






                                    GENE-SERVER


            _A_d_d_r_e_s_s:
               Dr. Dan Davison
               BCHS-5500
               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) 743-8366 (Dr. Davison)


            _D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n

            The Gene-Server is a mail response facility that will return
            a specific GenBank (tm) entry requested via e-mail.

            Other Services:

            The server  now  distributes  Protein  Information  Resource
            (PIR, also known as NBRF) protein sequence database entries.
            The  VMS  and  ASCII  versions  of  PIR  are  available  for
            anonymous FTP as well as via Gopher.

            Molecular biology software for Apple  Macintosh,  DOS,  Unix
            and VAX-VMS computers is also available from the server.

            A number of information files (the  R.  Roberts  Restriction
            Enzyme  database; sequence analysis reference, and such) are
            distributed.

            The Matrix of Biological Knowledge Archive-Server files  are
            now available only from this address.

            _N_e_t_w_o_r_k _A_c_c_e_s_s

            The server can be accessed via e-mail on the Internet,  BIT-
            NET, and UUCP networks.  The addresses to use are:

            _________________________
            The information in this section is provided  in  accor-
            dance  with the copyright notice appearing at the front
            of this guide.




            August 13, 1992             NNSC        Section 3.1,  Page 1








               gene-server@bchs.uh.edu (Internet)
               bchs.uh.edu!genbank-server (Usenet)
               gene-server%bchs.uh.edu@CUNYVM (BITNET)

            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.

            Your request can consist of one of the following:

               HELP
               SEND HELP
               SEND GB-LOCUS genbanklocusname
               SEND INDEX indexname
               SEND ACCESSION accession_number
               SEND ACCESSION accessionumber(s)
               SEND KEYWORD genbankkeyword
               SEND PIR-KEYWORD pirkeyword
               SEND PIR-ACCESSION piraccessionnumber(s)

            There are many other parameters for specific subsets of  the
            Gene-Server, please see the individual HELP files.

            "HELP" will result in a small help  file  being  sent  back;
            everyone  should  request  the  help message.  The file will
            contain 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 index file in the HELP message to find
            the name of the entry, or use the accession number.

            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  con-
            sult  the "pathalias" database to construct a mail path from
            your machine to bchs.uh.edu.  A local Unix mail  wizard  may
            be able to help.

            The Gene-Server itself silently  enforces  a  limit  of  one
            megabyte on a reply. Please do not ask for a lot of software
            or data in a single message.




            August 13, 1992             NNSC        Section 3.1,  Page 2








            IMPORTANT NOTE: "gene-server@bchs.uh.edu" is an  MX  record.
            If  you  have problems reaching that address, ask your local
            system mail expert how to  handle  addresses  that  are  "MX
            records."  As a "very" last resort, send email to one of the
            addresses given above.

            _W_h_o _C_a_n _U_s_e _t_h_e _G_e_n_e-_S_e_r_v_e_r

            Anyone can use the catalog.

            _M_i_s_c_e_l_l_a_n_e_o_u_s

            The current version of GenBank on the server is Release  64.
            The  server  is  updated  as often as possible given funding
            (none) and  disk  space  constraints.   The  server  may  be
            updated daily in the future.

            Information and software is  exchanged  regularly  with  the
            European  Molecular  Biology  Laboratory (EMBL) File Server,
            and   the   molbio   ftp   sites,   "ftp.bchs.uh.edu"    and
            "nic.funet.fi"; but the specific files, syntax, and informa-
            tion vary between the four servers.

            The server contains a simple response to someone asking  for
            too  many  loci  or  otherwise abusing the service: it stops
            working for them.

            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@bchs.uh.edu.    By   popular   demand,   archive-
            managment@bchs.uh.edu also works.

            This service is provided  by  the  Institute  for  Molecular
            Biology,  the Department of Biochemical and Biophysical Sci-
            ences, and is funded by  the National Science Foundation.

            The server is not funded or related in any  with  the  DHHS,
            PHS,  National  Institutes  of Health, or its contractors or
            subcontractors on the GenBank contract.  GenBank is a trade-
            mark  of  the US Department of Health and Human Services, US
            Public Health Service.









            August 13, 1992             NNSC        Section 3.1,  Page 3


