RFC 1775 (rfc1775) - Page 2 of 4

To Be "On" the Internet

RFC 1775                To Be "On" the Internet               March 1995


2.   LABELS FOR INTERNET ACCESS

   The following definitions move from "most" to "least" Internet
   access, from the perspective of the user (consumer). The first term
   is primarily applicable to Internet service providers.  The remaining
   terms are primarily applicable to consumers of Internet service.

   FULL ACCESS

      This is a permanent (full-time) Internet attachment running
      TCP/IP, primarily appropriate for allowing the Internet community
      to access application servers, operated by Internet service
      providers.  Machines with Full access are directly visible to
      others attached to the Internet, such as through the Internet
      Protocol's ICMP Echo (ping) facility.  The core of the Internet
      comprises those machines with Full access.

   CLIENT ACCESS

      The user runs applications that employ Internet application
      protocols directly on their own computer platform, but might not
      be running underlying Internet protocols  (TCP/IP), might not have
      full-time access, such as through dial-up, or might have
      constrained access, such as through a firewall.  When active,
      Client users might be visible to the general Internet, but such
      visibility cannot be predicted.  For example, this means that most
      Client access users will not be detected during an empirical
      probing of systems "on" the Internet at any given moment, such as
      through the ICMP Echo facility.

   MEDIATED ACCESS

      The user runs no Internet applications on their own platform.  An
      Internet service provider runs applications that use Internet
      protocols on the provider's platform, for the user.  User has
      simplified access to the provider, such as dial-up terminal
      connectivity.  For Mediated access, the user is on the Internet,
      but their computer platform is not.  Instead, it is the computer
      of the mediating service (provider) which is on the Internet.

   MESSAGING ACCESS

      The user has no Internet access, except through electronic mail
      and through netnews, such as Usenet or a bulletin board service.
      Since messaging services can be used as a high-latency -- i.e.,
      slow -- transport service, the use of this level of access for
      mail-enabled services can be quite powerful, though not
      interactive.



Crocker