Communicating With Users of Other NIU Computers

Unix systems

There are currently a few Unix computers outside the Math Department. Some of them include: mp.cs.niu.edu (Computer Science), corn.cso.niu.edu (Computer Services), eiger.ceet.niu.edu (Electrical Engineering), sun.soci.niu.edu (Sociology), and two SPARCStations used by undergraduate students: oats.farm.niu.edu and rice.farm.niu.edu.

If you know where the user in question has an account, you can try `finger' to see his login name: 

behr % finger -l Prais@corn.cso.niu.edu
[corn.cso.niu.edu]
Login name: mgprais                     In real life: Michael G. Prais
Directory: /user1/acs/mgprais           Shell: /bin/csh
This doesn't always work; some finger implementations will not return partial matches, and finger is disabled altogether on some machines for security reasons.

The ph database

In many cases you can find an NIU user by searching the `ph' database: 
behr % ph
ph> query stankus
----------------------------------------
              name: Stankus, Mark
        curriculum: Student-At-Large Education
          email to: mstankus@niu.edu (no account registered)
----------------------------------------
              name: Stankus, Randi Coleen
        curriculum: Pre-Elementary Education
          email to: rstankus@niu.edu (z957798@oats.farm.niu.edu)
----------------------------------------
ph> quit
In this case I searched for an undergraduate student. The first match tells me that Mark is in the database, but has not set his real e-mail address correctly. A letter mailed to mstankus@niu.edu will bounce back. If you are using e-mail to communicate with your students, you should tell them that simply getting an account is not enough; they also need to go to one of the computer labs, and execute an application called `newuser', which completes the registration process.

The second match says that Randi does have a real account on the oats.farm computer, and her login name there is z957798. You can use either the real address, z957798@oats.farm.niu.edu, or the ph `nickname' rstankus@niu.edu. In both cases the letter will end up in her mailbox on oats.

You can get more information on using the nameserver database here.

WordPerfect Office

Many users on campus, especially the administrators and staff in most departments, use an application called WordPerfect Office to handle tasks such as e-mail. This system is designed for Novell networks and servers, and is different from Internet mail.

The WPO mail system, however, is linked to the Internet world with a gateway which makes it possible to send and receive letters to/from that system. When someone gives you an e-mail address of the form a02jwn3 (administrative department code, initials, and a digit), chances are that they use WPO. To send a letter to that person, use the address a02jwn3@wpo.cso.niu.edu, and tell him that he should prepend internet: to your address, e.g. internet:behr@math.niu.edu.

Unfortunately few WPO users are registered with the ph database, and there is no low-tech method for finding their addresses at this time.

Last modified: 2/8/96 [EJB]