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From: tcp-ip@ucbvax.ARPA
Newsgroups: fa.tcp-ip
Subject: Host Table Change
Message-ID: <8143@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 13-Jun-85 19:23:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8143
Posted: Thu Jun 13 19:23:13 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Jun-85 05:59:48 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.ARPA
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 36

From: Mike Muuss  <mike@brl>

The latest version of the host table changed the
previous format of entries which were formatted like:

HOST : addr : NAME.ARPA,NAME,NICNAME1 : stuff...

to a new format, which seems to be roughly like:

HOST : addr : NAME.ARPA,NICNAME1,...,NAME : stuff...

This has caused all the mailers at BRL to behave oddly.
Of course, our mail system maintainer is traveling, but
as best as I can figure it, if the first and second
name differ (sans any .ARPA), it chooses the SECOND name,
and slaps a .ARPA onto it if needed.  Lots of hosts
(including the NIC) are refusing to accept mail which
is addressed to them at a nicname.ARPA address
(which is wierd, but not a combination in the table,
so that's legit, I guess).

Clearly, there are two factors here:

1)  Bizarre assumptions in our mail table builder.
2)  A (seemingly) unannounced table layout change
at the NIC, (seemingly) without added functionality.

When we transition to using our domain server full-time
(hopefully around the 19th of this month), our reliance
on the NIC host tables will end (and our reliance on
their name server will begin).

Until then, do I need to engineer a hack until Kingston
returns, or can the table format revert?

	-Mike