RFC 1775 (rfc1775) - Page 2 of 4
To Be "On" the Internet
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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