Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!math.lsa.umich.edu!emv
From: emv@math.lsa.umich.edu (Edward Vielmetti)
Newsgroups: news.software.nntp
Subject: Re: What do I put in Path?
Message-ID: <EMV.90Mar1020759@urania.math.lsa.umich.edu>
Date: 1 Mar 90 07:07:59 GMT
References: <8950@wiley.UUCP> <EMV.90Feb22171219@duby.math.lsa.umich.edu>
	<8988@wiley.UUCP> <1990Mar1.044342.2928@haven.umd.edu>
Sender: news@math.lsa.umich.edu
Organization: University of Michigan Math Dept., Ann Arbor MI.
Lines: 54
In-reply-to: louie@sayshell.umd.edu's message of 1 Mar 90 04:43:42 GMT

In article <1990Mar1.044342.2928@haven.umd.edu> louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) writes:

   In article <8988@wiley.UUCP> david@wiley.UUCP (David Hull) writes:

   >The problem with this is that some newsreaders actually use the Path:
   >to route replies.

   These newsreaders are fundamentally hosed if they do this.  Almost all of
   our news links are via NNTP, and you can't use the Path: line to send
   mail back; its not a valid UUCP (or otherwise) mail path.

Well, you don't need to put "!" in the path -- RFC 1036 makes this
perfectly clear.  (Don't know how much news you'll break this
way, anyone want to try?)

heh heh heh, think of all those !s hard-coded on bitnet systems....

--Ed

e.g.

Path: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu, math.lsa.umich.edu!emv

is legal!

2.1.6.  Path

    This line shows the path the message took to reach the current
    system.  When a system forwards the message, it should add its own
    name to the list of systems in the "Path" line.  The names may be
    separated by any punctuation character or characters (except "."
    which is considered part of the hostname).  Thus, the following are
    valid entries:

                   cbosgd!mhuxj!mhuxt
                   cbosgd, mhuxj, mhuxt
                   @cbosgd.ATT.COM,@mhuxj.ATT.COM,@mhuxt.ATT.COM
                   teklabs, zehntel, sri-unix@cca!decvax

    (The latter path indicates a message that passed through decvax,
    cca, sri-unix, zehntel, and teklabs, in that order.) Additional
    names should be added from the left.  For example, the most recently
    added name in the fourth example was teklabs.  Letters, digits,
    periods and hyphens are considered part of host names; other
    punctuation, including blanks, are considered separators.

    Normally, the rightmost name will be the name of the originating
    system.  However, it is also permissible to include an extra entry
    on the right, which is the name of the sender.  This is for upward
    compatibility with older systems.

    The "Path" line is not used for replies, and should not be taken as
    a mailing address.  It is intended to show the route the message
    traveled to reach the local host.