBCOLLECTIONS
+
+ Groups of documents, such as the NWG/RFC's and the replies to Sher's
+ survey, as well as the Station Collections, are cataloged by NIC as
+ subcollections. That is, they are retrievable as a subset of the NIC
+ Catalog, which in turn is a subset of a Master Catalog at ARC. The
+ capability of making subcollections is provided for Network
+ participants.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 5]
+
+RFC 115 Policies on Handling Documents 16 April 1971
+
+
+ To create a subcollection in the NIC records, a Network
+ participant will be able to indicate to NIC the records he wishes
+ to have so grouped, and this information will be entered in the
+ Master Catalog statement for the document, for later retrieval.
+
+FUNCTIONAL DOCUMENTS
+
+ Several documents generated in Network activities are subject to
+ occasional revision and updating. The NIC Catalog, the Directory of
+ Network Participants, and the Directory of Network Resources are
+ examples. These and external documents such as the BBN manuals are
+ referred to by NIC as "functional documents".
+
+ More generally, a functional document is a document whose title
+ and function remain constant, but whose contents can change. A
+ functional document contains a single or several documents which
+ can be added to, deleted, or replaced entirely or selectively.
+ Thus the functional document, which has a NIC number, can be
+ referenced in other documents with some assurance that it will be
+ in existence, even though the subdocuments with their distinctive
+ NIC numbers may be in flux. In the Catalog, the number of a
+ functional document in which a specific document may be contained
+ is listed, and the current contents of each functional document is
+ indicated.
+
+ In preparing a document which is expected to be revised, Network
+ participants are urged to use a looseleaf format.
+
+ The Network Information Center intends to support the distribution
+ and recording of contents of functional documents. Procedures have
+ been established, as described below, for fitting the changes to such
+ documents into the NIC system, and for reproducing and distributing
+ them to individuals or stations with instructions for their
+ integration into the existing documents.
+
+PROCEDURES FOR REVISION MATERIAL
+
+ Original manuals and other functional document materials are
+ reproduced and distributed by NIC just as other Network publications.
+ For all documents obtained through NIC, NIC will attempt to receive
+ and make distribution of updates.
+
+ NIC also wants to make the processes of inserting the revisions and
+ of recording the changes as easy and foolproof as possible. The user
+ should not only be given the current materials, but should be able to
+ determine the version he holds, and to be able to refer to updates
+ uniquely. The following is copied from the procedure instructions
+
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 6]
+
+RFC 115 Policies on Handling Documents 16 April 1971
+
+
+ NIC has written for its own use. These procedures are also
+ recommended to Network participants for their use in preparing
+ revision material to be sent to NIC.
+
+ Update conventions
+
+ Substantial revision of a bound document, or of more than a few
+ pages of a loose leaf document:
+
+ A new document will be published, with a new NIC number,
+ and will bear a notation under the number on the title
+ page and/or cover, e.g.,
+
+ NIC 5772
+ supercedes NIC 5621
+
+ Few pages inserted or revised in a looseleaf or
+ corner-stapled document:
+
+ Each new or revised page will bear the original document
+ number, with a notice of revision, e.g.,
+
+ NIC 5742
+ 3-10-71
+
+ Inserted pages will be numbered to fit into the existing
+ document, e.g., pages 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, may be inserted
+ between pages 5 and 6.
+
+ Deleted pages will be replaced by a single page
+ indicating the deletion, e.g.,
+
+ Pages 7-12 deleted, 3-25-71
+
+ A new table of contents and/or title page will be issued
+ bearing the revision notice. In addition, at the time of
+ each revision a page or pages will be prepared and
+ issued which indicates all additions, deletions, and
+ revisions which bring the document up to date.
+
+ Revisions will be made only by substitution, addition or deletion
+ of a full page or more. NIC will not revise its own publications
+ by lists of errata, and strongly recommends against their use by
+ others in the Network. However, when NIC receives such lists of
+ errata, it will reproduce and distribute them with suggestions to
+ Station Agents for recording and inserting them.
+
+
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 7]
+
+RFC 115 Policies on Handling Documents 16 April 1971
+
+
+ Distribution and transmittal procedures
+
+ The transmittal letter accompanying a set of revision material and
+ the revision material itself constitute a separate document, a
+ copy of which is filed at NIC, where a new copy can be provided at
+ any time.
+
+ The transmittal letter will indicate the appropriate information;
+ document number of the revision material, date, document number of
+ the publication being updated, its date, and, when practicable,
+ information on the changes made in the text.
+
+ Revision notation in the printed Catalogs and their indexes
+
+ Catalog entry
+
+ Supercession
+
+ The data element containing "superceded by NIC xxxx"
+ will be formatted to appear at the beginning of the
+ citation of the superceded document.
+
+ The data element containing "supercedes NIC xxxx"
+ will be formatted to appear following the abstract in
+ the citation.
+
+ Partial revision
+
+ The data element containing the note of revision will
+ be formatted to appear following the abstract.
+
+ Entries in author, titleworld, or other indexes
+
+ Supercession
+
+ The data element covering supercession will be the
+ only text in the entry for the superceded document.
+
+ Supercession will not be indicated in the entry for
+ the superceding document
+
+ Partial revision
+
+ Partial revision will not be indicated in the index
+ entry
+
+ [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
+ [ into the online RFC archives by Jay Kominek 2/99 ]
+
+
+
+Watson & North [Page 8]
+