WHOIS is a service helpful for finding e-mail addresses, postal addresses and telephone numbers of network users, information about networks, networking organizations, domains and sites.
You can access WHOIS servers via a local WHOIS client , via an interactive Telnet session, or via electronic mail. A list of registered WHOIS sites is available via anonymous FTP from rtfm.mit.edu in the file /pub/whois/whois-servers.list.
Using a local client
On Unix computers: whois <site-name> identifier
Where <site-name> is the name of site where you want to search for, and identifier means WHAT you want to search for. You can use special characters:
Using Telnet
keyword may be:
Using electronic mail
You can send commands at: mailserv@internic.net. The commands (the same of telnet commands) are usually sent in the Subject: field. Requests should be prefixed with the word WHOIS.
According to the X.500 protocol, informations are organized within a directory: each item in the X.500 directory describes one object ( a person, a network resource, an organization). At the top of the tree there is the World, which is subdivided into countries which are subdivided into organizations. Informations on people, resources, etc., are stored within organizations.
You can access the X.500 services: via a local client, via Telnet, via WWW, via Gopher or by electronic mail.
Using a local client
Public domain clients (DUAs) are available for numerous platforms. For a comprehensive list of DUAs, their description and where to find them, consult the Internet document RFC 1292 / FYI 11.
Using Telnet or X.25
Remote sites may have line-oriented, menu-driven or Xwindow System based user interfaces; You can use FRED interface typing 'fred' at the login: prompt (no password is required) or DE interface typing 'de' at the login: prompt.
Public access to an X.500 client are available at:
Using electronic mail
You can send a mail message to: Directory@UNINETT.NO with the word find in the Subject: field. The body part contains the search request, one per message. A help file is returned if the message body contains the word help.
The format of the search request is:
find <person-name> <: org-name <; country-name>> | <;country-name>
"*" (asterisk) is the wildcard character and can replace any other characters in any name.
The search is case insensitive.
Given the name of a person on the Internet and where that person works, NETFIND attempts to locate informations about the person. When the search is completed (or interrupted by ^C), Netfind shows the results. You can use a local client, or you can use Telnet at one of the following hosts:
Local access
The format of the Netfind command is:
netfind <options> name-keyword place-keywords
useful options:
Remote access
Telnet to one of the remote Netfind sites and at the login: prompt, type 'netfind'. No password is required.
Knowbot access to other information services that have their own "white pages" and search for you. At system prompt, type 'telnet nri.reston.va.us 185'
To exit Knowbot, type 'quit' at the Knowbot prompt.
Some commands of Knowbot:
On Unix systems, 'Finger' can help you in searching for informations about users.
Just type: Finger name_user.
Note: some hosts don't answer to this request...
When nothing seems to work, ask to the postmaster!
Every site contains a 'postmaster' address: if you know where the person which you are searching for works, or if you know the name of host where that person has an account, try to ask to the postmaster of that site. If you meet a kind postmaster...
Index Home Back About Contact us!
Copyright (c) 1998-2006 Wowarea