Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site stl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!mcvax!ukc!stl!jlm
From: jlm@stl.UUCP (John "Rainbow" Messenger)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: Mail addressing and routing
Message-ID: <213@stl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 9-Aug-85 09:31:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: stl.213
Posted: Fri Aug  9 09:31:24 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 08:08:31 EDT
References: <644@adobe.UUCP> <734@vortex.UUCP>
Reply-To: jlm@stl.UUCP (John "Rainbow" Messenger)
Organization: STL,Harlow,UK.
Lines: 11

Lauren is quite right to stress the importance of a mailer using direct
paths whenever possible.  My understanding of the domain-based scheme is
that forwarding to the next-higher-subdomain-host is done only when
a route is not known to the destination.  The advantages of not using the
"pass it to my next-higher-domain-host" approach except when necessary
are cost, speed, non-overloading of that host and preservation of net anarchy
(ie if you pass everything up, then down, the guy at the top is in control
in a big way - what happens if he crashes? or stops cooperating? - passing
messages directly keeps you (more) independant of the hosts above).
-- 
	-- John Messenger (...!mcvax!ukc!stc!stl!jlm)