2.  Introduction
 
 
Personal computers, workstations, and mainframes throughout the
University are connected to the Penn State network, which is part of a
global network called the Internet.  Penn State and Internet resources
include electronic bulletin boards, news and conferencing systems,
library catalogs, research databases, discussion groups, and much
more.
 
The information access initiatives of the Center for Academic
Computing (CAC) are making these resources available to all members of
the University community.  You can now access the Internet and other
information services from home, office, residence hall, or CAC
computer labs.
 
To use the access services from your personal computer, you need
(1) an Access Account, (2) a connectionÊ-- either a backbone connection
or a modem, (3) network software, and (4) client software.
 
The term "backbone" is used to refer to the Penn State TCP/IP network
to which various local area networks (LANs) at many locations are
connected.   The backbone is part of the global Internet.
 
"Network" software enables you to connect to another computer and
transmit or receive data.  You can use any TCP/IP software that works
for you, although certain kinds are recommended and supported by the
CAC.
 
"Client" software enables you to access electronic information
services.   The client is used to request services from a "server"
running on a remote system.
 
There are many kinds of client programs that are not highlighted here
but are used frequently.  For example, various kinds of "telnet"
programs provide terminal sessions for logging onto remote hosts, and
"FTP" (File Transfer Protocol) clients are frequently used to copy
files to and from other computers.  Information about these types of
clients can be found in other documents; see the reference section.
 
Personal computers and workstations are usually connected to a LAN
(e.g.   Ethernet or Token-Ring) which is in turn connected to the
"backbone." An "individual backbone connection" provided by the
Office of Telecommunications (OTC) is similar to a LAN connection.
 
This guide is a general introduction to information services and
connection methods at Penn State.  Although some technical issues are
addressed in the appendix, you can also consult the information found
on-line in Netnews and on the Gopher information system.
 
After reading this guide, you should know what services are offered
and what software you need for your computer.  This guide does not
explain how to use the individual software packages.  To learn more,
see the documentation that comes with the software, experiment, and
perhaps attend seminars offered by the CAC and other organizations.
 
Some of the concepts and terms presented here may be unfamiliar.   To
help, a glossary has been included at the end of this document.