Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ubvax!vsi1!lmb
From: lmb@vsi1.UUCP (Larry Blair)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: pathalias and the internet
Message-ID: <968@vsi1.UUCP>
Date: 27 Aug 88 05:43:05 GMT
Organization: VICOM Systems Inc., San Jose, CA
Lines: 40

Now that the argument (excuse me, discussion) about active rerouting has been
thoroughly beaten to death, it's time to expose a few huge flaws in the maps
as they currently exist.

Let's assume 3 situations:

1) ...uucp->internet->internet
2) internet->internet->uucp...
3) ...uucp->internet->internet->uucp...

According to my understanding, the first two are legal and the third is not.
Let's explore 1):

address user@rutgers.edu:

user@rutgers.edu: ames!rochester!rutgers!user

My mail just took a completely unnecessary trip to rochester.  I've seen
lots of paths to internet sites that had many internet hops in them.  One
possible solution would be for every internet site to list every other one
as a terminal domain :-).  Actually, a new field that indicated internet
connection, with the appropriate mods to pathalias, could solve this
problem.  It might also solve problem 2).

As far as 3):

address user@srs:

user@srs: ames!rochester!srs!user

thereby commiting the sin.  Most backbones and heavy mail transit sites are on
the internet.  Without these internet hops, the email system would break down,
so we don't want to stamp them out.  I'm afraid to even talk about them, lest
someone says, "Oh my God, better put a stop to that."  The reason I mention
them is that if, under a new scheme, we consider every internet site to be
terminally connected to every other one, the email system would break down.
Therefore, the connections should be non-terminal.
-- 
Larry Blair
ames!vsi1!lmb