Xref: utzoo comp.protocols.tcp-ip:15051 news.admin:12429 comp.mail.misc:4932
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip,news.admin,comp.mail.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!broehl
From: broehl@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Bernie Roehl)
Subject: Re: What Is Difference Between Internet And X.400 Style Names?
Message-ID: <1991Feb25.185436.11447@watserv1.waterloo.edu>
Organization: University of Waterloo
References: <39557@cup.portal.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 1991 18:54:36 GMT
Lines: 33

In article <39557@cup.portal.com> Will@cup.portal.com (Will E Estes) writes:
>Can someone please explain the difference between X.400 and Internet-style
>names of the form: USER@SITE.DOMAIN?  I had thought that X.400 names
>were of the form /THIS=,/THAT=,/ANDWHATEVER=.

They are.  The standard syntax "user@site.domain" is used throughout the
Internet (and beyond!).  The "/this=,that=" is unique to X.400, which is
part of the OSI spec.


>First, someone told me that the USER@SITE.DOMAIN was an X.400 standard.

They were mistaken.  I much prefer the user@site.domain, since it's shorter
and easier to remember than "/admd=domain,/prmd=site,/name=user".

>Second, I noticed that PSI offers an X.500 service as part of their
>TCP/IP public data network PSInet.  Their
>advertising literature seems to imply that the X.500 database holds 
>addresses of the USER@SITE.DOMAIN type.

It's my understanding that X.500 databases can hold addresses in just
about any format, including physical street addresses.

>are the USER@SITE.DOMAIN style names X.400 or UNIX standards

Neither -- they're standard throughout the entire Internet, which includes
many Unix systems, VMS systems, VM systems, DOS systems, Macintoshes, etc etc.

-- 
	Bernie Roehl, University of Waterloo Electrical Engineering Dept
	Mail: broehl@sunee.waterloo.edu OR broehl@sunee.UWaterloo.ca
	BangPath: {allegra,decvax,utzoo,clyde}!watmath!sunee!broehl
	Voice:  (519) 885-1211 x 2607 [work]


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