RFC 812 · UNKNOWN · 1982
MON · 15 JUN 2026
NICNAME/WHOIS
Overview
RFC 812, “NICNAME/WHOIS”, is an Unknown document published in March 1982 by K. Harrenstien, V. White. It has been obsoleted by RFC 954, RFC 3912 — refer to the newer document for the authoritative version. The canonical text is published by the RFC Editor.
Abstract
This RFC gives a description of what the NICNAME/WHOIS Server is and how to access it. This server together with the corresponding Identification Data Base provides online directory look-up equivalent to the ARPANET Directory.
What “Unknown” means
The standards-track status of this early RFC was never formally classified.
Read this RFC
The canonical text of RFC 812 is hosted at rfc-editor.org. Available in TXT,HTML.
Relationships to other RFCs
Other RFCs from 1982
- RFC 811 Hostnames Server
- RFC 813 Window and Acknowledgement Strategy in TCP
- RFC 810 DoD Internet host table specification
- RFC 814 Name, addresses, ports, and routes
- RFC 809 UCL facsimile system
- RFC 815 IP datagram reassembly algorithms
- RFC 808 Summary of computer mail services meeting held at BBN on 10 January 1979
- RFC 816 Fault isolation and recovery