Subject:  !! Internet Downtime 12:01 a.m. 2/29 - 12:01 a.m. 3/1/96
Date:     Wed, 28 Feb 1996 14:35:29 GMT-1

- --- forwarded message follows:


    DO NOT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET FROM 12:01 AM GMT ON FEB. 29 TO
    12:01 AM GMT, MARCH 1 !!

***********************************************************************
*** *** Attention ***

It's that time again!

As many of you know, each leap year the Internet must be shut down for 24
hours in order to allow us to clean it. The cleaning process, which
eliminates dead email and inactive ftp, www and gopher sites, allows for a
better-working and faster Internet.

This year, the cleaning process will take place from 12:01 a.m. GMT on
Feb. 29 until 12:01 a.m. GMT on March 1. During that 24-hour period, five
powerful Internet-crawling robots situated around the world will search
the Internet and delete any data that they find.

In order to protect your valuable data from deletion we ask that you do
the following:

1.  Disconnect all terminals and local area networks from their Internet
    connections.

2.  Shut down all Internet servers, or disconnect them from the
    Internet.

3.  Disconnect all disks and hardrives from any connections to the
    Internet.

4.  Refrain from connecting any computer to the Internet in any way.

We understand the inconvenience that this may cause some Internet
users, and we apologize.  However, we are certain that any
inconveniences will be more than made up for by the increased speed and
efficiency of the Internet, once it has been cleared of electronic flotsam
and jetsam. We thank you for your cooperation.


Kim Dereksen
Interconnected Network Maintenance staff
Main branch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology


Sysops and others:  Since the last Internet cleaning, the number of
Internet users has grown dramatically.  Please assist us in alerting
the public of the upcoming Internet cleaning by posting this message
where your users will be able to read it.  Please pass this message on to
other sysops and Internet users as well.  Thank you.

- --- end of forwarded message


HTH,

- -- Andreas

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----------------------------------------------------------------------
ANDREAS SCHAMANEK <schamane@stat1.bwl.univie.ac.at> T: +43-1 29128/686
 Admin @ Inst. of Statistics, Operations Research & Computer Science
  BWZ, Univ. of Vienna, Bruennerstrasze 72, A-1210 Vienna, Austria

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