GENBANK-SERVER _A_d_d_r_e_s_s: Dr. Dan Davison Dept. of Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences University of Houston 4800 Calhoun, Houston, Tx, 77204-5500 _E-_m_a_i_l: davison@uh.edu (Internet), DAVISON@UHOU (Bitnet) _P_h_o_n_e: (713) 749-2801 (Dr. Davison) _D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n This is a mail response facility which will return a specific GenBank entry requested via e-mail. The server can be accessed on the Internet, BITNET, and UUCP networks. Please be aware that a mail response program is not ``smart'' and can only respond to a limited set of commands. GenBank entries are available by name and accession number only. The addresses to use are; genbank-server@uhnix2.uh.edu (Internet) ...uhnix2!genbank-server (Usenet) genbank-server%uhnix2.uh.edu@CUNYVM (BITNET) and your request can consist of one of the following: HELP SEND HELP SEND LOCUS genbank_locus_name SEND INDEX index_name SEND ACCESSION accession_number _________________________ The information in this section is provided in accor- dance with the copyright notice appearing at the front of this guide. 12 September 1989 NNSC Section 3.1, Page 1 ``HELP'' will result in a small help file being sent back, and everyone should request the help message. It will con- tain up-to-date information about the server, access, release numbers, and policies. The help message also includes all index names, so ``SEND INDEX'' no longer works. ``SEND INDEX index_name'' (where ``index_name'' is one of the index files listed in the HELP message) will work. SEND LOCUS genbank_locus_name will return via e-mail the requested locus if it exists, and an error message if it does not. Use the HELP message index file to find the name of the entry, or use the accession number. _N_e_t_w_o_r_k _a_c_c_e_s_s The system is accessible via Internet e-mail. It can also be reached via USENET at uhnix2!genbank-server. Note that large GenBank entries (Lambda, EBV, tobacco and liverwort chloroplasts) may not make it through the thread of mailers. UUCP mailers, in particular, silently enforce a limit of 64,000 characters in a single mail message. Note also that Usenet mail is very unreliable; you should consult the ``pathalias'' database to construct a mail path from your machine to uhnix2. A local Unix mail wizard may be able to help. _W_h_o _C_a_n _U_s_e _t_h_e _C_a_t_a_l_o_g Anyone can use the catalog. _M_i_s_c_e_l_l_a_n_e_o_u_s The server runs every half hour and will handle only one request at a time. If you want more than one entry, send in separate requests. Large GenBank entries (Lambda, EBV, tobacco and liverwort chloroplasts entries) may not make it through the thread of mailers. UUCP mailers, in particular, silently enforce a limit of 64,000 characters in a single mail message. Note also that Usenet mail is very unreli- able; you should consult the ``pathalias'' database to con- struct a mail path from your machine to uhnix2. A local Unix mail wizard may be able to help. The server contains a simple response to someone asking for too many loci or otherwise abusing the service: it stops working for them. Please restrict your requests to no more than one or two a day; if the demand is too great the ser- vice will randomly choose requests to ignore, or will be 12 September 1989 NNSC Section 3.1, Page 2 stopped altogether. The current version of GenBank on the server is Release 59. The server is updated twice a year due to monetary and disk space constraints. We will soon be updating the server daily; as entries are completed by GenBank they will appear on the server. Questions can be sent to davison@uh.edu (Internet) or DAVISON@UHOU(BITNET). Requests to talk to a human rather than a mail response program should be sent to archive- management@uhnix2.uh.edu. By popular demand, archive- managment@uhnix2.uh.edu also works. 12 September 1989 NNSC Section 3.1, Page 3