Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 Apollo; site apollo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!wivax!apollo!rees
From: rees@apollo.UUCP (Jim Rees)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.mail,net.news
Subject: Re: Fantastic Elastic Plastic USENET addresses
Message-ID: <175@apollo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Nov-83 10:48:47 EST
Article-I.D.: apollo.175
Posted: Mon Nov  7 10:48:47 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Nov-83 22:24:05 EST
References: <137@dual.UUCP> <2623@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, Mass.
Lines: 17

I wrote the mail router in use at the uw-* sites.  I think it
does the "right" thing most of the time.  When mail arrives
via uucp, each of the sites in the path are examined, from
farthest to nearest, to see if we talk to them directly.  If
so, the path is truncated at that point and the mail sent on
to that site.

For example, if mail comes in addressed to "foo!bar!baz!joe",
and we talk directly to site "bar" (as well as to "foo"),
then the message will go off to "bar" addressed to "baz!joe".

This can only result in a shorter path, so loops are avoided.

I stole the idea for this from Honeyman at allegra (now at
Princeton).  I think this scheme is in use there and at
ihnp4.