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Internet Cleaning Alert!

DO NOT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET
BETWEEN 12:01 AM GMT ON APR. 1
TO 12:01 AM GMT, APR. 2 !!

*** Attention ***

It's that time again!

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

This year, the cleaning process will take place
from 12:01 a.m. GMT on April 1 until 12:01 a.m.
GMT on April 2 (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 hard drives from any
connections to the Internet.

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

5. Be sure all your Internet files are backed-up;
search engines may consider your data to be useless.


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.



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APRIL FOOLS!!!