Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!ames!ncar!noao!asuvax!nud!dover!waters
From: waters@dover.uucp (Mike Waters)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Request for tutorial
Message-ID: <556@dover.uucp>
Date: 29 Nov 88 15:57:31 GMT
References: <1024@microsoft.UUCP>
Reply-To: waters@dover.UUCP (Mike Waters)
Organization: Motorola CAD Mesa, AZ {dover}
Lines: 42

In article <1024@microsoft.UUCP> w-colinp@microsoft.UUCP (Colin Plumb) writes:
>Seeing all this discussion about rerouting, pathalias, internet name servers,
>et. al., I'm a bit confused.
 ME TOO!
>
>Not wishing to clutter up this group with a bunch of pretty obvious questions,
>could I ask if there's someone out there who'd be willing to teach me the
>basics of UUCP administration?

I am no expert (just a little further along - I think)

Here are some of the pointers to what you need.

Look for the README posting in comp.mail.maps - It has much of the info
you need to get set up in the maps. 
Get a copy of uuhosts, and smail. uuhosts includes a script for updating
your maps automatically - with the problems currently being discussed
here. Smail has a fairly good writeup (but cryptic!) on how the whole
thing works - with smail of course.

Basically you need to take the UUCP maps and use a program pathalias to
generate a "routing tree" from you to everywhere. When you send mail
another program - sendmail - looks up the route and sends the mail.
Various of the utilities (smail, nmail, etc. etc.) either help sendmail
or replace functions (or all of sendmail).

News is handled by setting up a news feed with a neighbor, presumably
NOT a toll call since there is a LOT of information sent. I assume
that you have some access in order to post your question!

I too am a novice and would appreciate corrections for any errors or
ommissions I have made. As far as I know there is no complete writeup
available, but the article "Notable Computer Networks" by John
Quarterman et al in Communications of the ACM Oct 1986 (V29No.10)
pp932-971 is an excellent introduction. The bibliography should
lead you to whatever you need. 

-- 
Mike Waters                 (for your EDIFication)
Motorola SMART CAD Group - EDIF (ANSI/EIA std. 548) support
Mesa, AZ   ...!sun!sunburn!dover!waters
          OR   moto@cad.Berkley.EDU