<NIC.MERIT.EDU> /nsfnet/acceptable.use.policies/northwestnet.txt     May 1988
 
 
 
 
                NORTHWESTNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
 
 
 
 NorthWestNet is a regional data communications network serving a
 consortium of universities and research groups in the northwest-
 ern part of the United States.  Its goals are summarized in the
 Articles of Incorporation for the Northwest Academic Computing
 Consortium, Inc.  All use of NorthWestNet facilities must be
 consistent with the goals and purposes of NorthWestNet.  The
 intent of this statement is to describe certain uses which are
 consistent with the purposes of NorthWestNet, not to exhaustively
 enumerate all such possible uses.
 
 Some acceptable uses of NorthWestNet facilities include:
 
     o  use for scientific research or instruction at member and
        associate member institutions through the provision of
        high-speed data communications;
 
     o  use as a vehicle for scholarly communications;
 
     o  use as a means for NorthWestNet members to access remote
        computing resources for the purpose of scientific
        research or instruction.  Notable examples of such
        resources are the NSF supercomputing facilities;
 
     o  use necessary to support other acceptable uses.  For
        example, administrative communications which are part of
        the support infrastructure needed for research and
        instruction are acceptable.  Similarly, communications
        directly between non-member institutions in support of
        research or instruction at member institutions is
        acceptable;
 
     o  use required by agreements with NSF, the primary funding
        agency for NorthWestNet;
 
     o  use by member institutions as a laboratory for research
        and experimentation in computer communications, where
        such use does not interfere with production usage.
        However, any experimental use requiring modification to
        router software or protocol layers below ISO layer 4
        requires prior review by the Technical Committee.
 
 In general, commercial and general administrative use are prohib-
 ited.  Use for scientific research or instruction at non-member
 institutions and at for-profit institutions may or may not be
 consistent with the purposes of NorthWestNet, and will be re-
 viewed on a case by case basis.
 
 Use of NorthWestNet for any illegal purpose, or to achieve
 unauthorized access to systems, software, or data is prohibited.
 
 NorthWestNet is a production communications network on which many
 researchers depend.  Uses that significantly interfere with the
 ability of other users to make effective use of the network are
 not acceptable.
 
   05/12/88