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NN/LM

Internet Tips

How to Access the NN/LM WWW Server

http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine provides information services via the Internet's World-Wide Web. If you can telnet, you can access the NN/LM WWW server!

This tip sheet will help you find a way to access the server. The methods of accessing the Internet vary a lot from site to site, but these questions will lead you to a general strategy.

Does your PC have its own connection to the Internet?

If your PC is already on the Internet (via a network, SLIP, or PPP), then you can try one of the World-Wide Web browsers available for your system. If your PC can do telnet or ftp without first having to make a connection to another computer, you probably have a direct connection. If you aren't sure, ask your system manager.

Yes. Go to 1.
No. Go to 2.

1. Try one of the desktop WWW browsers.

Windows: NCSA Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, WinWeb, InternetWorks, etc.
Macintosh: NCSA Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, MacWeb, etc.
DOS: DosLynx.

Your system manager may have already installed one of these programs. If not, you should inform your system manager that you'd like to try one. These programs are available via ftp (and, if necessary, can be located through Archie). Before committing yourself to getting one of these programs onto your PC, you should consider that this is a demanding category of software, prone to crash with rather high frequency, especially on hardware that is more than a couple of years old. Nevertheless, they are getting better all the time, and the advantages of having your WWW browser run on your desktop machine are undeniable.

Does one of the desktop browsers work satisfactorily for you?

Yes. Great! The URL for NN/LM's Home Page is http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/
No. Go to 2.

2. Try Lynx on your Internet service provider's Unix or VMS host.

At the system's command prompt, enter the Lynx command:

lynx

If your system says something like:

lynx: Command not found.

then you'll have to try something else.

Is Lynx available on your system?

Yes. Great! The URL for NN/LM's Home Page is http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/
No. Go to 3.

3. Try to telnet to an anonymous Lynx server.

If all else fails, you can "rely on the kindness of strangers." Here are some possibilities:

rsl.ox.ac.uk (login as lynx)
www.njit.edu (login as www)
sunsite.unc.edu (login as lynx)
lynx.cc.ukans.edu (login as lynx)

See also:

W3C's Getting Started using telnet

Does it work?

Yes. If you use these sites, you can use G to go to http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/
But -- please keep in mind that these facilities are not intended for you to use on a permanent basis. If your use of the Web is important to your job, you should make this need known to your systems administrator and/or Internet service provider so that they can help you find WWW service via one of the other alternatives. Even for the short term, do you want to "rely on the kindness of strangers?"

There is one other anonymous Lynx site worth mentioning. Lynx was developed at the Univeristy of Kansas and that institution offers a well-used Lynx site that has just one important disadvantage: You can't use the G command to go to a new URL of your choice; you must find your way through links between documents. Here's how:
Telnet to lynx.cc.ukans.edu (login as lynx). If you use the Kansas site, you'll need to make a few jumps to find NN/LM, but you're close. The specific instructions may change, but the goal is to find the National Library Medicine, which will always have a link to the RML server. Here's what to do:
- Press the <down arrow> until the highlight moves to "WWW Information by Subject."
- Press <enter> to go to this resource. The first link in this document is a Category Subtree. Press <enter> to go to the the Category Subtree.
- In Lynx, you press <slash> to initiate a search for a character string. If you search for medicine, your pointer will arrive at a link to the separate Medicine list. Press <enter> to go to this list.
- Press <slash> again and search for NLM. This will point you at a link to the National Library of Medicine.
- Press <enter>. This will take you to NLM.
- Now, go to the General Information list. Here you will find a link to "Partners to the NLM: the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, from which you can select a link to any of the RMLs.
No. -- Sorry. Go to 4.

4. Go to your systems administrator.

If all the above methods fail to satisfy your WWW craving, you will need to convince your systems administrator (or your Internet service provider) that you need access via one of the other methods. Installing Lynx on a Unix or VMS machine is not a difficult proposition, so don't hesitate to lobby for this feature. With Lynx available, even a Gopher server could be pointed to the NN/LM WWW server!

Related NN/LM links: Internet Training Materials

NN/LM WWW Home Page

NN/LM | NN/LM Web Team | Revised: February 25, 1999

URL: http://nnlm.gov/nnlm/wwwchoic.html