archie server

The file search program Archie was implemented on the Internet via a network of so-called Archie servers. Each Archie server fetched all current tables of contents of the public file areas in a certain geographical area at regular intervals from the anonymous FTP servers.

The Archie servers also synchronized these lists among themselves so that all Archie servers had the same current file directories at all times.

The Archie servers created two databases: "Internet Archives Database" and "Software Description Database". The former contained a listing of all file names and could be searched with the Archie command "find". The second database, which contained a kind of short description of functions, could be accessed with the command "whatis". The Archie search engine was discontinued.