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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!psivax!nrcvax!minnie!chris
From: chris@minnie.UUCP (Chris Grevstad)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: Domain routing in UULINK
Message-ID: <127@minnie.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Oct-85 17:31:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: minnie.127
Posted: Fri Oct 18 17:31:21 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 07:30:21 EDT
References: <3773@garfield.UUCP> <38@calma.uucp>
Reply-To: chris@minnie.UUCP (Chris Grevstad)
Organization: The Zoo
Lines: 53

adams@calma.uucp (Robert Adams) says:
>> (Lauren's examples and comments about 'smart' ratings
>
>The idea of rating a site by it "smartness" is a great idea.  I
>have had problems sending mail because I didn't realize there
>was a site in the path that was going to mangle addresses in the
>header.

Mark Horton suggested that solution way back in January in a paper
entitled _UUCP Mail Transmission Format Standard_.  He had three
classes of hosts, each understanding a greater range of addressing
modes.  The dumbest being one that only understood complete bang paths
and the smartest understanding bang format and domain format addresses.

>  ....   I always figured that a new field should be added to
>the uucp map wherein a site could specify its "smartness": "I only
>do bang addresses" or "I know about .ARPA addresses", or "I map
>bang addresses into Internet addresses and then reroute them".
>Sites could even say "I know about the .XYZ domain" so, as long
>as "domains" made sure they had enough links (all non-centralized,
>of course) you could do domain like addressing.
>With information like this, one could figure out (or at least
>make a better guess) at the address to ship mail too.
>

This would be very good information for the mailers that could utilize it.
It's unfortunate that we can't have some sort of dynamic (more than on a 
monthly basis) routing information available.

One other comment:  I agree with Lauren when he states (paraphrased) that
the important issue is that of user convenience and utility.  All of the
magic should take place inside and present to the user a simple interface.

I would love to be able to type 'mail lauren@vortex.So-Ca.UUCP' and not
have to worry about the routing.  My mailer should be able to determine a
route from routing tables or should be able to pass it off to a more
knowledgeable neighbor, like Lauren's default ihnp4.  If the user wants to
specify a path, then the 'site1,site2,site3:lauren@vortex' syntax is available.
The mailer can then determine if the smartness of site1 and either pass the
same address off to him or convert the above address into a uucp route.

C'mon guys, let's try and make it easier for the users.

BTW, we will soon have a mailer as described above available for beta testing
if anyone is interested.

-- 
	Chris Grevstad
	{sdcsvax,hplabs}!sdcrdcf!psivax!nrcvax!chris
	ucbvax!calma!nrcvax!chris
	ihnp4!nrcvax!chris

	If things don't change, they will probably remain the same.