Electronic Reference Library (ERL) is a client to server

Server (computing)

In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...

 approach to networking

Computer network

A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....

 CD-ROM and magnetic databases. It enables access from Macs

Macs

Macs may refer to:*Mac or Macintosh*"macs" , a short story by Terry Bisson*Mac's Convenience Stores, a chain of stores in Canada*Magnetic-activated cell sorting*Metropolitan Area Commuter System, a bus system in Fairbanks, Alaska...

 and UNIX

Unix

Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...

 machines. At present, there are only UNIX clients for workstations running Solaris 2.3 or greater, AIX

AIX operating system

AIX AIX AIX (Advanced Interactive eXecutive, pronounced "a i ex" is a series of proprietary Unix operating systems developed and sold by IBM for several of its computer platforms...

 and SCO UNIX, but it will be ported to other Unixes eventually. In the meantime, it is possible for Unix and other users for whom there is no client software to access ERL by telnet

TELNET

Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...

 or the world wide web

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...

.