[:-)] internet cleaning (fwd)

[Ha Le <ha@math.wayne.edu>]

                           *** Attention ***

It's that time again!

As many of you know, each 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 
April  30 until 12:01 a.m. GMT on April 31 (the time least likely 
to interfere with ongoing work). During that 24-hour period, five 
powerful Internet search engines 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.



(Please do not forward this message to people who might take this 
seriously - TQ)