Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site fear.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!akgua!gatech!seismo!lll-crg!ucdavis!ucbvax!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!pesnta!amd!amdcad!cae780!weitek!fear!robert
From: robert@fear.UUCP (Robert Plamondon)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Mail overload and so-called "smart" mailers
Message-ID: <314@fear.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Dec-85 19:04:54 EST
Article-I.D.: fear.314
Posted: Mon Dec 30 19:04:54 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 6-Jan-86 03:23:42 EST
References: <17623@styx.UUCP> <3080@sun.uucp> <313@fear.UUCP> <219@gould9.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Weitek Corp. Sunnyvale Ca.
Lines: 32
Summary: How to overload your system with mail.

The ihnp4->tektronix discussion brings several problems (and
solutions!) to light:

1.  If you use so-called smart mailers to route mail passing
through your site, you *WILL* introduce errors and piss off users.
This is made worse by the extremely simple-minded way most "smart"
mailers operate.  Most errors can be avoided by simply refusing to
do any rewriting without good reason, rather than just running
everything through a pathalias router.

2.  The pathalias entries of overloaded systems are partly
responsible for the own overload.  For instance, many of ihnp4's
links are shown DEDICATED, DIRECT, or DEMAND, although the speed of
the serial link is irrelevant when mail sits in the queue for days
before being processed.  If ihnp4 downgraded its links, it would
reflect reality better, and mail generated by sites using pathalias
would use alternate routes, giving better transit times and reducing
the load on ihnp4.  Here in the SF Bay Area, dual is in a similar
predicament, with good connectivity but long queue times.  I've
edited the pathalias entry to give a 100*LOW penalty for all of
dual's connections, which has caused most paths through dual to find
alternate routes.

In other words, system management can control mail volume through
pathalias postings.  If your mail load is too high, I suggest that
you downgrade your connections a bit until it tapers off to a level
you can tolerate.  Call your DEMAND connections HOURLY, etc.
-- 

		Robert Plamondon
		UUCP: {turtlevax, resonex, cae780}!weitek!robert
		FidoNet: 10/624 robert plamondon