Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!daver!tscs!tct!chip
From: chip@tct.uucp (Chip Salzenberg)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Convincing Smail to use FQDNs
Message-ID: <26DC0A0E.1352@tct.uucp>
Date: 29 Aug 90 18:31:41 GMT
References: <3932@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US> <KRE5WAA@xds13.ferranti.com> <as2jn2.1b3@wang.com>
Organization: Teltronics/TCT, Sarasota, FL
Lines: 42

I, also, have concluded that reasonable behavior will not be
forthcoming from raw pathalias output.  I massage the output with this
script, named "honey" after Peter Honeyman who gave me the idea:

================================================================
eval 'exec /bin/perl -S $0 ${1+"$@"}'
	if 0;

# honey
# Fix up a pathalias listing by removing .com and .edu sites,
# except for those nearby.

die "usage: honey internetpath\n" unless @ARGV == 1;
$INET = shift;

while (<>) {
	chop;
	next unless ($host, $path) = split(/\t/);
	# KLUDGE ALERT
	# Kill USF.
	next if $path =~ /\busfvax2!/;
	if ($host =~ /.+\./) {
		next if ($path =~ y/!/!/) > 3 || $path =~ /^${INET}!/o;
	}
	elsif ($host =~ /^\./) {
		$path = "$INET!%s";
	}
	print $host, "\t", $path, "\n";
}
================================================================

This script strips all paths to FQDNs unless the bang path is three
hops or less.  It also replaces all paths to domain gateways with the
path given on the command line.  In my case, $INET is "pdn!uunet".

(The "KLUDGE ALERT" removes all paths that include the defunct host
named "usfvax2").

Don't be a slave to what pathalias gives you.  Take control of your
own destiny.  Er, your own mail routing.  :-)
-- 
Chip Salzenberg at Teltronics/TCT     <chip@tct.uucp>, <uunet!pdn!tct!chip>