Internet Guide: Getting the Most from the Internet 
 
  What is the Internet?   
The Internet is a worldwide network of networks which interconnects computers ranging from desktop 
Macs to the largest supercomputers.  No one knows how large the Internet is. Some estimates range as 
high as two million computers used with close to 20 million people. And it continues to grow daily.  No 
one is really in charge of the Internet and because it is so large and complex, no one understands 
everything about it. One thing that is clear,  is that the Internet is rich in information resources of all 
kinds and expanding at a very rapid rate.  You can use the Internet to view artwork, to listen to music, to 
access library catalogs and databases, to obtain software or electronic books, to get the latest satellite 
weather maps, to communicate with friends on the other side of the country or the world, and to do 
additional things that weren’t even dreamed about when this sentence was written.  For those of you who 
care about technical considerations, all of the computers on the Internet communicate with one another 
using the Internet Protocol suite, usually called IP.  Most of the Internet computers also use Transmission 
Control Protocol, usually called TCP.  The Internet is sometimes called a TCP/IP network. 
 
   What is Telnet?   
On the Internet, it is possible to Telnet to another computer, which means that you can login to remote 
computers from your own local computer.  Telnet is actually the name of the program that allows you to 
do this on the Internet. It is possible to sit at your computer in Nashville, Tennessee and use a computer 
at Penn State University in Pennsylvania...or even one in Spain, if you know Spanish.  You can 
login, enter commands and search databases on these remote computers, just as if you were right there in 
Pennsylvania or Spain. Telnet also allows you to chat with other users, read electronic journals, etc. To 
Telnet to a computer you need to know its name. This can either be in words like ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu or 
with a numeric address like 129.59.1.21.  Some services require you to connect to a specific port on the 
remote computer. Type the port number, if there is one, after the Internet address. For example, telnet 
nri.reston.va.us 185. To use Telnet you need to have an account on the CTRVAX, or have a direct campus 
connection to CARAVAN, the campus network. 
 
   What is FTP?  
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is both a program and a method of transferring files between 
computers on the Internet. FTP sites contain books, journals, software, games, images, sound, multimedia, 
courseware, and other information available for you to transfer. For example, it is possible to have a 
computer in Minnesota send you a copy of The Declaration of Independence.  A computer in Alabama can 
send you a NASA satellite picture of the planet Saturn.  All of this can be done in a few seconds.  
Anonymous FTP is a type of FTP that lets you transfer files from thousands of computers with more than 
2 million files on them.  Unless your computer is directly connected to the Internet through CARAVAN, 
files you want will have to be downloaded to your local host, then downloaded to your computer desktop. 
For those with a direct connection, there are several programs such as Fetch, xferit, and hyperftp all for 
the Mac.  
 
   What is Usenet?  
The Usenet is a global electronic bulletin board, of sorts, in which millions of people exchange public 
information on every conceivable topic. Also called netnews, it consists of thousands of newsgroups 
covering a vast range of subjects. There are a variety of newsreader software programs that let you read 
the Usenet newsfeed.  Check with the Vanderbilt Computer Center for recommendations.  Unlike 
messages received via e-mail, the Usenet newsgroup messages are not stored on your computer unless you 
specifically save one. Instead, the newsreader software lets you read the messages which are actually 
stored on a computer at the University. You may also access them through VUinfo. 
 
   What is a Listserv?   
If you are interested in Total Quality Management issues in higher education, you are not alone. There 
are other people on the Internet interested in the same thing. How do you find one another?  You join a 
List!  Listserv discussion lists are topic oriented forums distributed by e-mail, dealing with a wide variety 
of subjects which are academic in nature.  When you join one, your name is added to the list.  When you 
send a message to the List, your message is sent to everyone on the List.  When anyone else sends 
a message to the List, you receive it too.  You subscribe to a Listserv discussion group by sending an e-
mail message to a computer program called a Listserver. The Listserver may be on a computer thousands 
of miles away. The Listserv program automatically handles the subscription information, distributing 
messages to and from subscribers. The only prerequisite is to have an e-mail account and know how to use 
it. If you do not check your e-mail every day or so, it might not be a good idea to subscribe to a discussion 
list. Some lists are very active and mail can build up in your mailbox, wasting disk space, if left unread. 
 
   What is Gopher?   
Gopher is a computer program.  Actually Gopher is two programs.  About 1000 large computers on the 
Internet run Gopher Server software. Gopher servers provide access to the information stored on them.  
Other computers run Gopher Client software.  Clients retrieve information from the gopher servers.  The 
CTRVAX runs both a Gopher Server (providing information to all Internet users) and a gopher client 
(so that CTRVAX users may explore the information resources on the Internet).  Gopher provides menu 
access to a wealth of different Internet resources.  The front end is a userfriendly one that spares you 
having to learn a lot of different Internet commands. In effect Gopher presents the Internet as though it 
were one directory full of all kinds of resources. When you select a menu item, Gopher tunnels through 
the various pathways to find the information you requested. Gopher allows you to connect to library 
catalogs, campus wide information systems, WAIS databases, FTP sites and more.  To use Gopher, log on 
to your account and type vuinfo or gopher at the CTRVAX prompt $. There are also popular clients for 
DOS, X-Windows, Windows, and Mac computers.  
 
   What is Veronica?  
Veronica is a tool on gopher that allows you to search Internet resources using keywords. Veronica will 
look at Gopher menus to see if any of the menu words match your keyword search, and then give you a list 
of items that match your search.  By selecting these menu items you will automatically be connected to 
that gopher source.  In essence, Veronica acts as a catalog and index for Gopher. It helps you figure out 
where in Gopherspace there might be information that you want. Veronica is accessed through the Gopher 
menu.  
 
   What is Archie?   
Archie is to FTP sites what Veronica is to gopher sites. Archie functions as a catalog and index of FTP 
sites. Archie is a program that periodically searches all the FTP sites on the Internet that are on its master 
list, and stores the filenames in a central database which is available for you to search.  When you contact 
Archie and ask it to look in its files for a particular string of characters it will search its database and 
return a list of all files that contain that string and will also provide you with the address of the computer.  
 
   What is WAIS?   
WAIS stands for Wide Area Information Server.  It is a program that lets you search for keywords. It then 
retrieves full text information from one or more different databases that you select. These databases are 
located on a variety of different remote computers.  You may install WAIS client software on your 
computer or many WAIS databases are also available via Gopher or World Wide Web. 
 
   What is World Wide Web?   
World Wide Web (called WWW) is an innovative hypertext front end program based on client/server 
architecture that allows you to access information on the Internet as if it were part of a seamless web.  It 
tries to make all online knowledge part of one interconnected web of documents and services, and allows 
you to follow facts and texts wherever they might lead.   
 
   What is VUinfo?  
VUinfo is Vanderbilt’s campus-wide information system which provides convenient electronic access to 
campus and world-wide information resources. The basic tool for VUinfo is Gopher. To access it using the 
CTRVAX, type vuinfo at the $ prompt, after logging onto the CTRVAX. 
 
 
This guide was adapted from a handout produced at the University of Texas at Austin General Libraries. 
 
 
Prepared by Jean Reese, Education Library, Vanderbilt Univ. 
January 1994