Dynamic WAIS prototype announcement

[Mike Schwartz <[e-mail]>]

Dynamic WAIS is a system that extends the WAIS paradigm to support
information from remote search systems (as opposed to the usual
collection of static documents).  We have a prototype that supports
gateways from WAIS to Archie and to Netfind, using the Z39.50
information retrieval protocol to seamlessly integrate the information
spaces.

You can try the server out using the WAIS ".src" files enclosed below
(one for each gateway - Archie and Netfind).  The first few paragraphs
describe how to form queries using this gateway, and a basic synopsis of
the ideas that went into the prototype.  We will write a paper about
this system in the next few months.

The source code / patches are available by anonymous FTP from
ftp.cs.colorado.edu, in the directory pub/cs/distribs/dynamicwais.

	Darren Hardy and
	Michael Schwartz
	Dept. of Computer Science
	Univ. of Colorado - Boulder

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#! /bin/sh
# This is a shell archive. Remove everything above this line,
# and save the resulting text in a file.  Then, unpack it
# it by typing "sh file".  To overwrite existing files,
# type "sh file -c".  Running this archive will create:
#	dynamic-archie.src
#	dynamic-netfind.src
# This archive created: Mon Mar  8 23:42:35 1993
export PATH; PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:$PATH
if test -f 'dynamic-archie.src' -a \"${1}\" != \"-c\" ; then
	echo shar:'	'Will not overwrite existing file \"dynamic-archie.src\".
	echo '	'To overwrite existing files, type \"sh $0 -c\".
else
cat << \SHAR_EOF > 'dynamic-archie.src'
(:source
 :version 	3
 :ip-name 	"ftp.cs.colorado.edu"
 :tcp-port 	8000
 :database-name "DYNAMIC archie"
 :cost 		0.00 
 :cost-unit 	:free 
 :maintainer 	"[e-mail]"
 :description 	
"This WAIS server performs Archie searches.  It uses the waisserver
from the Dynamic WAIS prototype at the University of Colorado in
Boulder.  To use this WAIS server: supply keywords for an Archie
search.  A list of Archie servers will be returned as relevant
documents.  Choose one of the Archie servers to retrieve the results
from an Archie query.  Typically, Archie queries take more than 5
minutes due to the load on the Archie servers.  Dynamic WAIS uses the
Archie-Prospero client to query Archie servers.

In order to use X WAIS with the Dynamic WAIS server you must
apply the patch for xwais found in the Dynamic WAIS distribution.
It's a simple one-line patch to xwais.

Dynamic WAIS extends the WAIS paradigm to support information from
remote search systems (as opposed to the usual collection of static
documents).  It supports gateways from WAIS to Archie and to our
Netfind Internet User directory service.  Unlike menu-level gateways
(such as the current interim telnet interface from the Internet Gopher
system to Netfind), Dynamic WAIS uses the Z39.50 information retrieval
protocol to seamlessly integrate the information spaces.  This approach
allows users to access a great deal of diverse information without
learning multiple user interfaces.

The key idea behind the Dynamic WAIS gateways is the conceptual work of
constructing mappings between the WAIS search-and-retrieve operations,
and the underlying Archie and Netfind operations.  In the case of
Netfind, for example, when the Dynamic WAIS user requests a search using
the "dynamic-netfind.src" WAIS source, the search is translated to a
lookup in the Netfind seed database, to determine potential domains to
search.  The Netfind domain selection request is then mapped into a WAIS
database selection request.  Once the user selects one of the domains to
search, the WAIS retrieval phase is mapped into an actual domain search
in Netfind.

If you would like to learn more about Dynamic WAIS, you can obtain the
source to the Dynamic WAIS prototype The prototype is available via
anonymous ftp from ftp.cs.colorado.edu in /pub/cs/distribs/dynamicwais.  
A paper on Dynamic WAIS is in preparation.

This WAIS server was created in January 1993 by Darren R. Hardy and
Michael F. Schwartz as part of the Networked Resource Discovery
Project.  You may reach them at the Department of Computer Science,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO  80309-0430, or via email at
[e-mail] and [e-mail].
"
)
SHAR_EOF
fi
if test -f 'dynamic-netfind.src' -a \"${1}\" != \"-c\" ; then
	echo shar:'	'Will not overwrite existing file \"dynamic-netfind.src\".
	echo '	'To overwrite existing files, type \"sh $0 -c\".
else
cat << \SHAR_EOF > 'dynamic-netfind.src'
(:source
 :version 	3
 :ip-name 	"ftp.cs.colorado.edu"
 :tcp-port 	8000
 :database-name "DYNAMIC netfind"
 :cost 		0.00 
 :cost-unit 	:free 
 :maintainer 	"[e-mail]"
 :description 	
"This WAIS server performs Netfind searches.  It uses the waisserver
from the Dynamic WAIS prototype at the University of Colorado in
Boulder.  To use this WAIS server: supply keywords for a Netfind
search.  A list of matching domains will be returned as relevant
documents.  Choose one of the domains to retrieve the results from a
Netfind search for that domain.  Due to the strict query format for
Netfind, keywords must be in the format: name key key...  

For example, to find information about Darren Hardy at the University
of Colorado in Boulder, use the keywords 'hardy boulder colorado' or
'hardy boulder colorado computer science'.

In order to use X WAIS with the Dynamic WAIS server you must
apply the patch for xwais found in the Dynamic WAIS distribution.
It's a simple one-line patch to xwais.

Dynamic WAIS extends the WAIS paradigm to support information from
remote search systems (as opposed to the usual collection of static
documents).  It supports gateways from WAIS to Archie and to our
Netfind Internet User directory service.  Unlike menu-level gateways
(such as the current interim telnet interface from the Internet Gopher
system to Netfind), Dynamic WAIS uses the Z39.50 information retrieval
protocol to seamlessly integrate the information spaces.  This approach
allows users to access a great deal of diverse information without
learning multiple user interfaces.

The key idea behind the Dynamic WAIS gateways is the conceptual work of
constructing mappings between the WAIS search-and-retrieve operations,
and the underlying Archie and Netfind operations.  In the case of
Netfind, for example, when the Dynamic WAIS user requests a search using
the "dynamic-netfind.src" WAIS source, the search is translated to a
lookup in the Netfind seed database, to determine potential domains to
search.  The Netfind domain selection request is then mapped into a WAIS
database selection request.  Once the user selects one of the domains to
search, the WAIS retrieval phase is mapped into an actual domain search
in Netfind.

If you would like to learn more about Dynamic WAIS, you can obtain the
source to the Dynamic WAIS prototype The prototype is available via
anonymous ftp from ftp.cs.colorado.edu in /pub/cs/distribs/dynamicwais.  
A paper on Dynamic WAIS is in preparation.

This WAIS server was created in January 1993 by Darren R. Hardy and
Michael F. Schwartz as part of the Networked Resource Discovery
Project.  You may reach them at the Department of Computer Science,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO  80309-0430, or via email at
[e-mail] and [e-mail].
"
)
SHAR_EOF
fi
exit 0
#	End of shell archive