Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!jack!nusdhub!rwhite
From: rwhite@nusdhub.UUCP (Robert C. White Jr.)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Map expiration dates
Message-ID: <583@nusdhub.UUCP>
Date: 19 Jan 88 20:33:08 GMT
References: <2323@cxsea.UUCP> <7815@rutgers.rutgers.edu> <579@nusdhub.UUCP> <306@dsinc.UUCP>
Organization: National University, San Diego
Lines: 91
Keywords: self-mapping, auto-routing
Summary: Instant answer to
	 mail only sites problem.

I must first, and once again, state that that entire idea was off the top
of my head.  As you have brought up two valid dificulties, I will attempt
an adendum to address these problems here:

In article <306@dsinc.UUCP>, syd@dsinc.UUCP (Syd Weinstein) writes:
> In <579@nusdhub.UUCP> usenet@nusdhub.UUCP (USENET News Admin) suggests
> an automatic routing scheme based on news paths.
  
> I also would like to disagree with this scheme.  My complaints relate
> to two points.  Use of the map files for other than automatic routing
> and speed of delivery.
  
> 1.  Many times I have accessed the directory with the maps and done a
> grep on a company name to see if they have a site on the net.

	An "optionally empty" entry would have to be created in the
site_d structure of the form "char *org_n" to contain the organization
name.  The entry for this new info in the data file would take the form:

site	weight	[linenum	weight] ... 	:orgname

note that the only change is the "\t:orgname" which is a free-form 
field at the end of the record, and is totally optional.

	This material, which is totally optional, may also be gleaned
from the news [in general] by the use of processing options.  This
info is included in any postings originated by that site.

	To support this, and "full maps" the "mapping messages" from
the map-gods would come in a new flavor.  The old form of multiple lines
in the form: "site	weight" remain basicly the same, except that "full
maps" become:

site	weight	:orginfo
...

^FULL  (note that that "^" is literal, not a "^F")

sitea!siteb!map	weight		(ascribes a weight to the connection
				 the literal "map" is discarded in the
				 normal processing.  If the links all
				 are to have the same weight, there
				 may be more than two valid sites on
				 the same line.  i.e.)
sitea!siteb[[!sitename]...]!map	weight
...
 
> Imagine calling a large company and getting their switchboard operator,
> now ask her their system node name or even perhaps whom do you ask the
> system node name.
> I might not even know the exact address and phone of the company, nor
> which division or location is their net postmaster.
  
> 2.  News and mail do take different paths.  At dsinc, we use one node
> for our news feed and another node for our main mail feeds.  This
> prevents us from getting our news when we post outbound mail.  Those
> with HDB uucp have the grading feature, but not all sites do.  Thus if
> we post an outbound mail message, I don't necessarly want to receive
> the news on the same phone call.  I would like my mail to go out asap,
> but the news to appear mostly off hours.  The mapping scheme here
> doesnt take into account the off hours idea of news, nor sites we dont
> exchange news with.
  
	The original intent was that sites which do not pass mail
would be ascribed _very high_ weights which, when combined with the
multiplier used durring route calulations would make the route
unacceptable.  perhaps any weight over 3000 should be defined as
"no mail"

> Also in relation to news and mail, there are many sites in the maps
> that don't get news at all.  We were in the maps for three-five years 
> before we got the news.  We have several sites off of us that are in
> the maps that do not get news.  You news based mapping algorithm would
> never find those sites.

	Sites interested in this extra information should simply 
receive and process the "^FULL" entries in the same way that the 
current maps are processed now.  It was always my intention that 
the map-gods and routing backbones would keep master maps in the
original form [or perhaps the new, considering this adendum].

	The original issue was a method of dooing the mapps without
the large-long expired-redundant map postings.  With this system
there are no "diffs" and no "originals" just new information when
desired, and whatever any given site whishes to keep less much
of the overhead.


Rob.
nusdhub!rwhite
nusdhub!usenet