  About FirstClass Internet Services
Internet Services is the module that connects your FirstClass Server to the outside world (Internet) and supports a wide variety of protocols, such as SMTP, HTTP, FTP, CIFS, POP3, and IMAP4. Internet Services also supports webserver extensions, such as ISAPI and CGI (see About CGI and ISAPI).
For Internet Services system requirements and installation procedures, see the instructions located on your FirstClass Desktop.
How Internet Services works
Internet Services converts data from FirstClass format, FirstClass protocol (FCP), into the appropriate Internet format and sends it out to the Internet. In turn, Internet Services takes incoming information from the Internet and converts it back into FCP. All FirstClass content can be sent out to the Internet including messages, conferences, documents, server-parsed files, and web pages. FCP is the language the FirstClass server speaks and is used to access the core services of FirstClass. FCP can be thought of as the conduit that connects FirstClass clients,
gateways, and core servers together.
Internet Services bi-directionally translates FirstClass formatted data from the server into the appropriate protocol for the Internet and back again. The diagram below shows this relationship:
 Let’s use an analogy to explain the role of Internet Services. You can think of a FirstClass system as a United Nations (UN), meeting, where Internet Services acts as a team of UN translators. The FirstClass server represents the UN speaker standing on a podium giving a speech in one language to delegates speaking different languages. This speech must be translated into several different languages that each delegate can understand. In turn, if the delegates respond, their respective languages must be translated back to the speaker into the one language he understands. This translation is handled by Internet Services. The graphic below shows this relationship:
Just as a team of translators must make sure the multiple languages are translated between the UN speaker and the delegates, so must Internet Services make sure data is translated between the Internet and the FirstClass server.
You can think of the multiple languages as different Internet protocols, see Understanding Internet Services Protocols. These protocols must be translated into the one language the server understands (FCP). Internet Services must then translate FCP back into Internet-friendly protocols. The traffic moves in both directions simultaneously, and many conversations can occur at once. There is no place to store missed conversation, so it is important for everything to get translated on the fly. The translation must happen quickly, accurately, and without fail.
What you should already know
This online help is intended for FirstClass administrators responsible for supporting Internet Services on Mac® OS X or Windows® platforms.
You should be familiar with the capabilities and terminology of your:
• FirstClass server
• FirstClass administrator’s Desktop
• FirstClass client software
• operating system
• a general understanding of Internet Services protocols and Domain Name Servers (DNS).
You should also be familiar with basic Internet concepts. For information on the Internet, we recommend that you read relevant materials.
Documentation conventions
We use certain documentation conventions for menu items and variables in this online help.
Menu items
Each level of menu items is separated by >. For example, the Clear item under the Edit menu is shown as Edit > Clear.
Variables
Text in italics indicates arguments, variables, or other information for which you must type your own value.
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