Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bu.edu!dartvax!coat.com
From: andyb@coat.com (Andy Behrens)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Imminent death of UUCP Zone predicted
Message-ID: <23254@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 20 Jul 90 05:53:26 GMT
References: <3143.26a2edd9@mccall.com> <1198@kosman.UUCP>
Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU
Organization: Burlington Coat Factory
Lines: 84

kevin@kosman.UUCP (Kevin O'Gorman) writes:

> I've got a different problem.  I'm the end-node, uucp-only site.  I would
> sort of like to get registered, but every time I have asked about it I've
> gotten very little response, or response that just has to be wrong (folks
> at the "network control center" (??) who insisted I would have to have a
> network id (one of those 000.00.0.00 things), or a response that was just
> too confusing or promised to be expensive.  My main feed is an internet
> site which is willing to do what is required (or give me "guest root"
> privilege to do it myself), but their current people either don't know
> much about it or don't have much time to hold my hand about it.
> 
> I would like to know:
> 	1) Can I get registered without paying $100 or more.
> 	2) What exactly is an MX record, and where does it go?
> 	3) What do I have to do to their sendmail (shudder) to make it
> 		deliver mail to my new domain if I get one?
> 	4) What do I have to do to smail and/or rmail to make it accept
> 		the domain based mail when it comes in.
> 	5) What else, if anything, do I have to do to the neighbor's
> 		machine to make all this work?

1. You can register your site for free (if you're willing to do a lot
   of work yourself), or for $35 if you want assistance from uunet.

2. To be registered -- if you're not on the Internet directly -- you
   will need to find a site ("forwarder") to forward mail to you
   (typically, over uucp).  You will also need to find at least 2
   Internet sites ("nameservers") which will tell the rest of the
   Internet that mail destined for your machine should be sent to your
   forwarder.

   Each nameserver will have MX records for the host(s) in your domain,
   identifying the forwarder that will pass the mail on to you.

   If your forwarder is well-administered and willing, it can also
   serve as one of your two nameservers.  From your description, this
   doesn't seem like a workable idea.

3. Your forwarder's sendmail needs to be able to recognize To:
   addresses like "user@yourhost.yourdomain.com", and send the mail to
   you over uucp.  That's an easy change.  If you're not running a
   smart mailer, it also needs to rewrite the addresses in ! format so
   your mailer will be able to send replies.

4. If your neighbor rewrites addresses in uucp style, with !s, you
   don't need to change smail at all.


The steps you need to follow are:

1. Find a site willing to be your forwarder.  (You've already done that).

2. Find two sites willing to act as nameservers.(*)

3. Choose a domain name.  Fill out the forms(*) and send them to the
   Network Information Center(*).  If nobody else has the claimed the
   name, it's yours.

4. Ask the administrators of your nameservers to add MX records(*) so
   that machines on the Internet will send your mail to your chosen
   forwarder.

5. Ask the administrator of the forwarder machine (your uucp neighbor)
   to update sendmail so it will recognize your new name and pass mail
   to you.

6. To be nice, update your Usenet map entry so that uucp-only sites
   can start using your domain name also.

* For $35 [last time I checked] the uunet folks will find nameservers
for you, send you the forms you'll need, pass them on to the NIC, and
make sure that your nameservers know about your forwarder.  They'll do
this even if you aren't a uunet client.  It's a good deal, and will
save you a lot of headaches.

-- 
Live justly, love gently, walk humbly.
					Andy Behrens
					andyb@coat.com

uucp:   {uunet,rutgers}!dartvax!coat.com!andyb
bitnet: andyb%coat.com@dartcms1
Burlington Coat, PO Box 729, Lebanon, N.H. 03766	(603) 448-5000