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From: tronix@polari.UUCP (David Daniel)
Newsgroups: news.admin,comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: Bogus addresses
Message-ID: <2983@polari.UUCP>
Date: 24 Dec 90 21:47:08 GMT
References: <1990Dec24.025350.26945@mthvax.cs.miami.edu>
Reply-To: tronix@polari.UUCP (David Daniel)
Distribution: na
Organization: Seattle Online Public Unix (206) 328-4944
Lines: 62



[]I've got a couple bogus address questions:
[]
[]I've been seeing posts from people with valid FQDN From: headers, but
[]then an added Reply-To: foobar.UUCP header too!
[]
[]Now I know the bogus .UUCP cruft in the From: headers typically comes
[]outdated versions of 'rn,' but what is adding the Reply-To: errors? I
[]see too many to think they are being done by hand.

I use rn at my site and will relate my experience:

I've had instances where our DNS (sumax) will mangle my From: line to 
read something like @polari@sumax or @sumax@polari.UUCP. In any case
it's unusable. By using the .RNINIT option one may customize a header
to read any way one wants it to. I've added my return address to the 
Reply-To: line so that I can get mail replies even if sumax mangles my
From: line.

It also seems that some people have fairly complicated networks where
they'll post from their account which passes to another machine like
news@xxx.xx or like blarson that passes thru two machines I think.

I've also seen people change their headers completely using .RNINIT or
its equivalent when posting to the more "sensitive" newsgroups so that
only the message ID is left (probably) unchanged.

[]
[]Secondly, one site on the net seems to be deliberately BREAKING
[]outgoing addressing by making all postings and mail come from:
[]	nobody@XXXXX.com

Maybe it's their equivalent of news@xxxx.com?

[]and doing the same with the Reply-To: line, too.

Oh, then it's somebody screwing around most likely. Damn college kids....  :]

[]
[]This seems to be some internal dispute in the company. My question is:
[]what do the RFC's say about generating unusable addresses?

I haven't read any myself but I'd guess that it was never even considered:
Why would anyone want to? See above.

[]
[]
[]-- 
[]A host is a host from coast to coast.....wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu 
[]& no one will talk to a host that's close............(305) 255-RTFM
[]Unless the host (that isn't close)......................pob 570-335
[]is busy, hung or dead....................................33257-0335



That one of my favorite .sigs!

-- 
David Daniel (The man with no disclaimer)  tronix@polari.UUCP
"Beware the Truth. If you find a Truth it can demand that you make painful
changes."  - Frank Herbert