Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!vu-vlsi!dsinc!syd
From: syd@dsinc.UUCP (Syd Weinstein)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.elm
Subject: Re: multiple spool messages to same computer
Summary: why you can not check if your rmail can handle multiple addresses
Message-ID: <90@dsinc.UUCP>
Date: 8 Mar 89 04:08:59 GMT
References: <551@ivucsb.UUCP> <88@dsinc.UUCP>
Organization: Datacomp Systems, Inc., Huntingdon Valley, PA
Lines: 53

I am getting a lot of responses to this message I posted.
In article <88@dsinc.UUCP>, syd@dsinc.UUCP (Syd Weinstein) writes:
> In article <551@ivucsb.UUCP> todd@ivucsb.UUCP (Todd Day) writes:
> :I am using elm 2.1.  One thing I just noticed is that if I send the same
> :message to
> :sitea!siteb!person sitea!person sitea!sitec!person
> :
> :elm will generate a different message in the spool directory for each
> :person.  /bin/mail seems to set up a rmail to 
> :siteb!person person sitec!person
> :all going to sitea.  This makes only one message in the spool file.
> :
> :Will 2.2 fix this?
> No,  and there is a reason behind this.
> 
> Unfortunately, many rmail's out there cannot handle more than
> one address per message.  It's a shame, but it is so.  (Xenix
> is one).
> 
> Thus as a 'least common demoninator' we split them.

I have been getting this reply from a lot of people:

: How about putting a check in the configuration script to see if rmail
: can handle multiple addresses?

I wish the problem was that simple.

As an example, I send a message to a and b at site c.
If I pass it off to sites d,e and f first as
'rmail d!e!f!c!a d!e!f!c!b'
rmail at sites that can handle it will of course strip off one layer
of address and pass on the command.

However, if site f cannot handle it, you get
'rmail c!a c!b'  on site f
and f will return a bounce message saying
'no such user "c!a c!b"

Note, you don't know which intervening sites this could be.
If you don't program to the lowest common demon. you get screwed.

-- 
=====================================================================
Sydney S. Weinstein, CDP, CCP                   Elm Coordinator
Datacomp Systems, Inc.				Voice: (215) 947-9900
{allegra,bpa,vu-vlsi}!dsinc!syd	                FAX:   (215) 938-0235