WAIS Source Description Structures

A "source description structure" is used by a client of the WAIS system to contact a database on a server.

Structure Fields

Required Fields

• :version Version (set by vendor)

• :ip-name, :ip-address How to contact the server

• :database-name Database Name

• :cost (floating point) Service Cost

• :cost-unit Units for cost. One of free, dollars-per-session, dollars-per-minute, dollars-per-query, dollars-per-retrieval, or other.

Optional Fields (set by vendor)

• :tcp-port Default is 210.

• :configuration What contact method to use (??)

• :script A string of commands to be interpreted after establishing the connection to the server. This may involve logging in, authentication, configuration, etc.

• :maintainer An english description of who to contact for information.

• :description An english description of the database.

• :update-time The interval at which the server's data is updated.

Optional Fields (set by user)

• :font Font for displaying the source's documents. The vendor may suggest a font for the database.

• :font-size Font size. Units are machine dependant.

• :window-geometry The positioning of the source editing window.

• :confidence A subjective evaluation of how "good" the server is. This may be used by the clients to help score documents or allocate funds.

• :num-docs-to-request <integer> How many docs to ask for.

• :contact-at <time-interval> For automatic connection.

• :last-contacted Record of last time the source was contacted.

• :timeout Number of seconds to give this source's server to respond.

An example source structure is:

(:source 
  :version  		3
  :ip-name 		"quake.think.com"
  :ip-address 		"192.31.181.1"
  :tcp-port 		210
  :maintainer 		"brewster@think.com"
  :database-name 	"directory-of-servers"
  :cost  		0.00
  :cost-unit 		:free
  :description 		
"The directory of servers is a white pages of servers maintained by many
others.  This one is maintained by Thinking Machines Corporation on the
internet.  To submit new entries to the directory of servers, mail to
wais-directory-of-servers@quake.think.com. -brewster"
  :update-time 		(:time-interval :interval :daily 
 			 	:day 0 :hour 1 :min 30)
  )