Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!uhnix1!sugar!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: mail servers
Message-ID: <9RE5N-9@xds13.ferranti.com>
Date: 23 Aug 90 22:12:21 GMT
References: <1990Aug17.021921.1863@chinet.chi.il.us> <1594@i2ack.sublink.org> <BOB.90Aug22102618@volitans.MorningStar.Com>
Reply-To: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva)
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 14

In article <BOB.90Aug22102618@volitans.MorningStar.Com> bob@MorningStar.Com (Bob Sutterfield) writes:
> A mail-based archive server is an impolite and destructive way to
> distribute large amounts of information, and should be discouraged in
> such applications.

[goes on to point out that UUCP sites can be victimised that way]

So how should a UUNET customer, who's paying for the non-zero-incremental-
cost (NZIC) part of the link get data from FTP-able archives? The only
way I know is to use a (*shudder*) mail-based archive server (MBIC). Ruling
them out is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Just make sure your mail-based server can recognise a NZIC link (easy, it's
got a "!" in it) and refuses to send if it's not terminal.
-- 
Peter da Silva.   `-_-'
+1 713 274 5180.   'U`
peter@ferranti.com