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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!fox!portal!cup.portal.com!thad
From: thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan)
Newsgroups: unix-pc.uucp,comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Machine names on the net ...
Message-ID: <25902@cup.portal.com>
Date: 14 Jan 90 00:51:29 GMT
References: <33@suntau.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 40

forrie@suntau.UUCP (Forrie Aldrich) in <33@suntau.UUCP> writes:

	I am confused about names of computers... I have been told that you can
	only have a maximum of 6 characters for a machine name... 

	Then, I saw a machine name called 'snorklewacker' (whatever!)... so I
	am wondering just what the situation is here... 

	Could someone please explain the limitations, and the why's?  I sure
	would appreciate it.  I have looked into books, etc... and nothing
	specific...just generalizations.

The Usenet protocols were based on the (then) Arpanet protocols (now known as
the Internet (collectively, due to what connects onto it)).

One of the "workhorses" of the early Arpanet was the DEC PDP-10 (w/ variations
such as Tenex from BBN, and eventually the DEC-20); in fact, the Internet's
NIC (Network Information Center at SRI (nic.ddn.mil, IP 26.0.0.73) is still
a DEC-20.  I've used PDP-10, Tenex, DEC-20, Foonly (all related) systems
since their inception (the PDP-10 back around 1965), and one interesting
aspect of it was that, for "efficiency", filenames were stored in a single
36-bit machine word allowing up to 6 characters in a filename.  My conjecture
is THIS is the genesis of the 6-character machine name.            ^^^^^^^^^^

The Usenet, as such, started circa 1980 (if memory serves), and was required
to be in conformance with Arpa protocols (e.g. email formats, and so forth,
based on what's known as RFC 822).

For whatever reason(s), all the early protocols permitted up to 6-char names,
and much extant uucp software still abides those restrictions.  More
recently, HDB (aka BNU) (circa 1984) uucp software permits up to 8-character
names.  I "believe" it's possible names can be longer (your "snorklewacker",
for instance :-) but they must be UNIQUE within the first 6 (or 8)
characters.

Since one never knows all the vagaries one's net postings will undergo, it's
best to use the lowest common denominator: names unique within the first 6
characters.

Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]