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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ucbvax!fair
From: fair@ucbvax.ARPA (Erik E. Fair)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: a common sendmail.cf bug
Message-ID: <10306@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 8-Sep-85 10:01:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.10306
Posted: Sun Sep  8 10:01:46 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Sep-85 04:43:16 EDT
References: <9600010@uiucdcsb>
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 22

This is not a bug; you should be using route address to begin with
(messy as they are). The percent syntax is a non-standard hack, to get
around the fact that RFC822 specifically prohibits multiple `@' in an
address with the exception of a route address. If you are trying to use
more than one percent sign, you're going to get bounces, because it
isn't in the standard.

I think it's long past the time that unofficial gateways to non-internet
networks start using route addresses. Examples:

user%host.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA 	=>	@WISCVM.ARPA:user@host.BITNET
user%host.CSNET@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA =>	@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA:user@host.CSNET
user%host.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA	=>	@DECWRL.ARPA:user@host.DEC

This is carefully defined in RFC822, a standard that is going to have
its third birthday in five days. If a host on the internet does the
wrong thing with any of the above route address examples, you have a
legitimate right to complain to the postmaster of that site, and the
person who implemented the mailer that they use (so rarely one in the
same person). Comments from the gateway maintainers?

	Erik E. Fair	ucbvax!fair	fair@ucbarpa.BERKELEY.EDU