Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!jordan
From: jordan@ucbvax.ARPA (Jordan Hayes)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: Mail routing -- problems showing up
Message-ID: <9612@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 3-Aug-85 14:01:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9612
Posted: Sat Aug  3 14:01:38 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 4-Aug-85 10:06:14 EDT
References: <1022@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: jordan@ucbvax.UUCP (Jordan Hayes)
Distribution: net
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 25


One of the problems with specififing ihnp4!cbosgd!mark@berkeley is that
cbosgd could have an unknown connection to ucbvax through which the
admins at ucbvax/cbosgd would like things to go, rather than taking the
extra hop (and time and money...) through ihnp4. Now, all you people
out there who mail things to Mark could say, "Hmmm... guess I'll read
the map entry for ucbvax before I mail...", but more likely, just send
it off to that other address, whereas, if you send to
mark@cbosgd.ATT.UUCP and it winds up on ucbvax, the decision to route
to that domain has been made locally, and will do the right thing.
Pathalias does in fact clear up many problems like this, granted, but
only if everyone has the current map. There are a lot of lazy system
admins out there who will change their L.sys (because mail won't work
without it) and NOT update their map entry (if they have one). If the
table for mail resolution is built into the systems (as the info in
L.sys is), there is no choice but to keep your site current, and
everyone can assume that if it will go through at all, you will do it.
As opposed to pathalias, which will give a path only if the map is
current, but other ways of getting to a site possibly work
(undocumented).

------------
Jordan Hayes        jordan@UCB-VAX.BERKELEY.EDU
UC Berkeley                       ucbvax!jordan
+1 (415) 835-8767    37' 52.29" N 122' 15.41" W