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From: diamant@hpfclp.HP.COM (John Diamant)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: Info on IDA Sendmail kit / pathalias
Message-ID: <8120009@hpfclp.HP.COM>
Date: Sun, 20-Sep-87 20:27:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpfclp.8120009
Posted: Sun Sep 20 20:27:52 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Sep-87 00:49:34 EDT
References: <117@rdlvax.RDL.COM>
Organization: HP, Fort Collins, CO
Lines: 34

> The thing is, how can you tell pathalias to recognize the fact that you're
> on the Internet and to recognize ALL other hosts that are on the Internet
> and use optimal paths based on that??!! A tall order I'm sure.  I suppose
> one way would be to write an awk script that uses /etc/hosts as input
> and produces pathalias input. And now you've got one HUGE pathalias database
> that has all the Internet hosts (registered ones -- this doesn't include
> hosts accessible via the name server) and all registered UUCP hosts.
> Any insight on that? 
> -- 
> * Isaac Salzman - Systems Analyst/Admin.                      ----     
> * Research Development Labs (RDL)                            /o o/  /  
> * 5721 W. Slauson Ave., Culver City, CA. 90230               | v |  |  
> * AT&T: +1 213 410 1244, x118                               _|   |_/   
> * ARPA: salzman@rdlvax.RDL.COM                             / |   |
> * UUCP: ...!{psivax,csun,sdcrdcf,ttidca}!rdlvax!salzman    | |   |     

I think you're approaching the problem the wrong way.  The UUCP world uses
pathalias for routing.  The ARPA Internet world is moving to using domain
servers and MX records to do that.  The right answer is to get UUCP sites that
have registered domain names to have MX records installed at forwarding
machines on the Internet.  Then, any site that is on both UUCP and Internet
should try to use the domain server first, and only use pathalias if that
fails.  Inside HP, we are trying to set something like that up by providing
a utility that will allow you to configure for a particular domain or address
whether to use the domain server or not.  After that step is finished,
pathalias could be called if the address hasn't resolved yet.  This way,
Internet sites get the benefit of efficient delivery via MX records, and UUCP
only sites use whatever is in the pathalias database.


John Diamant
TSBU				UUCP:  {hplabs,hpfcla}!hpfclp!diamant
Hewlett Packard Co.		ARPA Internet: diamant%hpfclp@hplabs.HP.COM
Fort Collins, CO