Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!gds
From: gds@mit-eddie.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: the mail must go through
Message-ID: <1805@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-May-84 02:57:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.1805
Posted: Thu May 17 02:57:16 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 13-May-84 07:34:32 EDT
Organization: MIT EE/CS Department, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 31

Erik Fair says that if ARPANET mail tranfer fails (due to unavailable
ARPANET service), a message sent to

    ...seismo!hao!hplabs!....!sri-unix!foo@ucl-cs.arpa

will be returned to the sender.

This is unacceptable if UUCP service from seismo to hao is available.

Remember the adage of the mailman ...
"Neither rain nor snow nor dead of night ...
 Shall keep these couriers from their flight."  (paraphrased)

This should apply to electronic mail also.  Do YOU think that if
airplane service is unavailable at the moment, transatlantic mail is
returned?  Is your local mail returned if the mailman's mail truck
breaks down?  Of course not.

Soultion:  Have sendmail take the other route if the higher-priority
route fails, or (better idea) have the message queued at seismo for
later delivery until seismo's ARPANET service comes back up.

The mail must go through ...
-- 
					Be ye moby,
					for I am moby.

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{decvax!genrad, eagle!mit-vax, ihnp4}!mit-eddie!gds

You can't trust anyone around here with the su password these days.