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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!decuac!avolio
From: avolio@decuac.UUCP (Frederick M. Avolio)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: Mail overload and so-called "smart" mailers
Message-ID: <761@decuac.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-Jan-86 11:25:28 EST
Article-I.D.: decuac.761
Posted: Tue Jan  7 11:25:28 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Jan-86 08:45:13 EST
References: <17623@styx.UUCP> <3080@sun.uucp> <313@fear.UUCP> <219@gould9.UUCP> <314@fear.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: ULTRIX Applications Center, MD
Lines: 16
Summary: Be smart, but not overbearing

In article <314@fear.UUCP>, robert@fear.UUCP (Robert Plamondon) writes:
> 1.  If you use so-called smart mailers to route mail passing
> through your site, you *WILL* introduce errors and piss off users.

No... but you *might* do both.  For any HOSTA, rewriting/rerouting
should usually only be done if the "next" host in the path is not
directly connected to the HOSTA. (This makes the path longer.)
In this case, a routing table should be used (since the alternative
is undeliverable mail).  The only other instance when it might be
reasonable is when some host deeper in the path is directly connected
to HOSTA.  For example, if we get mail for "host1!host2!aplvax!user"
we don't send it to "host1," but rather right on to aplvax -- a local
call away.

-- 
Fred @ DEC Ultrix Applications Center    {decvax,seismo,cbosgd}!decuac!avolio